Dune's heart pounded as he dashed forward, his blade catching the moonlight.
Darius stood like a golden titan, his yellow Neba armor gleaming with unnatural light. Swords hovered around him, made from his portals, striking with deadly precision.
Dune ducked low, slashing at Darius's chest. His blade barely left a mark, a glimmering scratch across the golden surface.
"You think you can hurt me?" Darius sneered, his glowing eyes burning with contempt.
A massive yellow blade materialized from a portal, its edge humming with power as it swept toward Dune.
He barely had time to react, using Nebastep to launch himself backward. The force of the strike shattered the ground where he'd stood.
Landing on the roof, Dune's chest heaved as he surveyed the battlefield. Elijah and Atlas worked in perfect sync, attacking Darius with a relentless flurry of blows. Twins now having little of Dune's Neba, swapped places mid-strike, their abilities blending into a seamless dance.
But even they couldn't land a hit. Darius's swords came in waves, forcing them to retreat as Omen emerged from the shadows, striking with deadly precision.
"You sneaky bastard," Darius growled, parrying Omen's blade with a flick of his arm. His fury seemed to magnify his power. "How dare you betray the king? You'll die first!"
"Elijah's speed is keeping him in the fight," Dune muttered under his breath, his mind racing. "If we can keep him distracted, exhaust his Neba and Zeten… we have a chance."
But Darius moved faster than strategy could form. With a roar, he slammed both fists into the ground, sending shockwaves across the battlefield.
"He's destroying the building!" Dune shouted. "Don't let him!" Nebastep propelled him toward Darius again, his blade striking just enough to make the larger man stumble.
"You… bastard!" Darius roared, summoning another blade. Dune barely dodged using nebastep. Before Dune could attack again, Ned appeared beside him, trembling, his eyes streaked with blood.
"Ned? What's wrong?"
"It's… poison," Ned rasped, his voice wet and broken. "A Zeten poison… in the air…"
Dune's stomach sank as he glanced around. Elijah was on his knees, coughing blood. Atlas and Nely crumpled, convulsing. Even Darius staggered, blood pouring from his eyes as his Neba flickered.
"This can't be!" Darius shouted, slashing wildly at the air. "Enren…i will kill you by myself, stop this!"
Dune's mind raced "Enren?!". But the poison, It's not affecting me because I don't have a Zeten… but if Darius is affected, that means the poison user also has yellow Neba. Damn it… so this whole time Enren had a yellow Neba? We were lucky to survive. I thought only green Neba Zetens were here. But now we met two of the yellow Nebas? How's that fair.
"This… no…" Darius's voice was wild, unhinged. "This can't be, Omen! Tell him to stop!
…Damn it! damn it! damn it! … you think Monarch Magma will let this slide? You will die Enren!"
Omen, sprawled on the ground and coughing, still managed to smirk at Dune. "Use your brother," he rasped. "Or wait until the poison kills us all. Your choice, Dune. But if you think about attacking me, don't bother, I'll outlast your weak little brother."
Dune's hands clenched into fists, trembling. "Shut up!" Before he could act, Ned's body began to glow, a crimson radiance swallowing him whole.
"Ned, stop!" Dune shouted, panic bleeding into his voice.
But Ned stood firm, steady in the chaos. "I can do this," he said softly, blood dripping from his mouth. Darius's eyes widened in fear as the red zeten grew.
"What the hell is that?! Red!?" Everyone's eyes widened in shock… this was their first time seeing a red Zeten… Even Elijah was surprised.
Ned didn't answer. "Sky Serpent's Breath, four percent!"
The red wind slashes erupted from Ned's hands with devastating force, roaring through the air and slamming into Darius. The explosion rocked the battlefield, the force of it knocking everyone to the ground.
When the dust settled, Dune saw Darius. His golden armor shattered, his stomach torn open, his insides exposed. Blood poured freely, yet his rage burned brighter than ever.
"I'll kill you all!" Darius screamed, summoning hundreds of glowing little blades from his portals and launching them toward the group.
Elijah and the twins barely dodged, their movements sluggish. Atlas, farther away, avoided the attack. Dune used Nebastep to shield Ned, throwing his brother toward Atlas.
But before Dune himself could react further, pain erupted in his stomach. He looked down to see a yellow sword impaled in his abdomen.
"Got you," Darius snarled, grinning through the blood dripping from his mouth.
Damn it.. he got me. Dune collapsed to his knees, gasping as blood poured from the wound. More swords materialized around Darius, ready to finish him off.
Before they could strike, Nely appeared. She used the last of her Neba to enhance her body, blocking as many attacks as she could. But several swords pierced her, few through her stomach, and another small blade through her neck.
Before Darius could strike again, Ezra appeared in a blur, his speed fueled by desperation and the green neba coursing through his veins. He lunged forward, his foot glowing faintly with the remnants of Dune's Neba as he delivered a devastating kick to Darius's side. "I was waiting for this moment."
The impact was brutal. Darius's body twisted unnaturally from the force of the blow, and blood sprayed from his mouth as he was sent flying backward.
The sound of the collision echoed across the battlefield like thunder, and the cracked ground beneath them trembled. "Die!"
Darius slammed into the edge, the jagged stone slicing into his already battered body. For a moment, it looked as though he might regain his balance. His hands clawed at the ledge, his yellow aura flickering weakly as he tried to pull himself up.
But the toxic air and his wounds betrayed him. His grip faltered, his fingers slipping on the blood-slicked stone. Darius's body gave out. With a roar of frustration, Darius tumbled over the edge, his golden armor clanging against the stone as he plunged into the black, churning water below.
"Nely!"
Dune stumbled to her side, his hands trembling as he tried to stop the bleeding.
"Dune…" Her voice was faint, a whisper against the roar of death.
"Don't talk!"
The battlefield had fallen silent, except for the ragged breaths of the dying. Nely lay on the ground, her blood pooling beneath her, mixing with the dirt. Dune knelt beside her, trembling.
She had saved him, protected him, even after he'd been willing to throw her aside for his own survival. His throat tightened.
"No," he muttered through gritted teeth, his hands pressing uselessly against her neck. "Damn it… damn it!"
"My Neba won't be enough to heal her…" He looked around the battlefield. Everyone else was barely hanging on, Elijah, Atlas, Liam, all too battered, too broken to do anything but survive.
What do I do? he thought, panic clawing at his mind. I can't save her. She's healing too slowly… "damn it! Why isn't Darius dead already?" His body is too sturdy.
Nely coughed, a wet, gurgling sound that made his stomach twist.
I know what to do.
The thought came with a cold, grim clarity. He rose to his feet, his body screaming in protest as his bloodied fingers wrapped around his blade. He glanced down at Nely one last time, his heart pounding.
"Ezra, Liam," Dune said, his voice steady despite the chaos within. "Protect her."
Then, without waiting for an answer, he turned and sprinted toward the black water.
Omen, leaning against a shattered pillar, let out a low chuckle. "Interesting," he murmured, his voice tinged with admiration.
The others stared at Dune, their expressions a mix of shock and horror.
"Idiot!" Elijah shouted. "What are you doing?!"
Dune didn't answer. He plunged into the toxic water without hesitation.
The liquid hit him like fire. It clung to his skin, sizzling and bubbling as it ate away at his clothes. Pain bloomed everywhere, sharp and unbearable.
Idiot, idiot, idiot, he thought, his mind racing as his body burned. What the hell are you doing? What's wrong with you?
The water clawed at him, stripping his flesh as he pushed himself deeper. His teeth clenched as he swam further, the acid searing his nerves. His clothes dissolved first, then his skin began to peel away in ribbons, leaving raw muscle exposed.
He gasped, but the air stung like needles in his lungs. Yet his body kept moving. I don't want her to die. I can't let her die.
Darkness surrounded him, and the pain became all-consuming. His vision blurred as the acid began eating at his eyes, but he didn't stop. His fingers curled into fists, his mind focused on one goal. "I…I don't want her to die."
Keep moving forward. Don't stop.
He could feel his strength waning, his own blood mixing with the poison as it poured from his body. His hair was almost gone now, his face unrecognizable, his healing powers struggling to keep up with the relentless destruction.
It hurts. Damn it, it hurts so much.
A green glow appeared in the darkness. Dune unleashed his Neba, his fingers trembling as he enhanced his blade with a green neba, infusing it with the remnants of his strength. He gripped it tightly, ignoring the way his fingers cracked and bled against the hilt.
There.
Through the burning haze, he saw Darius. The golden warrior was sinking, his once-proud armor shattered, his body limp.
Dune forced his body to move faster using weak nebasteps to push himself down, His face was almost gone now, his teeth falling loose, his jaw exposed. He could barely move, barely think, but one thought kept him going.
The poison finally claimed his sight. His eyes burned, and darkness swallowed him whole. Yet he didn't panic. He didn't stop.
I don't need my eyes. I know what to do.
With a guttural roar, he swung his blade, the glowing green sword cutting through the water like a streak of lightning. It struck true.
Darius's head severed cleanly, drifting away as the golden glow of his Neba faded. The water trembled with the force of the blow, and the titan was no more.
Dune's lips twitched into a small, bloody smile. His body was broken, his skin almost entirely gone, his strength a flicker in the void. But he wasn't sad.
I did everything I could.
So what if it hurts?
So what if I die?
I did the right thing.
I have no regrets.
The darkness pulled him under, the water embracing him like a cruel lover. Pain became distant, the world quiet.
The fight was over.
[ Zetens 10 / 10 ]