It was only by a single thread that Scarlet remained on his feet, conscious at that, holding his trembling hand forward as agony soared through his body.
Sweat dripped down his chin and blood leaked from his wounds, at his wits end as the tenacious entity of violence continued to tear into his side.
Just as Scarlet felt his resolve nearing its end, having to sustain himself second-by-second–
SQUELCH
The outstretched, contorted limb of the Dread was cut off in a clean slash from an unexpected reentrant into the battle.
Asher had leapt in, already armored in his stage five Devilheart hide as his claymore hit the soil after cutting through the Dread's arm.
"Grrrgh–!" The Dread hissed, looking over.
Scarlet was relieved at that moment, but it was instantly replaced by worry, "--Move!"
It was enough of a callout as Asher spun around just as the Dread smacked him with its other limb, possessing such strength that a shock wave broke out once the Devilheart was blown back.
For just that moment, Scarlet's focus faltered–but that singular moment was enough of an opportunity for the desperate entity as its entire body vibrated at a frequency beyond any conceivable limits, causing the ground to rumble rapidly before all of the blood around it was dispelled by the high-frequency movement.
"...No!" Scarlet yelled out.
The moment the Dread was freed from the countless blades of blood, there was no sense of playfulness from it anymore as it lunged forward with unmatched speed, catching Scarlet before the man could raise his guard.
A roar emitted from the Dread's lips, past the point of feigning humanity as it swiped its palm against the Nihilum Core member's chest, unleashing a shredding explosion of darkness that blasted Scarlet away, knocking the consciousness out of the man in one, fell swoop.
As Briggs was held in the bindings of the "Gates of Hell" and Scarlet was left with torn flesh, burned and unconscious, the Dread stood, leaking black blood with a missing arm–but there it stood, as the victor.
All of the combatants capable of fighting the Dread were wiped out; the valley was left in a hollow state from the various rounds of the battle, torn, cleaved through, and unstable for life.
The group that had been by Emilio's side all this time felt fear unlike any other; a bleakness unmatched by anything else.
After a few moments, the Dread looked over at them, emitting a bloodlust that made any knee-deep bravery turn into cowardice.
However, even with shaky knees, the bumpkin shielder stood tall, holding his shield up as he stood between the Dread and his companions behind him.
"...Everett…" Melisande quietly said, still holding Emilio's hand.
The silver-haired girl tasked herself with keeping a steady flow of mana transferring into the young Dragonheart, which seemed to help him relax somewhat from his agonized sleep.
"Nhhgh…" Emilio quietly groaned.
Everett held a half-cocked smile that trembled, "Stay behind me. I'll hold the line!"
Hope was slain by the presence of the Dread; a being that lived up to the name bestowed upon it. Seeing even the revered members of the Nihilum Core fail to bring it down, the recruits felt as though they were merely pebbles before a moving mountain.
"...This is it…" Everett mumbled quietly through uneven breaths.
Everythin' in my life…It's all come down 'ta this, Everett stood tall, steadying his breathing as his bright-blue eyes held his strength within them, Growin' up in that small village–little me would've never imagined this! That's right…! I've come this far! I've got my armor, I've got my shield–I've got my body and my courage!
"Everett, you don't have to–" Melisande began to say.
Though before the frightened, silver-haired girl could finish her words, they were interrupted by the tall, boisterous figure that stood high and strong.
"Standin' bravely in the face of insurmountable odds is what knights are all about!" Everett yelled out, slamming his shield down in front of him a few times.
Just then, the Dread unleashed a wave of darkness towards the group, sweeping through the battered fields as the malignant air siphoned the life from any plants.
Everett made sure he was completely shielding those behind him, planting his massive shield down just as the destructive tsunami reached their position, crashing against his shield with a mighty weight.
"Nngh…!" Everett planted himself firmly down.
The nefarious mysticism wielded by the violent force shrieked, howling with the souls trapped within its essence; all around the group, parted by the enduring shield, the winds of shadows carved through the ground.
"Stay behind me…! Don't move…an inch, ya hear?!" Everett called out.
It was an unordinary amount of power; the weight of it was like a sea of mercury, pushing and continuously battering his shield, and subsequently, his body. A tremendous heat emitted against the shield, rattling his armor as he could feel his arms going numb.
"Ghhh…!"
As just a single scrape of the darkness touched his left cheek, it melted a small bit of flesh, though with the constant force weighing down on his bones and feeling as though his muscles were tearing whilst holding down firmly, Everett hardly acknowledged it.
I'm not…lettin' go! Everett resolved.
It became all-encompassing; the tidal wave of flesh-melting darkness howled and screamed, voiding out the scenery around the group as nothing could be seen but the terrifying force.
The strain left on the shielder's body became clear as day to those witnessing the sturdy man as the sound of his muscles tearing from beneath his armor and his bones cracking became nauseatingly loud.
Soon, blood began dripping from between the grooves of his ragtag armor, instantly blending with the darkness as it fell to the wind.
"Everett…! You can't keep this up!" Yuna yelled.
The brave man dressed in the enduring armor didn't respond, keeping his teeth clenched and his boots planted against the quaking ground.
Melisande sat there on her knees beside the unconscious Dragonheart, keeping his hand held tightly as she looked upon the back of the shielder, "...Emilio, please wake up…"
It was a relentless assault from the monstrosity left standing in the destroyed valley; the nefarious storm tore the land apart at the seams, focusing it in a brutal attack aimed towards the shielder.
The intensity heightened as the shrieking of the soul-filled darkness turned into a bellowing roar, causing Everett's boots to slide back a good meter before he stopped himself.
"...Nrgh…!" Everett gritted his teeth.
It was like a million unseen blades cutting forth at once, chopping away at his sturdy shield, cleaving through even its tough material.
I've gotta hold out…'till Emilio wakes up! Everett thought.
CRACK
"--Huh?!"
Hope sank as the precious shield, the lifeline of Everett, began to be filled with cracks from the overwhelming pressure before completely shattering.
"Everett–!" Yuna and Melisande both yelled out.
As the singular line of defense between them all and the lethal darkness was destroyed, there was no longer anything preventing what seemed to simply be inevitable.
However–
"--!"
The darkness did not yet reach Melisande or Yuna, surprising the silver-haired girl as she hugged the unconscious Dragonheart, choosing in that moment to use her body to shield his own.
As Melisande slowly looked up, she found a site that stood beyond miraculous–it simply defied all logic.
Everett remained standing strong, no longer wielding a shield but having caught the emerald jewel that was once embedded in the shattered barrier, holding it in front of him as he stabilized the rune-wielding hand with his left.
"Everett…?! How?" Melisande asked in shock.
It possessed a special attribute, able to reflect all malicious force, at least to some degree. As it was only a 'minor rune'--all Everett could afford with his meager savings, it was far from perfect.
However, in this pivotal moment of life-and-death, the shielder stood strong with a new lifeline held tightly in his bleeding hands.
Finally, Everett spoke amidst the storm of darkness, "Fightin' somethin' like this–right now, aren't we the real deal?...Standin' up to evil to protect my friends–no, the whole damn world! This…is what I've always dreamed of!"
With a fearsome smile perched on his lips, the resolve hadn't wavered a single inch within the spirit of the shielder; though Everett's body was whittled down, battered and beaten by the deathly storm, nothing had changed–he still smiled while keeping his sapphire eyes forward.
The armor worn by the bright-eyed bumpkin began to crack as well, being broken apart little-by-little as the gauntlet protecting the rune-wielding hand was the first to go. freew ebnovel.com
"Grgghh-!" Everett winced.
Immediately, tears formed along the stalwart man's muscular arm; the darkness was only mitigated against his own body, however, this allowed those behind him to remain unharmed.
"He's going to kill himself at this rate…! No, it's a surprise he's not dead already!" Yuna said worriedly, grabbing her daggers.
Melisande looked at the demi-human rogue, "--What're you planning to do?! What good is running out there going to do for us now?!"
Yuna struggled to find a response, though it was clear that she loathed being kept to simply sit and wait as the shielder tore himself apart for her. freewe(b)novel.c(o)m
"...Dammit! If you die, I'll kill you!" Yuna shouted to Everett.
A laugh left the man's lips as his golden locks were combed back by the intense winds, holding the repulsion jewel forward as only scraps of his armor were left on his body.
Still, it wasn't getting any easier; eviscerations swept across his arm, causing a chunk of his own flesh to be flung by the wind and smack against his own cheek. Slashes began to reach his chest periodically, bypassing the deterring effect of the jewel as it began to succumb to its lifespan.
…I don't have any grand reasons why I fight. There's no call of fate keepin' me standin' here. This is what I want, Everett thought, I don't think anybody needsa' excuse to protect others!
The source of this c𝐨ntent is fre𝒆w(e)bn(o)vel