The red mist began spreading, blanketing every inch of River Bend like a raging storm. Barton and the Witherborn group braced themselves for The Exiled's unexpected arrival.
Suddenly, Leon vanished from the group!
Genus frowned. "Where the hell did Leon go?!"
Cyrus didn't hesitate. He leaped with fluid grace onto the tallest building in the area, his trusted rifle pressed against his shoulder. His sharp gaze swept through the fog, searching for targets and Leon's position.
Meanwhile, Raven was the first to face It! The towering Vine-born emerged from the mist with a bloodthirsty grin. Raven didn't waste time with words—iron gauntlets materialized on both his arms like living things before he launched into a high-speed assault!
"Gear One!" His roar tore from his throat as his first punch slammed into The Exiled with brutal force!
"Gear Two!" The impact doubled in intensity!
"Gear Three!" The third punch hit so hard that the Vine-born actually staggered. It coughed up dark blood in shock, never expecting a human to possess such monstrous strength!
While Raven opened the battle, Genus began moving. She sprinted through the city's alleyways at breakneck speed, ignoring the hallucinations the red mist tried to force into her mind. Her hands touched the ground periodically, as if communicating or setting up some kind of mechanism.
Leon's Side
Leon wandered aimlessly through the thickening red mist. The screams and explosions echoing from the city center made him sick to his stomach. His thoughts kept circling back to Barton's words... about the plan... about being bait... and most importantly... about Eva.
I have to do something... I can't let it end like this!
His first instinct was to find a weapon. He thought of the old metal pipe he used to wield, or... that thorn club! He remembered abandoning it somewhere during the chaos. He decided to head back to the patrol unit's quarters, hoping to find something useful.
When he reached the now-deserted quarters—showing minor damage from the tremors—Leon rushed into the storage room. He searched frantically for his familiar weapon... the thorn club... where was his thorn club...
Then the image flashed vividly in his mind... the moment he hurled the thorn club with all his strength... Eva's face filled with shock and pain... and the club lodged in her forehead...
Ugh...! Leon collapsed to the floor. Guilt and self-loathing crashed over him like a tidal wave. He had used it... he had used it to kill Eva... with his own hands...
He could never use it again...
But then his eyes caught sight of a massive iron hammer leaning against the room's wall. It looked heavy and solid enough to do serious damage. He'd seen city workers use similar ones to demolish old walls. This one... this might work...
Leon gritted his teeth. He wiped away the tears that had started flowing, anger toward The Exiled and hatred for his own weakness driving him to stand again. He grabbed the iron hammer, its substantial weight in his hands giving him a sense of stability and... ferocity.
Eva... I... I'll use this for you! he growled internally, before rushing back out of the quarters toward the city center where the sounds of battle still raged!
The Main Battlefield
Barton faced The Exiled, which had just clashed intensely with Raven. It turned to see Barton and immediately lunged forward! Barton barely dodged the attack, spotting Raven's form steadying himself nearby.
"For my team!" Barton roared, drawing his combat knife to provide support. But hallucinations of his smiling, sorrowful teammates appeared before him, making him falter momentarily!
Not now! He shook his head, dispelling the illusions. His mind, tougher than before, broke free from the trance quickly. He saw The Exiled preparing another attack!
Barton seized the opening. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, driving his knife into the creature's flank!
Schink!
But The Exiled recovered faster than expected. It quickly used its thorn-covered arm to deflect, and Barton's blade only grazed the flesh slightly.
Barton refused to give up. He dragged the knife downward, creating a long gash, then drew a second blade from his back and plunged it into the same spot, twisting to tear as much flesh as possible!
"AHHHHH!" The Exiled screamed in agony before kicking Barton with full force, sending him flying!
It was about to retreat when suddenly! The ground beneath its feet surged upward, forming a small earthen wall that blocked its escape!
BANG!!!
The rifle shot thundered through the air! Cyrus, positioned on the rooftop, had received Genus's signal and immediately fired at where The Exiled was trapped by the earth wall!
"Excellent work, Genus! Should be a direct hit!" Cyrus thought.
But The Exiled managed to react in the final split second. The bullet missed its vital target, instead tearing off one of its arms completely!
Dark blood splattered everywhere, but its regenerative power was incredible. Black fibers began sprouting from the arm wound, rapidly repairing itself!
It roared with fury before changing direction, rushing into the city's marketplace, hoping to create chaos and kill people to restore its strength!
Then Leon arrived just in time! He saw The Exiled about to harm an elderly shopkeeper who stood trembling with fear.
"Stop right there!" Leon shouted, charging forward while swinging the iron hammer with all his might!
CRASH!!!
The iron hammer slammed into The Exiled's jaw with devastating force! The massive impact sent its body flying several meters through the air!
"Uncle! Get out of here!" Leon yelled to the old man before turning back to face his enemy.
The red mist thickened again. Leon began seeing hallucinations assault his mind... images of Eva... images of him killing her with his own hands...
Guilt flooded through him, making him freeze for about five seconds! A massive opening appeared!
The Exiled, having regained its footing, didn't waste this opportunity. It lunged forward, delivering a devastating punch to Leon!
WHAM!
Leon was sent flying into building debris, dust clouds erupting!
"Leon!" Raven, witnessing the scene, shouted as he rushed to reinforce!
"Gear Four!!!" Massive energy erupted from his fist!
But it seemed The Exiled was starting to read Raven's attack patterns. Instead of meeting him head-on, it used speed to dodge and counterattack swiftly!
Raven's reflexes were equally sharp. He managed to raise his arms defensively just in time, but the impact still sent him skidding backward!
Genus continued running throughout the city, lips moving as she set traps and signaled Cyrus continuously. Barton began showing signs of delirium, slowly struggling to his feet from his aggravated old wounds.
The Exiled turned toward more fleeing citizens, about to strike, when it noticed the ground ahead trembling!
Another earth wall shot up to block its path! And at that exact moment!
BANG!!!
The rifle thundered again! This time the bullet struck The Exiled's other arm—the one that was nearly fully regenerated! That arm was blown clean off as well!
"You people... are really fucking annoying!" The Exiled snarled with irritation. "Got a sniper on the roof, huh? Plus these weird walls blocking me twice now!"
It looked up toward the rooftop where Cyrus stood, its crimson eyes blazing with rage, before gathering all its power... and leaping toward the rooftop at incredible speed! Its target: killing Cyrus!
Cyrus saw The Exiled hurtling straight toward him at unbelievable velocity. He didn't panic. On the contrary, his eyes became perfectly calm. He focused all his concentration on the crosshairs... aiming for the one fatal point...
He was absolutely confident... that this bullet... would hit its heart dead-on...