The Divine Blades

Chapter 30: Chapter 30: The Dread Meister



Sinque stood amidst the chaos with her heart pounding in her chest. Her small hands tightened around the hilt of her sword. Sweat ran down her forehead as looming Lycans snarled around her. The fear inside her roared like a tidal wave that threatened to sweep her under but something inside her reminded her: ‘You can do this.’

Sinque clashed against the Lycan’s and managed to keep the medic team from taking any hits from them, though she was struggling with her defenses against their clawed attacks which knocked her back slightly each time she deflected one of them.

Tayona’s rang out behind her. “Keep it up, new girl! You’re holding your own!” Her words were spoken gruff but encouraging to her.

Nearby, the pink-haired medic shouted over the din of battle, “I need room to heal the wounded! Clear a path, Sinque, we can’t lose any more!”

Sinque’s eyes darted from the medic to the Lycans swarming the field. They were everywhere and blocked the way forward with snarls coming from them. Her gaze drifted up to Hyorine—trapped, struggling, gasping with the sand now constricting her. The sight made Sinque’s blood run cold.

But it also sparked something else—a fire from her fears. ‘I have to move forward. I have to help Hyorine and the others.’

With a surge of energy, she gripped her sword tighter and called upon Mystcry #30, Cutting Lights. Light burst forth, illuminating the dark battlefield in sharp streaks. Sinque moved swiftly, slashing through the air and cutting down Lycans in her path with a combination of the spell and her sword. She danced between their vicious strikes and felt her fears wane with each successful attack.

The growls of the Lycans became distant while she carved space for the medic. “I’m doing it,” she whispered again, this time louder. “I’m really doing it!”

But the Lycans kept coming. Sinque’s heart sank. Her current spell wouldn’t be enough to hold them back for long. She needed something stronger. Then she remembered the amount of spells she was capable of casting.

Sinque took a deep breath and began the incantation. "O unseen forces that bind the skies and the earth, lend me your touch—push away the living presence!" The mystic energy flared in response, swirling around her, growing denser by the second. She felt the raw power pulse through her veins. “ Mystcry Arts # 41, Severing void!”

Above her, the Mystcry energy took form, thick tendrils of glowing goo extending from the sky, slowly lowering down like the limbs of some ethereal creature. Sinque raised her hand and directed the tendrils toward the advancing Lycans.

The tendrils stabbed into the ground with a sickening thud and spread in a wide arc around her. One by one, the werewolves were knocked off balance and sent tumbling down the mountain with ferocious growls of anger.

With the path ahead cleared, Sinque took a shaky breath. Her legs trembled beneath her but she remained steady. The medic team quickly rushed forward behind her, carrying their wounded while scrambling up the now-open path. Sinque’s eyes flickered back to the battlefield.

Tayona whistled. She gave Sinque a sideways glance with a crooked grin pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Well, well. Look at you, kid. Really cleared those suckers up real good.” Her tone was sharp and teasing but also respectful. “Who would've thought? You might cower like a bitch sometimes, but damn—guess you've been fooling all of us with that act."

Sinque blinked. She tried to muster a response, but the words stuck in her throat. Instead, she nodded with a sense of pride beginning to swell in her chest. Her words really felt like a pat on her back.

The battlefield around them was finally settling. The last few snarls from the Lycans were being silenced by the slashes of the squad’s swords. Bloodied but standing, the remaining members gathered in tight clusters, murmuring to one another with heavy breaths.

One of the squad members spat onto the ground while wiping some blood from her face. "Damn things nearly ripped my arm off," she grumbled while holding onto one arm.

A wiry woman with blood streaked through her hair snorted. "Yeah, well, you're lucky you still have an arm to complain about." She gestured toward a fallen comrade, whose limp body was being carried by two others. “Can’t say the same for her.”

Two squad members exchanged glances. “Think this is it for the Lycans?” one asked, brushing the dirt off her sleeves.

“Doubt it. Never just one pack with these bastards,” the other grunted while scanning the mountain’s edge.

“Yeah, but at least we’re still breathing.”

Sinque swallowed hard. She was grateful to see so many of them had made it, though the few who hadn’t weighed heavy on her heart. It could’ve been worse. It could’ve been her. She wasn’t foolish enough to think that she wasn’t lucky, but today… today she’d managed to pull her own weight.

“We should move on,” someone muttered, and the squad’s attention shifted toward Hyorine, still bound in the thick sand. Her figure now looked fragile under the weight of the trap.

“You guys gotta get the Lieutenant out of there,” Tayona barked with urgency. “Form up!”

Just when they started toward Hyorine, the ground underfoot seemed to hum. The women froze with their hands instinctively gripping their weapons. The mountain air, sharp and cold, suddenly thickened with an oppressive energy.

Sinque felt it immediately—an overwhelming presence, heavy and suffocating. Her heartbeat, which had only just begun to settle spiked in her chest. Her gaze snapped toward the mountain's ridge where the energy was gathering, distant but fast approaching.

“Another Lycan?” one of the squad members muttered.

“Ah shit,” Tayona said with her jaw tightening. “This one feels… different than the rest. Yall better get ready. Were about to have company!”

Sinque’s breath hitched as the presence drew nearer, pulsing like a drumbeat in her ears. A figure emerged from the shadows cast by the mountain’s jagged rocks, and her heart sank further.

A Lycan, but not like any they had encountered before emerged. She was smaller than the others, almost human-sized, and her medium-sized breasts were accentuated by a red armor that hugged her body. Orange hair flowed from her head. There was something unsettling yet strangely captivating about her to the squad.

“What the hell…” one squad member murmured with awe.

The new Lycan’s bright eyes scanned the squad before landing on Yokuni, who had been watching the events with a stoic demeanor. “The transport is complete,” the Lycan called. She sounded surprisingly high-pitched, almost innocent-like.

Cerebro turned sharply while looking back at the group. “Colyrine’s here. That means it’s time to wrap this up and leave. We will be taking this Lieutenant with us.”

Yokuni stepped forward and raised one hand. “Well, Squad, it seems our time together has come to an end. This has been… ‘Entertaining’.” Her eyes flickered with amusement. “Though not quite as entertaining without the arrival of our captain, I must admit.”

“Hey! We’re still here!” one of the squad members shot back, but Yokuni paid them no mind.

Meanwhile, Hyorine struggled against the sand. She fought to free her sword hand. “If I can just get that free,” she muttered to herself, “I can use my spotlight to stop them.” But the coarse grains tightened around her which made it increasingly difficult to move.

Suddenly, the sand shifted beneath her and began dragging her slowly toward Cerebro who let out a grin.

Yokuni hopped onto Cerebro’s back. “Let’s go.” she said lightly.

Colyrin followed closely behind. She spoke with irritation. “Wait! I get no action again!? Why do I always get left out? Transporting those humans is so boring!” She huffed. “I want to be part of the fight!”

Yokuni chuckled softly. “Your time will come, Colyrine. Patience is a virtue, after all.”

While the trio made their retreat, Sinque’s heart raced. She clenched her eyes very tightly. After a second, she took a step forward and shouted,“Stop!”

All eyes turned to her—Yokuni, Cerebro, Colyrine, and her squad members alike.

“Let Hyorine go!” she commanded. “We… We’re not done fighting yet!”

Cerebro raised an eyebrow. Yokuni looked amused while Colyrine leaned forward with a piqued curiousity.

Yokuni’s face shifted slightly. “It’s over, little girl,” she said smoothly. “You lost the moment the transport was complete. The members of your Divine Blade Society who were captured will soon join our ranks as Lycans. With your Lieutenant taken and your captain nowhere to be found, any action you attempt will be suicidal.”

Sinque felt a chill run down her spine at Yokuni’s words, but she held her ground with her sword drawn.

Yokuni continued with a now playful tone. “I was going to be nice and let you off with just that little tidbit, but you know what? I suppose one more feast will do.” She looked at Colyrine with a sly smile forming on her lips. “I told you your patience would be rewarded, didn’t I? Take care of this one and ensure she’s out of the picture.”

Colyrine’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Finally, some action!”

Cerebro nodded. He spoke with seriousness. “You’d better not fail to live up to this ‘hype’ you seem to be getting for battle.”

“Of course not,” Colyrine replied with confidence. “I’m going to mop the floor with that scaredy cat.” She pointed at Sinque . “Just look at her—she’s shaking in her boots!”

Sinque swallowed hard. The tremors in her legs were betraying her but she still shouted, “I’m not afraid of you!”

Colyrine laughed with a laugh that echoed off the mountains. “Oh, sweetie, that’s adorable. You can hold a sword and probably use some spells. Your Mystcry ain’t bad but you…ohhh I’m gonna eat you up!”

Yokuni observed the exchange with a smile forming to her face. “Go on then, Colyrine. Show her what it means to be a Lycan. I’m sure it’ll be… entertaining.”

Sinque raised her sword high. Doubt crept in, whispering that she might be out of her league, that she might not be strong enough. Fear threatened to swallow her whole; however, she remembered Hyorine’s words and the way she needs to fight: ‘Use that fear as a strength.’

Steadying her shaking hands, Sinque shouted with newfound confidence, “My fear is my strength!”

A surprised silence fell over the battlefield. Just then, a voice from the shadows chimed in, “She couldn’t have said it any better!”

Everyone looked stunned. Their gazes suddenly shifted upward. A gigantic burst of Cutting Lights sliced through Cerebro’s sand attack like it was nothing. The brilliance illuminated the area and momentarily blinded the Lycans.

When the light faded, Sinque gasped as Hyorine dropped from the clutches of the sand, but she was caught in the air by an unexpected figure: Muffet.

Muffet wore a playful smile on her lips. She turned towards the gathered squad. “Looks like I arrived just in time, huh?”

“Captain!” the squad exclaimed in unison.

Yokuni’s face shifted with a flicker of annoyance coloring her features. “So you’ve finally arrived.”

Muffet’s playful smile never wavered. “Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to deal with your little general—Calibro. I put him on Ice, ‘permanently’.”

Yokuni’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Is Yokuni your name?” Muffet asked while tilting her head in curiosity.

“Yes, it is,” Yokuni confirmed. She gracefully jumped down from Cerebro’s back. “I was hoping to leave you with a few surprises.”

Muffet grinned. “I know.”

Hyorine blushed and looked down from within Muffet’s arms. “I’m sorry for letting myself be captured…”

“It doesn’t matter,” Muffet replied and set Hyorine upright. “When you’re in fear, do you fight alone? No. Because fear is a form of strength, and so is unity.”

Sinque, feeling the warmth of camaraderie swell within her moved to stand beside Hyorine. Together, they raised their swords high.

“Now, let’s kick their asses together!” Muffet commanded with conviction.

With that rallying cry, the squad of Squad 6 raised their swords in unison. The energy in the air shifted like electricity that began coursing through the group.


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