Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 616: Seventh And Fourth

Act 4: Fallen Heaven - Chapter 616: Seventh And Fourth

Her very breath escaped her lungs into white mist, faint flakes of ice glimmering in the vapors. Beneath Astrid's feet was a single plank of ice with sunlight glaring off the corner yet it remained frozen, ringing clear to the tapping of her white shoes. When her foot departed, the plank would dissolve, but another plank formed to receive her trek, an ethereal icy bridge meant for only her to walk. When the snow fell around her, she recalled the first memory since her capture by the New Dawn, having awakened to the fierce snowstorm out the window howling in her ears.

It had been hell for her. Kept in a prison of hardened ice beyond the imperviousness of metal, Astrid begged whenever she was released, only to be forced into further torment in their constant experiments, their tools cutting into her body without care for her screams since her mouth could move while the rest had been paralyzed. The cycle carried on for years, and her screams died down, turning into curses, her teeth gnashing at her captors in hateful speech.Th.ê most uptod/ate novels a/re published on n(0)velbj)n(.)c/o/m

When all seemed lost, the years had gone on too long without respite, and when she saw more bodies of so-called failures be dragged away to be disposed of, she had given up. But then, a voice whispered to her, calling from outside the frozen prison. It was a voice unlike she had ever heard, carrying no life in it as if he talked merely to speak words for the sake of it, not to express his emotions. Yet, there was an odd comfort to it, far different from vile delight, the angered disappointment, and the sly tongues of empty promises by the New Dawn. It carried a chill colder than the ice on her skin but brought warmth to her heart.

"Do you want to fight?" Those words were all she needed, and she answered despite the ice blocking her lips.

Escaping from the memories reflecting the snowflakes, Astrid glanced behind her to look upon her new master, Lord Draven, his hand stretching out to point at the enemy, and he said, "Break her." Two words resounded in her head, and she opened her arms wide, bringing a storm of ice and frost. Enliven by the order, she gazed at Bellina, the warrioress, contempt glaring from her cold expression. She wondered about how she could fight to bring the most prestige to her lord, ignoring the boisterous boasting of the thick-headed tigress.

"I am Bellina, warrior of the Togros. Speak your name, brittle wench." Bellina chuckled, clear derision lifting her smile. She raised a great halberd, its spearhead masterfully crafted with a fine edge that split the light itself, engravings of a great Tigrena stretching its claws into the protruding blades that branched from the main spear. Astrid refused to answer and waited, which seemed to irritate Bellina as she shouted, "Is this the demeanor of one who has conquered a continent? I wouldn't have expected any less from a group of miscreants on a lowly land."

"Bellina!" Areus shouted, snarling at his own family. "Are you a Togros or not? You dare sully our name with your behavior. Look upon your enemy. She's prepared, far better than you. Fight now!"

"Yes!" Bellina said abruptly, her posture straightening up in fear, acting like a prey standing before a predator.

What was the point? She saw her opponent flare up the Ein into a volcanic fury, manifesting in a scarlet halberd anima that soon melded into her armament. Flames spat out from the blades, now red and larger than before. The fire breached into her snowstorm and burned out its own domain—half of the battle was now engulfed in red flames while the other remained enveloped in an icy storm. Bellina took a broad step forward, and Astrid made her move, deciding to end the battle in a single instant.

Before he could complain further, a small mouse-like squeak called to him, "G-good luck, Kragg." He turned back to the fidgeting Restel, her figure stiffening while her head bobbed around. She stammered, "S-sorry."

"Fine, I'll go. Stingy bastards." Kragg stomped on the ground and kicked off into the air, dispersing the remaining frost with a single swipe of his hand. He roared out, starting a chain reaction from the various tigers on the Togros's side, their roars unable to outdo his own. Sneering at the opposition, he roared again in provocation, unable to let them get the upper hand. Since Restel had expressed herself, he would not deny her wishes. His third roar carried his words, "I am Kragg, the Fourth! Who is my opponent!"

Out of the remaining four Togros warriors, one leaped forward in a curled beastly form, almost as if he were using his arms as legs. He matched Kragg's large, burly frame, a physique of hardened muscle. His wide grin similarly exposed sharp canines. Wearing a tiger's fur pelt around his waist over his brown, ragged pants, the man stomped closer, the air under his feet bursting in jets of wind. His wild orange hair grew freely down his back, spiky as if it could stab into people. Kragg didn't know why, whether it was the lion inside him provoked by the tiger or the fact this man looked similar to him, but he felt a strong impulse to carve the man's guts out.

"Remember, we have no wish to cause death to the other. This is a duel, not a battle to the death." Hector, the annoying old man, warned them.

Not to be outdone, Kragg walked in the same manner, blasting the air under his feet in thunderous booms. He tore off his upper shirt, exposing the tattoos patterned on his skin. The man across from him smiled wider, and they walked until they reached an inch away from each other, a pocket of air separating their noses.

"I am–" The man wanted to introduce himself, but Kragg swiped his hand in the shape of a claw, aiming for the head. The man lifted his arm and blocked Kragg's attack, a hint of lightning coursing on his skin. Of course, his enemy also had the same element as him. It made it all clear why he felt the need to devour this man, the beast in him unwilling to allow a kindred spirit to exist, not wishing for any to challenge his pride. He had attacked without Ein to avoid being caught by the Prinstyct, but his foe had been prepared. Grinning, Kragg retracted his arm and cracked his knuckles, his fangs slowly protruding.

"I am Lelex Togros. I knew from the moment I saw you that we'd be fighting. We're too similar." Lelex growled and raised his Ein. "My fangs desire your flesh."

Kragg chortled, "Little tiger. Don't bite at the lion's heels!"