Act 2: World Beyond - Chapter 418: Last Stand

Act 2: World Beyond - Chapter 418: Last Stand

The mask, which Oscar carefully crafted for her, had many cracks from the crushing rapids from earlier. Pieces chipped off and rested softly on the sand under her feet. More and more pieces fell until the entire mask lost its hold and landed below, revealing her scarred face.

Ignoring the broken mask buried by the sand, Avril gripped her staff tightly. Her gloves were torn to shreds, showing her maimed hands. She had no time to consider her revealed scars and burns, glancing at Oscar and Erden on the boulder behind her. Without trembling or faltering, she pointed her staff at the beasts, a gathering of wolves, lions, and lizards of varying species, melding her scroll into it. Nothing mattered more than protecting the two by her side.

A black wolf at the front snarled, baring its fangs. Drops of saliva drooled from its tongue, and the ground hissed and smoked from where those drops fell. It let out a loud howl, Ein rising from the ends of its dark fur. The other beasts all reacted in response, a ravenous chorus of roars and hostility. Many different Eins mingled and infused the area, a mix of Apprentice to Knight Exalts.

'None of them are Greater Knight Exalts....Can I take Oscar and Erden and run away?' Her thoughts of escape ended as fast as a dying ember. Loud caws and cries reached her from above; large aerial Exalt Beasts flew and flooded the skies. Retreating now would only expose her back to them and limit her means to fight. Steeling herself, Avril assessed her current status. All three Ein sections and three spell sections showed only darkness, lacking anything substantial.

Armed with three remaining spell sections and half of her Ein used up, Avril lowered her stance as Oscar and Sevon always recommended, not allowing a single opening for her enemies. At least her body wasn't severely injured, only shallow cuts and bruises, all thanks to Oscar and Demon, who covered her. Breathing in, Avril shouted back against the beasts' roaring and shrill hostile cries.

Taking up her challenge, the beasts charged, stampeding across the beach, diving through the air, and burrowing under the ground. Avril's purple Ein spread across her body, combined with her Reis, into Vis, or Eirin, as Oscar stubbornly called it. She cast a spell, and large flowers grew around her, littering the beach. All the flowers bloomed and opened their delicate petals, releasing a cloud of pollen everywhere.

'Grade Three Flowery Trance'

All the beasts in the ground, on the ground, and in the air inhaled the pollen, some entering through other orifices and staggered, uneasy like a drunk Oscar. They howled and roared, knocking into each other, seemingly losing control of themselves. Most dropped flat on the beach, and some fell from the skies, all unresponsive and deep asleep.

"That worked. But she stares out into the pollen, seeing the shadows approaching." Avril narrated. The stronger Exalt Beasts in her realm did not succumb to her sleep-inducing spell, stomping over the sleeping beasts, crushing their bones and organs. They resumed their assault.

Feathers fell from above, not at the light floating descend like normal feathers, but at breakneck speeds as daggers being thrown. Concerned about Oscar and Erden, Avril called her roots to cover them in a dense envelopment, shielding them from the sharp, heavy feathers. She summoned her wooden hands, thinner than before but condensed, coiling them around her staff, along the sheets of her scroll.

Avril fought. She fended them off with all her body and core could muster. The beasts' relentless charge suffered many casualties at her wild lashing but drew closer. She split some in two, kicked heads cleanly off their bodies, and flexibly moved between their attacks. Some attacks did reach her, and she dispersed as much of the damage by going limp, but the wounds grew. In a short time, wounds covered her entire body, cuts running across her legs, chest, face, and back.

Her back was torn, revealing even more old gruesome wounds. Avril sprinted around, being nothing but a bloody mess. Nothing remained in her mind except for the goal of protecting Oscar and Erden. She would not allow a single one through.

Her eyes dazed and flickered as she forced herself awake. Wrapping the wooden arms around two Exalt Beasts, blood burst from the veins in her arms from how tensely she clenched. She used the beasts as ends of a mace and bashed them against their fellows. Losing all feeling in her arms and legs, Avril tripped over her feet and fell back, leaning on the roots protecting Oscar and Erden.

Hearing more sounds from the forest, Avril chuckled helplessly to herself. More beasts emerged from the forest, growling at the sight of their companions' bodies. Each emanated the power of a Greater Knight Exalt and surrounded her everywhere, including the air above.

Out of Ein, unable to use Adamasreis, and barely able to hold her staff, Avril despaired as the roots behind her withered from the lack of Ein, exposing Oscar and Erden. Avril let out a heavy sigh and saw no way out. She limped over to Oscar and sat next to him, patting his head with her bloody palm.

"Sorry. It seems our adventure ends here." Avril retrieved a fruit from her space pocket and bit into it, not tasting the sweetness. She only tasted a foul bitterness and spat out the bite she took. Her last meal wasn't enjoyable at all. As she waited for death from the encroaching beasts, she stared down at Oscar and smiled, his face seeming as lovable as ever. She decided if she was going to die, then she'd make one good last memory.

Leaning down, she overlapped her lips onto his, her heart beating so fast and her mind feeling like it was floating away. It was incredible, the most pleasant sensation tingling down her spine, washing away all the pain from her wounds. She lifted his head to kiss him more properly, wanting to remain in this euphoria until death claimed her. However, minutes later, she realized she was still alive and kissing Oscar. Lifting her lips off of him, Avril glanced around, her eyes widening from the beasts all staying in place, staring at her.

"What? Why are you all not attacking?" Avril wheezed out her words.

"Hmmm." The air trembled, and a voice came out of the forest, all the other beasts bowing their heads to the sand. The power behind this presence surpassed her master, Sevon, which only meant one thing...a King Exalt!R/ê/Ad lateSt ch/a/pters at nô(v)e(l)bin/.c/o//m Only