The Scream Of Death

His screams of agony, the seemingly endless spray of blood coming from the deep wounds he received all over his body, left a weakened and breathless high commander on his knees.

"I see. Iron is essential for blood production, blood that carries oxygen through the body." Lyrica stated. "The reason you're so out of breath is that creating those chains and that spear consumes the iron in your body along with your mana. It's basically a double-edged magic ability."

Iron can be replenished by eating certain iron-rich foods. The problem Jaka is facing is that there is no sight of iron-rich food around him. Or is there?

Jaka's wandering eyes send shivers to whoever meets them.

"I suppose your only option now is to surrender, Jaka The Insane."

Pointing the sword at the weakened high commander, the water wall reshaped into a pebble-sized sphere on the blade's tip.

"Though if you want, I could help put you into an eternal rest."

Jaka did not give a response, only whistled breathing would escape through his lips. Lyrica thought the high commander probably doesn't have enough energy to even lift a finger.

"Even if oxygen doesn't reach your fingertips or the backside of your brain, you should still be able to speak," Lyrica claimed.

"Well, I don't see a point of keeping the questioning longer if he can't even let a single word out of his tongue."

At that point, the two thought it was over. But the split-second Aran dispelled his water magic, Jaka bares his crooked teeth once more.

Grin!

"Huh?"

Jaka was waiting for it. He was quietly waiting for Aran and Lyrica to drop their guard even if it's just for a second. And when they did, another chain sprang out of Jaka's palm.

"What?"

The chain started moving, but not in Aran and Lyrica's direction. That's when it dawned on the two:

"T-That bast*rd! He can't be..."

"Not good! Look out!"

They believed there was nothing around them Jaka could consume to replenish his iron. That's where they were wrong. There is a lot of iron-rich meat standing obliviously and waiting to be eaten by Jaka around them.

Cling!

"Uoh! Ina!"

The chain latched on to a little boy behind Jaka and began pulling him towards him.

"I won't let you!"

With a slight panic, Aran dashes!

"Hey, wait!" Lyrica shouted, but her voice could not reach out to Aran.

With Aran's magic ability, he could have just fired another bladed water at Jaka. And yet, as if something within Aran told him to move forward, the prinsepe decided to try and outrun the chain from getting to the high commander.

"You fool!"

"Huh?"

Following Jaka's remark, what he did next was not what Aran was expecting. The high commander's chain threw the boy up in the sky.

"What are you...!"

"Kuehehehehaa!"

The moment Aran got his attention fixated on the boy in the air, Jaka was already next to him. This is what Jaka was waiting for after all. He's waiting for either Aran or Lyrica to foolishly approach him.

"You're mine!"

Using his brutal strength, Jaka's grasp turned Aran's pauldron into pieces like it was nothing. And then, with his sharp, crooked teeth, Jaka dug into the prinsepe's vulnerable shoulder.

"Graah!!"

Slurp!

Together with intense pain coursing through his body, Aran could feel his blood being sucked out of him.

"Y-You bast*rd! Just so you could replenish your iron..."

Crunch! Shlick!

"Aargh!"

Not only did Jaka bury his teeth deeper into Aran's shoulder, but he also started shaking him violently to worsen his agony. Looking into the prinsepe's face filled with pain is giving him pleasure as he continued to suck Aran's blood out.

Aran, with all his might, tried to lift his right arm, carrying his sword. In an attempt to counter-attack, Aran shoved his sword right into the Jaka's head, although it was to no avail.

Clang!

"What...?"

Instead of seeing the blade go through the high commander's brains, the prinsepe heard the sound of metal clashing with one another. It was then Jaka's head slowly turned metal. It then began channeling down to his body, covering himself with an unbreakable armor.

"In this world, it doesn't matter how powerful your magic is..."

Gradually losing his strength, all Aran could do was suffer while the high commander is leisurely drinking his blood.

"In the end, only those who can use their magic more efficiently will win!"

"In that case, you should know more than anyone to talk only until you're sure you win!"

Just like the two before, Jaka also got distracted. And before he realized it, he released Aran's shoulder from his painful bite. It allowed Aran to tumble back and create a distance between him and the high commander.

"Hurah!"

On the other hand, the veins in Lyrica's forehead and the back of her hands popped out as she lifted Jaka into the air before hammering him to the ground.

Crash!

"Keh...!"

There's still pain in Aran's shoulder, blood is spurting by the second. But it didn't matter to him. With his one eye closed, he looked into the direction where the little was mercilessly thrown away. And into his relief, the boy was safe after Riko and the others who were in the background came to catch him.

"Ina...!"

"Thank goodness are you all right?"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile...

"One more thing I learned after fighting one of you vile pigs of Alteria..."

Not letting Jaka stand on his feet again, Lyrica furiously jumped on his back.

"...Is that you shouldn't talk sh*t..."

"Kah! Y-You shouldn't have any strength left!"

That's right. Lyrica shouldn't have enough strength to even lift the high commander who's completely covered in metal.

"...If you don't know your enemy!"

At least until she used her Jazz Harmony at 50dB! Using Jazz Harmony increases her stats just enough to endure the pain, enable herself to move with ease, and even clasped Jaka's wrists together with her right hand.

"Ora!"

Lyrica punched the high commander from behind so strong that the sound of hitting metal rang through her and everyone else's ears. However...

"Kueheheha! You fool!"

Jaka took that hit as if it was nothing! It left Aran speechless.

"My armor is unbreakable! No matter what you do, my iron will keep me safe from your useless attacks! Kueheheheha!!"

At that moment, Lyrica's fist opened. Jaka took notice of this, although it was already too late.

"I never said I'd break your metal, crackhead."

There was a hint of light between Lyrica's open hand and Jaka's back. No, it wasn't just light. He could feel it, and it's starting to crawl all over his iron melded body.

"H-Hot! What are you doing?!"

Jaka turned to face the girl, only for his gaze to tremble restlessly in terror. The girl's charcoal eyes that's burning with intent to mercilessly kill erased the manic grin on the high commander's face.

"Metal sure is a strong element, but I wonder if you could withstand this?"

Lyrica's left hand turned ablaze. The fire then started spreading all over Jaka's iron-clad body. It doesn't really affect the high commander at first. But as Lyrica's fire continue to persist, the heat his armor is accumulating is also increasing!

Eventually, the heat of Jaka's metal armor is starting to burn him.

"I-It's hot! Stop it, you b*tch!"

"You're so pathetic! Gilberto never begged for his life, you know!"

Lyrica had zero intention of letting him go, especially after witnessing him trying to involve an innocent little boy in the fight, as well as him monstrously biting on Aran to drink his blood. But most importantly, because Jaka called her little.

With his pained scream starting to come out of his armor, Lyrica glanced at Riko, Agario, and the others. With only a single nod, Agario and his squad immediately understood.

"Everyone, don't look."

"Boy, go look into your Ina's eyes."

What Lyrica is about to do is something not everyone should see, especially the young.

"Agario!!"

The commander paused after hearing Jaka's call.

"Why are you just standing there?! Help me, you useless piece of sh*t!"

Using her right foot, Lyrica pushed Jaka's face to the ground, keeping him from yapping any more sentences.

"Burn to death with your own cage."

The fire in Lyrica's hand grew stronger, so does the skin peeling heat of the high commander's iron armor.

His muffled screams echoed. But only he and Lyrica could hear his voice resonate until his last breath. Yes, the others don't need to see nor hear it. The scream of death.

Jaka's armor soon disappeared, leaving behind a burned, defeated, lifeless high commander.