Overknight Hero

Chapter 19: Alter Bridge (4)

The Beast's hand sweeps, causing some of the ground's floor to erupt in pebbles as it hits Xaviel. Some of his bones cracked while his body was sent flying more than 5 meters away from The Beast.

"Arghh…"

Xaviel's left rib bone was caught in The Beast's blow. It cracked and caused him much pain to stay focused on the fight.

Xaviel then crashed onto the ground, landing on his right arm, slightly injuring it.

BA-DUMP!!

BA-DUMP!!!

(What's this?)

Xaviel rose from his prone position to sit down with one leg holding the weight.

(What is this heartbeat?)

He reached for his chest and caressed it.

(Am I…Afraid?)

At that time, Xaviel questioned himself: Was there something that scared him to fight Krey? Was it because of the sudden attack by The Beast? A situation that nearly killed him finally made him afraid.

(No… I am not afraid in the slightest…)

Xaviel grabs the pebble on the ground created due to the Beast's sweep.

(If there's no fucking brain, I'll destroy its lungs!!)

“GRAAA!!!” Xaviel screamed as he threw a barrage of rocks parabolically. As the projectile gets near The Beast, it quickly sweeps away the rocks using its right hand, redirecting some of them to the ceilings.

"You really ought to try better. ALTER BRIDGE!!!"

As the pebbles flew to the unknown pitch black roof, a large blue panel appeared in front of all the pebbles that were redirected. The pebbles slowly change to a metallic color as it enters and flies away to the pitch-black roof. 5 seconds later, a loud rumble was heard.

GRUMBLE~~

GRUMBLE~~~

Krey retreats from the weird pose he always does. Then, he moves slower, forming the same weird pose again while chanting, "ALTER BRIDGE!!". A giant panel appeared 4 meters above Xaviel's head as he screamed.

"What the?"

"Behold!! Alter Bridge: Cry Of Achillies!!"

A large number of pebbles suddenly appeared 2 meters above the blue panel. The quantity was so many it was like raining with pebbles. As it entered the panel, all of it changed to metallic color. But, Xaviel noticed something else.

BOOOM!!!

One of the metallic pebbles suddenly explodes as it reaches some distance. Then the pebbles, one after the other, started exploding. Because of the barrage of the randomized explosion, some of it eventually hits Xaviel.

Instinctively Xaviel covered his face using both of his arms. This led his right arm to be grazed by debris and shockwave created by the exploding pebbles. Though it's only scratched, it still felt excruciating to endure. If not for his adrenaline, maybe Xaviel would already be weeping in pain. He then proceeds to evade the remaining explosions swiftly.

"I gotta handed to you… You are really a tough opponent. Not that I have fought anyone besides you, though," Krey said while gleefully smiling still in his weird pose.

"Ha..ha… You surely tougher than those Giant Rats," Xaviel responded while grinning, holding the pain.

Still in his stance, Krey rubs his chin using his left arm. He looked to Xaviel and said, "I do want to ask. Before, you already pinned me down. Why didn't you strike me down at that moment?"

“…” Xaviel remains silent.

"I surely believe you are not dumb. So it doesn't make sense to me,"

Xaviel's nose suddenly felt runny. As he rubs it, however, blood drips onto his finger.

(A Nosebleed? It didn't even hit my face!!) Xaviel thought as he felt a slight drift away from consciousness.

"ANSWER ME, IMPOSTOR! Why did you not strike me down at that moment!?"

Krey's sudden change of tone snaps Xaviel back to reality. He looked into Krey's eyes and said, "Because, even from the beginning, I never wish to fight you,"

"What? What kind of joke is that?"

"It's not. I didn't attack you first, did I? You attacked me…right?"

"Yeah, but you were the one who killed my friends!! I had every right to attack you!"

"I did kill your friends but did you really think I would attack animals that didn't bother me?"

"What are you saying?"

"You have already acknowledged that I am smart. Now, think to yourself, why would I do such a thing? Why would I do something that has no merit?"

"Quit playing with my mind. Only you know the answer to that. And My friends are harmless. They would never cause harm to anyone!"

"How can you be sure? You say they never attack you, and maybe that is correct. But listen…No matter how you look at them or how much they developed, they're still animals. Even if they are your friends. Occasionally they still relied on their own instincts. To which would react in violence in the presence of an unknown subject or threat."

"SHUT UP! You are a lying bastard!! Be shameful of yourself! I'll end this here and now," Krey said as he switched stance back into his weird pose.

A blue panel appears 20 centimetres in front of Xaviel.

“DIEEE!!!!!!!!”

FWOSSH!!!

As the panel goes in an extreme speed,

CRACKNG!!!

The panel cracks and splits into pieces. The remains of the panel then disappeared into thin air.

"UAAGHH!!!" Krey screams in agony. He cancelled out his stance, proceeding to caress his right hip.

As Xaviel looked closer, an arrow pierced right through his right hip. "Aaagrhh… Aurghhh….Ngggghhh…Efff hah…." He moans in pain as he moves slowly to enter his weird pose stance again.

"A..l…Ter… Bridge…"

A blue panel appears above his head, slowly sliding through him. It disappears along with the arrow that previously pierced his hip as it reaches the ground.

"I see… a power to make something appear and disappear, huh?" said a familiar voice.

(That Voice…)

Xaviel quickly tries to find out where the voice is coming from. The darkness of the room, however, doesn't quite let him.

"BASTARD!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!" Krey shouts, infuriated by the person who shot that arrow.

"You won't see me soon enough, though"

With that said, a sphere had suddenly appeared in front of Krey. That same sphere is now glowing, mimicking an explosion. In a moment of panic, Krey creates a panel yet again as a shield from the attack.

BOOM!!

The sound of an explosion filled the room yet again. However, this time, black smoke appears alongside it, filling the room with extreme levels of darkness.

"Nice to see you, Viel," The voice suddenly appears behind Xaviel.

"Huft, so glad to hear your voice again…." Xaviel responded.

"Give me your arm."

Xaviel complied with the figure, and they helped him move to a safer distance. They made it thus far because the smoke made Krey utterly blind to a nearby object. As such, he hadn't made any move yet.

As the figure took Xaviel to retreat, they say, "I brought this. This is yours, right?" The figure handed him a satchel.

"My satchel! So it was left behind after all this time!"

(I have realized before, actually, but I didn't really have time to pay detailed attention to everything since the moment I got bitten by that first rat) Thought Xaviel.

"I also brought this and this," The figure handed him a set of medical tape, a patch with a green substance, and a knife that resembles the one Hoff used.

"Thank you…"

Xaviel quickly applies the medical tape and patch to his external injuries, left shoulder and right arm. He then grabs one of the tree sap vials and drinks it, making sure the venom of the rat completely disappears.

The smoke, after 40 seconds, began to clear as The Beast had swept left and right creating shockwaves to remove the smoke. After it clears, Krey and The Beasts have finally found what they are looking for.

Two figures emerge from the smoke. A male figure in his stance with a knife raised with his right arm creating a ( / ) shape, and a female figure who carries a crossbow whilst her eyes glow in gold.

"Remember what we talked about!" The woman said.

"Yes. Let's do this…. Serena!!!"

Serena and Xaviel then proceed to charge right into Krey. However, as they got closer to him, he shouted, "FOOLISH!!! ALTER BRIDGE!!" Creating a blue panel right in front of him moves swiftly into him.

"ALTER BRIDGE: METALLINGUS!!!"