CHAPTER ELEVEN: Ang Pagbawi ng Bayan ng Urdaneta (The Reclamation of Urdaneta)
While Erik bonded with the fairy's power in a distant realm, chaos consumed the city of Urdaneta.
What was once a peaceful, vibrant town had become a hellscape of carnage and despair. The air was thick with the screams of terrified townsfolk and the relentless gunfire of the police. Bloodied streets bore witness to the massacre—scattered remains of those slain by the tree-monsters littered the ground, their crimson trails staining the earth. The Siklaon's uprising had turned Urdaneta into a battlefield of unrelenting slaughter.
At the municipal hall, the tree-monsters had completely surrounded the building. The police and military forces were powerless against them. Bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the creatures' wooden hides, and the officers were like toys in their grasp—swept aside or crushed with ease.
The monsters rampaged through the town, demolishing cars, houses, and establishments in their search for Spaniards. Many Filipinos were caught in the crossfire, injured or killed by the debris flung about or the monsters' indiscriminate thrashing, despite not being their primary targets.
Inside the municipal hall, the people cowered in fear. The sheer size of the tree-monsters prevented them from breaching the building, offering a temporary refuge for most of the Spaniards, including the mayor, who now hid trembling beneath his desk. He clutched at his rosary, whispering desperate prayers to God as the sounds of destruction echoed around him.
But the Spanish forces hadn't entirely lost hope. Outside, General Slasher led his soldiers in a fierce counterattack against the onslaught of tree-monsters.
Just a few meters from the building, Slasher charged fearlessly at one of the creatures, his arms poised for battle. The monster lunged, its massive wooden hands reaching to crush him. With a swift motion, Slasher slammed his left hand into the ground. A barrage of sword blades erupted from the earth, piercing the monster's hand and pinning it to the ground, rendering its arm immobile.
Slasher seized the opportunity. He leapt onto the creature's pinned arm, sprinting toward its head. As he ran, his left arm glowed with energy, the power surging into his fist. With a roar, he drove his fist directly into the monster's forehead.
"Die, beast!" he bellowed.
Hundreds of sword blades exploded from his fist, punching through the monster's head and out the other side. Yet the creature barely flinched, moving as if the attack had been a mere nuisance. It swung its other hand toward Slasher, intent on crushing him.
The general saw it coming and leapt back, narrowly dodging the strike. He landed with a scowl, realizing these creatures wouldn't fall so easily. "I've fought plenty of elemental constructs before," he muttered. "I know how to bring them down."
"Lejanti Strike!" he shouted, slamming his fist into the ground once more. A cluster of swords rose from the earth, fusing into a towering pillar of blades, 20 feet tall and a meter wide. The structure shot upward, piercing the monster's chest.
As the pillar of swords struck, something emerged from within the creature—a human body, impaled at the tip of the blade cluster. It was a Siklaon member, the power source that had animated the tree-monster.
The blades dissolved like melting energy, and the lifeless body fell to the ground. The monster's movements slowed, its branches and leaves sprouting anew as its roots burrowed into the soil. Without its power source, it reverted to an ordinary tree.
"It's starting to make sense," Slasher whispered, glancing at the struggling police nearby. "Their bark is too tough for my men's weak guns to penetrate."
As he strategized, another tree-monster attacked from his side. With a flick of his right hand, Slasher conjured a massive shuriken made of fused sword blades, two meters wide and weighing over 20 kilos. He hurled it with full force, and it sliced clean through the monster's body. Before the creature could reach him, it began to transform back into a normal tree.
Slasher's power as a Messenger amplified his physical strength fivefold, a common trait among the Chosen Ones of Spain's fairies. He turned his gaze toward the municipal hall, where the colossal tree-monster, Tayog, loomed. Its sheer size meant its bark was even thicker—too dense for his blades to easily pierce.
"This giant rat might actually give me some trouble," he said with a smirk, relishing the challenge.
At the municipal hall, Tayog relentlessly pounded the stone building, trying to break through. "Come out, you devilish Spaniards! You can't escape your deaths!" he roared, his voice echoing through the town.
Realizing the stone structure wouldn't yield to his massive form, Tayog devised another plan. "Do you think you can survive just by hiding inside? Fools!" he bellowed in fury.
Vines sprouted from his body, slithering into the building. They wrapped around the people inside, dragging them out one by one and hurling them into the open. The victims flew like ragdolls, crashing into cars and debris outside the municipal hall. The height and force of their falls ensured that none survived, their bodies broken upon impact.
Alfredo, within Tayog, laughed maniacally, reveling in the suffering of those he sought to avenge. To him, this was justice—a fulfillment of his long-held desire. "Hahaha! Scream louder! I want to hear your agony!" he cackled, his sanity fraying at the edges.
Suddenly, a flurry of shurikens sliced through the vines, freeing several of the captives. Tayog turned toward the source, only to be struck by a shuriken that embedded itself in his forehead. The thick bark dulled the impact, and he barely registered the hit.
His gaze locked onto General Slasher, charging toward him. Memories of the past flooded Alfredo's mind—the last uprising, where this same general had slaughtered his parents before his eyes. Rage consumed him, and Tayog's massive form trembled with fury.
"It was you. You killed them. I'll make you pay!" Tayog roared.
The remaining tree-monsters surged toward Slasher, attempting to block his path. "You brainless creatures can't defeat me!" the general shouted.
He stomped the ground, and a wall of fused swords rose like a thick barrier, impaling the advancing monsters and halting their movement. Placing both hands on the ground, he called out, "Lejanti Strike!"
A cluster of swords erupted from the earth, piercing the monsters' bodies and expelling the human power sources within. One by one, the creatures reverted to ordinary trees.
Tayog watched in shock as Slasher dispatched his minions with ease, the bodies of his comrades tumbling lifelessly from the trees. The sight rekindled memories of the first uprising—the general's blades cutting down his parents in the same ruthless manner.
Unable to contain his emotions, Tayog charged, aiming to crush Slasher with his massive hands. "The time has come for you to pay, Slasher!" he screamed.
The ground quaked as Tayog's fist slammed into Slasher's position, a thick cloud of dust rising from the impact. For a moment, silence fell, and Tayog waited for the dust to clear. When it did, he saw a figure standing atop his giant fist—Slasher, unscathed, smirking mockingly.
The general sprinted along Tayog's arm, closing the distance for a direct attack. He knew the monster's massive size made it slow to react, giving him the advantage in close combat.
"So, you're that boy," Slasher said, recognition dawning.
He remembered sparing Alfredo during the last uprising, knowing he was the son of Siklaon's leaders. Slasher had let him live intentionally, goading him to revive the Siklaon group and seek revenge one day. To the general, this was all a game—a twisted amusement in hunting down those he deemed "rats."
"I'll never forget that day," Tayog growled, his voice trembling with rage. "I've waited far too long for this moment!"
Vines erupted from his body, lunging toward Slasher to ensnare him, but the general was too quick, dodging and slicing through each tendril with precision. As a seasoned Spanish Messenger, Slasher had been rigorously trained for combat, his mastery over his fairy's power honed through Spain's deep knowledge of such abilities.
"Hahaha! You can't beat me like that!" Slasher taunted, leaping onto Tayog's body.
He summoned another cluster of swords, this time forming a giant spear of blades, three meters long. With a powerful thrust, he drove it into the monster's body, embedding it deep—but Tayog barely flinched.
The creature continued to move, and Slasher dodged its retaliatory strikes with ease. Alfredo, inside Tayog, felt no pain from the attacks, the thick wooden body shielding him from the general's blades.
Slasher realized the only way to defeat Tayog was to find his power source, just as he had with the other monsters. But before he could act, a vine snared his leg, yanking him through the air and slamming him into the municipal hall.
He crashed through the wall of the mayor's office, shattering glass and stone as he landed inside. The people within screamed, terrified by the sudden destruction. They saw Slasher's crumpled form and panicked, assuming Tayog had defeated their general.
The mayor, frantic, rushed to Slasher's side, checking his condition. To his shock, the general stirred, rising with a furious glare. Sword blades sprouted from his fists, aimed at the mayor.
"You think a general like me can be defeated by a filthy rat?!" Slasher roared.
The mayor dropped to his knees, begging for his life, but Slasher ignored him, his mind already racing for a way to bring down the colossal monster. He knew that even unleashing more blade spears wouldn't be enough—the creature's body was too vast to pinpoint its power source.
"If I keep piercing its body to guess where the power source is, I'll run out of energy before I find it," he muttered, stepping toward the hole in the wall he'd crashed through.
As he peered outside, Tayog's massive fist came hurtling toward the room. The impact obliterated the office, sending a tremor through the entire building. When Tayog withdrew his fist, it was drenched in the blood of those inside, including the mayor and his staff.
A heavy silence followed. Tayog waited, unsure if Slasher had survived. Growing impatient, he leaned closer to the building, peering into the wreckage.
Suddenly, a colossal Lejanti Strike—five times larger than before—surged from the debris, striking Tayog's left eye.
The monster staggered back, wrenching the spear from its socket. Though Alfredo felt no pain, the attack had blinded one of Siklaon's eyes, impairing his vision within the monster's form.
"Damn it, this isn't good. Siklaon's damaged eye can't see anymore," Alfredo whispered to himself.
He realized he couldn't heal the injury or restore the creature's sight, exposing a critical vulnerability that could lead to his defeat. Panic set in as he scrambled for a new strategy to end the fight quickly.
Opting for caution, Tayog retreated slightly, hoping to protect the monster's remaining eye, which he suspected Slasher would target next.
Slasher leapt from the building, his body covered in minor wounds. As a Messenger, his durability far exceeded that of a normal human, allowing him to survive even such a devastating blow. "What's wrong, little indio?" he sneered. "I thought you wanted revenge. Why are you retreating now?"
"Shut up!" Tayog roared, lunging forward with another earth-shaking punch.
The ground trembled as his fist struck, kicking up a thick cloud of smoke. Inside the monster, Alfredo panted heavily, drenched in sweat, his anger and exhaustion mounting. The tree-monster drained his energy rapidly, and his conflicted state of mind only worsened his fatigue.
He knew he couldn't prolong the fight—his abilities had limits—but ending it quickly was proving impossible.
To his shock, Tayog's massive arm wouldn't budge, pinned to the ground by clusters of sword towers that had sprouted beneath it. "You know why it's so fun to toy with indios like your group?" Slasher called out, stepping from the smoke.
His body was now fully encased in a metallic sheen, like an armored suit, as he unleashed the full extent of his fairy's power—a rare move for hunting rebels. "Because your minds are weak in battle. You don't think clearly," he continued, his voice dripping with disdain. "You're like rats fighting the lions of Spain."
The taunt enraged Tayog further. With a furious cry, he swung his other arm at Slasher, desperate to crush him. Slasher had anticipated this, using Alfredo's anger to provoke a reckless attack.
The general's armor glowed as energy surged into his hands. He formed a massive shuriken, four meters wide, forged from fused swords. By tapping into 100% of his fairy's power, he could wield his abilities to their fullest potential.
"Lejanti Slash!" he shouted, hurling the shuriken with such force that his feet sank into the ground, cracking the earth beneath him.
The spinning blade sliced clean through Tayog's arm before the monster could land its strike. The severed limb crashed into the municipal hall's parking lot, crushing fleeing townsfolk in its path.
"How?!" Tayog gasped, stunned by the loss of his arm.
He couldn't move his other arm, still pinned by the sword towers, and his options for attack were dwindling. Slasher stood before him, smirking, goading him to strike again.
"Is that all you've got, indio?" the general mocked.
Tayog's frustration boiled over, his voice a guttural scream. "I can't lose! This can't happen!"
He commanded his remaining tree-monsters to attack, sending them charging toward Slasher. "You think your toys can defeat me?" the general sneered. "These pieces of trash are nothing!"
Slasher's eyes blazed with a yellow aura, his body radiating energy that enveloped his armor. The power surged downward, concentrating in his legs. With a powerful stomp, he unleashed his next attack.
"Lejanti Garden!" he roared.
The ground erupted with countless sword towers, ranging from 10 to 20 feet tall, impaling the advancing monsters. Within moments, the area transformed into a deadly garden of blades, spanning over 100 meters in diameter. More than 200 of Tayog's minions fell, their power sources destroyed in the onslaught.
Slasher's energy overflowed, his presence growing more menacing, striking fear into Tayog's heart. Alfredo hadn't anticipated the extent of his opponent's power, having grown overconfident with his army of monsters and the colossal form of Siklaon.
In a single attack, Slasher had decimated the entire Siklaon group. Tayog stared in disbelief, his jaw slack, as he witnessed the general's overwhelming strength.
He hadn't imagined he could be defeated, not with the power he wielded, not with his plan to crush the Spanish oppression in Urdaneta.
Tayog's POV
"Is this the power of Spain's Swords, the ones who brought so many Filipino heroes to their knees?" I thought, gazing at the garden of sword towers. "They're not human—they're monsters."
I never expected this outcome. No matter how I looked at it, nothing should have been able to defeat my minions—not even with their advanced weapons and high-caliber guns.
In an instant, everything I'd dreamed of was shattered by a single man. No—not a man, a monster.
As despair consumed me, I noticed the trees surrounding the garden of blades. There, I saw the lifeless bodies of my comrades, expelled from the trees, their lives snuffed out.
In that moment, I couldn't help but recall the times we'd shared at the camp—the laughter, the camaraderie.
A wave of grief and self-loathing washed over me. Despite all my sacrifices, everything was falling apart. The years of endurance, the dreams I held for Urdaneta—they were slipping away, unlikely to be fulfilled by victory.
My goal—to free the Filipinos of my town, a cause my parents and now the entire Siklaon had died for—had failed utterly.
I knew I couldn't keep fighting the general, not with the damage to the monster I controlled. Closing my eyes, I let out a heavy sigh, grappling with what to do next.
The giant monster I'd relied on was useless now, and soon, Slasher would strike again to end our fight. It was infuriating to admit, but I stood no chance against the governor-general.
In that moment, I made my decision—I would emerge from the monster.
A section of its body opened, and I stepped out, leaving it behind. "I can't use my ability to merge with nature anymore," I whispered to myself. "I need to use my remaining energy wisely."
Like the others, the giant monster began to revert to a normal tree. I knew I couldn't re-enter it, my energy too depleted to sustain the bond.
Slasher's ability to summon blades made him perfect for close combat. Even if my physical attacks were five times stronger, they wouldn't be enough to defeat him. But even so, I was ready for what came next.
The odds of the battle favored my enemy, and there was no way for me to survive this fight—but I couldn't let that be an excuse to give up.
End of POV
"I have no choice but to fight to the death," Alfredo murmured, his eyes fixed on General Slasher with unwavering resolve. "I'll die carrying the principles of Siklaon."
A green aura emanated from his body as he strode toward the general, his mind singularly focused on fighting until his last breath. With each step, he recalled his fallen Siklaon comrades, dedicating this final stand to them.
It was a suicidal charge, a desperate act to end the battle he'd started—and to join the Siklaon in the afterlife.
"We'll be together until death!" he shouted, his voice a defiant cry.
End of Chapter