Chapter 24: I, The End! Taker of Life!

Berus and Mortem had their hands interlocked. Mortem started pushing Berus back, bringing the young prince closer to the edge. Berus quickly pulled Mortem in, slamming his knee into the clone’s stomach. The force of the blow sent Mortem flying back, hitting against one of the branches of the tree. Berus burst forward, delivering several blows across Mortem’s face, ending his assault with a kick that snapped the clone’s neck. Mortem’s body fell limp to the ground. But in less than a second, it sprang back up, Mortem snapping his neck back into place.

“You understand I have yet to display my true power, right?” Mortem asked, chuckling. “So, if you don’t want to be at the receiving end of such ire, then I highly suggest you end me quickly. Ha ha.”

Berus squatted down and yelled, “Shut up!”

The prince vanished, reappearing for a kick, but Mortem effortlessly blocked it. Berus growled, going for another attack from behind, but was once again blocked by Mortem’s tail. He tried again and again, but was unable to even make the clone budge. Each attack was blocked with ease. Berus decided to change his attack style, rushing directly at Mortem. He clapped his hands, making Mortem flinch, putting up his arms. When there was no real attack, the clone lowered his arms, but was instantly struck in the cheek. He was sent through one of the branches and fell into the tree. Berus chased after him, running and leaping off the ledge. In their fall, Berus cocked back his arm, ready to attack. Unfortunately, Mortem flapped his wings and dodged the punch. Using his tendrils, he formed a large arm and shot it at Berus, pinning him to the palm and sending the prince straight to the ground.

The cloud of dust settled, and Berus had his entire lower half pinned under the large hand. Mortem ripped his arm out and flew down, forming a large, sharp blade with his right hand. Berus struggled under the hand, but couldn’t escape. As Mortem got closer, he thrust the blade forward, aiming straight for Berus’s head. Out of nowhere, something impaled the side of Mortem’s head, sending it to the far right. He and Laura stumbled across the stone ground. Laura quickly got up, kicking Mortem’s face before reaching down to pull out her sword. Laura ran over to Berus, slicing his hand off. He got up, and the two faced Mortem.

He got up, purple blood running from the wound on his head. The wound immediately healed. Mortem smirked at the siblings, finding the sight exciting.

“Well, isn’t this perfect?” He cackled. “Now, I can kill you both at the same time.”

Berus and Laura got ready to fight. Laura’s eyes looked at Berus, and she said, “We just have to wear him down. He can’t keep this up forever.”

“Shut up, I know,” Berus replied, keeping his sights on Mortem.

Mortem laughed before saying, “That would be an excellent plan. If it wasn’t for one problem…look around you.”

Laura and Berus took a quick sweep around the battlefield, and small roots were running from the tree all throughout. The roots stuck themselves into the corpses of the dead humans and experiments. What were the roots doing? Were they absorbing the dead?!

Mortem continued, “As long as you keep supplying me with more food, I will fight forever.”

Laura scoffed, gritting her teeth and gripping her sword tighter. “It’s that damn tree,” she cursed. “We have to get rid of it!”

“We have to get rid of him!” Berus barked, charging at Mortem.

Berus, wait!” Laura shouted, but knew it was pointless, so she followed after her brother.

Mortem’s lips curled into a wide grin, and he shot tendrils from his ankles into the ground. The tendrils started popping out from the ground as spikes. Berus and Laura could barely dodge each one, Laura having to cut a few of them down. Then, a tall red pillar erupted from the ground under Mortem’s feet. The pillar stood high above the complex. The spikes started forming into pillars, Berus hopping onto one. Mortem leaped from his pillar and went to punch Berus. He blocked the attack, but was sent back. Berus gripped the top of another pillar, Mortem jumping onto the same one. The two went on a back-and-forth; Laura was only able to watch from below. She sheathed her sword and reached into her robe to grab a pair of metal claws that she used to climb up one of the pillars. Mortem knocked Berus onto the top of a pillar behind the prince. Laura reached the top and leaped at Mortem. She threw a kick, but was ducked. Mortem’s tail wrapped around Laura's ankle, whipping her around and throwing the young woman into Berus. They fell, but Berus dug his claws into the side of one of the pillars, and Laura used her metal claws to do the same.

As they hung on to the pillar, sharp spines started popping out from all around the sides. It happened in an instant, and with no time to react, the two were stabbed in their arms, legs, and a few in their torso. They screamed in pain, letting go of the pillar and falling to the ground, slamming against the stone with loud thuds. Berus ripped one of the spines that broke off in his left arm, but Laura writhed in agony. The searing hot pain from the spines’ venom ran all throughout her body, and unlike Berus, she had no resistance to the toxin. Mortem jumped down from his pillar, sticking out his right hand and launching several tendrils out at Berus. He jumped out of the way, and tendrils pierced into the ground. Before hitting the ground, Mortem flapped his wings to slow down. His feet lightly set down, then burst after Berus. He stuck out his left hand and unleashed more tendrils. Berus dodged them, but one of them curved and impaled through his left shoulder. He went to pull it out, but it curved again and pierced through the back of his right shoulder, hooking him in and dragging Berus toward Mortem.

Berus sliced the tendril, falling to his knees. As he brought his head up, Mortem’s right claws were already heading toward Berus’s face. They sliced Berus’s left eye, threw his head back, and howled in pain. He covered the wounded eye, blood running from behind his hand. Motrem spun around and rammed his left arm through Berus’s stomach. His right eye widened, the pupil shrinking. The color drained from his face as he looked down in shock.

Mortem chuckled and said, “Now, doesn’t this feel familiar? Ah, yes, if I recall, your mother was put into a similar situation. Ha ha ha.”

Berus raised his head, still speechless. Mortem continued, “However, unlike her, you’re not miraculously surviving this.” He ripped his arm out and kicked the prince back.

His body rolled across the ground, lying lifeless. Laura came stumbling out from the pillars, her eyes widening when she saw Berus bleeding out. “Berus!” She yelled out, running toward him, but losing her footing and falling to her hands and knees. The effects of the venom still lingered.

Mortem began flying up, locking his gaze with Laura. He cackled as he got higher up. Laura made her way over to her brother, and her face became ashen when she saw the wound in his stomach. She quickly pressed her two fingers and checked for a pulse. It was there, but very faint. Laura grit her teeth and sneered at Mortem.

“Damn you!” Laura hissed.

Mortem looked down at her with a wide grin, then scouted throughout the entire battlefield. “There are still so many of you standing,” He commented, before slamming his hands together. “Let me fix that.”

Laura didn’t know what he was going to do, but was more concerned with stopping the bleeding in Berus’s stomach with her outer robe. Cello came running over to the two. All the while, thousands of tendrils erupted and spread around the outside of the complex. They all wrapped around and fused with each other, arching over the complex. Some of the humans and experiments looked up in confusion as the massive red arches from every side came together, creating a dome over the entire battlefield. The dome blocked out whatever light there was, leaving everyone in complete darkness. The screams of people and shrieks from the beasts filled the dome.

“Laura!” Cello screamed as she got closer, running in the dark.

Laura turned her head to where the voice came from and shouted back, “Cello!”

Suddenly, spines began covering the entire inside of the dome. They shot out simultaneously; screams of pain and the sound of falling bodies filled the void. After a minute, the dome began to split apart, and the tendrils retreated back into the ground. All around the complex, a sea of bodies was piled up. Humans, experiments, and even beasts had spines impaled into parts of their bodies. The small roots began spreading out rapidly, turning the once gray stone floor into a blood red. Laura was panting heavily, shielding Berus’s body. When she opened her eyes, there was a shadow cast over her; that’s when she felt a drop of something fall on the back of her neck. Laura slowly turned her head and saw Cello standing over her, several of the spines stuck into her back and through her arms. Laura’s already ashen face became even paler, and her body shook in horror.

Cello smiled at her friend and whispered, “Win…” Her body collapsed.

“Cello!” Laura cried out before looking up at Mortem.

Mortem’s arms were behind his back, a smug expression on his face. He looked around, and his eyebrows raised when he saw several humans and experiments standing up from the carnage. Either unscathed or with nonfatal wounds.

He snorted and said, “Still quite a few stragglers left, eh? Frivolous.”

The tree created more beasts, replenishing Mortem’s army. The beasts fell onto the pile of dead, and the remaining humans and experiments gasped in exhaustion. But they kept fighting, not giving up for a second.

“Someone help!” Laura screamed out, trying her best to cover both Berus’s and Cello’s wounds. “Please! Anyone!”

“No one’s coming to your aid, child,” Mortem said, landing a few feet in front of Laura. “They have their own problems.”

Laura’s head shot up, her eyes bloodshot from rage. “You!” She sneered.

“Me!” Mortem responded with the same anger, but still holding his grin.

Laura got up, panting heavily. She drew her sword and held it out in front of her. “I will kill you!” She roared, gripping the tassel on the end of the handle and pulling it off.

The pommel of the sword crackled with electricity for a moment, then the entire blade burst into a white light, electricity running up and down the blade. The light from the blade illuminated Laura’s face, making her crimson eyes glow, showing their blazing fury.

“I will kill you!” Laura declared once more before bursting forward with incredible speed.

She thrust the blade, Mortem dodging it with ease. Laura slid her feet and jumped toward Mortem again. His eyes widened, surprised by her sudden increase in speed. He ducked the slash, but was kneed in the face. Mortem recovered from the blow, cocking his left fist back and going for a punch. But Laura was gone; she vanished. Mortem quickly whipped his body around. Laura was already swinging the sword down. He barely jumped out of the way, the blade slicing off his left hand. The wound sizzled from the heat of the blade. He growled, but Laura didn’t let up her assault and went for another trust.

She had Mortem on the back foot. All the while, black fur began to grow out of her arms and legs, her boots busting to pieces, revealing wolf-like feet. The tips of her hair and fur were coated in red. Laura’s canines grew longer, and a yellow swirled with the red in her eyes. Making it look like flames were in her eyes. Super Full Power! It looked identical to that of Ferral’s. Lauara’s speed had made an even bigger jump, and she managed to make a deep slash into Mortem’s chest.

He wailed, and sweat started forming on his face. Tendrils shot out from the ground, aiming directly at Laura. She acrobatically hacked and slashed through the barrage. That’s when Laura noticed that a quarter of her sword’s blade had melted away. She had to finish this fight fast. She darted around the battlefield, cutting down each of the tendrils that Mortem shot out. Laura tightened every muscle in her legs, wincing in pain as the fibers tore and let out a massive burst of speed, breaking the ground beneath her feet. Mortem didn’t have time to react as Laura punched her fist through his face. She ripped out her arm and took several jumps backward. As Mortem’s body stumbled, Laura held the reminder of her blade in reverse and used all her strength, throwing it forward like a javelin. The sword blew straight through Mortem’s chest and impaled into the tree behind him. Two flame strips that had been placed on the handle burst into black and pink flames, the fire spreading out to the entire tree.

It let out painful growls as the flames completely engulfed it, along with any beasts that were attached. Mortem’s charred body fell back, landing on the ground frozen like a statue. The fighting stopped as everyone stared at the burning tree. It shriveled and shrank, turning into a large mound of ash. Laura’s chest heaved up and down, sweat running heavily down her face. She glanced at her hands; they were just like an experiment. Claws and all.

Before Laura could examine herself more, her attention swiftly changed, and she turned around to Berus and Cello. Three experiment medics were treating the two; Laura spirited over to them.

“Berus! Cello!” She shouted, the medics looking up once Laura stopped. “Are they going to be okay?!”

“Mmmm,” one of them hummed. “The girl will be fine, her wounds aren’t too bad. But, the boy…we have to get him back on the plane asap.”

The other two medics nodded, carefully scooping up Cello and Berus’s bodies, and the three made their way out of the complex. Laura sighed with some relief. With her head still lowered, she turned around and was deeply slashed across the chest. Her eyes widened, and she looked up to see that Mortem was still alive. His face was contorted in a vicious sneer, and veins bulged out from his forehead. He used his other hand and grabbed Laura by the throat, tossing her into the air and far outside of the walls of the complex. Her body fell into the trees and landed lifeless in the grass. Mortem let out several blood-curdling roars. All the while, the drone above the battlefield captured the horror.

“Laura!” Anthony shouted, getting up from his seat.

Everett gasped, covering her mouth, and Armin cursed under his breath.

“How did that bastard live?!” Armin hissed before standing up and walking toward the door. He turned his head and looked at Everett and said, “Mrs. Romanova! Come with me, we’ve got some work to do!”