Chapter 22: The Battle Against Absalom (Part 3/4)
[THIRD PERSON POV]
In the span of a few minutes, he already ruined city had become an apocalyptic war zone.
Buildings crumbled into dust, streets cracked and cratered, and the air was thick with the chaos of battle.
Arthur's summoned army of Terminators and Yautjas engaged the seemingly endless swarm of armored vampires, their futuristic weapons blazing.
Gaster Blasters and floating blades unleashed hellfire, attempting to repel the multi-headed dragon of blood that rained crimson beams of destruction from above.
Despite the devastating attacks, Arthur's forces stood their ground, retaliating with relentless precision and ferocity.
Amidst the chaos, Arthur's hands moved in a blur as he summoned reinforcements and cast every spell in his arsenal to hold the line.
His mana reserves fluctuated dangerously, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to falter.
His eyes darted upward as Absalom rose into the air, his vessel's flesh and bones visibly cracking and distorting under the strain of his power.
Arthur activated Observe, his heart skipping a beat as he saw Absalom's health bar drop to almost a quarter of its original value.
XxX
Health: 88,785/300,000 [Former: 3,000,000/3,000,000]
XxX
"I still got a chance to end this bastard."
Arthur muttered to himself, his voice tinged with both hope and exhaustion.
But Absalom's face twisted with unbridled rage as he bellowed.
"I AM DONE WITH YOU, HUMAN!"
A crimson, chaotic aura erupted from Absalom, radiating with such force that it obliterated the remnants of both armies and leveled the surrounding city blocks.
Arthur barely managed to shield himself with a hastily conjured barrier, only to watch helplessly as Absalom yanked Excalibur Destruction from his chest with visible effort.
"You've been a thorn in my side for far too long. Now die!"
Absalom growled, his voice resonating like a thunderclap.
With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the holy blade with lethal precision straight at Arthur.
Arthur's eyes widened as he barely caught the blade mid-flight, the sheer force sending shockwaves up his arms.
He had no time to react further as Absalom closed the distance in an instant, his speed blinding.
Arthur raised the blade in defense, their clash echoing like the tolling of a bell.
"How pointless!"
Absalom sneered as he delivered a crushing kick to Arthur's side, sending him hurtling through several buildings.
Arthur crashed into the rubble, his ribs screaming in agony.
Before he could catch his breath, Absalom was upon him again.
A clawed hand gripped Arthur's head and smashed it into the ground with earth-shaking force, creating a massive crater.
Arthur groaned, blood trickling from his lips, but he managed to teleport out of the way just as a blood lance impaled the spot where his body had been.
The lance erupted into a forest of blood spikes, tearing apart the landscape.
Summoning another set of Power Armor, Arthur conjured an Ice Dome around himself for protection.
The barrier barely lasted a second as Absalom crashed through it like glass, his clawed hand grabbing Arthur by the face again.
"You're nothing but an insect begging to be crushed."
Absalom hissed, slamming Arthur into the ground repeatedly.
Despite the blinding pain, Arthur gritted his teeth and summoned a squad of Death Angels, their monstrous forms descending upon Absalom in a coordinated attack.
The distraction gave Arthur a precious moment to escape, teleporting behind a crumbling wall and activating Silence to mask his presence.
Absalom made quick work of the Death Angels, his blood-soaked claws rending them apart with ease.
He turned his head, searching for his quarry, his crimson eyes glowing ominously.
"Do you truly think you can hide from me, boy? I will find you, and when I do..."
A massive swarm of blood bats erupted from Absalom, spreading across the battlefield like a living tide.
"... you will suffer for an eternity!"
The swarm descended upon what remained of Arthur's army, tearing through them mercilessly.
Peering from his cover, Arthur cursed under his breath.
With a snap of his fingers, he summoned hundreds of miniguns and **heavy machine guns, lining the rooftops and streets.
"Light 'em up!"
Arthur commanded, and the guns roared to life, shredding through the swarm in fiery explosions.
XxX
Health: 2,468/900,000
Mana: 7,531/900,000
XxX
His health and mana bars blinked ominously, both dangerously low.
Gaia's voice broke through his thoughts, her tone urgent.
(Arthur, nows is a great time for that shonen power-up moment you kept mentioning before!)
"I'm working on it! Don't rush me!"
Arthur replied silently, his voice cracking under the weight of his desperation.
Before Gaia could speak, a bloodied claw pierced through the wall Arthur hid behind, grabbing him by the leg and yanking him into the open.
Absalom tossed him like a ragdoll, sending him crashing into a shattered car.
Arthur groaned as he struggled to his feet, only to see Absalom levitating the wreckage of cars, debris, and entire chunks of buildings.
With a roar, Absalom hurled them all at Arthur.
"Shit!"
Arthur yelled, marking a nearby garbage truck with an X and using it as a shield.
With all his strength, the debris slammed into the truck, and Arthur hurled the mangled vehicle back at Absalom.
Absalom caught it mid-air with blood tentacles, crushing it easily into scrap.
Before Arthur could react, Absalom appeared in front of him with a blood lance in his right hand, their blades clashing violently.
Arthur's Excalibur Destruction met Absalom's blood lance, their clashing energies shaking the ground beneath them.
"You're finished, boy!"
Absalom snarled, pushing Arthur back with overwhelming strength.
"I'm not... done yet..."
Arthur grunted, every muscle in his body straining to hold his ground.
But Absalom was too strong.
A vicious left hook sent Arthur flying into the rubble, his vision spinning.
*Shatter*
The Innovate Clear's Barrier surrounding the battlefield flickered and shattered as Arthur lost focus, his summons vanishing in an instant.
*Groan*
Lying prone, his body battered and bleeding profusely, Arthur forced himself to look up.
Through blurred vision, he saw Absalom floating ominously in the glow of the blood moon.
Around him, an army of vampires and blood dragons gathered, their forms illuminated by the crimson light.
Arthur's eyes flicked to Excalibur Destruction, lying far out of reach.
His fingers twitched weakly as he tried to move, but his strength was failing.
"No... not... like this..."
Absalom descended slowly, his gaze cold and merciless.
"It's over, human. You've fought valiantly, but this is where your journey ends."
Arthur's battered body trembled as he crawled his way across the debris-strewn battlefield.
His fingers dug into the cracked pavement, dragging himself inch by agonizing inch toward the faint glimmer of Excalibur Destruction lying just ahead.
Every movement sent shocks of pain through his broken body, his breathing ragged and labored.
The taste of blood filled his mouth as he coughed, but he pressed on, the overwhelming urge to survive driving him forward.
Behind him, Absalom strode with unhurried confidence, his crimson aura casting an eerie glow under the blood-red moon.
In his hand, the jagged blood lance pulsed menacingly, dripping with malice.
The calm in his voice contrasted starkly with the chaos surrounding them.
"You cannot escape the inevitable, human."
Absalom intoned, his voice as cold and sharp as a blade. Each step he took toward the crawling hero seemed to echo with finality.
"Your struggle is meaningless. Accept your fate."
"Would you please shut the fuck up... I'm trying to crawl for my life right now..."
Arthur snapped, his voice a desperate mix of defiance and frustration.
His outstretched hand trembled, fingertips brushing the hilt of Excalibur Destruction.
Gaia start yelling words of encrouagement to get him to reach further.
(Come on, Arthur! Just a little bit more, you can do this!)
The sword radiated faintly, as though it, too, was reaching out to him.
But then, with deliberate cruelty, Absalom's bare foot came down, crushing Arthur's hand against the ground.
"Ahh!"
Arthur cried out, the pain sharp and immediate.
His fingers instinctively recoiled, and his eyes darted up to meet Absalom's gaze.
The Nephalem's expression was devoid of pity, his crimson eyes glowing with disdain.
"Such a pitiful image. How far the mighty have fallen."
Absalom said, lifting his foot.
Before Arthur could recover, Absalom's foot struck like a hammer, his kick slamming into Arthur's stomach.
The force sent Arthur skidding across the ground, coughing blood as his body rolled to a halt.
He lay sprawled on his back, his breaths shallow and irregular.
Arthur turned his head slightly, his vision blurry, and saw the glint of Excalibur Destruction now far out of reach.
His trembling hand instinctively reached toward it, but his body refused to cooperate.
His Health, visible in his peripheral HUD, was dangerously low.
His Mana was empty, drained dry by his earlier desperation.
Absalom stood over Arthur's broken form, his expression impassive as he raised the blood lance high.
"You were brave, child. But bravery alone does not change fate. Die, knowing you were a decent opponent."
He said, his tone devoid of mockery.
Arthur's chest heaved as he looked up at the towering figure.
Every fiber of his being screamed at him to move, to fight, to do something.
But his strength had abandoned him.
He felt the coldness of the ground beneath him, the world spinning, his mind clouding.
Absalom plunged the blood lance downward, its crimson edge aimed directly at Arthur's heart.
"Die."
*Stab*
The blade pierced through his chest, and Arthur gasped, his eyes widening in shock and pain.
Time seemed to slow as he felt the cold, searing sensation of the lance embedded in him.
(ARTHUR!)
Gaia yelled in shock and hopelessness.
His vision darkened at the edges, his HUD flashing red as his health ticked down rapidly.
XxX
Health: 1/900,000
Mana: 0/900,000
XxX
Arthur's thoughts swirled as his body went limp, his head tilting slightly to the side.
He stared at the faint glimmer of Excalibur Destruction, just barely visible from his position.
The world around him faded, replaced by a deep, suffocating blackness.
'Is this really… my limit? Fuck...'
It was his final thought before consciousness slipped away entirely.
[ARTHUR'S POV]
...
...
...
It was dark.
Everything was filled with darkness.
I floated in the abyss, feeling nothing.
No pain, no fear, no anger, just an overwhelming emptiness that stretched endlessly in every direction.
It was almost... peaceful.
I couldn't move, not that I needed to. There was no ground, no sky, no need to struggle.
"Is this... death? It's way different from last time."
I thought, my voice echoing in the void like a distant whisper.
Memories of the past few months began to surface in my mind.
This second chance at life, this strange, chaotic journey in a new world.
How had it come to this?
I replayed every choice, every misstep, every moment of overconfidence that led me here.
I should have done better.
I should have trained harder, fought smarter.
I should have been stronger.
But now it was too late.
The numbness of regret settled over me.
The people of Europe.
The people who relied on me, who believed in me.
They would suffer because of my failure.
My overconfidence and arrogance had led me straight to my death.
I sighed... or at least I thought I did.
There was no air here, no sound, just the oppressive silence of the abyss.
"It doesn't matter anymore. Maybe I can just rest here. No more fighting. No more pain. No more struggling."
The darkness wrapped around me like a comforting blanket, whispering promises of eternal peace.
I closed my eyes, ready to let go.
But then, out of nowhere, a bright light pierced the void.
It was distant at first, a faint glimmer on the edge of my awareness.
It grew steadily, like a flame in the darkness, beckoning me.
I stared at it, unsure of what to do.
"Is this the light everyone says to avoid?"
I wondered.
"If it is, I should probably stay here. It's actually pretty comfortable in the dark... and safe."
But as I watched the light, memories began to flicker before me.
I saw Granny, the woman who raised me in the orphanage with her kindness and love.
Her wrinkled face and warm smile, her voice filled with kindness as she raised me to a life worth remembering.
I saw the kids from the orphanage, laughing and playing, they'd called me their inspiration, their idol.
I saw Gaia's teasing smile, I was pretty weary of her at first, but as the months past, she became an irreplacable part of my journey.
Belladonna's face flashed in my mind, quirky, unpredictable, and knows what she wants without shame.
Despite her oddities, she was a good partner and friend.
And then there was Griselda Quarta, we hadn't known each other long, but there was an air of authority about her, a quiet strength, a sense of camaraderie.
As these memories flowed through me, a sense of realization struck me.
"... Why am I giving up so early? If I give up now, Gojo would probably make fun of me in the afterlife."
It was decided.
I still want to live.
For Granny's sake.
For Gaia's sake.
And for everyone's sake.
But just as I decided to live again, the light from the distance started to fade away.
"No, wait! I'm not done yet!"
I shouted, panic swelling in my chest.
I couldn't stay here.
Not yet.
They were counting on me.
Granny, the kids, everyone.
I couldn't let them down.
I refused to break my promise.
I reached for the light, my fingers clawing through the void.
But the more I struggled, the further away it seemed to drift.
It was like trying to grasp smoke, slipping through my fingers.
Tears burned in my eyes.
"No... Please... Just a little more... I can't... I can't give up... Not like this..."
I begged.
The light was nearly gone, a faint ember on the edge of extinguishing
My heart sank, despair creeping in as I reached out one last time, my arm trembling, my will faltering.
And then, I felt it.
A gentle hand pressed against my back, firm and reassuring.
With a single push, it propelled me forward, closer to the light.
It was warm, radiating strength that I couldn't describe as I was gently enveloped by its radiance.
"Huh? Who was...?"
I looked back, desperate to see who it was.
The light within me flared, blinding, and overwhelming.
The darkness was gone, consumed by the radiance that surrounded me.
Before the world turned white, a regal, mature voice echoed through the void.
Calm, commanding, yet filled with kindness.
"It is not your time yet, young one. Your story is not yet done."
The light embraced me, pulling me in, and everything faded to white.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE]
Hello readers!
I require more Power Stones, on the double.
Thank you everyone and see you later!
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