Chapter 10
"Let's get rid of her first," Scar said.
Then he released the storm.
Thousands of pebbles exploded outward from his position, packed with murderous force.
They tore straight through the sound barrier, shattering it like glass as they rushed toward their target with maddening speed.
Gazel's gaze was still locked on his sister, still carving death through the demon horde, when a deafening explosion slammed into the barrier.
Boom.
The impact hit his ears like a hammer. His vision shook. He nearly stumbled but caught himself at the last second.
Jarren had it worse.
He staggered, then dropped to one knee.
"What… what the hell was that?"
It was the same question burning through Gazel's mind, but he never answered. The answer came on its own.
Hundreds, no, thousands of pebbles screamed toward them, each one leaving behind thunderous booms as they ripped through the air. They no longer looked like stones.
They looked like comets.
Deadly comets falling straight down on them.
Gazel's instincts took over. He pulled little Trent tight against his chest and curled around him, shielding him with his own body. Jarren squeezed his eyes shut.
The explosions came first.
Then the barrier flared.
Their mother's defense held, barely, but the question gnawed at Gazel's mind like a blade.
What happens when it breaks?
He didn't want to know.
Neither did Jarren.
Their mother turned her head, her gaze locking onto the demon perched atop a half-collapsed building. His expression was calm, impassive, almost bored.
"A corruptor," she whispered.
Trouble did not begin to describe it.
Two corruptors in one ambush. That was beyond bad. That was catastrophic.
Scar's eyes glinted
.
He raised a finger again.
Buildings around him trembled. Then they collapsed further, stone tearing itself free as massive chunks lifted into the air. They shattered, compressed, refined.
More pebbles formed.
Countless thousands.
Gazel saw his mother's brow furrow. Then her face hardened, resolve burning through the strain. Her fingers struck the guqin harder, faster.
The barrier responded, glowing brighter, thicker, more solid.
Scar's lips curled upward just slightly, almost invisible.
"Let's see how long you hold out," he murmured. "And who burns out first."
He flicked his finger.
The pebbles launched again.
They broke the sound barrier instantly, moving at terrifying speed. The impact shook the barrier violently. A cacophony of explosions erupted, shockwaves tearing outward and slaughtering the lesser demons clawing at the edge of the defense.
None of them paid attention to that.
All eyes were on the barrier.
It groaned.
The pressure bled through even without cracks. Gazel's chest felt tight, his bones vibrating. They weren't injured yet, but they all knew the truth.
Once that barrier fell, it was over.
His mother was holding on, but the strain showed. The faint tremble in her hands. The tension carved into her beautiful face.
She was struggling.
Badly.
Pebbles continued to slam into the barrier with the weight of falling stars. Each impact threatened to shatter it.
Still, it held.
Then Scar snapped his fingers.
The pebbles changed.
They hardened.
Now it was metal.
Countless metallic pebbles slammed into the barrier, no longer earth but hardened steel, and the force behind them was at least three times worse than before. The barrier held, but only barely. It shook violently, and spiderweb cracks slithered across its surface like living things.
Mother Trent's face changed instantly.
So did Gazel's.
So did Jarren's.
Only little Trent slept on, peaceful and unaware, untouched by the terror closing in on them.
The cracking sounds were unmistakable. The barrier was already falling apart. Once it fully collapsed, those metallic bombs shaped like pebbles would tear through them without mercy.
More impacts.
The cracks spread wider. Deeper.
Then the barrier shattered.
It all happened too fast.
Gazel felt warmth wrap around him and the child in his arms. He looked up and his breath caught.
His mother had thrown herself over them.
"What… what are you doing…"
The realization hit him like a blade.
She was using her body as a shield.
No. She would die. Those things would rip her apart. She would...
Gazel's thoughts froze.
A massive shadow swallowed them whole.
The pebbles were already above them.
It was too late.
Then the world screamed.
A massive tornado erupted out of nowhere, swallowing all four of them. The wind roared so violently Gazel could not even think. The pebbles that struck it bounced away harmlessly, crushed and flung aside.
They were ripped from the ground and hurled across the city.
When the tornado finally vanished, they stood in a different place entirely.
Karren was not far from them.
And standing in front of them was a figure Gazel recognized instantly.
"Dad…"
Sorial stood there.
Gazel had always known his father as stern during training and warm when it was over. Calm. Controlled. Unshakable.
This face was different.
Pain carved deep lines into it.
And something else.
Fear.
Not fear of demons.
Not fear of corruptors.
Fear of loss.
Fear because his family had almost died.
The rage that followed was overwhelming. Heavy. Suffocating.
Behind him, Bakaros laughed.
His body was mangled, twisted, torn apart in places that should have killed him. And yet the wounds were already healing, flesh crawling back into place.
"What is it?" Bakaros taunted, eyes gleaming with delight. "Are you scared now? Ready to surrender?"
He leaned forward, grin widening.
"Don't worry. I won't devour you first. I'll go for the white-haired girl. Or the black-haired one. Or maybe the little creature—"
A white blur cut through the air.
Bakaros's head flew off his shoulders.
For a split second, silence.
Then a new head grew back instantly, flesh knitting itself together as Bakaros burst into laughter.
Scar landed beside him.
Cold. Silent. Emotionless.
"We take him down together," Scar said flatly. "Enough time has already been wasted."
He was done being cautious.
If Bakaros could hold Storm Fang at bay, then together they had a chance.
Sorial slowly raised his head.
All emotion drained from his face.
The only thing left in his blue eyes was a single, overwhelming desire.
To destroy.
Anyone who tried to hurt his family deserved death.
And that was exactly what he was about to give them.
Not quick.
Not clean.
They were going to burn.
To be continued.....