Swoosh. Zoom. Boom.
As the fiery blast engulfed him, Kev Larson's world turned into a swirling maelstrom of red and orange.
Despite the protection of his spiritual artifact, the pain was overwhelming, and his senses struggled to process the agony in real time. He wanted to scream, to release the torment tearing through him, but the pain receptors had overloaded, leaving him in stunned silence.
As the blast subsided, Kev found himself injured and vulnerable, an unimaginable state for the renowned Armored Knight. The spiritual artifact, a gift from the King of Edinburgh, had shielded him from pain for so long that he had almost forgotten what it felt like. Now, the stark reality of his vulnerability shocked and bewildered him.
Kev knew this attack was no random act of monsters. It was meticulously planned by someone who understood the intricacies of his spiritual armor. Meera's presence on the battlefield had been exploited to destabilize him emotionally, preventing him from fully utilizing the artifact's defenses.
Though the blast didn't claim his life, the spiritual armor was in ruins, its golden splendor reduced to tattered remnants barely clinging to his battered body. The once mighty Armored Knight was now a wounded figure, struggling to stand amid the dust and destruction.
Finally, the pain overwhelmed him, and Kev cried out in agony. His face, which had been hidden beneath the armor's headgear, was now exposed to his enemies. Burnt and disfigured, his features were unrecognizable.
His once fierce eyes were out of their sockets, and his nose was gone, revealing his white nose cartilage. The rest of his body bore the same marks of burning injuries, his skin marred and seemingly beyond recovery.
Stripped of his clothes and dignity, Kev stood as a haunting testament to the brutal attack. The battlefield, now silent except for the whispers of dust and devastation, held the shattered remains of a once mighty warrior.
"GRIMDAWN!" Kev's voice echoed with rage and confusion as he confronted Eren. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. But Eren remained silent, allowing Kev's true enemy to strike him mercilessly with a dagger.
"Aaaaargh!"
Kev's cry of pain filled the air once again as he felt the dagger pierce his heart, a deadly blow that left him gasping for breath. He looked down to see the weapon embedded in his vital organ, held by a young woman with wolfish eyes and features. Instantly, he recognized her as a half-blood, even though she had yet to unleash her full beastly transformation.
"Do you feel injustice now, mighty Kev Larson? The so-called Armored Knight of Edinburgh. What did you protect apart from yourself with that fancy armor of yours?
Where were these feelings of injustice when you hunted them and killed someone's parents and kids in front of them before sending them to the death's door?"
Fiona, the half-blood, coldly stared at Kev's haunting visage, devoid of any sympathy. She taunted him, questioning his sense of justice and righteousness. She reminded him of the countless innocent half-bloods he had hunted and killed, leaving behind families torn apart by his actions.
As Fiona twisted the dagger in his heart, Kev's fate seemed sealed. His squad members were already dead, and now he faced the inevitable end of his own life. It was a devastating defeat, perhaps the most significant mass wipeout of three squads in one go in Edinburgh's war history.
Coughing up blackened blood, Kev's body struggled to cope with the aftermath of the alchemic blast. His blood thickened and his strength waned, rendering his once formidable trump cards useless.
With a soft thud, Kev's legs gave out, and he sank to his knees, folding his legs beneath him. He gazed at the fatal wound in his chest and began to laugh maniacally.
"Hahaha. So this is how one of the top leaders of the Blood Punisher Force meets his end, huh? Hahahah. I... cough cough cough never saw it coming," he said, meeting Fiona's gaze with defiant eyes.
"To answer your question, half-blood," Kev continued, his voice steady despite his condition, "I never felt sympathy or guilt for killing your kind in the past. You are abominations, a threat to the peace we've fought for since the Calamity War. Our world's stability depends on keeping half-bloods in check."
As his words trailed off, Kev's breathing became labored, but his spirit remained unyielding. He faced his demise with unapologetic conviction, leaving behind a chilling legacy as the once mighty Armored Knight.
Fiona was overcome with the need to speak her mind to the dying Kev, feeling unsatisfied with his unyielding beliefs. She felt the weight of the countless innocent half-bloods he had hunted and the atrocities committed by the Blood Punisher Force. However, Eren intervened calmly, his voice cutting through the tension like smoke from his Sativa Stick.
"It is foolish to expect a dying man to change his beliefs, Fiona," Eren said, exhaling a lungful of smoke. "Not everyone has a life-altering epiphany in their final moments, and we shouldn't expect them to. While you may not agree with him, you must respect his consistency and convictions. As a form of respect and courtesy towards a warrior, it is right to end his life swiftly. After all, he was merely a foot soldier following the kingdom's orders."
Fiona couldn't find words to respond as Eren saw through her emotions. She expressed her dissatisfaction towards Kev, frustrated by his lack of remorse.
Though his consciousness was fading, Kev still heard Eren's words clearly. He turned his gaze to Eren, his voice feeble as he asked, "Why?" It was a simple question, one that Eren understood without further context.
"There are many answers to that question, Kev," Eren replied, smiling. "But I'll give you one that will help you understand my position better. You see, I am a half-blood too."
Kev was taken aback by the revelation. "It… it makes sense then," he said before turning his gaze back to Fiona. She knew what he sought from her, and without hesitation, she granted him his request.
With a swift motion, Fiona infused her dagger with mana, making it even deadlier before using it on the nearly lifeless Kev. In an instant, his head was separated from his body, and he fell to the ground. Kev Larson, once one of Edinburgh's most fearsome assets, met his end at the hands of his half-blood enemy. In his final moments, he wondered if it was a classic case of poetic justice.
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