chapter 10: A virus killing machine
Her sword slashed downwards twice. A wind slash slammed into the closest virus, decapitating its arm, it regrew back at an alarming speed. Quinn shivered at the sight. These were monsters. He glanced at his sword. They would do nothing against them. Noelle took a stance again. Unfazed by the display of healing, she stuck the air, bringing the sword as if following a dance. The virus lunged at them. Quinn's face reddened as the virus reached, but it had gotten in where Noelle wanted it too. It's body splitted Into several parts. Purple blood sprayed at the ground. The other six charged at them. Quinn dashed beside her, his attacks seemed to only cause them to riot more. Noelle seemed oblivious to his presence. Her attacks were dealing more damage than Quinn's.
She leaped, one virus plunged it's claws Into her leg, blood bubbled out. Quinn struck upwards, his sword danced at his arm. His legs swiped backwards, slammed Into the ground and plummeted him upwards. Noelle had gotten ahead, her sword slashed at the closest head, Quinn cut it's neck almost simultaneously. purple blood sprayed their clothes but they didn't mind. Sweat creased his forehead as he landed. The last two virus had escaped while they battled. Noelle glanced at her injured legs.
"What do you do to that?" Quinn shrugged. His gaze fixed at the wound, she whizzed past him as if he didn't exist. His eyes darted as she dashed down the hallway taking a corner. Quinn dashed after her seeing the tail if blood going down the stairs. "I thought they were supposed to be In their dorms." Quinn muttered. Noelle's gaze remained cold as she jumped the fleet of stairs. Landing without wincing. Quinn trailed behind her, his eyes widen in shock as he saw six more Viruses forming from the dead bodies of various students. His eyes widened in shock. He gulped down the bike that rose up his throat. Forcing his legs upwards. Quinn turned instinctively as an attack rammed inches above him. The walls broke leaving a gaping hole. This gave them a scene of the outside view. Noelle's gaze shifted outside.
The scent of burning flesh and blood tingled at their nostrils. Screams echoed in their ears. Her eyes turned to the viruses before her. She inhaled, gripped her sword tighter. Quinn squeezed his with Intent. Quinn dashed forward, his sword swiped at the first forming virus. It bursted immediately, sprayed his face with purple blood. A sharp pain exploded behind him as the virus slammed its claws into Quinn's back. Purple blood sprayed him from behind as The head of the virus fell. His heart pounded against his rib cage. His legs were tired from exhaustion but the viruses seemed pretty much strong to withstand two kids.
Noelle steadied her feets, another sword formed at her left hand. The atmosphere became more chilly, Quinn tugged more tightly at his uniform. His eyes trailed at the sword in her hand. It was covered in hard ice, a translucent blue. Noelle dashed forward,coming sword arts with the two swords. Quinn only killed the ones closer to him, his physical limit was slowly creeping in. His eyes began to dim. Noelle seemed used to the pressure. Her grip on the swords tightened. She slashed the ice sword down, four ice slash loomed at the virus killing those it touched leaving one last virus. The virus was already heading for the door. She dashed forward, her ice sword did a triple swipe as she somersaulted. A large ice spike coupled with several ice slashed zoomed out freezing the virus before bursting Into snow.
Quinn knelt down panting In exhaustion. His eyes adjusted slowly. The taste of salt gliced his tongue. His sweat was dripping into his mouth. He raised his head slowly, seeing her scowl at him. Her lips arched downwards in a scowl. He sneered back at her but she had walked out, her sword already sheathed. He stood up, holding his chest for a breather. His eyes slowly slithered back to its dull state. He glanced at the stairs case. Bodies of viruses littered around him. He moved closer and he felt something weird. Their shadows moved obligingly towards his. As they did, he felt some strange alien energy flood through him. He dug into his head as his brain turned to mush. His eyes twirled in pain as his skin charred with heat. He bit his tongue inwardly, holding his screams. The scent of blood to flood his nostrils as his face drained off all the colour. He fell in weakness.
***
His eyes recognised the brown ceiling of the staircase. The dim lights lit the stairs and he glanced around. His left hand found way to his head, pain still thrived in his brain. He looked around seeing the carcass of the virus spread around him. The memories drizzled in one after the other. His gaze returned to his sword.
[Level up complete]
[You have slain ten cursed grade virus]
[shadow fragment +10]
[first time kill +20]
[+ 1 new skill]
[+3 in all stats]
Quinn held his head in pain just reading the messages. He tucked his sword into its sheath and pushed past the door. He was at the balcony now and the colours flashed at his face. The entire army faced one magnificent virus. The air tremors wafted last his eyes, unlike mana signature, this was fairly visible to the naked eyes. Quinn gasped in horror. The tyrant beast had managed to destroy half the army population. Splitting the battalions in two, some fended off the newly created viruses, others tried to defeat the tyrant virus. Quinn moved towards the gate, pushed past it and hid behind a stone wall. He held the deep gash at his stomach and looked around. Noelle Darkfrost stared at the tyrant from the north wing, her eyes intent. Quinn snickered, she was indifferent all the while. Now she's serious as if she can take it down.
The gate bursted open as more soldiers charged out, each shot different offensive powers. The air tremors became wilder. Quinn looked from the stone wall, the Tyrant had a deep gash in its arm. It wouldn't last long. "It's about to go berserk." Quinn muttered. He gazed at his wounds. It was already healing. "f***k I have to hide somewhere safer." Quinn muttered. He staggered up at the gates. As he moved slowly, his shadow seemed to remain behind. Quinn turned shocked at the sight. His shadow turned seeing him and rushed underneath his feets. Quinn tried to brush it off and walked Into the security house, climbed the stairs upwards. Noelle's arms were inside a cannon tank. Her gaze turned to meet him. Cold and hard.
Quinn collapsed on the floor, some soldiers saw him. "What's he doing here?" Someone asked. Noelle lifted her gaze to the monster. Her eyes aimed at it. Quinn glanced up. "You are not planning on shooting are you?" He asked. She blatantly ignored him. "It won't work. You need to be in close range to actually deal a damage" Quinn gasped. His wounds had fully healed and he was up. She concentrated, obliterating him totally from her mind. He was right. Her level was too weak to deal a major damage. Her distance was far bigger and this would decrease her attack power. Quinn glanced at the monster, his face falling. Was there hope against this thing at all?
He glanced at his shadow. The shadow shifted, he flinched. Were shadows supposed to be moving voluntarily. He looked around hoping he wasn't mad?
Noelle stared at the monster oblivious of him. She squeezed her eyes shut. Her cold expression faltered. Quinn glanced at her, and he saw it. She was hoping it would work. She needed it to work. The Tremors slid past his eyes, growing stronger. Vibrating behind his ears. His eyes grew as large as saucers. His breath pounding. What skill was this? He knew it was ice mana, but how could an intermediate possess this outstanding amount of mana? Eyes fluttered at her, everyone looked at the semi gid in the terrace. Even the soldiers at war paused to watch her. The tyrant virus looked up at the tiny beam of light expanding magnificently. Quinn shrieked in horror, his bones rattled as the tremors became a death sentence.
He flinched in hurt as sweat mapped his forehead, his shoulders buckled and pain spiked up his airways. He scampered backwards, the pressure forced him to snap his head away. The tyrant was already making its way towards her. Noelle's forehead creased but her eyes remained intently fixed in her target. Her lips tightened to a scowl. Her mind raced. Deep inside the cannon her palms clenched tightly. Forcing the high density mana to remain in her veins. Pain skidded past her veins, flushed underneath her skin. She'd been through this thousands of times, had experienced something more worse. Quinn gawked at her petrified. The tyrant had left the army as it made it way towards her.
Quinn moved backwards as the Tyrant's crushing aura warped Noelle's growing power. Sweat streamed down his face as he gazed at them. Something stared deep within him, dark twisted. His eyes slowly dimming. An unmistakeable humming filled his brain. The silhouette's ugly frame taking form. A petrified scream parted his lips, he remembered Henzai, his family.
"No...I don't want to kill." He screamed. The silhouette cackled softly at his mind. It's ugly frame lurked.
The tyrant encroached and Noelle's mana burned bright. So was her mind. Her will was corroding slowly. Her intense gaze falling. Her mana was slowly expending . Her skin charred. Her eyes blurred, as she inhaled to release all this energy, A scream tore through her lips. Blood sprayed the entire terrace. Everyone gasped in horror as one loud boom erupted.