Chapter 36 - Blood (5)

Still busy with Son's assault, Memba smiles slightly, reflecting an unshakeable serenity.

_ Memba: “ Pretty technical for your age, kid. That's respectable. ”

Then he sees Jenna running toward him, looking slightly surprised. Taking advantage of the movement, I approach within striking distance to wrap granite around my opponent's legs. His eyes widen in unsuspecting astonishment as he sees his lower limbs trapped.

_ Memba: “ Oh? ”

_ Ayden: “ I'll weigh down his legs. If I combine my Source with Jenna's, then we can immobilize his lower body! ”

Son leaps again, determined to deliver a heavy blow directly to the skull. The ice emitted by Jenna finally reaches Memba, coupled with the granite, crystallizing his legs. Memba, impassive, receives Son's blow squarely on the face, his inert body not moving a muscle.

_ Son & Ayden: “ Did he just let it happen? ”

A sly smile appears on his lips, contrasting with the seriousness of the moment. Then he laughs. Our eyes turn to him, puzzled by his behavior.

_ Memba: “ Well done on your performance. I wanted to see how much your attack would hurt me. But now I'm fed up. This little game has gone on long enough. ”

_ Ayden: “ He doesn't even have a scratch. He's been messing with us from the start! ”

However, a scene catches my eye out of the corner of my eye. Witnessing Shailly's slow, measured advance toward Pico, we can't help but doubt his intentions, so dark and threatening is his gaze. Facing him, she generates her sphere, her gaze sharp.

_ Shailly: “ If we want peace, we have to get rid of him! ”

Meanwhile, Memba draws on the strength in his legs and effortlessly breaks the ice and the granite surrounding it.

_ Ayden: “ Damn, he's really tough. I need to find a way to take him down fast! ”

Suddenly, a dull rumbling vibrates through the air. A geometric blade sinks into a thigh, leaving a trail of blood and agony. Insufficient to pierce all the flesh, a heart-wrenching cry of pain erupts.

_ Shailly: “ AHHHHH!! ”

_ All the orphans: “ SHAILLY!! ”

Overcome by violent pain, Shailly collapses heavily, her teeth clenched, her hands clutching her injured thigh.

_ Ayden & Son: “ Shailly! ”

_ Memba: “ Look at your enemy, kid! ”

Moreover, this horrific spectacle leaves an indelible mark, a lingering bitterness, in our hearts. A sense of resentment immediately sets in.

_ Hazel: “ I can't believe it, he materialized his cone through his shoulder?! ”

Pico deploys several geometric bars from his back, which he plants in the ground to pull himself out of the mud.

_ Pico: “ Your little collective movement was interesting, but don't get too confident. ”

Then its bars take the shape of spider legs, reaching nearly 2 meters in height. A shivering body and an open mouth are revealed.

_ Hazel: “ This is bad, we have no chance of beating it! ”

Maïko steps forward with a firm stride, her gaze fixed on her enemy, her eyes filled with tears, her face enraged. But suddenly, a furtive movement appears in her field of vision.

_ Pico: “ One more step, and I'll kill that kid. ”

_ Maïko: “ You bastard!! ”

In the wake of this, Memba rushes faster than before toward Son, who is not far from him, his silhouette growing visibly larger. Reflexively, Son raises his staff as a last resort. The wood, powerless against this unleashed force, explodes into splinters. Lifted by the force of the impact, he is thrown several meters away. A muffled cry escapes his lips.

_ Ayden: “ Son! ”

Without a moment's respite, he charges in the same direction, blade raised, ready to deliver the fatal blow. I react accordingly and assemble granite to protect him, an instinctive response to the threat. But Memba's speed of execution is beyond me.

_ Ayden: “ I don't have time!! ”

At point-blank range, a blade plunges into a body.

_ Son: “ What the... Why...? ”

In a sudden reversal of fortune, another figure stands in front of her, shielding her from the murderous blade with his body. My eyes wide with horror, my heart pounding, I freeze on this macabre scene, a helpless witness to Memba's fatal blow that has just plunged Jenna into the darkness of eternity.