Last Battle
2071 Words
“Gravitational Rupture.”
The blast of air coming toward me is spread out around my sent punch. My punch is not enough to stop all of it. It shows our difference in strength. However, my punch reaches where he is. Dragunov is right there in between the ridge. His men are spread out. Some of them are injured. Behind me is the shelter, it's destroyed but not completely. From afar, I can tell that he is coughing blood. His mask is broken and I can tell he's glaring at me.
“Leo!” calls Mila behind me. It's the same time my knees give up. My will is not enough to keep it going. “What're you doing out here?” she asks. I don't answer. I think what I did is enough to tell her.
She wraps me with her clouds and brings me back to the shelter. Lady Danae is going to face Dragunov. She is going in the opposite direction compared to ours. I have a glimpse of her brave face. A mixture of feelings is hidden in it. Anger, fear, and love—all of which I forgot I can feel. It's like she knows she's not gonna win but will keep trying just to save us. I don't think she will win. Should I tell Mila right now? I should because it's the truth of what I think.
“She's gonna lose,” I tell her.
“What?” she asks. “No, she's not.”
“I can tell that she even thinks that. This is no doubt the last battle. She could die.”
“How can you say that?”
“That's the truth of what I think.”
“Well, you're wrong!” she asserts in front of my face. “She's gonna win even if you don't think she is!”
“Suit yourself,” is the last thing I said to her before we land on the ground. She looks like she couldn't believe what I just said to her.
“Leo,” says Darius. “Are you fine?” He's holding his sister's hand.
Hyeon, Lady Juliet, Lady Aurelia, Eleanna, and every one of the Olympus Mons Seaters are surrounding me. They look wary maybe not because of Dragunov coming to finish us all but maybe because of me with my wrist still shackled in braces with chains.
“You busted yourself out?” he asks again.
I don't think it's necessary for me to answer. It's not important now so I ignore him and walk accordingly to the instructions given to us. I pass by him and Hyeon. Then Darius grabs my shoulder.
“What's going on with you?” he asks.
I answer, “Stop wasting time and just do your job.”
“Huh?!!” he grunts, raising his upper lip and wrinkling his nose. “Have you forgotten you're talking to me?!!” He grabs my shirt.
“Woah, Darius!” says Arua.
“No!” cries Guiria, pulling his arm.
“Stop it,” says everyone else.
“Let go of me,” I demand as calm as I'm feeling about this.
“Not, if you don't apologize!”
“I have nothing to apologize for.”
“You really wanna do this now?!!” His friends are getting alarmed.
“No.” I deny. “You've always been like this, trying to solve everything with a fist. After what all of us have been through, you're still immature. You have a sister and a girlfriend to look after. You should let me go and keep them safe if you are in your right mind. Don't be like an i***t in front of them.”
He growls with a blazing glare right at my face but I can tell his grip on my shirt is weakening. He lets go of me, turns, and grabs his sister to walk away from me. The others look at me in disgust before leaving to attend to their duties.
Lilianna says, “He just destroyed the stronghold, now he's acting like a total jerk. What a pathetic guy.”
“I told you guys,” says Shui. “but you never listened.”
“Darius is just trying to ask if he's alright,” says Jia. “I thought he's a good guy.”
“Well, time to be disappointed,” finishes Kaia.
“What's going on with you, Leo?” asks Lady Aurelia. She and Mila are the ones who are left.
“Nothing, just go,” I answer.
But that is not enough to shut her mouth. “Come on, tell me!”
“Like Darius, you're all brawn with no brain. Just stay away from me.”
She makes red electric arcs around her body. She's very angry. “You think I'll let this slip like Darius did?!!!” she screams as immature as she is.
I'm not a match for her in my state so any strike she will do, I can't dodge or block. Then her fist is stopped by Mila's palm.
“Stop it, Aurelia,” she says. “Beating him up can wait.”
“I want to beat him up at lightning speed until he apologizes!”
“Aurelia! They need you there, now!”
“Argh!!” she roars in frustration. Looking over her shoulder, she frowns at me, saying, “You're not the Leo I know.”
Then that leaves me and Mila alone. We look at each other's eyes and I can see her worry. I hope all of that worry is not focused on me. She should focus on worrying about the people.
“Why did you do that to your friends, Leo?”
“I don't want to lie to them.”
“But can you just be sensitive next time?”
“I hate that idea that's why I did it while you're here. Even though it will hurt them, you have to tell the truth or nothing can be fixed. Consider that as a lesson and a demonstration.”
After that, I leave her wondering about herself. I can tell that she's hurt but I feel nothing. What I taught her is the right thing to do. Just lying some more will just add fuel to the fire until it bursts out into explosive flames. She's a smart girl, she should've figured it out. And another thing I have to do is to take out the guy who made contact with Dragunov earlier. I know who he is now. I run to catch up with the group and I can sense where he is.
I don't have to run very fast now. Jogging steadily, I overtake people until his back is in my sight. “Hello, Lord Heron,” I say, grabbing his nape. I throw him away from the group. The people around me begin to act.
“What the-”
“He attacked Lord Heron!”
“Take him out!”
“He's traitor!”
As if i'm deaf, I let what they say pass through my other ear. I don't care what they say. Heron is walking backward, facing me as I walk towards him.
“What are you doing, Leonide?!” he asks.
“Kicking out a traitor, of course.”
“Traitor?” he asks. “I don't know what you're talking about. You're the traitor for attacking me!”
“Yeah!” shouts the ignorant people, supporting him. They sound pathetic.
“This is going too far, Leo!” warns Mila.
I ignore them and I say, “Enough of the lies and deceptions. I can see through your paintings. Behind you are men concealed with it.”
Then Darius just came back and uses his Cessation. The painting losses color like a dying TV screen. Hundreds of demigods have been uncovered. Heron smirks before his men charge at us. I hope that's enough to break the faith of the people for him. I turn around and I'm right. Their faces are full of anger and regret. They're at loss for words.
“I'm not in the condition to fight,” I tell Mila and Darius. “You can handle them.”—I mean the demigods. They didn't say anything and just let me leave.
They can indeed beat them all. All of the Olympus Mons Seaters are here. They're made up of strong people after all. I can just sit, watch, and relax all day. If we die, we die. If we live, we live. Worrying about the outcome depends on what we're doing now. I can sit this battle out or I'll be a drag for them.
-
*
“Lord Narada!” cries Danae, seeing him grabbed in the throat by Dragunov. Although feel hurting, Narada puts up a smirk. “Let him go, Dragunov!” she demands.
“Why should I do that?” he asks, pleased by the look of her troubled face. “I got lucky fetching him from North Columba so that I can show you how I separate his head from his shoulder with my grip.”
“I'm the one you should be fighting!”
“No, it's Enzo that I should be fighting. You're not even a match for me. I heard he's all over the world trying to find me but I want this to be a grand occasion by starting taking all of you out. I'm sure he will be mad and our fight will be legendary!”
“I will not let you do what you want!”
“Oh, can you?” He tightens his grip on Narada's throat.
“No!” screams Danae.
Then in a very short moment, thousands of punches hit Dragunov. He lets go of Narada. The electrifying punches make Dragunov twitch a little. He has been knocked away very far from them. Eleanna is carrying Narada and Aurelia is standing in front of him.
“So you're their leader,” she growls and he smirks at her.
“The Goddess of Lightning,” he says. “You're as arrogant as they say. You don't realize your weakness.”
“Then try to block all of these!” she bursts out. She lets out a barrage of punches in a single second. Then her eyes widen. “How did you-”
His palms are smoking after blocking each of her lightning-speed punches. Grinning, he says, “Strength also comes with speed.”
“Aurelia!” shouts Danae.
In an instant, Eleanna goes to save her. In their perspective, Dragunov is moving as fast as them. But then he is stronger so both of them are no match for him. Knowing this, Eleanna decides to avoid fighting him. She is decisive when she finds an opening to punch his face, sending him a kilometer away. Both of them return to Danae's side.
“Nice hit, Eleanna!” Aurelia compliments.
“It's just a tap for him. He's not hurt.” It is true as they see him unscathed from the distance. “We'll stall him, my lady,” she says to Danae. “We can do it until Lord Enzo arrives.”
“No, you kids go back and protect the people,” says Danae, healing the unconscious Narada. She gives him to them.
“But he is fast like us, my lady. Let us help you.”
“Don't worry. I can be fast as him.”
“You can?” asks Aurelia. She is very curious.
Danae smiles at her. “Of course I can. Who do you think had to catch you when you were still a baby?” She pats Aurelia's head.
“Are you lying?”
“I'm not. I kept it a secret. Now go.”
“Come back after you win,” says Aurelia hugging her.
“I will.”
“See you later, my lady,” says Eleanna.
After they nod, the fast goddesses leave with Narada, leaving Danae and Dragunov on this battlefield.
“Are you sure about this, Danae?” asks Dragunov, laughing.
She ignores what he said and just focuses her power. Holding her trident, her eyes glow blue, and the water flows around her skin.
She says, “Ocean's Blessing:”
“Too slow!” Dragunov laughs, instantly appearing behind her.
“Swift.”
*
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- Writer
