Chapter 35 – Ember City Massacre - Part 16
The Leviacrypt lifted its monstrous head, its glowing red eyes locking onto the massive sky ship approaching Ember City.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled from its throat.
Then—it opened its maw.
A massive red blast, crackling with raw destruction, erupted from the Leviacrypt's mouth.
The energy beam pierced the sky, striking the enormous sky ship dead center. The explosion ripped through the hull, engulfing it in an inferno of flames and debris.
The ship's screeching metal echoed as it was obliterated instantly.
But—
From the clouds, two more ships emerged.
The Leviacrypt roared.
It fired again.
One ship was blasted into dust before it could even maneuver. The other tried to evade, but the beast's second blast struck its engines, sending it spiraling into the city ruins below.
Then—more.
Dozens of sky ships appeared from the clouds.
A full fleet.
The Leviacrypt bellowed, its rage shaking the heavens.
⸻
Sparks flew as Katsu and Achtur clashed, fire and lightning colliding in bursts of heat and crackling energy.
Achtur's sword moved like lightning itself, each strike coming in unpredictable patterns, forcing Katsu to stay on the defensive.
Katsu weaved between the electrified slashes, his movements sharp and controlled.
Achtur pressed forward.
Lightning surged through his blade as he slashed downward.
Katsu dodged, barely avoiding the crackling blade. But before he could counter, Achtur vanished—then reappeared beside him, delivering a charged palm strike to Katsu's ribs.
BOOM!
Katsu was blown backward, rolling across the cracked ground before stopping himself.
He exhaled sharply. His body ached from the impact.
Achtur stood tall, blade humming with unstable electricity.
"You're holding back," Achtur sneered. "You really think defense is gonna save you?"
Katsu clenched his fists, his flames flickering weakly.
Then—he took a step forward.
Achtur narrowed his eyes.
Something changed.
Katsu lifted his gaze. His flames burned brighter.
"…Fine."
A fiery explosion erupted from his body.
Achtur's instincts screamed—but it was too late.
Katsu charged.
He dodged Achtur's incoming slash with impossible speed, closing the distance instantly.
His fist—coated in fire—slammed into Achtur's gut.
The impact sent shockwaves through the battlefield.
Achtur's eyes widened in pain, his body rocketing backward, crashing through debris.
But before he could even hit the ground—Katsu was already there.
Flames engulfed his arms as he delivered a rapid barrage of strikes, each one forcing Achtur further into the defensive.
Achtur gritted his teeth.
He refused to lose ground.
Electricity exploded around him, clashing against Katsu's relentless fire.
⸻
The fight blurred between reality and madness.
Simon and the mysterious man clashed at speeds that shattered the ground beneath them.
Every punch, every kick, every counterattack—it was an exchange so fast, so precise, that even the air itself cracked from the force of their strikes.
Simon threw a devastating right hook.
The mysterious man leaned back by a hair's width, retaliating with a threaded spike aimed for Simon's chest.
Simon twisted midair, avoiding it by an inch, then sent an energy-infused elbow strike toward the man's temple.
The man's threads pulled him away just in time.
The momentum didn't stop.
Simon kicked off the ground, vanishing from sight—then reappeared directly above the mysterious man.
His fist—coated in matter—plummeted downward.
The man raised his hand, a web of threads forming a barrier.
Simon's fist collided with the strings—
BOOM!
The force shattered the barrier instantly, sending the mysterious man skidding backward.
But—he didn't fall.
Instead, he smiled.
"You're… actually strong," he murmured.
Simon cracked his knuckles.
"And you're actually weak, Anime-kun."
The mysterious man lifted his hand.
His strings moved unnaturally, twisting in the air like serpents.
Simon narrowed his eyes.
⸻
Wind howled as Chad soared through the battlefield, his movements effortless, carried by air currents under his control.
Sir Endrick, grounded in place, slammed his foot down.
The ground rippled, spikes of jagged stone erupting around him, forming a defensive fortress.
Chad hovered in the air, smirking.
"Come on, old man. You really think turtling up is gonna work?"
Sir Endrick didn't respond.
Instead—he thrust his palm forward.
The ground beneath Chad exploded upward, massive pillars of rock shooting toward him.
Chad dodged effortlessly, twisting through the air.
"Too slow."
With a flick of his wrist, the air condensed into razor-sharp blades, slicing through the stone pillars like paper.
Then—he attacked.
He swooped down at Sir Endrick, his body moving like a gust of wind.
A flash of air-blades rained toward Sir Endrick.
But the knight remained firm.
His fist clenched—
Then—he punched the ground.
A shockwave erupted.
The earth buckled and twisted, forming a massive wall of stone, deflecting Chad's attacks.
Chad clicked his tongue.
"Not bad. But you're not winning this."
Sir Endrick's brow furrowed.
And yet—he knew.
Chad was faster.
More agile.
Even though the fight was close, Chad had the edge.
Endrick needed to find a way to turn the tide.
⸻
A Shadow Above the Battlefield
Above the burning city—
As countless sky ships were destroyed, falling from the heavens in a storm of debris…
A massive presence emerged.
A ship.
Far larger than any of the others.
It broke through the clouds, casting a shadow over everything.
A monstrous leviathan of steel and power.
The largest flying warship yet.
To be continued…