The Mist 2: Rescue Operations
Chapter 35: The Paradigm Shift
''Are you sure we can do this?''
The comment came from Cleveland between puffing breaths, her footsteps tapping against the hard ground in tandem with her sisters. Helena glanced back at the blonde, brow furrowing as she thought – the mist around them still alight with shellfire and screams. Small mercies they hadn't run into any monsters yet.
Enterprise and Hornet had ran ahead, sensing something amiss and leaving the five cruisers to catch up. Helena had sensed it too; Corruption had found a new target on the sea. Combined with what Cleveland had told her of their operation, and that meant Richelieu and Jeanne d'Arc were most likely the thing's main target. She could see why Corruption would want them; the entity was nothing if not arrogant, and the mere thought of bringing someone as holy and devout as Richelieu to her knees, screaming and crying, undoubtedly excited Corruption.
''Yes.'' Helena decided after a second, looking ahead again. ''We can do this.''
''You really sure?'' Columbia piped up, grimacing. ''I mean, my guns are down and so are Cleveland's; Denver and Montpelier only have a couple left, and there's no telling how much more abuse they can take.''
Helena grimaced, but didn't lose hope. ''I know.''
''So what's the plan then?''
''You two shoot. Cleveland and yourself can hang back; maybe you can distract him long enough for Enterprise or Hornet to get an opening.'' Helena said, gaze sliding down to her hand. ''...I can deal some damage too.''
Just before Columbia could ask how, Helena demonstrated. Her right hand lifted up and her fingers curled slightly, causing inky-black fluid within her palm to float upwards – the same inky-black fluid that Corruption had utilised to corrupt so many others.
''...Corruption's connection to me is two-way.'' Helena whispered as they ran. ''It controlled me and the others... but now that I'm free, I feel like I can try the same.''
Cleveland's gaze locked onto the back of her head, eyes wide. ''You want to try controlling it.''
''Somewhat.'' Helena admitted. ''I don't think I can overpower it, but I could at least try and slow it down. I know I can manipulate this... sludge, that makes up its body. So I could probably distract it, if nothing else. Corruption's shown that it cares a lot about its... host. I'm guessing any damage to it will harm it too.''
''This is crazy...'' Denver blew out a breath.
''You said it sis.'' Cleveland agreed with a faint grin. ''So long long until we get there?''
Helena cracked a faint smile. ''Just a few more minutes; Corruption's moving a lot, probably in a fight with Enterprise and Hornet. We'll intercept them at this rate.''
''Heh, then let's keep up the pace~!''
X-x-X
Chaos had spread across the base all over as the battle for the base continued.
Dozens of Ship-Girls fell to the monsters, crying out as they were painfully defiled and an unlucky few even killed in the process. Others broke free from their captor's grasp and either ran away or eliminated the offending monsters, many of whom only got away after they had been impregnated, sealing their fate even if they were free to flee.
Leander and Achilles found themselves surrounded, screaming as their clothes were ripped off their bodies and they were pulled to the ground. Leander's long legs were forced open and a thick Lizardman's cock forced its way into her pussy, stuffing her with its cock whilst Achilles had her top ripped open, her large breasts painfully squeezed and fondled by the reptilian monster pinning her down, soon getting bent over and spit-roasted between two Lizardmen.
Glasgow, Newcastle and Edinburgh were caught in the forest, ambushed by a group of Nightstalkers. The sadistic demons brought them down with paralytic whips of their tails, relishing in their pained, scared screams as their clothes were mercilessly ripped off them. Glasgow earned a hole in her pantyhose before getting bent over and fucked, Edinburgh was face-fucked by one Nightstalker whilst another violated her pussy missionary, and Newcastle found herself pushed against a tree and roughly fucked from behind until the beasts all creampied them, filling their wombs with their cum.
Not all hope was lost, however.
Deutschland still remained in the mist. Her hand-cannon had been partially repaired by Akashi at her request prior to the camp being attacked, allowing her to take down incoming monsters with precise booms of her gun. Bismarck and Tirpitz, despite their wounds, worked together to rally a strong defence against the unending hordes, reducing the amount of casualties bit by bit. Akagi and Kaga managed to provide some modicum of air support to others, flying low enough that they didn't get targeted by the unseen monsters in the sky.
Others moved in on the Eagle Union dorms, having watched several of their comrades get beaten up and dragged off there, often by the hair or arm, their legs kicking desperately as they tried to escape the Orcs or other monsters that dragged them back to the partially-destroyed building. Fighting inevitably ensued, and the forms of San Diego and Laffey were able to be saved before the building itself came crashing down, finally crumbling under the sustained combat.
Those outside, however, were unprepared for a surging mass to bulge out the pile of rubble – before with a screech a Giant Spider burst forth, and laid siege to the survivors.
Those not afflicted with arachnophobia quickly found themselves becoming acquainted with it, screams of terror filling the area as the Giant Spider attacked. Shellfire barraged the large beast but despite the damage it took it still fought, snatching up several unlucky Ship-Girls and chewing on them, not even attempting to mate with them – instead mauling them and throwing them aside, uncaring whether they were unconscious, dead or crippled.
Bogue became an unfortunate target of the beast, but instead of eating her it instead pinned her down and slammed into her, mating with her even as she shrieked beneath it. The beast violated her hard and fast, pounding her cervix and breaching into her womb with its large cock before finally laying its eggs inside her womb, impregnating the sobbing girl with spider eggs.
However aid came to her, and within a matter of minutes the Giant Spider fell to sustained armour-penetrating fire, collapsing in a heap.
Only for it to twitch and throb, the corpses of Long Island and Juneau twitching in tandem – before a swarm of small Spiders slightly bigger than a dinner plate spawned out of all their corpses, forming a literal tide of furry black things that surged towards their opponents.
''H-Hyaa! Kill it! Kill it~!''
''S-S-Someone fire some explosive s-shells!''
''Burn them! Q-Quick!''
''Ahh! T-They're climbing up my- hyaa!''
''They're in my shirt, they're- ow, d-don't bite!''
''Mrph... they're... i-in my mouth... guh... ahh...''
The black swarm claimed the group of unfortunate Ship-Girls. Those that got between their legs mated with them with furious jerks of their smallish bodies, others going for their ass and mouths to deposit their eggs. Some even crawled down the throat of their victims or began fucking the softer parts of their bodies, trying to implant their eggs beneath the skin. What was once a single Giant Spider became hundreds if not thousands of Spiders, all of which literally engulfed those unfortunate enough to be nearby.
However all the chaos was little more than a backdrop to the true battle taking place near the centre of the base, golden arrows whizzing through the air and globs of inky-black fluid lashing out in retaliation.
''Mn-!'' Enterprise grimaced as a black tentacle whipped past her face, narrowly missing as she tilted her head to the side.
Corruption snarled at her, what little trace of a calm and composed individual rotting away to reveal the feral beast beneath, its wild gaze locked onto hers. It lashed out with its wings, flapping them and launching unguided blobs of corruptive fluid at her. The carrier side-stepped them with only minor difficulty, eyes narrowing as she leapt further back and unleashing another golden arrow. It took a chunk out of Corruption's side but only grazed the flesh beneath, doing little else to harm it.
With a grunt the monstrous humanoid compensated for that, the inky-black outer skin regenerating before becoming layered with another coating of inky-black flesh, further shielding the pale body beneath all the darkness. However its brief moment of focus distracted it from Hornet, the blonde running around from behind and firing an arrow of her own, the golden projectile piercing it through its shoulder.
''Gh-!'' Corruption jerked forwards from the force of the arrow, growling like a wild dog. ''Wretch!''
A swing of its arm unleashed a whipping tentacle at Hornet. This time the blonde wasn't so fast to dodge, gasping as it struck her leg and made her stumble from the pain. However it failed to paralyse them like it did so many others, courtesy of one unique trait both carriers shared – the Ghosts within themselves. All it took a was a mental 'flex', and the paralytic essence was thrown off like how a dog shook off water. Not for the first time, Enterprise privately appreciated the Ghost that had possessed her.
Corruption wasn't blind to their immunity to its paralysis, a frustrated, rasping growl bubbling from its throat. Just then Jeanne caught up with the three of them, her quick footsteps alerting Hornet and prompting the blonde to leap away – narrowly avoiding the broadsword that swept down where Hornet's back was, crashing into the ground hard enough to form a crown of concrete. Without missing a beat Hornet fired a retaliatory arrow, piercing Jeanne through the leg and briefly slowing her down, giving Hornet the time to shoot a second arrow and pin her right foot to the ground.
''Watch out!'' Enterprise called out, firing an arrow.
The golden projectile flew true, piercing the tentacle aimed for Hornet's neck. The blonde spared Enterprise a thankful look and backed off, prompting Corruption to turn its toxic attention onto Enterprise – and with a foul snarl it kicked off the ground, soaring towards her with its leathery black wings. She was too slow to outrun the creature, prompting the silver-haired carrier to dig her heels in and suddenly change course, throwing herself towards Corruption.
Naturally the inky-black humanoid didn't expect this, bringing its clawed hands down to swipe at her a moment too late – giving her ample time to twist on her heel and fire an arrow into its back when it flew past her. She struck it straight through part of its left wing, blowing it off entirely and sending Corruption corkscrewing down into the concrete with a bellow of anger, the inky-black blood by her feet quivering.
And then not a second later, those blood-like droplets hardened – and then shot straight up like spears.
''Mn-!'' Enterprise winced as she leapt back, her bare feet getting nicked and cut by the hardened goop.
By the time she landed Corruption was already on its feet, its oversized wing regenerating over the course of seconds. Grimacing at the sight Enterprise spared a look at Hornet, relief filling her when she found Jeanne pinned down with an arrow through both her wrists and ankles, pinning her to the floor. Painful, but it would keep her down, at least for a little while.
Then she heard movement, her gaze darting back to Corruption just as the monster charged her, eyes aflame with fury. It closed the distance faster than she anticipated, preventing her from backing off and forcing her into melee range – multiple quick jabs coming her way, augmented by the claws protruding from Corruption's fingertips. She dodged them with matching side-steps, sweat running down her forehead as she twisted out of the way as fast as she could, pushing her tired body to the limit.
''Hn!'' Enterprise suddenly raised her bow – just in time to block the tail that whipped for her side, letting it ricochet off from the unexpected impact.
The carrier used the brief window to leap back, notching another arrow and letting it loose. It didn't miss from such a close range, piercing Corruption through the chest, just slightly below where a human heart would be. The arrow pierced through easily, allowing Enterprise a brief peek at the weakly-pulsing organs beneath before the wound sealed shut – though it was immediately clear such a blow was still a significant one, judging by how Corruption hunched forwards with a pained twist to its visage.
Hornet didn't miss it either. A golden arrow flew over Enterprise's shoulder before the arrow blew off Corruption's right arm, eliciting a pained snarl from the increasingly-feral humanoid, hate burning deep in its gaze as it glared at her.
''It's always you...!'' Corruption seethed out, lashing out with its wing and forcing Enterprise back. ''Always interfering, always playing the hero!''
A harsh beat of its wings, and Corruption launched thick splatters of corruptive fluid; the goop hissing as it melted the concrete it landed upon and narrowly missing the two carriers.
''Never letting me do my duty, never letting me win!'' Corruption bellowed out, inky fluid gathering into its hand and elongating, hardening until it formed a crude weapon – extending its reach.
Enterprise grimaced. ''I don't know what you're talking about.''
''HAH!'' Corruption barked out a rough, cruel laugh. ''You never do! Always unknowing, always a lost lamb – yet you and that wretched Ash never cease to intervene!''
Hornet snorted, raising her bow. ''I can only wonder why.''
An arrow flew, forcing Corruption to duck – grunting as another hit its side. However the inky humanoid paid them back by closing the distance, lashing out with its newfound weapon. Enterprise wasn't fast enough to dodge it, gasping in pain as it hit her side and shattered into countless quartz-like fragments, the pain jarring against her ribs. It also left her open to a clawed hand grabbing her by the throat, nails cutting her across the throat as the being hauled her up.
Hornet cried out in alarm, aiming – but Corruption threw the silver-haired carrier at her sister-ship. Hornet tried to catch her on instinct but the force behind the throw sent both women tumbling to the ground, their cloaks rustling as they stumbled back up. Corruption however exploited their brief delay.
''Mn-!''
A clawed hand raked itself down Enterprise's shoulder, drawing thick rivets of blood as the claws passed over her collarbone and caught the edge of her breast – a second clawed hand swiping horizontally for her neck. Enterprise narrowly managed to dodge it by leaning back, but even then the tips of Corruption's claws still caught her throat and jaw, causing her to reflexively gasp and cough, blood running down her neck.
Hornet was swift to get revenge, however. With a yell she used her bow like a spear, jabbing the sharp end out with multiple quick thrusts, stabbing Corruption in the gut a few times before it pulled back with a pained growl. Glaring fiercely back Hornet flipped her weapon around into a proper hold, unleashing a golden arrow with only a second of delay – taking a chunk out of Corruption's neck in revenge.
''Grr, you-!''
Corruption's angry retort, however, was cut short by the sound of shellfire.
Not a moment later multiple cruiser-class shells erupted across Corruption's back, blowing apart flesh and inky-black skin. In a heartbeat the devilish humanoid kicked off the ground and soared up into the area, snarling as it gazed down at the source – drawing Enterprise's gaze to the source too, who revealed themselves to be none other than Helena, Cleveland and her sisters.
''About time you girls caught up!'' Hornet shouted in relief.
''Hm, what's this?'' Corruption sneered derisively. ''My own subjects have started a little revolution, have they?''
Claws grated together, and irritation flared across Corruption's inky visage. ''Unacceptable.''
Enterprise knew what was coming but was powerless to stop it, still busy recovering from the sudden assault to her neck. Without a hint of mercy Corruption raised its hand towards Cleveland and the others, purplish light pulsing from its outstretched palm-
-only for Helena to extend a hand too. ''No you don't!''
To an outside observer nothing seemed to be happening other than a faint purple glow coming from both Corruption's and Helena's hands. Until one took a closer look and noticed how the very air seemed to warp and twist, not unlike how the air blurred during a heatwave. And it was clear the four Cleveland-class girls behind Helena felt something dangerously amiss; Denver herself cupping her stomach with an uneasy, almost nauseous expression.
'It's trying to corrupt them...?!' Enterprise's eyes widened at the thought, memories of Jeanne's corrupted, debauched form coming to mind.
Protective instincts flaring Enterprise forced herself up into a firing position, notching a golden arrow as soon as she could manifest it and launching it. The arrow flew true, soaring through the air and piercing straight through Corruption's torso, earning a pained gasp from the humanoid – and helping distract it from its task. The moment it faltered Helena clenched her hand into a fist, a look of mental concentration on her gentle visage.
Until with a yell, she yanked her hand down – and pulled Corruption to the ground.
The humanoid crashed into the ground hard, crumpling. Thanks to her keen eyes Enterprise saw the inky-black sludge that dripped from its form quiver and shake, almost seeming to melt against the ground, before the sludge trembling much more visibly and reformed around Corruption's unwitting host, reverting back to its 'normal' demonic form.
''Mn...'' Corruption grunted, glaring nastily at Helena as it stood upright – its imposing height making it seem to tower over all the Ship-Girls present. ''Tch... I hadn't anticipated you to turn against me so easily.''
Helena just glared, hand still raised as she prepared to counter any tricks Corruption had planned.
Corruption snorted derisively. ''A pity then that it won't avert your fates!''
An intangible wave washed over everyone present, almost like a cold breeze.
Then a low, haunting horn sounded in the distance.
Or rather, from the sky above.
Mmmmrrrrr~
All eyes flickered skyward, widening at the sight from high above. A gargantuan Jellyfish slowly lowered from the misty heavens, bright red tentacles dangling from its massive translucent bulk and weaving through the air with ominous intent. Even with the mist obscuring everyone's vision it was impossible to miss such a titanic creature, its tentacles phasing in and out of view as they travelled through the mist, ranging in thickness from the length of a forearm to a truck.
Two more higher-pitched horns echoed, and two more Jellyfish descended from on high. These two were much smaller, barely the size of a small house, and with one being coloured red and the other purple – something indiscernible located within their translucent cores. Their tentacles were much shorter and thinner, akin to the tentacles most other monsters had, but that made them no less threatening.
''Ah...'' Cleveland swallowed dry saliva. ''I-''
A loud roar interrupted her. From above the largest Jellyfish a massive amber-scaled Dragon took off, undoubtedly having been resting atop the Jellyfish like it was a nesting ground. What was once a fifteen foot Dragon now ranged at just under a hundred feet tall, its long body stretching out of viewing range even as it flew overhead. It glared down at the offending Ship-Girls, emerald eyes piercing into their souls with its intensity.
And amongst the girls, there was no doubt that the monster before them was amongst the first that laid broods in the mist, and perhaps the only Dragon left in the mist.
Corruption grinned cruelly, spreading its arms out. ''So what if you can 'control' me, oh dear Helena? So what if you can shoot and damage me, oh dear Enterprise?''
The grin twisted, forming into a sneer. ''What good can you do against all of us at once?''
Enterprise swallowed, fingers stalling on her bowstring. She didn't know – even without trying she knew on some level the beings above her were too powerful for her to control, too advanced. If anything the Ghost suppressed within herself seemed to quiver at the very presence of the giant beasts, so far down on the food chain that it posed no threat to the massive Dragon and gargantuan Jellyfish.
'Maybe... if we regroup with the others-'
She was interrupted. Not by Corruption, however.
Rather, her thoughts were cut short by the loud rumble that shook the earth – and the pillar of water that spewed out of the ocean, visible even through the thick mist.
''GAH-?!'' Corruption clutched at its chest with a startled, pained look. ''W-What in the...?''
Inky-black sclera became more prominent as Corruption's eyes widened. Panic flashed in the monster's eyes and Enterprise honestly wasn't sure why... until she spotted a Lizardman in the distance.
And then a group of Hellhounds. And a lone Orc. And a swarm of bugs.
It was then it hit her.
The mist was clearing.
Corruption realised that too, gritting its teeth. ''No, I can't... n-not yet!''
People became visible in the distance; other Ship-Girls. They seemed as bewildered as Enterprise herself felt, but many made good use of the sudden visibility. Aircraft Carriers could hit their targets much easier, Battleships could aim further and kill monsters long before they got into range, cruisers could locate and aid their allies sooner, and Destroyers could evade lurking monsters before running into them. Ambush monsters like Scorpio and Nightstalkers found themselves losing their main advantage and got blown apart with ease, whilst larger monsters such as Oni and Minotaur came under siege by multiple sources of fire, getting whittled down all the quicker.
And it wasn't long until people turned their attention off the ground, and to the massive Dragon and three Jellyfish hanging overhead – firing upon them.
''RAAAGH!'' The Dragon let loose a bellowing roar as multiple shell blanketed its side, prompting the giant beast to turn and swoop down, aiming for its attackers.
Despite that, Enterprise felt hope at the sight. It meant one less opponent to face.
Thus, with restored confident, Enterprise raised her gaze and glared at Corruption. The monster glared right back, teeth bared in a furious, mad snarl, what semblance of sensibility it had regained now rapidly eroding.
With a soft rattle of metal, Enterprise raised her bow. ''It ends here.''
A bellowing roar answered her, and the battle resumed.
X-x-X
Akagi wasn't sure quite what happened.
There was no viable reason to explain why the mist was suddenly fading, only the most minute of tremors through the ground being the possible cause. However the fox-woman was swift to discard such a thought, focusing instead on controlling her remaining planes – forming up into actual air wings with the other able-bodied carriers and assaulting the massive Jellyfishes.
Despite their gelatinous form, they were surprisingly resistant to damage – and also capable of self-defence. Something that Akagi was reminded of as one of the thicker tentacle swooped up, smashing into two of her fighters and blowing them up on impact. Her remaining ones swerved around the obstacle, machine guns rattling as they unloaded a barrage of bullets into its side, ripping small holes in its body but little else.
''Hm?''
That was fixed as Kaga came in with a small cluster of torpedo bombers, soaring overhead and dropping their loads. The torpedoes flew down fast and buried themselves through the gelatinous outer layer of the Jellyfish – before detonating with a muted boom as they hit something more solid inside. A low, whining horn sound emanated from the beast, its long red tentacles spasming. One of the longer ones ended up crashing through the crumbled heap that was the Ironblood dorms, carving a ditch through the ground in the process.
'Definitely not something I want to get hit by.' Akagi thought grimly, commanding her planes around for a bombing run of their own.
Others though weren't so lucky. From her position at the treeline Akagi witnessed some Destroyers fail to dodge in time and get swatted aside by a large tentacle bigger than their entire body, skipping across the hard ground like a stone before eventually tumbling to a stop, unconscious. Some nearby monsters tried to capitalise on that, but the thinning mist meant everyone nearby saw them, and quickly dispatched them.
The other two Jellyfish however were more aggressive than their large counterpart. They floated down closer to the ground and snatched up Ship-Girls with their tentacles, trying to pull them up into their translucent underbellies. Mercifully neither could as the large number of Ship-Girls below torn their tentacles apart with desperate shellfire, and even though those captured had their ribs and rigging broken, they were still alive by the time they hit the ground.
''Hmph.'' Akagi quietly huffed, scowling up at the large Jellyfish, her bombers diving down.
''Let's see how you like this.''
The droning whine of pain answered her quite clearly.
X-x-X
Considering Bismarck's injuries, the blonde had been relegated to a more administrative position in the fight, barking orders and making tactical decisions for those that listened.
Tirpitz however found herself on the front lines, eyes hard and expression frigid even as the massive Dragon glared back down at her. It swiped down with its massive clawed forefoot, but she was used to its ferocious attacks by now – leaping forwards instead of backwards. The back of its forefoot crashed down behind her and she spun, her battle-standard cleaving a deep gash into the Dragon's scales, drawing rivers of blood from the wound.
A deafening bellow emanated from the beast, so loud it felt like her eardrums would pop – but she did not allow herself to stop. Instead Tirpitz turned, yelling back as she stabbed her battle-standard into the back of the beast's forefoot, and stabbing deep. A twist made the pain worse and forced the Dragon to lift its clawed forefoot up high, pulling her with it and leaving her precariously dangling from her battle-standard.
Just as planned.
With a grunt Tirpitz yanked her weapon back out of the beast's foot, aided by how slick the blood made her weapon. Wind whipped her face as she fell, amber scales rapidly approaching and her weapon tilted down – before she crash-landed on the Dragon's back, stabbing her battle-standard deep into its spine.
''MRRAAAH?!''
Clearly, it didn't like that.
Something that Tirpitz had emphasised to her as the giant beast flapped its wings, trying to get airborne again – undoubtedly planning to try and throw her off. Mercifully before such a thing could come to pass one of her allies came to her aid, a barrage of Battleship-grade shells striking its left wing and blowing large holes in the flesh, rendering it incapable of flight and eliciting another bellowing roar from the monster.
Smiling grimly Tirpitz stumbled up to her feet, yanking her weapon about. Even as the Dragon roared and began to stomp on some targets below it Tirpitz moved, running up the length of the Dragon's back, slowing down only when it shook its long neck about wildly. Yet it only delayed the inevitable, failing to dislodge her as she crested its neck – and found an emerald eye glaring back at her.
Without fanfare or care, she plunged her battle-standard out.
The emerald green iris popped, and the Dragon's eye became a bloody mess.
Even as the beast roared, even as it threw its head back and tossed her halfway down its back, Tirpitz still bore a grim smirk, her eyes afire with determination.
X-x-X
As the two giant monsters and the smaller two Jellyfish came under siege, Corruption itself also found itself struggling against its opponents.
Largely courtesy of the one blue-haired witch that manipulated its own body against it. Regenerated limbs moved in manners that it didn't want, projectiles aborted their paths mid-flight and hit the ground sooner than desired, paralytic tentacles curved around and hit itself in the face to distract it.
Enterprise made good use of the openings provided. With feathery footfalls the pale woman ran around Corruption's side, unleashing a golden arrow that blew off its right arm once again, leaving it open to Hornet delivering a second strike that pierced through into its chest cavity. Though it regenerated from the wound Corruption still hunched over and coughed all the same, its pain matched only by its hateful, frothing fury.
''CEASE!'' The monstrous humanoid roared furiously, unleashing a single thick tentacle of inky blackness at Enterprise.
The silver-haired woman grimaced, ducking under the swing and firing an arrow, piercing the tentacle but failing to blow it in half. Helena was there to help though, raising a hand and forcing the oversized tentacle to curve back towards Corruption. In response the winged beast snarled and lunged, clawed hands aimed for Helena's chest, ready to puncture a hole through her chest and rip her heart out.
''Hey!''
The shout was loud, distracting, and made Corruption glance over at Cleveland. Just in time to get a shell to the shoulder courtesy of Columbia, part of its neck getting blown away before it regenerated in seconds, protecting the pale-skinned body buried beneath layers of darkness.
However the shell failed to stop its approach. Helena managed to twist away to avoid the worst of it, but she still cried out in pain as Corruption's claws raked across her side, carving deep gouges into her stomach. She hunched over on instinct, leaving her ample prey to the tail that smacked her across the face and sent her to the floor. Gleeful Corruption twisted back around, arm cocked back to pierce her head.
Only for yet another golden arrow to blow its arm off. The pain was familiar but the feeling of being denied its prey sent Corruption into a feral rage, a bellowing roar escaping it as it turned towards the culprit – Hornet. The thick tentacle Corruption wielded had fully regenerated by now, prompting the being to send it thrusting towards the blonde carrier, forcing her to dodge.
However Corruption's attention soon went south – just in time to have its own inky-black sludge harden, encasing it in a shell.
''Gh-!'' The entity gritted its teeth angrily, reasserting control with moderate effort – glaring down at the cruiser as she glared right back, stumbling up to her feet.
Movement behind itself drew its attention, scowling as it slashed its claws out and cut apart the shell racing for the back of its head, courtesy of Columbia. Once again it reached its hand out, intending to make use of the corruptive cum buried within the four Cleveland-class girls and transform them into loyal Succubi, but Helena interrupted its efforts. Namely by throwing a lob of hardened sludge at it, the sharpened tip burying itself into its shoulder.
Growling Corruption re-assimilated the hardened sludge into itself, the glistening rock becoming dripping inky sludge once more. Any attempt at exacting revenge on Helena was put on-hold however as two golden arrows came its way, one burying itself into its chest and another piercing through its leg.
''Gh...!'' It regenerated from the wound – but slower this time. ''Not, like this...!''
Corruption lashed out with a roar, multiple tentacles going for the two carriers, Helena and the Cleveland-class girls.
''Not when I have yet to fulfil my task!''
The tentacles were either destroyed by shellfire or manipulated by Helena to crash into the ground, harmless.
''Not when The Creator still yet needs me!''
Enterprise dashed closer, eyes narrowed and with Hornet a step behind her.
''Not when I haven't won this game!'' Corruption roared out, slashing its claws at Hornet as she drew near.
The blonde kicked off the ground, leaping over the beast and firing an arrow. It pierced straight down and into Corruption's foot, burying itself into the concrete beneath and impaling it, holding it still. A second arrow courtesy of Enterprise pierced through its shin from behind and through its foot, also sticking it to the ground.
Gritting its teeth Corruption unleashed a flurry of inky tentacles at all those nearby – when Helena dashed in front of it. The beast saw its chance and attacked, glee filling it as its claws touched flesh-
-before it succeeded, and pierced Helena straight through her gut, its clawed hand piercing out through her back.
''..hah...'' Corruption's face split into a wide grin. ''Got you...!''
''No.''
The grin froze on its face as a pair of arms wrapped around its chest, its wide gaze locked onto Helena as the cruiser hugged it, her pained eyes staring up into its own.
''I've got you.''
A cloak fluttered. Time seemed to slow as Corruption looked up, eyes widening to their limits as Enterprise slowly fell from her overhead flip, one eye shut and bow aimed right for it.
Her fingers slid off of the string. The arrow flew.
And then with a slick sound, the arrow blew straight through the centre of Corruption's head.
''...ah...?''
Corruption tried to regenerated, but found its ability to stalled... courtesy of none other than the blue-haired cruiser hugging herself to its chest, the close contact allowing her to briefly overpower it. Had it been anytime else, it might've been able to overpower her, to throw her off with a casual sneer.
But with a hole in the centre of its head and its life force rapidly draining, overpowering her suddenly became such an impossible task.
''No... y-you can't...'' Corruption whispered out. ''I-I'm your Commander... he'll die along with me, you know?! I... he... you'll kill us...''
Helena's eyes were sad, but her resolve was firm. ''...I know. I've come to terms with that. My Commander died the day you corrupted him and let him rot away like a puppet... his heart, his dreams... they'll always live on with me.''
Her eyes became scornful, tears pricking at her eyes. ''You're nothing but a parasite using his body!''
Corruption gritted its teeth, but unclenched them a second later – its strength fading.
''D-Damn... you... I-I won't... forgive...''
Its words trailed off – and all the sludge that consisted of Corruption's body melted. Like a watery sludge it poured off the body it was adorned across, pooling beneath its feet. No twitch came nor any lifelike movements arose from the pool of increasingly-transparent liquid, and as the liquid left the pale corpse of the Commander stood stiff, his arm still buried in Helena's gut.
And thought it may've been nothing more than a delusion, or perhaps a memory transferred to her in his final moments, two words rung silently in Helena's mind.
Thank you.
With a wail Helena burst out crying, clutching onto the deceased form of her Commander – overwhelming relief flooding her as she held on tight, the bloodied form of the Dragon crashing into the distant ground and the Jellyfish all falling from the sky like popped balloons.
He was finally free.
They, were finally free.
And the nightmare was, after so much defilement and death, over at last.
[END]
A/N: And thus, the chaos within the mist finally comes to an end. All that's left now, is the epilogue~
See you in a couple days~