The soldier never got a chance to scream or feel pain, with a look of disbelief etched on his face, his body split in two from his torso.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!!!", a high-pitched wail that sent shivers down everyone's spine rang through the chaos.
The numerous frightened people froze at such a horrific sight.
Different thoughts rushed through their minds, many looked to the soldiers tasked with protecting them only to find the same look of dread etched on their faces.
Surely, they were next. Almost ten people died from that single strike. They stood no chance against this monster.
Adrien's heart raced as he witnessed the leopard rampaging closer to the tent where Alex was trying her best to help others escape.
Panic surged through him, each heartbeat a reminder of the danger closing in on his close ones. He tried to call out, but no words came, the scene unfolded too quickly, surreal in its horror.
Just as the leopard's massive paw rose to strike, Alex burst out from behind the tent, her expression a mix of determination and fear.
"Get to safety!" she shouted, urging the terrified civilians behind her to move.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Adrien watched the leopard lunge toward her, its massive jaws unhinging in a vicious snarl.
Alex turned, visibly surprised and terrified, but, in that split second, he felt it before he saw it.
A sudden change in the air around her. She moved.
Something sparked in her eyes, a flicker of energy coalescing around her frame.
Even though she looked visibly nervous and terrified, Alex acted.
Before the giant leopard could make contact, Alex clenched her fists, and a wave of energy rippled through her.
With a rapid, instinctive motion, she made a quick duck to dodge the strike, but it was too little to late.
The leopard was too close to her and was definitely to catch her whole side with its paw!
Adrien was sure she was going to die from the strike, everyone expected to see the sight from earlier, and he was almost prepared to watch as she was taken from him.
He was mid motion, lunging at Alex, screaming her name, and using every ounce of willpower he had to reach her.
He tried to utilise his time stop ability, even if only for a second, that would be enough, but it just would not answer his call no matter how much he tried.
Just as the strike was right upon her much to every person's surprise including Adrien himself, the paw phased right through her, from one side to the other!!!
The leopard's paw swiped through her, a ghostly blur where she once stood, as if she had become part of the air around her.
The creature faltered in its strike, confused by the sudden loss of its target.
"Alex!" Adrien yelled, but the warning fell on deaf ears as she flickered out of the beast's range moving with newfound speed and agility.
She darted to the side, narrowly evading the beast's follow up ferocious bite.
Seeing her escape but knowing the danger wasn't over, Adrien acted.
He sprinted forward, eyes locked on her, ready to protect her from the next inevitable attack.
As he ran, he spotted a steel pole on the ground, a part of the large tents that served as their houses earlier that had been scattered during the chaos.
Just as the leopard turned to seek out its prey again, its fierce gaze zeroing in on Alex as she momentarily regained her solid form, Adrien dove for the pole.
Grabbing it just in time, he pivoted, using the weight of the metal to his advantage.
"Alex, back away!" he shouted, his voice a mix of urgency and desperation.
With instinct guiding him, Adrien swung the steel pole with all his might as the leopard lunged again. The impact echoed through the night air as he met the beast's charge with his makeshift weapon.
The pole struck the leopard squarely across its snout, jolting the creature and forcing it back a step.
Time seemed to stand still as Adrien felt the pulse energy surge through his body.
The intoxicating mix of fear for Alex's life and a sense of urgency strengthened him, channelling the energy in a way he had never done before.
He channelled it faster, quicker than ever before.
Through his muscles, his nerves, his bones, reinforcing his being. His skin became iridescent, and he felt sturdier, like he could take anything in the world right now and come out on top.
It was intoxicating!
Alex regained her footing, to his side, shock mingling with gratitude in her eyes. "You came for me!" she gasped, breathless, heart thrumming from the close call.
"Always," Adrien replied, fiercely protective. He stepped in front of her, ready to defend against the beast's next attack.
The leopard growled, visibly agitated from the unexpected challenge, its muscles rippling with rage as it prepared to strike again.
But Adrien's eyes narrowed, he started weighing his options.
His conscience did not want to see Alex anywhere near this abomination. Butbhe knew that he was just being a hypocrite.
"The more practical and efficient approach is to coordinate with Alex. Together, with Alex's new ability and my own, we can take him down quickly and take care of the other abominations."
Even as they confronted this beast, Adrien could still see the other troops trying very hard to hold the perimeter.
"Let's stand back-to-back, that thing's quick." Adrien urged, narrowing his stance.
They prepared to face the beast once more.
The chaos buzzed around them, but Adrien felt hopeful about their chances, their combined strength could turn the tide.
The beast began to circle them warily, before pouncing behind the duo and attacking at a random person who was running.
"That thing is smart! It decided to go for the weaker prey!"
Adrien's heart dropped as he witnessed the horrific scene unfold.
The monstrous leopard had jumped over them with a terrifying ease, and in a heartbeat, chaos erupted anew within the camp.
"No!" he screamed, instinctively reaching for his power once more, desperate to protect those still in danger.
A thin energy barrier flickered in front of the beast's path, but it was not strong enough to completely stop it in its tracks.
"Ria!" he shouted, urgency lacing his voice. "We need to regroup and push them back! Our defences have to hold!"
Without waiting for a response, Adrien sprinted toward the scene, his mind racing.
He could hear the panicked cries of civilians and fellow soldiers, the sound of flesh tearing still echoing in his ears.
Drawing on the raw energy of the aether, he felt a surge of power coursing through him.
Focusing his will, he directed a larger force toward the leopard, hoping to disrupt its momentum and regain control over the chaos.
With a flick of his wrist, Adrien unleashed a powerful strike with the pole towards the beast's side, aiming to throw the gigantic cat off balance.
The air shimmered as his strike collided with the leopard, and for a moment, a glimmer of hope sparked as the creature staggered back, confusion etched on its fierce face.
But Adrien knew it wasn't enough.
He felt the weight of deaths settling on him, a crushing realization that every moment counted in this fight for their survival.
Ironically, Miller had seemingly disappeared in this situation, if that was because it he wanted to prove a point or because he feared for his life, he didn't know.
"Form a defensive line on around the wall!"
Because they were slowly being pushed back, they, they pulled back the defensive line.
They began to establish a defensive perimeter further back, before they were completely overwhelmed by the tide of abominations.
At this point pushing back against the horde was clear off their minds, ensuring those fleeing had safe passage to the base was priority now.
Ria was at his side, her determination unwavering. "What do we do about the leopard?" she asked, glancing nervously at the beast, which was regaining its footing, readying for another attack.
"We can't let it get close again" Adrien replied, his breath visibly ragged. "If we can distract it, I might be able to channel the energy into something stronger, I have an idea."
As the soldiers formed a tighter defensive line further, Adrien nodded to Malik, their stronghold ready for a coordinated effort. "Cover fire on my mark!" he commanded, eyes sharp and steady.
When Malik yelled out the count, Adrien focused, funnelling his energy and reaching for a deeper connection with it. 'Seeing as this power is so malleable, I must be able to shape it.'
He envisioned a pulsating barrier that could absorb and redirect attacks, while using aether to multiply the force.
It all came down to principles of matter.
He would focus his intent into the barrier, so that it would break down the attacks that came at it.
Then absorb the energy behind them, absorb more energy from around them, and then reform the attack and hurl it back at the beasts.
"Now!" he yelled as Malik and the soldiers unleashed a barrage of shots aimed at the leopard, drawing its attention away from the fleeing civilians.
That was the best their firearms could do. They were not doing any damage at all.
In tandem, Adrien thrust his hands forward, channelling the energy into a glowing shield that enveloped him and the front line.
The air hummed with power, the light brightening as it absorbed the chaos around him.
The leopard growled and lunged toward the soldiers, but Adrien's barrier held.
It absorbed the impact, the force vibrating through him but allowing the soldiers time to regroup.
"Push it back!" Alex cried, joining Adrien at the forefront, determination bright in her eyes. "!!!" She looked at the shield that was absorbing the beast's continuous blows.
On the side, the soldiers continued to hold back the horde of beasts, while the civilians continuously filtered into the walled base.
The creature snarled angrily, realizing its prey was escaping.
But Adrien held strong, he could feel the energy responding to their unity, amplifying their collective strength.
In that moment, he realized that intertwined fates could forge a force strong enough to repel anything.
With renewed resolve, Adrien prepared for one last surge. "We can end this!" he shouted to Ria and the soldiers. "On three! One...two...three!"
Suddenly, feeling the energy reached a breaking point and start to tip over like cup filled to the brim with water, he unleashed a cacophony of energy and will, sending a concentrated blast toward the leopard and the beasts.
The air vibrated with intensity as the wave of energy collided with the beast, sending it hurtling backward into the horde that continued to press forward, the wave of energy detonated, blasting a hole through the leopard's mid-section.
The wave took along a whole chunk of the horde.
The Leopard struggled to stand for a moment before it fell down limply to the ground, dead, with a loud thud.
With the monstrous leopard dispatched, Adrien seized the opportunity to push forward, bolstered by the cries of the civilians behind him.
With the most troublesome opponent dealt with, they began to take care of the mobs like clockwork.
Fast, and efficient.
Adrien assisted the others to kill the remaining horde of monster, they surged, their strength coalescing into a singular force.
"Keep moving! We'll hold them back!" Malik bellowed, pride swelling within him as he saw the unity among the soldiers and civilians manifest in their actions, together, they would fight for their lives.
But, as they pushed against the encroaching darkness, the unexpected happened.
Another wave of abominations appeared right after!
"NO."
As if to say, the night was far from over, and the battle for survival had only just begun.
The chaos of the battle unfolded around Adrien like a twisted tapestry, threads of horror intertwined with the struggle for survival.
The new wave was completely unexpected, and it ran over the defensive line a train.
They were completely overwhelmed.
"NO."
Adrien could feel his own unwillingness, he didn't want to accept it, but this fight was slipping out of their control.
The sounds of screams and desperate cries melded with the guttural growls of the numerous beasts, which had become a nightmare manifest, relentless in its pursuit of destruction.
Adrien could feel the fatigue creeping into his limbs.
He had fought fiercely earlier, pushing himself to the limits against the horde of mutated humanoid creatures.
The beasts poured out relentlessly from the forest.
"NO."
Fighting a singular, strong beast was proving to be less taxing than this horde, that was continuously increasing in number, till now, the monsters still filtered into the clearing from the forest.
Each clash, each burst of telekinetic energy had drained him, leaving him breathless and battered. The cuts and bruises accumulated, a growing testament to the terrors of the night.
Beside him, Alex was equally exhausted, her breathing ragged, sweat and fear staining her features. She had tapped into her newfound ability, phasing in and out of danger, but the strain of that power was evident.
The once-confident spark in her eyes began to dim as the horde loomed closer, the monsters' sharp gazes fixed on them with a cunning intelligence that hinted at a predatory strategy.
"NO."
They were no longer facing mere beasts but creatures that seemed to learn, adapt, and counter every move they made.
He was losing his focus. He could feel it. HIs body grew more sluggish.
"Adrien, watch out!" Alex shouted, urgency and fear stark in her voice as she lunged toward him, trying to deflect a blow she couldn't quite reach in time.
A mutated bear's paw connected with Adrien, sending him sprawling backward, pain shooting through his side, leaving deep gashes of claw marks, the growing numbers were beginning to overwhelm them.
He fought to regain his breath, pushing himself up against the ground, but the sense of despair began to grip him.
Around them, the battle raged with the other soldiers struggling valiantly against the horde.
But every moment, every second, someone died.
Blood spilled in torrents, staining the earth, marking the cost of their fight.
The sounds of battle echoed with a chorus of horror, the cries of the wounded, the visceral thud of bodies hitting the ground.
Each moment claimed another life, another soul lost to the merciless tide.
More and more beasts ran past their line of defence, all the way to the base wall, where Mel, Sarah and the others had run off into earlier.
The reinforced walls of the base that had promised a semblance of safety slowly began to give way under the relentless onslaught.
Cracks splintered through the defences as mutated humanoids and monsters managed to breach the barriers.
Their grotesque forms started pouring in like a wave of death.
Soldiers exchanged reluctant glances, the weight of their situation hanging heavy in the air.
Fear settled into the depths of their eyes, an unspoken acknowledgment that no matter how hard they fought, they were overwhelmed.
"Adrien, we have to move!" Alex urged, her voice strained with panic but underscored by bleak realization. "We can't hold them forever!"
He nodded, but even as he replied, he felt another wave of pain and fatigue push against him.
The energy surged dangerously low, its once-familiar hum fading into a murmur.