Chương 89: Till Death Do Us Part

Amber moved first. She rushed across the frozen arena and slashed both scythes across Nikolai's chest. The blades tore through his white fur and drew blood, but she leaned away before his claws could strike back. Nikolai stomped one foot against the ground. Ice erupted outward. The entire battlefield froze beneath Amber as she launched herself into the air, narrowly avoiding being trapped. She raised one hand. Snow lilies sprouted from the ice below, their pale petals opening as they attempted to absorb the cold.

They froze instantly. Cracks spread across the flowers before every one of them shattered. Amber landed several meters away and stared at the broken petals.

"Even flowers that bloom in the coldest regions of the world can't withstand this ice?" Her fingers tightened around her scythes.

"That's fucking absurd!"

"Keep trying with those plants." Nikolai rushed toward her, sliding effortlessly across the frozen ground.

"They'll make a lovely garnish for your corpse." He swung one massive fist. Amber leapt over it and landed behind him. She acted immediately. Dozens of snow lilies bloomed across the arena, sacrificing themselves to weaken the frost and thaw enough ground for other plants to grow. Then Amber drove both scythes into Nikolai's eyes. The blades sank deep. Roots erupted from the softened earth and wrapped around the scythes' handles. They pulled with immense force, dragging Nikolai downward by his eye sockets.

He dropped to his knees. Amber raised one hand. Wood and vines gathered above her, rapidly forming the shape of a massive executioner's axe.

"Axe Technique—Leviathan!" Bomb berries sprouted across the weapon's edge. The unstable fruits were extraordinarily explosive. Even the slightest violent movement could cause them to detonate on contact. Amber brought the axe down toward Nikolai's neck. He smiled. The flesh across his throat split open. Rows of teeth formed within the wound, creating a second mouth along his neck.

"I stole this trait from the corpse of a Fafnir I recently ate." Noah's father. Walter. Nikolai spoke through the grotesque mouth as flames gathered inside it.

"He was spicy." Fire erupted from his throat.

"But not enough to remove that taste." The flames struck the descending axe. Every bomb berry detonated at once. An enormous explosion swallowed Amber and Nikolai, blasting fire, wood, and shattered ice across the arena. Frost spread outward from Nikolai's body. The roots restraining him froze solid before breaking apart. He pulled Amber's scythes from his ruined eyes and tossed them aside.

"My eyes sting." Nikolai spoke calmly as the empty sockets filled with new flesh. Within seconds, both eyes had completely regenerated.

"You're truly absurd." Amber raised one hand. Vines twisted together, forming what resembled a massive chainsaw made entirely from plants. Poisonous flowers covered its frame, while rows of sharpened thorns formed the rotating blade. She charged. The thorn-covered chain roared as Amber swung for Nikolai's neck. He slipped beneath the attack. She swung again. Nikolai leaned aside, his feet gliding effortlessly across the frozen ground. Amber continued attacking, but he avoided every strike with unsettling ease.

"So nimble." Her grip tightened.

"How irritating." She suddenly released the weapon, throwing the chainsaw high into the air. Vines gathered between her hands. Bomb berries sprouted along a newly formed axe. Amber twisted her body and unleashed a horizontal slash. The blade tore through Nikolai's stomach. Flesh split open. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Blood poured from the wound as he staggered backward and vomited across the ice. Amber reached above her.

The falling chainsaw landed perfectly within her grasp. She drove it into Nikolai's skull. The thorned blade spun through bone and flesh as poisonous flowers released their toxins directly into his body. Nikolai's veins turned purple. Blood began leaking from his eyes.

"What is this?" His voice trembled as the poison spread.

"How many different toxins did you mix together?" Amber smiled beneath her pumpkin.

"All of them." She ripped the chainsaw free and allowed it to dissolve into vines. Then she raised the explosive axe over her shoulder.

"Now prepare for execution." Nikolai struggled to remain standing.

"Leviathan!" Amber swung. The axe cleaved cleanly through Nikolai's neck. His head separated from his body and fell toward the ground. He was still smiling. Then the world flickered. The severed head transformed. White hair became crimson. Nikolai's face twisted into Cyrus's. Amber froze. The head struck the ice— Then dissolved into smoke. An illusion. Amber screamed as pain tore through her shoulder. The real Nikolai stood behind her, his teeth buried deep within her flesh.

He ripped away a large chunk of muscle before driving a kick into her back. Amber crashed against the frozen ground.

"These illusions are rather convincing, aren't they?" Nikolai spat the piece of her shoulder aside.

"And regarding that poison…" He smiled.

"I decided to give you a taste of your own medicine." Amber tried to rise. Nikolai kicked her directly in the stomach, sending her sliding across the ice.

"I even included a few special ingredients." Her veins turned purple. The poison spread quickly beneath her skin. Amber acted immediately. Roots and flowers erupted from the wound in her shoulder, weaving themselves into the missing flesh. Smaller tendrils entered her bloodstream and began releasing every antidote she knew. She had no idea what Nikolai had used. So she treated everything. Venom. Toxins. Paralytic agents. Hallucinogens.

Her body became a battlefield as dozens of remedies fought against the foreign substances inside her. Amber forced herself onto one knee. Her vision blurred slightly.

"Alright…" She breathed heavily.

"I feel a little dizzy." The purple color in her veins began to fade.

"But that isn't too bad." Most of the poisons had already been neutralized. At most, one or two had slipped through her defenses. Amber tightened her grip around her scythes.

"I've survived worse."

"Don't worry too much." Nikolai smiled.

"It's only seasoning." The world around Amber distorted. The poison had barely affected her, but Nikolai's illusions magnified every symptom. The arena tilted beneath her feet. The frozen ground seemed to ripple, and several copies of Nikolai blurred together before her. Nausea twisted through her stomach. She stumbled. Nikolai appeared in front of her and seized her by the throat. His claws pressed lightly into her skin, not yet allowing their frost to spread. He wanted her conscious for what came next.

Amber struggled against his grip. Nikolai's jaw split apart. His head stretched and transformed into that of a massive serpent, its mouth widening enough to swallow her whole. Rows of fangs hovered above her.

"You didn't taste very good before." His forked tongue flicked across her pumpkin mask.

"Let's see how you are with the proper flavor." Unease spread through the crowd. Amber's arms fell weakly to her sides. The serpent's jaws began to close. Then spears of ice erupted from the ground. They pierced Nikolai's arms, chest, and legs, tearing Amber from his grasp and pinning him to the frozen arena floor. Cold swept across the battlefield. In a flash, Cyrus stood between them. The remaining ice spread beneath his feet, swallowing the entire arena in another layer of frost.

Nikolai's serpentine head twisted toward him. Cyrus ignored him. He walked toward Amber and carefully lifted her into his arms, holding the unconscious woman as though she were something precious enough to break beneath the slightest pressure. Her pumpkin mask rested against his chest. She was still breathing. Barely. Cyrus looked down at her.

"I do." His voice was calm. Amber could not hear him.

"Until death do us part." His grip around her tightened.

"But death will not take you today." Then Cyrus raised his eyes toward Nikolai. Pure hatred filled them.

"The match is over." Ice crept farther up Nikolai's restrained body.

"You win." Nikolai's head slowly returned to its human form.

"Aww, don't look so angry." He laughed despite the spears buried through him.

"It's a fighting tournament. Sometimes people naturally take things too far in the hea—" An icicle pierced through his skull. Blood and bone scattered across the ice. Cyrus did not even look at him. He turned and carried Amber toward the arena exit, holding her close as frost spread from his hands to slow the poison and preserve her body. She would survive. But only barely. Behind them, Nikolai's ruined head began regenerating. Flesh crawled back across his skull as he watched Cyrus disappear into the tunnel.

Lord Ars slowly rose from his seat.

"Well…" For once, even he seemed uncertain how to address the crowd.

"After that exceptionally violent match, it appears we have a winner." Scattered applause rose from the stands, hesitant and afraid. Ars lifted one hand.

"Nikolai Hermes advances to the semifinals." Nikolai tore himself free from the melting ice spears and rose to his feet. He looked toward the tunnel Noah had entered earlier.

"I suppose I'll save my appetite for the Hero." His smile returned.

"Maybe he'll finally fix my taste buds." Nikolai casually walked from the arena. The crowd did not know whether to cheer— Or fear the fact that a monster like him was still alive.