17 The Hasty Flight Amidst the Blazing Lab
The piercing shriek of the lab's alarm clawed through the air, a frantic countdown to imminent destruction.
Flames licked greedily at the crumbling walls, casting dancing shadows that morphed into grotesque monsters in Lily's peripheral vision.
The heat scorched her skin, the acrid smell of burning chemicals stinging her nostrils.
Each tremor of the collapsing structure sent a fresh wave of pain through her as she dragged Alec's limp body through the debris-strewn corridor.
His breathing was shallow, his usually vibrant silver eyes closed, his aristocratic features pale and drawn.
A knot of fear tightened in her chest, a frantic drumbeat against her ribs.
Think, Lily, think!
Time seemed to warp, stretching into an agonizing eternity as she hauled him towards the faint glimmer of the exit.
Every second ticked by like a hammer blow against her skull.
The floor bucked beneath her feet, sending her stumbling.
Despair gnawed at the edges of her resolve, threatening to engulf her in a tide of helplessness.
Almost there… just a little further…
A monstrous roar ripped through the air, shattering the relative quiet.
Lily's blood ran cold.
Before she could even process the sound, a colossal shadow fell upon them.
The Ancient Beast, summoned by the spiteful Victor Von Stein, materialized like a nightmare made flesh.
Its hulking form, a grotesque tapestry of scales and bone, towered over them, blotting out the flickering emergency lights.
Its eyes, twin embers of malevolent intelligence, fixed on Lily with predatory hunger.
With a swipe of its massive claw, it sent chunks of concrete flying, narrowly missing them.
Lily's heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird.
She shielded Alec with her body, a desperate, futile gesture against the monstrous power before her.
Anger, hot and raw, surged through her, battling with the paralyzing fear.
This… *this* was Victor's parting gift.
He wouldn't be satisfied until they were both crushed beneath the beast's claws, buried beneath the rubble of his exploding lab.
"Not today, Victor!"
she snarled, her voice trembling with a mixture of terror and defiance.
In that moment of sheer desperation, something within her snapped.
A surge of raw power, unlike anything she had ever experienced, coursed through her veins.
The system, sensing her imminent demise, had activated a hidden protocol, a last-ditch effort to protect its host.
A blinding light erupted from her, pushing back the encroaching darkness.
An ethereal energy coalesced in her hands, forming a beam of pure, incandescent light.
With a guttural cry, she unleashed it at the Ancient Beast.
The energy beam struck the creature square in the chest, sending shockwaves rippling through the air.
The beast roared in pain, its guttural cry echoing through the collapsing lab.
It staggered back, momentarily stunned by the unexpected assault.
The force of the blast sent Lily flying, but she managed to keep her grip on Alec.
He stirred in her arms, his hand tightening weakly around hers.
The warmth of his touch, even in his weakened state, sent a jolt of strength through her.
His eyes fluttered open, hazy with pain and confusion.
He looked at her, a flicker of recognition in his silver gaze.
"Lily…" he whispered, his voice raspy.
Looking into his eyes, Lily felt a surge of determination.
She wouldn't let him down.
She wouldn't let Victor win.
She pulled Alec closer, ignoring the throbbing pain in her arm.
The exit, a gaping hole in the crumbling wall, was just a few yards away.
They had a chance, a slim one, but a chance nonetheless.
"Hold on," she breathed, her voice choked with emotion.
She staggered to her feet, dragging him with her.
The air grew thicker, the heat more intense.
The rumbling of the collapsing structure intensified, a constant reminder of their impending doom.
They stumbled towards the light, each step a victory against the encroaching darkness.
Just as they reached the threshold of the exit, a voice, cold and laced with amusement, echoed through the chaos.
"Leaving so soon?"
"Leaving so soon?" Victor's voice, laced with a chilling amusement, echoed through the crumbling laboratory.
He emerged from the shadows, his silhouette framed by the raging inferno behind him.
His face, illuminated by the flickering flames, held a triumphant smirk.
"I'm afraid I can't allow that."
He gestured towards the Ancient Beast, which had recovered from Lily's attack and now stood between them and freedom, its malevolent eyes burning with renewed fury.
A low growl rumbled in its chest, a promise of violence.
Lily's heart sank.
She had expended a significant amount of energy in that last attack, and the system felt dormant, the incandescent power receding like a fading tide.
Alec, though conscious, was still weak and vulnerable.
They were trapped.
Victor's smirk widened.
"Such a touching reunion," he sneered, his gaze flitting between Lily and Alec.
"It's a shame it has to end so… abruptly." He raised his hand, and a crackling energy coalesced around his fingertips.
"Any last words?"
Alec, despite his weakened state, straightened slightly in Lily's arms.
His silver eyes, though dimmed with pain, burned with defiance.
He met Victor's gaze without flinching.
"You underestimate her, Victor," he rasped, his voice surprisingly strong.
"You always have."
A flicker of uncertainty crossed Victor's face, quickly replaced by a mask of cold fury.
He opened his mouth to retort, but before he could utter a word, a blinding flash of light erupted from behind them.
The Ancient Beast roared in surprise and pain as a searing beam of energy slammed into its flank.
A figure emerged from the swirling smoke and debris, a woman clad in shimmering silver armor, her face obscured by a gleaming helmet.
She wielded a staff that pulsed with celestial energy, the source of the powerful blast that had struck the beast.
"Leave them alone, Von Stein," the woman's voice, amplified by the helmet, resonated with power and authority.
Victor stared at the newcomer, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"Who… who are you?" he stammered, his carefully constructed composure crumbling.
The woman lowered her staff slightly, the celestial energy still crackling around it.
"A friend," she said simply.
"And your worst nightmare."