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Helicopter
"Do any of you guys get a clear shot?!" Nik asked hurriedly, her worry evident in her tone. Pressing her earpiece, she scanned the ship through her binoculars, catching sight of Lucian being stabbed in the stomach.
[Negative, our employer is blocking my sight] one of her teammates responded, frustration lacing his voice. He couldn't take a shot at Alexander without risking hitting Lucian.
"Then let the choppers circle around!" Nik shouted, her voice sharp with urgency. But then, her eyes widened in shock as she witnessed Lucian being struck by another sword, this time through the chest.
"No," she whispered, disbelief turning her voice to a mere breath. She watched as Lucian tumbled into the hole engulfed by fire.
Silence descended on the comms as her team witnessed the scene unfold.
[Nik, what do we do now?] The middle-aged man asked, confusion evident in his voice. Their employer was gone.
[We should leave, while we still have a chance] one of the younger team members suggested, his voice laced with urgency.
Nik bit her bottom lip, weighing her options, her gaze fixed on the ship's door. She gritted her teeth, her mind racing.
"We wait. Stand by in your positions. There are still two more in the ship," she declared, pointing towards the ship's interior where Raizo and Kim Yoo-ri remained, who was unaware of the chaos unfolding on deck.
[Are they even alive?] one of her team members asked, voicing the question that lingered in everyone's mind. Nik sighed, the weight of their predicament heavy upon her.
"Five minutes. We wait five minutes. If they do not appear, we can only leave," Nik said, her voice strained. She couldn't risk her team's lives without knowing the fate of their other employers. However, they were no match for the old man on deck, and landing on the ship was out of the question.
'Where are you guys?' she thought, scanning the ship with her binoculars, desperately searching for any sign of her employers. Then, another explosion rocked the ship, a deafening boom that sent tremors through the air.
Nik turned her attention to the source of the explosion. 'No matter how special he was, he couldn't have survived that fire, and now this,' she thought, shaking her head, a mixture of despair and resignation settling over her. She focused on Alexander, her eyes narrowing. Thinking if she should give her team the order to fire. Even if it wouldn't kill him, at least they should have tried.
Just as she was about to press the earpiece, Nik noticed something. The fire in the hole began to recede, drawing her attention. 'This isn't normal,' she thought, frowning. That kind of fire wouldn't extinguish so easily. She tried to get a clearer view through the smoke, but the thick plumes obscured her vision.
"Tsk," she clicked her tongue in irritation. Then, she heard it. A roar that shook her to her very core.
"RAAAWWRRR!" The roar tore through the air, sending a shiver down her spine. The wind whipped up around her, becoming a gale. Her horrified eyes watched as the clouds gathered, darkening the sky as thunder rumbled and rain began to fall.
As a mercenary, she had planned for everything, including the weather, but this was beyond anything she could have imagined. This wasn't in the news. This wasn't normal. This was a disaster.
"Holy... shit," Yaz exclaimed, his jaw dropping as he stared at the scene unfolding below. His reaction caught Nik's attention, prompting her to turn towards him with a raised eyebrow.
"This is impossible," Nik whispered, her voice barely audible, as she followed Yaz's gaze back to the ship.
Then she walked to the pilot side, "Lower the Helicopter," She ordered, as the pilot froze before looking up to Nik, "You want us to go down there?!"
"Yes, this is the right that we should show our usefulness," Nik whispered as she knew in this world maybe their skills weren't valuable so they needed to show they adjust, adapt into the supernatural world, and show their loyalty if they want the help of their employer.
•-----•-----•-----•-----•
As Lucian plunged into the fiery abyss, the searing heat consumed him, a wave of fire licking at his skin. He strained against it, pushing his psychic abilities to their limits, but the flames were relentless, an inferno that refused to yield. Desperation clawed at him, and he knew he had to act. Closing his eyes, he cried out in his mind, 'Cortana!'
'I know,' Cortana's voice echoed within his mind, a calm steel in her tone, acknowledging the gravity of their situation.
Then, a cataclysmic explosion ripped through the hole, pushing back the flames even as they intensified, growing fiercer, more volatile.
Lucian opened his eyes, and a golden light, ethereal and radiant, flowed through them, a tangible sign of their re-integration, their shared consciousness now one.
'He' pulled the sword from his chest with his right hand, his left hand instinctively reaching out to control the flames, pushing them back with a psychic force. His wounds, as if defying the very laws of nature, began to heal, the Fiery energy of the Golden Tree flowing through him. 'He' tossed the sword to the ground, pulling the other one from his back, the weight of it strangely familiar in his hand.
As 'he' threw the sword down, he focused his energy, his connection to the Golden Tree strengthening with each passing moment, a power coursing through him, surging beyond anything he'd ever experienced. It was a power that every kitsune possessed—the ability to manipulate the very weather itself. But now, the power felt different, amplified, as if it were calling to him. 'He' knew he had to focus, that there was no time to explore this newfound ability.
'He' directed the Golden Tree's energy toward the fire surrounding him, compressing it, drawing it inward. The flames shrunk, swirling around him as a silver, fiery aura manifested around his body. The surrounding inferno and his aura melded, becoming one, a raging storm of silver flames that pulsed with his newfound power.
•-----•-----•-----•-----•
Sancta Helena: Deck
A colossal silver flame claw erupted from the hole, its fiery fingers stretching across the chasm, a searing touch that scorched the air. It reached out, a menacing hand from the depths, its heat radiating across the deck. Then, the claw retreated, as if beckoning, revealing the source of its terrifying power.
From the depths of the fiery abyss, a towering silver-flame fox emerged, its five tails whipping through the air like a storm of molten silver. It raised its head releasing a roar that shook the heavens announcing its presence.
"Raaaawwwwrrrr!"
Everyone on the deck, Alexander included, was stunned.
Raizo and Kim Yoo-ri, drawn by the explosion, had rushed to the deck, Lucian's well-being outweighed their mission. Shock, fear, and awe washed over them as they beheld the magnificent, silver-flame fox.
Within the fox, Lucian's eyes, glowing with an ethereal golden light, reflected his unity with Cortana and the Golden Tree. He looked down at Alexander, his gaze laced with disdain, yet inside his mind, a different thought echoed, 'Susanooo!' he exclaimed playfully in his mind, a surge of exhilaration coursing through him.
"Focus, Lucian, let's end this quickly," Cortana said, her voice echoing through their shared consciousness, as she moved through Lucian's body. 'He' raised his right hand, as the silver flame-like fox mirrored his actions. 'The leg,' they both thought, their minds as one. Then Alexander's severed leg and the energy blade handle flew towards Raizo and Kim Yoo-ri.
Kim Yoo-ri, instinctively taking a step back, pushed Raizo forward. Raizo, shaking his head at her hasty reaction, caught the leg, his eyes fixed on Lucian, then turning his attention to Alexander, whose gaze was fixed on the fox's forehead.
"Let's go," Raizo said, his voice calm despite the chaos unfolding around them. He started walking as Kim Yoo-ri caught the energy blade handle following behind as they made their way to the side of the ship, where the helicopter had lowered its descent, offering a path to escape, as they jumped in.
"Let's go. We don't want to be near this ship, when he continued," Raizo said to Nik, who nodded looking at the silver giant fox fire, relaying the order to the pilot.
The helicopter ascended, pulling away from the sinking ship, leaving behind the chaos and the monstrous silver fox.
Alexander stumbled back, leaning against the railing at the edge of the ship. He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to absorb the scene before him, the monstrous fox, the glowing Lucian, and the devastation around them. He opened his eyes, gazing at Lucian with a mixture of disbelief and grudging respect.
"I've heard rumors about your kind," he said, his voice raspy, "but I never thought they'd be true." He sighed, the weight of defeat settling on his shoulders. He could still escape, jump overboard, even fight, but something within him had surrendered.
"A guardian, do you think you are worthy of it?" Alexander asked, a wry smile playing on his lips. He knew he was asking a rhetorical question, a challenge that could only end in a stalemate.
"Whether I'm worthy or not, you are still going to die," 'Lucian' replied, his voice devoid of emotion. The thunder in the sky continued to rumble, reflecting the storm within him.
"Will you kill them all?" Alexander asked, acceptance tinging his voice. He knew he could not escape his fate, but he would not let Lucian destroy everyone else, even if it meant his own demise.
"No, I have no need for them," 'Lucian' said, his voice calm yet filled with a chilling certainty. As he spoke, a bolt of thunder struck the silver-flame fox, the electricity coursing through its right claw, granting it a new, terrifying power.
'Lucian' controlled the lightning, channeling it into a deadly strike aimed at Alexander.
"Is that so," Alexander said, a peaceful smile spreading across his face. The lightning and fire engulfed him, consuming him completely. The ship, bathed in a radiant silver light, erupted in a blinding explosion.
Boooom!
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END OF CHAPTER
Extra Chapter for 200 Power Stones
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UPCOMING CHAPTERS SPOILERS:
Chapter 92: Going Back, Chapter 93: Meeting Part 1, Chapter 94: Meeting Part 2, Chapter 95: Suspicion s, Chapter 96: The Deal, Chapter 97: Sexual Tension, Chapter 98: Resigning & Joining, Chapter 99: Arrivals, Chapter 100: Introduction, Chapter 101: Information, Chapter 102: Temptations, Chapter 103: A intense bath R18, Chapter 104: Wryness R18, Chapter 105: Mitsuki's Powers, Chapter 106: Getting Ready, Chapter 107: Getting Ready(2), Chapter 108: Corvinus Castle, Chapter 109: Corvinus Castle, Chapter 110: A Hybrids Fall, Chapter 111: I told you so, Chapter 112: It's You, Chapter 113: Continuation, Chapter 114: William's Prison, Chapter 115: William's Prison(2), Chapter 116: William's Prison(3), Chapter 117: Death of the Twins, Chapter 118: I Fucking Knew It, Chapter 119: I Fucking Knew It(2), Chapter 120: The Last Fight
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