Chapter 95: Zayne’s Game

Unknown forest Solvanyr kingdom,

The battlefield shook , tremors rippling through the fractured ground like the heartbeat of something foul beneath. Dust rose in choking clouds, the echoes of Caelum’s earlier battle still lingering in the air.

Zayne and Caelum stood side by side, their gazes fixed on the quivering soil. Caelum’s expression darkened, a rare sharpness in his pale blue eyes.

“Oh no…” his voice was low, grave, “They are coming…!!”

Zayne widened his eyes, adopting the perfect mask of false worry. “But your hand, Mr. Caelum…!” His gaze flicked deliberately to where Caelum’s left arm should have been.

Caelum gave a faint, almost weary smile. “Don’t worry about me, kid. Go!” His tone softened, even as urgency burned beneath it. “But… I have to ask you another favor. If I make it out alive—can you heal me again?”

Zayne hesitated, letting the silence drag just long enough to sell his innocence, then nodded earnestly. “Sure thing… I’ll be waiting.”

He turned, making a show of preparing to leave, when the earth quaked violently once more. This time, it wasn’t just tremors. The ground in front of Caelum darkened, rotting into a vile, mushy black puddle that hissed as though alive.

The stench of corrupted mana filled the air.

From the pit, a massive purple hand clawed its way free, nails long and jagged. The puddle bubbled, stretched, and with a grotesque heave, a towering figure emerged.

A humanoid, yet monstrous.

Nine feet tall, muscles coiled like living steel beneath purple skin. His face was twisted with unnatural markings—the same runic corruption Zayne had seen etched into the previous abyssal’s body. Two enormous black horns jutted from his skull, curving backward like the crown of a demon lord.

His eyes burned red, the sclera sickly yellow. His hair was long, flowing, dark with streaks of purple shimmer. Across his chest, nothing but bare muscle, scars, and ritualistic sigils carved into the flesh. His only clothing, a ragged dark pair of shorts. Around his thick neck gleamed a heavy golden necklace, a cruel contrast to the filth clinging to him.

When he spoke, the sound was a jagged growl, each word like broken glass grinding against stone.

“…Found you…”

The battlefield stilled. Caelum’s stance shifted, mana flaring around him, even with one arm missing.

And Zayne… kept his innocent mask, though behind his eyes, the smirk of the predator waited.

Caelum’s pale blue eyes sharpened as he steadied his breath, forcing a smile onto his lips. “So… you found me, Abyssal. What was your name again…? Kin, right?”

The towering Abyssal’s veins bulged, his horns trembling with rage. His deep, broken-iron voice roared across the battlefield.

“I finally found you, human Caelum! You dare to interfere with the great Lord of the Abyssal’s plan?! You will die here…!! I’ll kill you, then torture you for killing my brother—Gin!!”

Zayne blinked, his inner thoughts cutting sharp and sarcastic.

Ohhh, so this one’s Kin… and the brother’s Gin… seriously? Wearing a gold chain, too? This is so unoriginal, man…

But before Zayne’s amusement could fade, Kin’s glowing red eyes slid toward him. The Abyssal’s lips twisted into a merciless smirk.

“Oh… so you’ve brought a friend? Hmph. You try to protect him—distracting me with words while you prepare. Clever. But useless.”

Caelum’s smile vanished, his face hardening as his thoughts raced.

Damn it… my arm isn’t healed, and this bastard already saw through me.

He raised his right hand, sliding into a battle stance. The winds answered his will, swirling fiercely, tossing his torn sleeve and hair. His one-armed silhouette radiated raw power, the kind of image that would inspire bards and warriors alike.

“Get out of here, Zayne! Quickly!!!” he barked, his voice filled with urgency.

Zayne, meanwhile, bit the inside of his cheek to stifle a laugh.

Ahahaha, he’s dead serious about protecting me. Look at him—posing one-handed, wind swirling dramatically, sleeve fluttering like he’s on a stage. He really thinks he’s the star of the show. What a poser…

The tremors rolled like a drumbeat, steady and hungry. Caelum’s voice snapped, sharp enough to cut the air.

“What are you doing, Zayne? Get out—now!!!”

Kin’s laugh was a rasp, a sound without humor. “No, no… I don’t think so.” He leaned forward, nostrils flaring as if savoring the fear in the air. “Come on…!”

The ground answered. Dark, muddy hands burst from the soil, clawing free as the earth split. Where the puddles formed, creatures tore themselves out — not all the same, but all wrong. Some stumbled upright on two legs; others slithered on four. Horns jutted from skulls and shoulders. Some had a single, milky eye; some had two, wide and bright. Everywhere, jagged teeth glinted in the moonlight as roars and snarls filled the clearing.

They poured from the forest like night itself peeling back. The stench of corrupted mana hit Zayne first, thick and metallic, crawling under his skin. He watched them with lazy interest, not the least bit bothered.

Caelum’s jaw set. He stared at the incoming tide, wind coiling about him, a halo of restless energy. His voice was low, dry. “Lower-class… Abyssals.”

Kin’s grin widened into something cruel. He walked forward a step, the smaller monsters parting like a river. “Sensing your friend’s presence was enough bait, human Caelum. Right? This should be more than sufficient.” His eyes flicked to Zayne with merciless amusement. “Make him watch his friend die.”

Caelum’s fingers tightened on air, knuckles pale around nothing. He didn’t flinch as the creatures advanced. “If I were fully healed,” he said quietly, “I would have killed you already.” The wind whipped harder, answering him, making leaves scream.

Zayne’s mouth twitched. Inside, he was licking his lips. Well, I did heal him — outer things. Inner? Not much. He’s patched; he’s not whole. Fun either way. Might as well enjoy the show…

Around them, the abyssal swarm fanned out, testing. A biped lunged first — huge shoulders, claws like scythes. Caelum moved like a pivot of storm. He dodged with one hand, wind slashing the creature’s face, tearing at its form. The monster stumbled but recovered, mouth opening in a silent howl that tasted of rust and old iron.

Another creature — squat, four-legged, teeth worse than the first — lunged at Zayne’s flank. Zayne didn’t bother to move. He watched. He smiled. The thing’s jaws snapped shut where he’d been standing a half-second before; teeth met air. It hissed in confusion, then turned, baring itself to the others like a revealed bait.

Kin laughed again, delighted. “kill him, lower breeds. Put teeth in what’s human!”

The lower-class Abyssals surged, a living tide of malformation and hunger. Caelum drew himself up, wind roaring like an old warhorn. One eye on Zayne. One eye on the swarm. His posture was defiant; his wound was a map of pain.

“Zayne. Now.” The command was not loud. It was a blade in the throat of the night.

Zayne’s smile didn’t fade. He tilted his head, pleased. “Coming… in a bit.”

Thunder rolled. The first clash began.

Kin’s massive frame blurred, claws sheathed in writhing black smoke laced with a dark red tint. Each step cracked the earth beneath him as his voice rumbled like a curse:

“Say goodbye to your friend, human…”

Zayne didn’t flinch. He stood still, smiling faintly, watching the predator come.

Caelum’s eye widened. His body moved before thought caught up. With a surge of wind, he crossed the distance in a heartbeat, planting himself between Kin and Zayne. His sword flashed up, steel ringing against abyssal claws.

CLANG!

The impact rattled through his body, the missing weight of his left arm turning the clash into agony. He gritted his teeth, his lone arm trembling against Kin’s brute force.

Kin leaned in close, lips curling back to reveal those jagged teeth. His voice was merciless, dripping satisfaction.

“You will fail, human…”

Caelum’s eye burned with defiance, though his arm quivered under the pressure. The ground around them splintered, wind shrieking in protest, as the storm and the abyss met head-on.

The battlefield boiled with chaos.

Caelum’s sword clashed against Kin’s abyssal claws again and again, sparks bursting in the air as wind shrieked from each blow. His stance wavered, his body pushed to its limit with only one arm, but his single sharp eye still flicked toward Zayne whenever he could spare it.

“Don’t worry about me!” Zayne shouted, flashing a reassuring grin, voice carrying over the roars of lesser Abyssals swarming him. “I’m quite strong too!”

A jagged claw swept down toward him from one of the lesser beasts. Zayne ducked smoothly, twisted on his heel, and his leg snapped out like a whip.

CRACK!

The Abyssal’s skull sailed skyward, spinning before crashing lifelessly to the dirt.

Caelum’s eye widened in shock. For a heartbeat, he almost faltered against Kin’s unrelenting strikes.

Zayne straightened, brushing a speck of dust from his shoulder and grinning innocently. “See? I told you—I’m strong.”

Caelum let out a rough laugh despite himself, tightening his grip on the sword. His heart eased, his wind swirled sharper, and he pressed Kin back with a renewed burst of force.

“He can handle himself… good,” Caelum muttered, confidence surging.

Kin’s smirk flickered as his red gaze swept from Caelum to Zayne. His claws pulsed with abyssal mana, irritation bubbling beneath his tone.

Tch… this might be a little troubling.

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