Chapter 59: Cinematic

Chapter 59: Cinematic

Foul fiend! I challenge you! Bruno yelled, stomping as Suzakis ability healed me. I tried to keep pace with him, but the exhaustion kept my body from being up to the task. Tristan ignored Brunohis Manifested Soul tore past Captain Atkins ribbon, wrapping around her wrist and yanking her forward. Another tendril wrapped around her torsotearing into her and contracting.

The Viceroy stumbled away from the Lieutenanttaking slices with the sword made of ice but failing to connect. That pill enhanced his speed to a wild degreehe was lurching left and right in sudden jerks, narrowly avoiding the blade.

Bruno tried to smash into Tristan from behindonly for the bastard to slip aside. He barreled past and ran into the Viceroy, knocking them both over.

Lucayoure the key, Kayson whispered. Use your ability on Eve.

I didnt even question it, setting a palm on the shoulder of the small woman dashing forward to help. There was a deep flash of blue. A second later, her voice erupted, shuddering through the air in a poisonous sound wave. I wouldve fallen to the ground in Kayson didnt catch me.

Tristan wincedeven though hed managed to slam his hands against his ears a split second before she screamed. But the sound attack caught his Lieutenant by surprise. He recoiled, barely a second away from touching the Viceroy.

Eves screech warbledand hit an odd notethe Viceroys ice-sword suddenly burst. Shards burst like shrapnel and sliced up Tristan, his Soul, his Lieutenant, and, unfortunately, Bruno. Eve cut off the sound as she reached my shaking brother at the back of the pier. Her eyes darted as she started pulling my brother away from the fighting.

Every time you use your abilityhe makes that face, and then his eyes flash with light again. Your ability counters his. Kayson said, spiders crawling across the pier as his fingers stretched out. The halo above my head shattered as the healing ended. Use your ability on me, now.

At his direction, I set a hand on himthis time, it flashed red. I winced with guilt.

It only took a couple of seconds to see the consequences of my actions. The spiders reached the fighting. My allies bodies shifted as Bruno struggled to his feet. Eve was pulling my brother along and tried to cut a wide path around Tristan.

One of the webs got caught in a gust of air wrapped around her legs. Eve tumbled over. Kayson began to yell a warning as a shadowy tendril shot forward.

He wasnt quick enough.

The inky blackness stabbed right into Eves gut. She shuddered in a pile on the pier as the shadow pulled back. Alex fell on his ass and scrambled away, almost going off the side of the pier. Fuck! Why was my ability a dice roll every time!?Visit no(v)eLb(i)n.com for the best novel reading experience

Worse, the Lieutenant took advantage of our shock and regained his footing. He saw a chance and booked it towards the undefended Eve, one hand stretched forward and a manic grin on his face. Bruno smashed into him from the side; a single flaming meaty paw crunched into the fuckers jaw. His neck jerked to the left, and he stumbled back. Despite whatever that drug was doing, nobody could take a punch like that and shrug it off.

Suzaki sprinted past us to Eve. Strands of the translucent web flickered and swayed in the air as Kayson adjusted his spiders. Then Tristans eyes flashed yellow again. He glanced in my direction, face filled with pure hate.

Another tendril snapped out. This one shot past Captain Atkins ribbon, narrowly scraping by the defense to wrap around her throat. She struggled, but another tendril broke past her shattered guard and wrapped around her waist.

There was a snap.

Her neck stretched out unnaturally long, and then a sick wet tearing sound as her head came free from the body and subsequently flung into the ocean.

Enough! Tristan screamed and dug into his pocket. He withdrew another pill. I pushed past my exhaustion and horror of seeing my Captains head ripped off. My hand flashed between red and blue sparks as I reached toward Kayson, hoping it could prevent this somehow.

There wasnt enough time.

The manifestation of Shadow paused, one of its trunks narrowly missing Bruno as the shout caused it to shutter. Tristan screamed. Suzaki reached Eve and got a halo above her head.

Every second brought another flash of blue or red as I stood toe-to-toe with Tristan, light on my feet and flowing through the air like water. I no longer felt the pain in my side; I barely felt anything. Like I was pulling my body like one would pull the strings of a puppet. I used my ability to augment my chances and know when to press an attack or retreatoperating on an instinctual level. While I couldnt see how things would go, its like I felt the winds of fate weaving around our fight.

The critical part was to keep the future shifting, even as each use further strained my Soul.

I pushed past that. Fickle Fate no longer carried an element of randomness. Each use went how it needed to be, shifting the future one slight movement at a time, no longer drawn by the gamble. I didnt want the risk or the seductive thrill. Those feelings could drown in the sea. Exhaustion and mental fatigue mounted as my very Soul radiated a deep pain.

I ducked a blow; my palm scrapped his fist and sparked red. I slammed a blow into his side, then beat a palm against my chest with a blue spark. A quick jump over a sweeping leg, followed by a side kick into his head, barely phased Tristan, but I saw the bruise it left.

A little longer. Just a bit more to give to follow the winds of fate to what I wanted.

It felt like glass ran in my veins. Lightening started to crack around me in the same way it did Tristan. Blue and red sparks lanced between muscles and caused them to spasm. I landed a weak blow to Tristan's side laced with red, then ducked another punch that would've cracked my skull open.

Longer. I wouldn't stop.

The wracking pain mounted, almost as crippling as a Heavenly Tribulation, as my body started to give out. I'd pulled too many of Fate's strings, and the consequences burst in me as fireworks of sweet pain. Sweat drenched my body as I pushed my crows to keep fluttering between my squad and grant small pockets of luck as I abused my ability in whatever way I could.

Bruno crashed into Tristan from behind, a behemoth of righteous flaming might. Fist after fist rained down, my crow lept from Kayson and hung on his backshocking him with a bit of luck.

Even though my body screamed, I kept fighting, dooming Tristan with bad luck.

Me and Bruno twisted in sync. A force of pure guttural instinct spawned from the overabundance of our chaotic spars that the chronic brawler roped me into. I knew when Bruno would punch. I'd hit Tristan with a bit of Fickle Fate to prevent him from seeing how until it was too late. When put on an even fighting field, it turned out that his combat skills were lacking. He'd relied too heavily on his ability, and it showed. He failed to adapt to our twisting style. Even if my hits were long past hurting him, Bruno's weren't.

His inferno scorched the drugged-out Captain.

Tristan's skin morphed from red to purple. Vein etched and almost bursting, swollen with putrid black. His control slipped by the second, and he seemed to give in to the madness.

He fought like a wild animal.

This was our chance. Tristan wore more and more down with the accumulated damage. Bruno's blows had torn and ruined his clothes and skin, with strands of web and spider draping him. Tristan's movements slowed; his breath was heavy.

Bruno's intensity only burned brighter. I'd let my friend's energy carry me forward, A torch that would light the way and bring this show to a close.

A shadow fell over us. Tristan's Manifested Soul had stopped contributing to the fight. But it'd only grown larger. Even as his body fell apart, his Soul cackled with mad energy. Its yellow eye regarded us with otherworldly hate.

Then it surged forward in a tide of shadow, sending me flying as a tendril smacked Bruno into the ocean in a pillar of steam.

A ball of black encased Tristan as I tumbled away.