Chapter 204: Once A Good Man

Chapter 204: Once A Good Man



Emir's every step was arduous as he staggered forward, clutching Alex's severed head in one hand and his cut-off arm between his teeth.

The weight of his own body and the trophy he carried made each step heavier than the last.

His moving feet were uneven and labored as if the very ground beneath him conspired to pull him down.

The grime on his dead augmented suit bore witness to the brutal battle he had just emerged from.

Blood dripped from his wound, staining the ground in a macabre trail.

The metallic taste of his blood mingled with the dirt in his mouth, a bitter reminder of the price he paid for victory.

His only path towards it.

One that Emir would never shy from.

Step.

Every inch was a herculean effort.

Step.

Step.

Ste-Step.

A few stumbles didn't deter him.

Emir continued to move.

Step.

Step.

Step.

Step.

His breath came in ragged gasps, and his remaining hand trembled under the strain of his burden.

Step.

Ste-Step.

The weight of the severed head in his grasp seemed to grow with each passing moment...

As if it carried the weight of the entire battle.

After many more trip-ups, he reached those who remained in battle.

His eyes saw Lyra, helping out Emma and Jake in dispatching the last of their assigned cohort.

His comrades were now executing their final scene, with Emir's heavy breaths acting as the background music.

Lyra, the Shadow binder, had her dark, smoky tendrils of shadow reach out, enveloping the enemy captain.

They seemed to writhe as they coiled around his shadow, immobilizing him in a nightmarish embrace.

Emma, the Spell Weaver of the group, wasted no time.

Her ice bolt, powered by her staff, tore through the night's air, an icy streak that struck true.

It pierced the Knight's neck causing him to convulse in pain.

His attempt to scream was silenced as the icy grip of the bolt spread, freezing him from within.

Jake, their Arcanist with a bladed staff as his weapon, followed Emma's attack with a brutal swing, shattering the Knight's skull.

The sound of the impact was sickening.

it while looking away at the wasteland.

"What? Say it." Lyra's sigh reverberated through the silent space as she composed herself.

"Why didn't you tell me? Emma and Jake be dammed. I could've rushed to you and helped-"

"No." He cut her off with a snicker.

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"....No? Is that it?"

"You cut me off first; it's only fair that I do it too."

"Tell me." She demanded, her voice getting madder by the second.

|| ||

Emir answered her with silence.

"Is it because you thought you could handle him? He's a Seraphim. The fact you killed him

and survived is a miracle...."

"Your existence is a miracle, Emir. You have the blood of a Primordial, an Apex. Unlike me, Jake, and Emma, your existence is of the utmost importance...."

"You could've at least called me about your arm; if we didn't incubate it fast enough, you would've had to reattach a new one and start over."

"...Do you want that?"

|| ||

Emir pleaded the fifth once again.

"I say this without even taking my feelings into account, so you'd understand why I'm so

mad, right?

Emir sighed, stopping Lyra's rambling.

"...I do, but a man has his pride. Besides, it was a private moment between me and Alex; I

didn't want anyone to disturb."

Lyra sighed and softly tapped Emir's forehead.

"Is that really it? Don't lie to me."

"It was... fun... You know the feat of soloing a seraphim at this rank is a great one..."

Emir's smiling eyes returned to Lyra's, and then he lifted his remaining hand, presenting

Alex's head to her.

"And he was a good challenge... a good man."

"He wanted to save Earth, but he was branded as a traitor to Earthkind."

"Questionable decisions, yet he deserved better than to go against me..."

"He hurt you." Lyra said, her voice showing obvious hate towards the head she received.

"Extract his memories.... We can safely expect that he scrambled his brain, but who knows, he

might've messed up the process."

'He's smarter than that, though...' He added inwardly.

"Alright. But don't mind that for now; let's get you to the cruiser, alright?"

Emir nodded and stood up with Lyra's help, trudging forth.