Chapter 457 Snapped away
Suddenly, a row of blue torches ignited around the chamber, casting an eerie glow. Jade and Kieran stood side by side, their shadows dancing on the stone walls as the room began to light up. A creature with black, scaly armor emerged from the darkness, towering over them at nine feet tall.
"The invasion of this Earth will be over quickly!" the creature bellowed, its voice echoing ominously.
"Once you heroes are gone, everything will crumble and fall like the rest of the planets."
The creature plunged one hand into the other, pulling out a blade lined with skulls. Each skull emitted faint, tormented screams, and the weapon pulsed with dark energy, resonating with malevolence.
"I look forward to adding your soul and voice to my collection," it hissed, its eyes glowing with sadistic pleasure.
Jade, her anger boiling over, stepped forward. "What the hell are you doing to the humans here?" she demanded, her voice shaking with fury.
The creature chuckled, a deep, guttural sound that sent shivers down their spines. "You should worry less about them and more about yourself. But if you must know, that's my partner's doing. He brought some leftover zombies from the previous fallen Earth and dropped them here to start the chaos."
Kieran put a hand up to Jade's chest and whispered, "Please, just stay back."
Jade took a deep breath, her eyes igniting in white flames. She looked at the creature, and numbers began to spin over its head: 72,000 PB, highlighted in a menacing red.
A sinking feeling grew inside her as she saw the creature's power. She glanced at Kieran, who registered an astounding 200,000 PB.
"Wha-what the hell is PB?!?" Jade stuttered aloud, her voice trembling.
Kieran turned, confusion etched on her face. "Are you okay?"
Before Jade could respond, she screamed, "Watch out!"
The creature raised its fist, preparing to strike. Visions flashed through Jade's eyes—chaotic and overwhelming. "I... I can't keep up with any of this..." she muttered, struggling to comprehend the rapid succession of images.
In a blur, the creature lunged forward. Kieran moved with blinding speed, crashing into the monster. The ground trembled beneath them as they collided, the force of their blows reverberating through the chamber. The air filled with the sound of metal clashing against scales and the roar of unleashed power.
Kieran's sword flashed in the dim light, striking against the creature's scaly armor. Sparks flew with each impact, illuminating the ferocity of their battle. The creature retaliated with savage blows, its blade shrieking as it cut through the air.
Jade watched in awe and terror, her mind racing to process the speed and intensity of the fight.
A moment broke as Jade saw blood fly down Kieran's face. Kieran spun her blade, catching it and slashing upward, creating distance between herself and the creature. She skidded along the ground, aiming herself in front of Jade.
"Don't worry! I promise I won't let you die!" Kieran declared, her voice firm despite the blood trickling down her cheek.
Jade, taken aback, thought, "She's protecting me like I'm some useless pup! I need to assist the best way I can..."
Jade called out, "Can you kill him?"
Kieran smirked. "I sure hope so. He's the toughest opponent I've fought since Erebos and Mereum."
Jade nodded, then shouted across the room to the creature, "Why are you just standing there?"
The monster smirked, responding, "I like my prey to think they have a chance. Also, I think I noticed something." He pointed at her. "Blue-haired girl, you aren't human, are you?"
Jade's heart pounded, feeling the weight of the creature's words. The torches' blue flames flickered in the draft, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Kieran tightened her grip on her sword, ready for the next attack.
Jade looked up to see both their numbers had only gradually dropped. Shaking her head, she thought, "There has to be a way out of this. Think, focus, clear..."
She took a deep breath and skidded around Kieran, who screamed, "What are you doing?!"
Jade yelled back, "Just protect me, alright?!"
As Jade focused forward, she saw the bone-headed blade swinging toward her. Barely having time to react, she used her eyes' foresight to bring up her dagger, attempting to parry. She jumped, flying over the creature as her dagger snapped in half.
Without breaking, the sword came flying back up toward her at blinding speed. "Shit, I can't dodge this," was her first thought as visions started flooding her eyes.
She dove straight toward the blade as it inched closer to her right eye. Kieran slammed her sword into the creature's, parrying it away. Jade landed a foot on the creature's face before sliding down its back.
"Perfect, just like I thought. He has a core crystal like that other one," she muttered, backflipping away to dodge another strike.
She glanced above her head and saw her reserves at 590/600. "Perfect, I've gotten better at controlling my energy output while using the eye," she thought, jumping along the wall, catching a railing, and sliding to the left to dodge another strike from the creature.
Astonished, the creature snarled, "How the hell is a slow, weak human dodging my strikes?!"n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Jade stood up and stretched, her eyes flaring white as she stared the creature down with a nonchalant look. "Guess I'm just better than you."
"You?! Better th—" The creature's words were cut off as Kieran delivered a clean strike to the side of its head, driving her sword into its side. The blade cut through the armor, creating a deep gash and throwing the creature into the wall, leaving a crack in it.
The creature groaned and stated, "Well, this is no good, you broke my holding cell."
Kieran, not waiting for another moment, dashed forward. Her sword transformed into a leathered whip, and she snapped it toward his neck. The creature merely stated, "Another time."
Snapping his fingers, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Jade, focusing back on the situation, shouted, "Wait, what?!"
"You humans did well to fight back as long as you did. I will repay that and let you live for now," the creature said as he stood up, walking back in. "I can't simply let you see what's on the other side of this wall, after all."
Raising his hand, he continued, "I look forward to devouring you once you become stronger. I am 10th in command, Commander of the Strike Force."
With another snap of his fingers, Jade found herself about thirty feet above the ground. Snow surrounded her before she came crashing down onto a desk, startling the director who was standing nearby.
"Nice of you to drop in, Jade. I imagine this woman is your friend?" he asked, looking at the confused Kieran beside her. Find more to read at empire
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