The air in the warehouse vibrated as if space itself suddenly remembered that forces older than reason existed.
The stacked boxes trembled, nails creaked in the beams, and a fine dust descended in columns. The temperature dropped so much that the girls' breath became visible. Each breath felt thicker than the air itself, as if oxygen had been replaced by ice water.
The shadow behind Aníbal had no constant form. It contracted, breathed, stretched. Sometimes it looked human with folded wings; others, a cloud of black feathers; then, a deformity that shouldn't exist in the realm of reality.
Yumi took an unconscious step back. Her body screamed at her to run, but her protective instinct kept her rooted.
Teresa raised her bat with both hands, not to attack, but to keep her arms from shaking.
Carla and her friends lost the fight against fear and their legs gave way, dropping them to their knees.
Even the goblins and the cat had shrunk back, unable to look forward.
[That… is not human] —Flora whispered. The weapon felt so heavy it seemed to bend her wrists.
The shadow tilted its head towards her. The golden eyes narrowed into what could be called a smile.
[Fear…] —whispered a voice that was not of this world—. [As sweet as ever~~~.]
A lightbulb exploded with a dry pop. Darkness swallowed half the room.
Aníbal raised his right hand. His flesh cracked like old porcelain, the fissures spreading up his arm. From them emerged a liquid glow, both golden and dark, like molten mercury running under his skin.
[He has chosen me] —he said with devotion—. [I am his sword.]
Yumi didn't answer. She just glanced over her shoulder.
[Girls, get back!] - she shouted, her voice had a tinge of fear, but above all, an unquestionable authority.
Hearing her, one way or another, the girls obeyed.
Without question, they all gathered again behind the makeshift wall that now, more than ever, seemed like a cruel joke.
The goblins also recovered from their stupor and ran alongside the others. The cat did not retreat; it looked at Aníbal with hostility, its fur completely bristled, fangs bared and tail spiked, hissing at the entity.
[I feel a little humiliated…] —Teresa couldn't help but comment as she glanced at Margareth, crouched behind a pile of boxes.
The programmer wasn't even blinking; there wasn't a hint of fear. Her fingers danced over the keyboard with inhuman precision, as if what was happening was merely background noise with no relation to her.
[Do not flee from mercy] —Aníbal proclaimed.
The shadow detached itself from the ground. It didn't walk or fly; it appeared and disappeared in pulses, leaving a trail of sonic distortion, like blades rubbing together.
Teresa was the first to react. Something invisible grazed her cheek and left a bleeding line.
[Shit!] —she roared, swinging a blow at the empty air.
Yumi lunged and struck Aníbal's head. The impact was like hitting a solid metal statue, rattling her to her bones.
Aníbal looked up, his eyes now pools of liquid gold.
[You are strong] —he said, as one admires a work of art—. [Perfect to be my first martyr.]
His arm moved with unnatural speed. Yumi barely managed to lean back in time; the blow grazed her cheek and left a burning line. The wind it generated made the shelves vibrate.
Flora fired. The projectile struck Aníbal's forehead… and flattened as if it had hit a wall.
[Tsk! Nothing!] —she growled, reloading.
[Aim for the eyes!] —Yumi shouted, rolling to the side.
The cat took advantage of the movement and jumped, sinking its claws into the enemy's chest. Aníbal didn't even try to push it away. He just looked down and smiled. The feline hissed, slashing hard, but its paws got stuck to the flesh, as if some viscous substance was trapping them.
["NYAAH!"]
Suddenly, a dark energy shot out from Aníbal's body. The cat was thrown against the vault, hitting it with a dull thud.
["GRIII!"]
The girls screamed at the sight and lunged to help the cat.
Luckily, Jennifer was fast enough and caught it before it hit the ground from the fall.
While the girls checked the cat's well-being, Yumi ran towards Aníbal, but the shadow intercepted her. The silhouette materialized in front of her: a humanoid form, wings like open blades, face hidden behind a mask of black feathers and eyes that were diseased suns.
Fear paralyzed her for a second. It was like looking into a hole to something that shouldn't exist. But the hesitation lasted only briefly.
Yumi spun around and struck the creature's abdomen. The impact resonated as if she had hit metal.
A gust of air pushed her back.
[CHIEF!] —Teresa shouted and ran to her aid, but an arm made of shadows emerged from the ground, grabbing her by the ankle.
[Let go, you bastard!] —she roared, striking downwards.
The arm dissipated like smoke, but another emerged instantly, wrapping around her neck.
[TERESA!] —Flora shouted, firing.
The shot hit the shadowy arm, which evaporated. Teresa fell to her knees, coughing.
[Thanks… cough…!]
Aníbal moved with a serene pace, as if nothing affected him. The bullets continued to bounce off him, as if hitting a sheet of metal.
[You don't understand…] —he whispered, opening his arms—. [It's not power you lack, it's faith.]
And it was right at that moment of almost total despair.
"Clank!"
A familiar metallic sound, like that of a heavy bolt being thrown open.
[It's done~~~] —Margareth's lazy voice echoed in the room that had fallen silent. The contrast between her tone and the situation was so unreal that even Aníbal and his shadow had a nervous twitch in their eye.
For an instant, everyone looked at Margareth, who was stretching lazily as if she were a gamer who had just finished her last match of the early morning.
All this while the armory door slowly creaked open with a metallic screech.
[Ummm… Um? Right, we were being attacked…] —finally, Margareth seemed to remember and looked back, only to find that everyone was staring at her.
Then, her face turned pale.
[Hiii! The Boogeyman's ugly cousin!] —she said, trying to crawl backwards as she pointed at the shadow, whose golden eyes were already fixed on her.
[I don't know who you are, but please don't take me. My sins aren't that bad. Even if they are, at least wear a mask, you're ugly as shit] —she demanded, holding her hands out in front of her as if trying to block an unpleasant sight.
[[[Birds of a feather…]]]
Yumi and the others finally couldn't help but comment on the scene. Even the goblins and the badly injured cat had empty eyes staring at Margareth.
[…Flora, QUICKLY] —Yumi shouted, recovering first from the initial shock.
They all quickly snapped out of their stupor and began to move.
Yumi and Teresa stood between Aníbal and the others, who were already rushing towards the armory.
[Huhuhu, what good will that do? Weapons or faith, which do you think has more power?] —Aníbal said after recovering as well.
Hearing him, Yumi gave a dismissive sneer.
[Why don't you eat an active grenade and we find out?] —she said sarcastically.
But Aníbal remained unfazed.
[One cannot dialogue with heretics] —he said.
Teresa and Yumi roared loudly and lunged at Aníbal. They struck his chest with their bats, again and again, until the metal began to bend with each blow.
Each impact made the air vibrate as Aníbal's suit was torn apart.
After countless blows, the unnatural cracks in Aníbal's body began to spread and deepen, the golden glow seeping from them grew more intense, as if he were made of glass filled with liquid fire.
[Still don't learn?] —Aníbal asked indifferently as his hand moved at an unnatural speed.
[Watch out!] —Yumi shouted, swinging her bat with all her strength to intercept the attack aimed at Teresa.
[KUG…!] —she gritted her teeth as the impact resonated even in her bones, and she was finally thrown back almost a meter.
[Unnatural son of a bitch!] —shouted Teresa, who took advantage of the small opening to avoid the blow and continued attacking.
But Aníbal just looked at her with a repulsive calm.
[This game has gone on long enough] —he said.
[S] A cold breath escaped his mouth, condensing the air. Before Teresa could react, an invisible force threw her backwards, crashing against a shelving unit.
The impact was so powerful that even the metal shelf dented, and boxes fell on top of her.
Dust covered her completely.
[Teresa!] —Yumi shouted, running towards her.
Aníbal raised a hand, and the shadow behind him mimicked the movement. The floor split open in a crack that advanced towards Yumi like a living tongue.
She jumped aside just in time, rolling among the remains of furniture.
Then, Flora's voice was heard from the armory.
[Let's see if this is your size] —she said and, the next second.
"BOOM."
The sound was so deafening it didn't feel like a gunshot. It was like a detonation. A thunderclap that shook the warehouse to its foundations.
Instantly, Anícal's head exploded like a water balloon, but instead of water or blood, golden fire splattered everywhere.
"Plop!"
The dull thud resonated as the decapitated body fell to the floor, inert.
On the back wall, a huge smoking hole marked the trajectory of the .50 caliber bullet.
Inside the armory, lying on the floor, Flora gritted her teeth, trying to endure the terrible pain in her shoulder from firing the Barrett M82 .50 caliber.
[Is he okay?] —Carla asked, half-relieved that it worked.
[Not yet] —Flora replied, her cold eyes fixed, not on Aníbal's body, but on the shadow that was still floating above it, intact.
[[[[…]]]]
For several seconds, they all stared at the mysterious figure that had stopped paying attention to them and was, instead, looking at Aníbal's fallen body.
Flora already had it in her sights, but she didn't dare pull the trigger.
And then, for the first time, the shadow showed another feature besides its eyes.
Slowly, a distorted mouth manifested. It began as a gruesome line that seemed to cut across the head irregularly, horizontally. Finally, saw-like teeth opened, revealing the golden glow within.
[Hahahaha.]
It was impossible to describe its laugh, you wouldn't even know if to categorize it as such. It was neither human nor animal; it was closer to the screech of reality tearing itself apart.
All of their hearts clenched as never before, as if a being beyond their comprehension was judging whether it would be more fun to kill them or let them live for a new game.
They all fell to the ground, screaming or choking back groans. Alien images filled their heads: forgotten wars, incinerated bodies, cities burning under black suns. Voices in dead languages whispered promises, guilts, prayers.
It was Andras, sharing his banquet.
And just when the unbearable pain seemed about to drive them to madness.
[My compliments to the chef] —the ancient, unnatural voice resonated, just before the pressure ceased and everything fell silent.
Everything fell silent.
[[[[…]]]]
In the silent room, where even the corpses and blood had disappeared without anyone noticing.
[…Did we win?] —Ana finally asked, her voice almost a whisper.
And after a long pause.
[We survived] —Yumi replied, pushing herself to her feet with effort.
In her heart, the certainty that this time, her luck had been greater than her skill.
But instead of feeling powerless or angry, she walked over to help Teresa, who was struggling to get out from under the debris.
[Quickly, Astrad and the others are waiting for our support] —she ordered.
At Yumi's words, they all snapped out of their stupor. They looked at each other; there was fear, but there was also the determination not to give up.
[[[[SUPPORT IS ON THE WAY!]]]]
They said it like a war cry before starting to take what was necessary from the armory.
In their hearts, a mixture of uncertainty and fear that they wouldn't dare show until it was all over.