Hope had barely steadied his breath, daggers clenched, ready to meet the Centaur's onslaught—
When a shout shattered the air.
"You stupid Veil-abominable creature! Come to me and let me make you taste blood!"
The words came from Walker—
His voice hoarse, strained, yet filled with defiance.
Hope's eyes snapped toward him, heart lurching at the sight.
Walker stood with his legs spread apart, body swaying, his cutlass barely lifted.
Blood dripped from his side in a steady stream, his breathing ragged, his shoulders shaking.
He was done for.
But even now, he still had the strength to taunt a monster he had no chance of surviving against.
The Centaur paused.
Its helmeted gaze slowly shifted to Walker, the eerie red glow in its eyes flickering.
Then—
It moved.
Not walked.
Not ran.
But blurred.
A sudden, terrifying burst of speed that made the ground crack and splinter under its hooves.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
Walker barely had time to raise his cutlass—
But it didn't matter.
The Centaur's spear came down with inhuman force—
And pierced straight through Walker's chest.
A Spear Through the Heart .
Splurt.
Hope watched, frozen, as blood burst from Walker's lips.
His cutlass slipped from his fingers, falling uselessly to the ground with a dull clatter.
The steel tip of the spear jutted out of his back, dripping dark crimson.
For a moment, Walker's eyes widened, his body trembling—
Then the Centaur lifted him.
Like he weighed nothing.
Walker dangled from the spear, his legs kicking weakly, his fingers grasping at the air—
As if trying to hold onto life.
Then—
A hand wrapped around his throat.
The Centaur's massive fingers closed over Walker's neck, lifting him higher off the ground.
Walker's breath hitched, his eyes rolling slightly as the pressure tightened.
His face was pale, his blood coating the Centaur's armored gauntlet.
He was dying.
They all knew it.
But even at the very end—
Walker smiled.
And spoke.
"Live or die… it makes no difference.
The world keeps turning either way."
His voice was barely a whisper, but Hope heard it.
Every single word burned into his mind.
Then—
Crunch.
The Centaur's fingers tightened.
And with a swift, brutal motion—
It snapped Walker's neck.
A sickening crack echoed in the hollow silence.
Walker's body twitched once—
Then went completely limp.
His arms dangled lifelessly, his head lolling to the side, the light fading from his half-lidded eyes.
For a brief second, Hope could still see the remnants of his defiant smirk—
And then it was gone.
Without a shred of hesitation, the Centaur tossed his body aside—
Like a broken doll.
Thud.
Walker's corpse hit the ground, unmoving.
But the Centaur wasn't finished.
It raised its hoof—
And with one swift, merciless stomp—
It crushed Walker's skull.
Splat.
Hope flinched as the sound of bone and flesh bursting apart filled the air.
Blood.
Brain matter.
Everything splattered outward.
Painting the dirt red.
Hope felt something warm land on his cheek.
He didn't need to look to know what it was.
Walker was gone.
And now—
It was his turn.
Hope's fingers tightened around his daggers.
His nails bit into his palm, his entire body tense, every muscle coiled like a spring ready to snap.
Walker was dead.
Kelvin was barely standing.
And now—
It was just him and the Centaur.
The monster turned its red gaze back toward him, unfazed.
It had just crushed a man's skull—
And it wasn't even winded.
Hope took a deep breath, the air feeling heavy in his lungs.
This wasn't like before.
He wasn't just fighting to survive.
He was fighting for Walker.
For Kelvin.
For everything.
The Centaur lowered its spear, bracing for another charge.
Hope's grip on his daggers tightened.
His eyes burned with cold fury.
This fight wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.