Until the End, Part 5
Inside the capital, thousands of civilians scream in terror as they rush through the streets of Crocus and make their way to the Flower Light Palace. With the city area now overrun by the Lahmus, their only hope for survival now is to go deeper into the capital and hide behind the palace walls.
A mother clings onto the hand of her daughter as they join the other civilians in running in the direction of the Flower Light Palace. However, one man who is too terrified to watch his way accidentally bumps into the back of the mother's right shoulder as he runs past her, causing her to yelp and release her daughter's hand. Two more people bump against her back and push her forward while her daughter tries to go after her. However, another man accidentally flails his hand against the back of the girl's head as he runs past her, causing her to trip over and fall onto the floor. The mother turns around and widens her eyes in horror.
"Annie!" Her mother shouted as she reaches her hand out to her daughter. But the swarm of panicking civilians kept pushing her back, widening the distance between her and the little girl.
"Mommy!" The girl cried to her as she looks up at her mother. When she heard laughter, she turns around and screams in terror as six Lahmus crawl over and prepare to attack her.
Suddenly, Atalanta leaps off from the rooftop of an apartment building on the right and aims her bow and three arrows at the Lahmus from behind while in mid-air. After charging up the tips of her arrows with green energy, Atalanta fires them onto the ground between the Lahmus. When they land, the arrows explode and the Lahmus squeal as they burst into ashes. The girl stares blankly as Atalanta rolls over the ground and runs through the smoke. After placing her bow on her back, she picks the girl up and runs over to her mother.
"Mommy!" The girl cried again as she and her mother wrap their arms around each other.
"Annie!" The mother said in relief as they briefly rest their chins on each other's shoulders.
"Go! Get out of here!" Atalanta shouted.
"Thank you." The mother said to her before she whirls about and leaves with her daughter in her arms.
Atalanta draws out her bow as she turns around. When she sees six more Lahmus heading towards her, Atalanta quickly aims her bow at them and rapidly fires an arrow at each of them. She fails to notice another Lahmu crawling on top of the rooftops of the apartments on the left, and when it is near her, it squeals as it leaps off and falls towards her. Atalanta gasps as the Lahmu lifts its right front claw up and prepares to swing it down at her.
Achilles swiftly leaps into the air and thrusts his spear through the Lahmu's torso before it could reach her. After landing on the ground and skidding to a halt, Achilles lifts his leg up and kicks the Lahmu off from his spear.
"See? You still need me to look out for you every now and then, sister." Achilles said, turning around and winking an eye at Atalanta.
"Do not call me that." Atalanta said flatly to Achilles. "But thanks for your help."
Achilles chuckled before they look back to the street and see many more Lahmus crawling over to them. Achilles charges towards them while Atalanta holds her bow up again and provides him cover.
Achilles stops in front of the nearest Lahmu and swiftly swings his spear diagonally upwards to slice through its body. He turns to his right and swings his spear horizontally to decapitate another Lahmu's mouth from its torso. One Lahmu jumps in the air and tries to perform an overheard strike on him, but Atalanta's arrow pierce through the left side of its throat and sends it falling back onto the ground. When Achilles turns to his left, he sees four Lahmus crawl over and try to swing their claws down at him all at once. He quickly holds up his spear and blocks their attack by twirling it around, causing them all to tumble back when their claws make contact with it. Achilles leaps over them and Atalanta quickly fires four arrows into their torsos and throats to take them out.
A father and his son huddled behind a dumpster in an alley way as they peek their heads out and watch Achilles fighting against the Lahmus. They both gasp when they heard something landing on top of the building behind them. They look up and see a Lahmu snickering as it looks down on them. Both the father and his son yell as they embrace each other tightly while the Lahmu jumps down and prepares to attack them.
Suddenly, Tokoyami's shadow comes into the alleyway from the right and pins the Lahmu onto the wall of the building with his left claw. The father and his son briefly look up at the shadow as Tokoyami arrives and steps into the alleyway.
"Follow me!" Tokoyami yelled at them. The father and son quickly get up and go over to him. His shadow growls and delivers one last powerful punch onto the Lahmu before following Tokoyami and the two civilians from behind.
A woman screams and runs as fast as she can while three Lahmus chase her from behind. But before one of them could reach her, Mirio emerges from the ground and delivers an uppercut to the Lahmu's lower torso. The other two Lahmus stop and watch it soars through the air and lands on the rooftop of an apartment building in the distance with a crashing thud. The two Lahmus look back at Mirio and see him giving them a lopsided smirk. He swiftly goes over to the Lahmu on the left and delivers a powerful punch to its mouth which sends it flying and crashing through the wall of an apartment building at the left side of the street. The last Lahmu crawls over and swings its right front claw horizontally at Mirio, who whirls about and stops its attack by firmly grabbing it. He proceeds to twirl like a tornado and swings the Lahmu around for a few seconds. When he came to a sudden halt, he tosses the Lahmu over to another apartment building at the right side of the street and it crashes through the wall between the windows at the top floor. Suddenly, Mirio sees Tenya running towards him in fast speed thanks to his boosters while pulling a wagon filled with several civilians behind him.
"Hey Togata-san!" Tenya greeted as he notices Mirio and holds up a hand.
"Iida-san!" Mirio replied cheerfully, waving his hand at Tenya as he runs past him.
Outside the palace walls, thousands of civilians are murmuring, crying, and panicking among themselves as they wait impatiently to walk through the gateway and enter the palace area where they will be safe from the malicious Lahmus. Captain Charlton, Sayyid, Hisca, Chastel, Malik, Pascal, and about a hundred Cherry Blossom Holy Knights stood at the sides to make sure all the civilians enter through the gates in an orderly fashion.
"Everyone! Please stay calm and walk through the gates in an orderly manner!" Captain Charlton shouted at the civilians as he and Sayyid stand at both sides of the gateway.
"We promise we have enough room for all of you behind the palace walls!" Sayyid added.
After the civilians pass through the gateway, the Cherry Blossom Holy Knights escort them to several bunkers that are built all around the palace. When they enter, the civilians run down a spiral staircase to go deep underground and take shelter from the ongoing chaos that is now happening above them.
Meanwhile, Salem, Mahdi, Fawaz, Nazrul and six other Qital Dire warriors are stationed at the other end of the bridge across the moat which connects the city area to the palace. They stand in their battle stances, preparing to strike down any Lahmu that tries to go near the bridge.
When Tenya arrives at the bridge, he deactivates his boosters and stops in front of the Qital Dire warriors. After Tenya places the wagon down and releases his grip on the handles, about fifteen civilians come out from the back of it.
"Alright everyone!" Tenya yelled at the civilians as he stomps his foot and stands up straight. He holds up his right arm and gestures them to the palace and the other civilians. "Please make your way to the palace in an orderly fashion! No pushing and fighting each other as doing so will only cause unnecessary delays!"
The civilians walk past Tenya and the Qital Dire warriors move aside to allow them to walk over the bridge. One boy stands in front of Tenya and smiles at him.
"Thank you, sir." The boy said, bowing his head to him. Tenya smiled back at him as he lowers his arm.
"You're welcome." Tenya said as he bows back to him. After the boy leaves with his parents, Tenya turns back to the city streets and uses his boosters to run off in incredible speed, ready to find another batch of civilians and bring them safely to the palace.
Meanwhile, at another residential district in the city area, Allen, Juvia, Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Lisanna, Elfman, Alzack, Bisca, Beatrice, Zaveid, Totomaru, Jin, Ragna, Kallen and many Mizuhans and Rune Knights fight against the Lahmus on the street, while Panther Lily, Sol, Aria, Levy, Laki, Mest, Kinana, Alisha, Rose, Asbel, Cheria and Sophie are going inside the apartment buildings to escort any civilians who are still hiding inside them to safety.
"Everyone! Make your way to the Flower Light Palace! It's not safe for you to be here!" Laxus shouted at the civilians as they quickly ran past the Lahmus while they are occupied with the mages, Mizuhans and Rune Knights.
After a Lahmu manages to strike down a Rune Knight, it turns around and sees a family of four trying to run past them on the pavement. The Lahmu quickly leaps into the air and lands in front of them, causing the family to scream and huddle together. The Lahmu turns to the family and gave a huge grin as it pulls its front claws back and prepare to strike them.
However, Lisanna quickly pounces at the Lahmu from its left, stabs her cat claws onto the left side of its mouth and pins it against the wall of the apartment building. The family of four watch Lisanna for a moment as she proceeds to deliver several slashes onto the Lahmu. Elfman quickly runs over to the family from behind and places his hands on the parents' shoulders.
"Go! Keep moving!" Elfman shouted as they go around the Lahmu and Lisanna and he escorts the family to safety.
As the Mizuhans, Rune Knights and other mages fight against the Lahmus behind him, Allen uses his arm-cannon to shoot down any Lahmus that are flying towards them in the air.
Suddenly, two Lahmus fly down and land behind him. Allen quickly transforms his arm-cannon into his oversized claw and uses it to slash the Lahmus across their mouths as he whirls about. Another Lahmu soon lands behind Allen. He quickly lifts his oversized arm up and curls his claw into a fist. When he turns around, he brings it down onto the top of the Lahmu's mouth, slamming it onto the ground. Unfortunately, another Lahmu swoops onto Allen from behind and swings its front claws down to slash his back. Allen yells in pain as he collapses onto the floor. When he lifts his head up, he sees seven more Lahmus crawling over to him.
"Darn it." Allen murmured as he grits his teeth. The Lahmu laughs as it crawls above Allen and prepares to bring its claw down onto the back of his head.
Suddenly, within only two seconds, Lenalee runs over to each Lahmu that is in front of Allen from behind and finish them by kicking their mouths off from their bodies. As the seven lifeless Lahmus fall onto the ground, Lenalee swiftly runs over to the Lahmu above Allen in incredible speed, kicks it in its torso and sends it sprawling through the ground. Juvia looks over her shoulder to see the Lahmu now lying behind her. After giving her a wide smile, Juvia narrows her eyes as she quickly turns around and thrusts her hand to fire a beam of water through its throat.
Lenalee wraps Allen's right arm around her shoulders and helps him get back up on his feet.
"Are you alright?" Lenalee asked concernedly.
"Yeah, I'll live." Allen replied. "Thanks, ummm…I still don't know your name."
"I don't know your name either, even though we were on the same ship." Lenalee said before she and Allen laugh sheepishly. "My name is Lenalee Lee."
"Nice knowing you. I'm Allen Walker." Allen said with a warm smile.
Nearby, Alzack and Bisca hold up their revolver and shotgun and fire at several Lahmus hovering in the air. When they look back at the streets in front of them, they see twelve more Lahmus charging towards them.
Beatrice suddenly runs past the couple and holds up a pair of double-machine guns which Bisca had given her. Without mercy, she continuously fires her new guns at the Lahmus, even after all twelve of them had fallen onto the ground with multiple holes all over their bodies. When she ran out of bullets, Beatrice moans blissfully and turns to Bisca with a wide grin on her face.
"Grazie Bisca! I loooovvvveeee them!" Beatrice cried ecstatically as she holds up her machine guns.
"A-A-And you can keep them. I-I have plenty of them anyway." Bisca chuckled nervously as she and Alzack stare uncomfortably at Beatrice.
Inside one of the apartment buildings, Cheria and Sophie are at the second floor helping to evacuate the civilians out of their homes. Asbel stood downstairs and at the left side of the apartment's entrance to watch them leave and make their way to the palace walls. After watching a couple running down the staircase on her left, Cheria turns to Sophie who stood at the other end of the hallway.
"That's all of them at my side." Cheria said to Sophie.
"Got it." Sophie said before a family of four step out of their home in front of her. After closing the door behind them, they see Sophie gesturing them to the staircase. "This way."
Outside the building, when Asbel suddenly heard laughter, he looks up and widens his eyes to see three Lahmus flying down from the sky and crashing through the rooftop of the apartment.
"Cheria! Sophie!" Asbel shouted in horror as he turns his head to the interior of the apartment.
Another Lahmu suddenly flies down and lands beside Asbel on his right. He gave a soft gasp as he swiftly draws out his sword from his scabbard, turns to the Lahmu and swings it horizontally at it. The Lahmu quickly blocks his attack by holding up its left front claw and it laughs maniacally at Asbel's face as they stay in a stalemate.
Back inside, one Lahmu landed in front of Cheria. Another Lahmu lands behind Sophie, and the third one lands beside the family of four on their left. As the family scream in horror, Sophie quickly dodges a horizontal strike from the Lahmu behind her by jumping in the air. As she performs a somersault over the family of four, Sophie swings her right leg down onto the Lahmu beside them. The Lahmu blocks her attack by holding both its front claws up. Sophie performs a backflip and lands back on the floor.
"Get back inside!" Sophie shouted to the family as she gets up. As they obliged and get back inside their home, Sophie charges at the Lahmu in front of her and delivers several punches at it. The Lahmu blocks all her attacks with its front claws.
Cheria backs away to dodge a horizontal strike from the Lahmu in front of her. She quickly draws out a dagger from underneath her right sleeve and manages to stab it into its right front arm.
"AAAAHHHH! That's not fun!" The Lahmu cried before it pulls its left front arm back and swings it across Cheria's head. She yelps as she is sent falling over the railing and down onto the stairs below.
"THAT IS!" The Lahmu squeals at Cheria before throwing its mouth back and burst into laughter.
"Cheria!" Asbel cried in horror as he looks over his shoulder and sees his friend lying on the stairs through the doorway. He yelps as the Lahmu he is facing manages to push him back. The Lahmu swings his right front claw horizontally at Asbel. He manages to block his attack by holding up his sword, but the impact sends him tumbling onto the ground. The Lahmu quickly swings both its front claws down and stab through his shoulders, causing Asbel to release his sword and yell in agony.
"Asbel!" Sophie cried as she turns to the stairway and hears his yell from inside the apartment. When the Lahmu in front of her swings its front claws down at her, Sophie quickly looks back at it and blocks its overhead attack by holding up and crossing her gauntlets. As Sophie and the Lahmu push against each other in a stalemate, the other Lahmu behind her crawls over. Sophie manages to push the Lahmu back before she whirls about and delivers a punch to the chest of the other Lahmu behind her, sending it sprawling through the floor. However, this allows the other Lahmu to swing its right front claw and slash across her back. Sophie cries in pain as she collapses onto the floor. As the other gets back up, both Lahmus laugh as they step towards her.
Finally, the third Lahmu in the building jumps down from the second floor and lands on the stairs and above Cheria. When Cheria opens her eyes, she draws out two more daggers from underneath her sleeves and quickly stab them into the Lahmu's front claws. The Lahmu squeals for a moment before it swings its front claws down and stabs through Cheria's shoulders, causing her to scream.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Asbel yelled when he could hear her scream. As he turns back to the Lahmu above him, he grabs its front claws and groans as he tries to pull them out from his shoulders. But the Lahmu stays in its place and leans its mouth closer to his face.
"Why can't you just die already? You will all soon be replaced by us anyway! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The Lahmu laughed cruelly at him.
Asbel throws the back of his head against the ground in frustration and despair, fearing what is going to happen to him and his friends. It seems no matter how hard he fights, and regardless of whether his mind is under control by the Abbey or not, Asbel can never do anything right.
Since young, he has always been trying his best to live up to his father's expectations and prove to him and his mother that he is worthy to be the next mayor and protector of Lhant. But no matter what he does, he could never make his father proud, and it frustrates him. Then three months ago, the Abbey came and invaded Lhant. His father tragically died in battle as he tried to protect the town their ancestors founded, while his useless son could not defeat a single enemy. The invasion only lasted for thirty minutes before he, Cheria, Sophie, his mother and all the surviving townspeople were rounded up as prisoners and sent to the town of Zaphias where they would be brainwashed to become mindless slaves or soldiers to their new nation. Asbel hated himself for not being able to save his father and hometown, and his own people probably hate him as well for failing to protect them. Which is why he willingly allowed himself to be brainwashed by the Abbey, hoping that it will erase the pain and guilt he now has inside of him. But it did not entirely.
Now, after being freed from their mind control thanks to Fairy Tail and their allies, Asbel felt like he is given another chance to prove his worthiness by taking part in this battle and save Crocus from certain destruction. But sadly, he and his friends have now gotten themselves in another predicament. And this time, it may be their last. Asbel cursed himself inwardly. He has failed to live up to his father's expectations. He has failed to protect Lhant. And now, he is going to die along with two other people whom he holds dear and sworn to protect. Asbel seals his lips as he struggles to recall any good memories before his tragic death. Memories of days before the tragic fall of Lhant.
Three months ago…
As Asbel sat quietly on the side of his bed, Cheria kneels in front of him and helps heal a bruise on his leg that he had gotten from yet another harsh training session from his father. The door to his room soon opened and Sophie walks in with a metal tray that has a banana and a glass of water on it.
"There. All done." Cheria said, looking up at Asbel with a weak smile. But it soon faded when she sees the despondent frown on Asbel's face.
"Here you go, Asbel." Sophie said as she stands beside Asbel and holds up the tray to him. Asbel however did not move or say a word. Cheria sighs inwardly as she quietly gets up and sits beside her friend.
"Asbel, I know your father is extremely tough on you, and you are really trying your best to impress him. No matter what happens, Sophie and I are here for you." Cheria said encouragingly.
"That's right." Sophie said as she sat beside Asbel on the left and places the tray on her lap. He finally responded to them with a chuckle.
"It's funny. Seven years ago, I swore to you two and my mother that when I grow up, I will protect all of you. But now, it seems nothing has changed." Asbel sniffled as tears now form in his eyes. "And it probably will never change."
Sophie and Cheria gasp as they see Asbel burying his face in his hands and sobbed.
"Asbel." Cheria said in concern as she places her hands on his shoulders. Sophie also places a hand on his back as they try to comfort him. Asbel removes his hands a minute later and wipes away his tears.
"I'm hopeless, guys. I'm a failure. I will never impress my father. I will never be worthy to become the next mayor and protector of Lhant." Asbel said hoarsely. Cheria soon places her hand on top of his head, causing him to widen his eyes.
"Don't ever say that, Asbel." Cheria said as she closes her eyes and places her head against his. "No matter what others think, I believe you are my protector."
"So do I." Sophie said before placing her hand on top of Asbel's hand and grasping it. Now overwhelmed by their kindness, Asbel lowers his head and weeps again.
"Cheria…Sophie…I'll do my best…I don't want to fail again…"
Asbel slowly opens his eyes, finally remembering what they said to him before the Abbey's invasion. Cheria and her grandfather, who worked as his family's butler, did not just live with the Lhants ever since her parents died, she was also counting on Asbel to take their place as her new watchful guardian and protector. And Sophie too. Before any of this, she was an orphan struggling to live in the streets of Lhant on her own. That is until Asbel himself agree to take good care of her despite his father's disapproval. His closest friends now need him more than ever. And if he can't save the people whom he holds dear the most, then he is not worthy to live at all. Asbel made a promise to them that he will not be a failure again. Now it is the time to fulfil it.
Asbel narrows his eyes and grits his teeth at the Lahmu, causing it to chuckle.
"Oh? What's with that-"
"SHUT UP! I will not fail! NOT AGAIN!" Asbel bellowed before he lifts his leg up and delivers a kick to the area between the Lahmu's floppy legs. As the Lahmu squeals in pain, Asbel grasps its front claws, and he lets out a yell as he manages to pull them off from his shoulders this time. As the Lahmu stumbles back, Asbel quickly grabs his sword from the ground and swings it diagonally to slice off its left front claw. As the Lahmu squeals again, Asbel quickly gets up and runs into the apartment, not caring about the wounds on his shoulders. "CHERIA!"
"Asbel!" Cheria cried to him as the Lahmu above her is about to bring its right front claw down onto her chest. Asbel quickly throws his sword at the Lahmu and it stabs right through its chest. The Lahmu shrieks as it backs away from Cheria. When Asbel reaches it, he grabs the hilt of his sword and swings it upward to slice it through its mouth and out from the top of it.
"Hmmm?" One of the Lahmus at the second floor said as they turn to the staircase and see Asbel running over to them. Asbel swings his sword down at the nearest Lahmu, who quickly blocks his attack by holding up its left front claw. It swings its other front claw horizontally at him, but Asbel dodges it by leaping into the air. After performing a quick flip, Asbel thrusts his sword downward and stabs it through the top of the Lahmu's mouth as he lands above it. The last remaining Lahmu crawls over Sophie and tries to attack Asbel. But Cheria quickly throws her daggers at it after getting up and they stab through its mouth and throat. After jumping off from the Lahmu, Asbel swings his sword horizontally at the other Lahmu and slices its mouth off from its torso.
Sophie turns around and throws the now lifeless Lahmu off her as she gets up. When the family of four slightly open the door to see what is going on now, Asbel lowers his sword and nods his head to them.
"It's safe now." Asbel said. When the family step out of their home and see the Lahmus are now defeated, they all look back up at Asbel and smile at him.
"Thank you so much, sir." The mother said gratefully as they all bow their heads to him.
"Y-You're welcome." Asbel replied nervously as his cheeks blushed. Cheria goes over to him and places her hand on his left shoulder.
"You deserve it." Cheria said with a wide smile.
"You saved our lives too, Asbel. Thank you." Sophie said, bowing her head to him as well. Asbel smiles at his friends before looking back at the family.
"We need to get out of here." Asbel said firmly.
Cheria, Sophie and the family nod in agreement. Cheria heals the wounds on Asbel's shoulders before they all quickly run down the stairs. But they stop at the bottom of the staircase when they see the last remaining Lahmu standing at the doorway while struggling to stay up with a missing front claw. Asbel grits his teeth as he holds up his sword in front of him.
"I'm going to kill you all! And it's going to be fun!" The Lahmu laughed at them. But before it could step forward, a large sword is stabbed right through its back and out from its chest. The Lahmu lets out a sigh before the mysterious swordsman removes his sword from behind. It collapses onto the ground, revealing to be Ragna standing behind it.
"Are you guys alright?" Ragna asked as he places his sword over his shoulders. Asbel, Cheria and Sophie nod their heads to him. "That's good."
After Ragna grabs the Lahmu and tosses it away from the doorway, Asbel, Cheria, Sophie and the family step out of the apartment building.
"Your name is Ragna, right? Thank you." Asbel said, smiling at Ragna as he extends his hand.
"You're welcome." Ragna smiled back at him as he grabs Asbel's hand for a brief moment. "Now go."
"Come on!" Asbel yelled to Cheria, Sophie and the family. After watching them leave and run in the direction of the palace walls, Ragna turns around and swings his sword down onto the Lahmu that tries to attack him from behind.
Nearby, Kallen is firing her armored arm at several Lahmus that are on the rooftops of three apartment buildings at the other side of the street. This allows the last of the civilians to come out safely from the buildings with Mest, Levy, Kinana, Lailah, Alisha and Rose following them from behind.
Ragna swings his sword horizontally to slash through the throat of another Lahmu in front of him. He quickly turns slightly to his right and swings his sword diagonally to take out another Lahmu crawling towards him. When he turns around, he sees four more Lahmus flying over to him. One of them swoops down and swings both its front claws horizontally at him. Ragna holds up his sword to block the attack, but the impact manages to send him stumbling back.
After regaining his balance, Ragna sees Jin running past him and charging towards the Lahmu. When he reaches it, Jin swiftly draws out his sword from his scabbard and delivers an upward slash to slice the Lahmu in half.
The other three Lahmus fly over to Jin. One of them swings its left front claw diagonally at Jin, who swings his sword horizontally to deflect its attack and sends it hovering back. The second Lahmu flies over and swings both its front claws down onto Jin. He quickly dodges it by rolling over the ground to his right. The third Lahmu flies down and tries to deliver a downward strike onto Jin with its left front claw, but he quickly gets up and performs a backflip to dodge the attack. As soon as he lands on his feet, Jin leaps towards the third Lahmu and performs a spinning vertical slash as he twirls in the air, slicing through the beast as he lands in front of it. Jin turns to the first Lahmu as it flies over to him. He takes a step back and thrusts his sword at the ground.
"FROST BITE!" Jin shouted as an angled ice tombstone rises from the ground behind the Lahmu and it stabs through the back of its mouth and torso. The Lahmu lets its claws hang limply at its sides as it lifelessly hangs there on the tombstone.
The second and last Lahmu flies over to Jin and swings both its front claws horizontally at him. Jin delivers an upward strike to deflect the attack. As it stumbles back, Jin quickly pulls his sword back and it transforms into a long ice lance. Two large ice wings also magically appear beside it. As he thrusts and shoots his lance forward, it briefly flies through the air and pierces through the Lahmu's mouth, leaving behind a large hole. The Lahmu collapses onto the ground and Jin holds out his right hand to summon back his sword. He turns to Ragna and they both solemnly nod their heads to each other.
In another street in the residential district, Luke and Tear clash their sword and staff against two Lahmus in front of them, allowing the couple and their children behind them to flee. The Lahmu manages to push Tear back and it proceeds to deliver several horizontal and diagonal strikes at her. Tear barely manages to block all of them with her staff.
Meanwhile, Luke is able to push the Lahmu away from him and swings his sword horizontally at it. The Lahmu holds up its left front claw to block it, but the impact of his attack causes it to stumble back. Luke delivers a diagonal strike with his sword and successfully slashes through the Lahmu's right front claw as it holds it up, causing the beast to squeal. Luke finishes the Lahmu by thrusting his sword right through its throat. He gave his sword a twist and pulls it out from the right side of its throat. Finally, he swings his sword horizontally to slice its mouth off from its torso, letting the rest of the Lahmu's lifeless body collapse onto the ground.
Tear holds up her staff horizontally again to block another diagonal strike from the Lahmu in front of her. But she yelps as the impact manages to make her tumble onto the ground. She quickly lifts her head up and aims her staff at it.
"Tue rei-AAAHH!" Tear cried as the Lahmu swings its left front claw horizontally across her right arm, barely missing her wrist. The slash causes her to drop her staff, and Tear looks up in horror as the Lahmu prepares to bring both its front claws down onto her.
"RAGING BLAST!" Luke shouted as he thrusts his hand and fires an orb of energy at the Lahmu from behind. The Lahmu shrieks in pain as the orb hits the back of its mouth. Tear quickly rolls over the floor to her right before the Lahmu collapses onto the ground where she originally laid. Tear picks up her staff and gets up. She runs over to the Lahmu and brings her staff down to stab its blade right through the back of its mouth. Tear later removes her staff and turns to Luke who runs over to her.
"Thank you." Tear smiled at him.
"You're welcome. But there's more of them." Luke said before he turns around to see fourteen more Lahmus crawling over to him and Tear. They both hold up their sword and staff and prepare to fight them.
"ENTER THE AMAZING GUY!"
Luke and Tear turn to their left and look up to see Guy leaping off from the rooftop of the apartment building beside them. He gracefully twirls around and performs a flip before he brings his sword down and stabs through the top of a Lahmu's mouth as he lands on top of it. The other thirteen Lahmus stop and stare at Guy for a brief moment, failing to notice Anise coming out from an alleyway at the left side of the street while riding on the back of the head of her cat-like doll, which had grown up to seven feet tall.
As the thirteen Lahmus now turn to their right, four of them got flung into the air after Anise's doll flails its long arms at them. The nine remaining Lahmus try to crawl over to Anise, but Guy runs over to them and swings his sword horizontally through the air.
"VOID TEMPEST!" Guy shouted as he fires a curved blast of light blue energy, slicing through the mouths of three Lahmus in front of him.
As Jade and Natalia stood at the rooftop of the apartment building which Guy leapt off from, the former holds up his left hand and shouted, "THUNDER BLADE!"
A large white sword suddenly drops down and stabs through a Lahmu's mouth. As two octagon glyphs appear below it, the Lahmu squeals as the sword bursts into thunder bolts and fries the beast into ashes. Natalia fires three arrows with her bow at the same time and they pierce through the throats of three Lahmus. Finally, Anise's cat-like doll goes over to the two remaining Lahmus and swings its long arms down to crush them.
After all the Lahmus are defeated, Anise jumps off from her cat-like doll. When the doll reverts to its normal size, she catches it with her hand. After sheathing his sword into his scabbard, Guy leaps through the air, performs a backflip and lands in front of Luke and Tear. He turns around and smiles as he strokes his hair.
"Thanks for the help, everyone." Luke said as he and Tear lower their weapons and smile at everyone in front of them.
"No problem!" Anise replied cheerfully.
"I'm just glad we make it on time." Guy said calmly.
"You have my gratitude." Tear said as she extends her hand to him. Guy immediately drops his heroic demeanour and cringes as he backs away from her. Tear stares dumbfounded at him for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh. "Oh right, I forgot."
Sovereign: I would like to thank Amanny, LayLay lives, AquaBluey, DioHalycon, Ashfury96, Nikos Solo Bianco Verde and Crimson-Tuna-Sub for reviewing, favoriting, following and checking out my story. Thanks everyone!
The battle continues on in the next chapter. Stay tuned!