Massacre

The soldiers dashed into the forest. There was no time to devise a concrete plan. There were no structures—just wild dashing and finding a place good enough to hide and shoot at the Legends. The first ones to enter the forest were Stone, the Human Tank, and Kale, the Sword King. Stone started up his minigun and began leveling the forest. The Sword King focused his gaze on a clearing where sunlight pierced through the trees. There stood Rayshel, full of joy and excitement. Kale darted toward her, cutting down trees that hindered his advance. With a heavy stomp, he entered the sunlit clearing and unsheathed his sword. Rayshel was holding two immense axes, one in each hand, and bellowed:

‘I am Rayshel Dhana! People also call me the Berserker! Let’s have a fair fight!’ Kale grunted. That seemed to be his way of greeting. Both charged at each other and swung their weapons. The clash resounded throughout the entire forest, shaking the trees themselves. Dae was still observing, waiting for someone—or something. The intense heat from the minigun had set some trees on fire. That’s when Dae found his first target: Zeyshe, the assassin, who was silently killing targets left and right. He jumped from a tree and landed with enough force to crack the ground. Zeyshe noticed him but avoided direct confrontation. She prepared to flee—but Dae wouldn’t let her.

He got serious, and for a moment, everyone in the forest ceased fighting, sensing the immense pressure radiating from him. With a leap, he closed the distance to Zeyshe, who swung a dagger at him. He ducked to the right, evading the blade, and simultaneously thrust his fist into her stomach.

Dae shouted as he pushed his arm further, slamming Zeyshe into a tree. But she wouldn’t be a Legend if that was enough to take her down. Just as Dae moved to finish the job, he threw himself to the ground, evading a sniper bullet. She was close—but her exact position was still unclear.

By now, the fire had spread, separating Rayshel from the others. She had sustained more wounds than Kale, yet her smile had only grown broader. She pulled a small container from her trouser pocket—some kind of cream—which she applied to the blades of her axes. Then, she stepped into the flames and swung her weapons through them. The axes ignited, now clad in fire. Rayshel turned to Kale.

‘It’s about to get hot, big guy!’ They were trapped in a ring of fire. Retreat was not an option. As the fire closed in, it forced the two to advance. Kale slammed his immense sword into the ground, creating a smokescreen. But since Rayshel wielded burning weapons, hiding wasn’t much of an option for her. Slowly, Kale approached, sword at the ready, hungry for blood.

But there was something Kale didn’t know—Rayshel was like a beast. Her senses and instincts surpassed even those of animals. So it wasn’t hard for her to track him. She struck his legs, rendering him immobile, and followed up with a swipe—severing his head. However, the fun was far from over. Outside the flaming ring, her soldiers were still fighting. Most of them had engaged the Human Tank.

Rayshel inhaled deeply. Then she dashed through the flames and emerged on the other side. Yes, the fire had left its marks—but it had also cauterized her wounds, stopping the bleeding. She gripped her axes tighter; the veins bulging on her arms showed the intensity of her effort. She hurled both axes at the Human Tank. He raised his shield—yet the axes buried themselves into it, still burning.

‘Now!’ Rayshel bellowed. Her remaining soldiers instantly understood. Some pulled bottles from their bags and hurled them toward the Human Tank. Most were shot down by his bullets, but one made it through and struck the burning axe— BOOM. Like a snake, the flames wrapped themselves around the Human Tank. But he kept shooting.

Rayshel dashed forward. Bullets hit her, but she didn’t stop—no, her speed even increased. Her war cry echoed across the battlefield, reaching even Dae, who at that moment was still evading the sniper’s bullets and the assassin’s daggers.

By now, Rayshel had reached the Human Tank. She ripped her axes free and gave him no time to react. She swung them at him, destroying both the minigun and his shield. The Human Tank punched her in the face—hard enough to send anyone flying. But she took it like a champ—and then she severed his head. She immediately dropped to her knees, gasping for air. And even now, the smile hadn’t left her face.

Dae had finally located the sniper. He pulled out a grenade and tossed it into the air. When it exploded, a blinding light illuminated the forest. It was short—but intense. And when the light faded, Dae was gone. A moment later, the sniper’s head fell from a tree. The assassin, watching the falling head, made a fatal mistake. As the head hit the ground with a thud, a second bang followed—and the assassin’s head exploded from a bullet.

Four Legends were dead. But the worst one was still alive. Clapping echoed through the burning forest as he entered. His expression betrayed nothing. Rayshel forced herself to her feet.

‘Now the real problem’s here. Hahaha! Let’s do it!’ Dae joined her side.

‘This one’s different from the others!’, Dae uttered. He stabilized his breath. ‘Make one mistake, and you’re dead.’ He drew a dagger and a gun. The Warlord did the same—and even assumed the same stance. Rayshel glanced at Dae, puzzled.

‘Dae… who is he to you?’

‘He was once my trainer.’

‘Ok, I see! He will not be easy to handle then!’

‘Why do you seem so happy then? We’ve lost quiet the number of soldiers and your wounds,’ his eyes thinned, ‘can fight like that?’

‘Don’t worry, I am just getting started!’