As the line of archers ran out of arrows and ammunition, those who had no suitable mories to replace them summoned their lee weapons and joined the vanguard, reinforcing its dwindling numbers. The Artisans had done the sa, abandoning their siege engines and throwing themselves into the crucible of combat.
With the Fla and the Void quite literally carving a path through the horde, the army was slowly breaking through the mob, the gates in sight.
The chant continued as the forces pushed through.
…Behind the Crimson Spire, an impenetrable wall of darkness was slowly devouring the world. It was approaching the battlefield with terrifying speed, nurous bolts of lightning illuminating its furious depths.
A storm was coming.
As it drew closer and closer, the surface of the black water that swirled around the island of the cyclopean tower suddenly trembled.
And then, it began to crawl upward.
First slowly, and then faster and faster, the black whirlpool swelled and moved forward, swallowing the crimson coral ter after a ter, its dark vastness rising and seething.
The cursed sea was coming to devour the Forgotten Shore.
[Don't yield, you fools! Push through! Victory is within reach!]
Asher gritted his teeth as the water reach till his knee. Above, Kai and Quiet Dancer clashed with three Spire ssengers, their weapons flashing like sparks against the void. The gate to the Spire lood ahead—so close, yet impossibly far.
Then—
All the sudden... the whole Forgotten Shore trembled.
The terrible storm seed to have ended as suddenly as it had appeared, dissipating into nothingness like a fragile mirage.
Even the Nightmare Creatures attacking them stumbled and paused for a mont, staring at the sky.
…And then, the dark veil of clouds was broken by a blindingly bright ray of sunlight.
As soon as it happened, the restless black water stopped rising, and then flowed in reverse.
The cursed sea was retreating.
As soon as Asher saw the Sun, he cursed, turning to Nephis, alard frown appearing on her face as she looked at the sky.
"Neph!" Asher roared. "The Sun is dangerous! Run to the Spire!"
Nephis nodded once, blade snapping forward to point at their salvation.
"Sleepers! To the Spire!" Her voice was sharp as steel, but too thin to pierce the chaos of the battlefield.
[DREARS! RUSH TO THE SPIRE!]
Boomlet's bellow shook the very air as a sharp sound of a bell perated through the air.
The Drear Army surged forward like a flood, desperation written on every face. The survivors were still many, still strong.
Asher glanced once more at Nephis, his decision burning in his chest.
"Nephis! Lead them in! I'll get Cassie!"
Without waiting for her reply, he shot skyward, wings of force propelling him above the battlefield. He didn't look back. There was no ti.
The bloody wind tore against his face as Asher locked eyes with Kai, still entangled with two Spire ssengers. Every movent on the battlefield seed to drag, everyone's movent growing sluggish.
Everyone's except Asher's.
His muscles scread as he clenched Cicada's Cry and carved through the belly of a Curse Herald. Kai didn't waste the chance, driving his falcata into its throat while Quiet Dancer severed the upper half of another ssenger in a single brutal sweep.
Kai staggered back, panting, his lips parting
"Thank—"
"No ti, Kai!" Asher snapped, his voice a whip. "Run to the Spire!"
Kai flinched at the sharpness in his tone, but when he saw Asher's hurried eyes, he nodded hesitantly, retreating at once. Asher turned on the last ssenger, his teeth grinding.
"Fuck this…" His thoughts seethed as he raised his blade.
They were way, WAY more survivors now, then there had been in the original novel. It was going to take ti for all of them to evacuate! He had to be quick to help in the evacuation!
The ssenger scread and lunged, claws blazing with hateful energy.
"KHAAAA—!"
Asher drew in one steady breath, the air burning down his throat, oxygen fighting to keep his lactic-ridden muscles alive. His grip on Cicada's Cry tightened until the veins in his arm bulged. Then—he launched forward, gravity tearing at his body as he accelerated like a falling star.
Steel t flesh.
A wing spun away in a spray of blood. But not without cost. The ssenger's claw raked across Asher's chest, carving a burning gash through his skin. His armor tightened as the bleeding was slowly stopping. Yet, that didn't take away the pain.
He staggered, chest heaving, but his eyes were cold.
The beast faltered, flight ruined. It wouldn't matter. The Sun would finish it.
He didn't have ti.
He forced himself forward, vision tunneling until—Cassie. Alone. Petrified.
"As—" Her voice cracked the air as he scooped her up by the waist. She didn't need sight to know it was him.
"Not now." His voice was harsh, almost desperate. Whatever she wanted to say—it could wait.
His eyes raked the battlefield frantically. His chest rose and fell like a drumbeat of panic. He couldn't see them. Aiko. The others. Nowhere.
"Damn it… damn it where—"
Cassie's fingers clenched his coat. Her worried voice broke through his spiral: "Ash, are you alright?" Her voice bought him out of his reverie as tried to control himself, pushing down the lump in his throat.
"Yes..."
He looked at the evacuating drears. Finally, the creatures seemingly began to turn extrely sluggish, the weaker ones slowly dying. From what Asher could see, the sleepers were already flooding in to the spire.
From where Asher hovered, the flood of Sleepers was already pouring into the Spire.
But… 'too many'. His jaw locked, teeth grinding as he forced himself lower.
His skull throbbed like it was being split apart. Countless silhouettes pressed against his senses—hundreds of fragile contours, each one begging for strength. He bit down hard, pushing his power into them, making them lighter.
The strain tore through him. His vision blurred, knees scraping the ground as he landed hard, his body too heavy to keep in the air.
Even with [Nimble Intellect] sharpening his focus, even with [Within the Unseen] strengthening his mind, it was too much. His mind buckled beneath the weight of hundreds of threads, every one a lifeline.
And still, he refused to let go.
Air rasped through his throat as he heaved Cassie higher in his arms, clutching her like porcelain skin.
He couldn't falter. Not now.
***
Nephis stood at the gate, her eyes scouring the tide of Sleepers pouring into the Spire's shadow. Her knuckles were white around her sword, her chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. Beside her, Sunny crouched low, his face pale and taut with the sa gnawing fear.
Seconds stretched like lifetis. The crowd kept surging, faceless in the dark.
Then—finally—through the chaos, a lone figure broke free.
The familiar silhouette of a grey trench coat.
Asher.
He staggered forward, Cassie cradled tightly in his arms, his steps dragging and uneven.
He was the last to enter.
Nephis let out a trembling breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Sunny closed his eyes, shoulders sinking as though an anvil had been lifted from his chest.
They had made it.
Looking at them and at the small crowd of Sleepers gathered at the border between darkness and light, Sunny was finally able to exhale. They made it.
The battle for the Crimson Spire was over.
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