Chương 66: 64: The Last Straw

Remnya The crimson flames had turned the training ground into a desolate landscape of carbonized trees and charred bushes. Craters spread sporadically, smoking, and a thick gray mist emerging from the ground blurred the dying sunlight on the horizon. Amid the chaos, Remnya loomed over the destruction with both arms covered in flames. Her eyes shot glares in every direction as she searched for Ozura, hoping one of her fireballs would finally reach her.

Sweat rolled down her forehead, quickly evaporated by the intense heat. Most of her clothes remained undamaged thanks to the drastic improvement in her fire control; she could choose what to burn and who to burn. However, Ozura was unlike anything she had faced before. The wind lady moved like a hurricane through the forest and hit just as hard every time Remnya failed her attacks. Remnya spotted a shadow charging at her and whirled in its direction to shoot a large stream of fire.

Ozura evaded it at the last millisecond and struck her jaw with a fist heavy like concrete. The impact shook Remnya's reality, and her surroundings spun around her, but she regained her balance and tried to retaliate with a sidekick to the stomach. Ozura deflected her attack with a swift blow of her right hand and answered with another kick that impacted Remnya's back, sending her to the ground.

As her face hit the burnt soil, she used her arms to bounce back on her feet and charged all her remaining energy into a fireball. With her last breath, she twisted her torso toward the lady and released her attack, letting out an angered roar. Ozura widened her eyes, realizing she could not evade it in time. Instead, she stopped it with her bare hands, buried her knees on the ground, and diverted her attack over her head, sending the fireball to detonate in the distance.

The explosion sent burning rocks and debris flying toward them faster than the speed of sound. Some struck Remnya, but stoically she resisted the ferocious blows, opening wounds in her skin. Driven by sheer will, she tried to attack again, but her body didn't respond anymore, forcing her to halt for oxygen. Ozura stood, smiling almost pridefully.

"That was a close one." Her palms still smoked from the intense heat of her attack.

"Not enough." Remnya shook her head, gritting her teeth. The lady stared at her for a moment and took a deep breath. She brushed a strand of hair out of her face, revealing two lines of sweat rolling down her forehead.

"You made me work today. I believe you deserve a delicious meal." Remnya panted, wiping the blood from her mouth, and nodded without a complaint. It had taken her a long time to understand, but resting and eating were as important as training. After taking a bath, she sat at the table outside with Brisa, Ozura, and other members of her new family. Joan had prepared the food that night: roasted pork with apples and spices, accompanied by mashed potatoes and carrots.

His cooking was superior to anyone else's, except when it came to sweet dishes, where Ozura's skill shone the most. She filled her stomach, thanked the cook, and washed the dishes before leaving for the forest to think alone. Since Remnya began training, she refused to sleep on a bed again. Instead, she had decided to sleep in the forest until the day she rescued Zeo, and the silent nature slowly embraced her into its arms.

Wild animals roamed nearby, such as pumas and jaguars, but Remnya was used to more dangerous beasts, and whenever she could, she tried to feed and pet the felines, who seemed to be more scared of her. As she tossed remnants of meat to a female jaguar with cubs, she overheard an old engine roaring in the distance.

"Could it be..." Remnya petted the feline and rushed to return to the camp. In the distance, the clamor of people told her everything she needed to know. Captain Merle had returned. Remnya rushed to Brisa's side and witnessed the old truck they had stolen parking under a tree. She shook her head. As the minutes passed and no other car arrived, the excited mood gave way to tension and unease. All the remaining soldiers became alert and surrounded the old truck.

Remnya exchanged looks with Brisa and sharpened her senses for the unexpected. Mixed expressions merged among the warriors as Merle walked out of the vehicle alone, covered by deep wounds. The warriors opened a path for their captain until he halted in the middle of the crowd. He looked at them and smirked.

"I see more long faces than I'd like."

"Captain. Welcome," Ozura said, walking forward. She bowed and stared at him intently as if expecting an answer. Merle's eyes revealed a hint of gloom as the campfires reflected in his pupils.

"Ozura! Thank you for keeping this place safe during my absence."

"It's my duty," Ozura replied coldly and remained serious with her eyes locked on him. Merle let out a deep sigh and eased himself onto a tree stump by a fire. He drew a liquor bottle from his pocket and took a deep chug before looking at the warriors again.

"Vladimore's Army," he started, his voice sharp like a knife, "Alario's Army, and Inna's Army. They've all been defeated by The Hunters." Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Silence engulfed the night. Many soldiers lowered their heads, displaying signs of pain, frustration, and hatred. However, Ozura remained stoic and never took her gelid violet eyes from Merle.

"Is he dead? Did you at least manage to retrieve their bodies?" she asked calmly, but tension danced on her lips.

"Nothing was left there for me to retrieve, nor was it safe to do so." He finished his liquor.

"I'm sorry."

"I see." Those were Ozura's last words. She turned her back to Merle and walked away, fading into the forest darkness. Nobody else said a word, and the crowd surrounding Merle dissolved. Hesitantly, Remnya walked closer to him, and as soon as the old man noticed her, he smiled.

"It's good to see you again, knucklehead."

"Mr. Merle. I'm glad you're alive."

"So am I." He chuckled, patting her head; his hands felt like a hammer on her brain.

"Did Ozura treat you well?" He inspected the cuts and bruises on her face.

"She fed us very well, for sure." Remnya smiled.

"That's great then." Remnya clenched her fists and forced herself to ask, "How did they die?"

"They died fighting, outnumbered, overpowered, but they died as true warriors."

"Will Miss Ozura be okay?" She clasped her hands.

"She's a strong woman, and the war is cruel. They both knew it was a matter of time until death met either of them. She'll be fine." Remnya nodded and bit her lower lip.

"What about Debrin? Is he okay?"

"Debrin is fine, but needed to take care of something back there."

"Is it safe for him to be alone out there?" Remnya widened her eyes. Merle guffawed and slapped her back, standing up.

"The true question is, will the people out there be safe with him alone?" With those words, Merle walked away, drinking and whistling a sad war song. * Zeo The Hunters' Headquarters was a shadow of what had once been. Kavram's attack had left hundreds of corpses behind, destroyed critical infrastructure, stolen valuable information, and caused several prisoners to escape. However, a new fortress was born from the ruins within a few weeks.

On Azmon's orders, the remaining prisoners and low-ranking soldiers were forced like slaves to rebuild his domain. Marakudra's army had borne the brunt of it. With the loss of more than half of her people and Pyon missing, she was forced to appoint Edo to First Lieutenant again. Strengthening The Hunters' forces after such a defeat was essential, so Azmon had tasked every captain with recruiting new members. Mara had no choice but to hunt for fresh blood. Otherwise, her position would be at risk.

That afternoon, Zeo sat in the dining room, contemplating the remnants of his companions around him. Half of the tables were empty, and silence lingered like a ghost of gloom. Arkor sat across the table, fiddling with his tableware, and Kristina sat beside him with her eyes lost in nothingness. After the death of her girlfriend, Myrian, she spoke little and cried when she thought nobody saw her.

Seeing the traumatic effects of that battle on his companions helped Zeo understand that most of them were mere victims of a pointless war. They're just scared kids, aren't they? Zeo sighed and crossed his arms over the table, wondering why Kavram had taken Maria with him. The days seemed to move more slowly since her departure, but at least he was no longer tied to his duty of protecting her. This is for the best, he thought, and closed his eyes.

As a ray of sun hit the table, reflecting off the roof, the clock read three in the afternoon. Several faces showed resignation as everyone stood and began to leave the room. It was time for their scheduled meeting at the training grounds. In silence, they walked a long corridor illuminated by incandescent lights. Zeo spotted a familiar face joining them from the back: Stella. She had recovered from her wounds and strode with her eyes fixed on her destination.

Zeo slowed his steps and tried to catch her eye, but as soon as she noticed him, she shot him a deadly glare. He chose not to waste words on her. They arrived at the training grounds, where Marakudra waited amid the arena. Next to her, Zeo saw Edo, who was still recovering from the wounds of his battle with Vladimore's army. Zeo stood at the front of the group and straightened his back to look at the captain. Marakudra stared through them, deep into the horizon, the sun reflecting in her fiery eyes.

After a long silence, she uttered the first words of her speech.

"As you all know, we've lost more than seventy percent of our army. Not only that, but our sister armies, led by captains Ifrit and Liodan, have also suffered major losses." She swept the warriors with a quick glare.

"Our current situation leaves us no choice but to make drastic changes and decisions." Mara took a deep breath.

"As ordered by Lord Azmon, we're going to organize special search parties to track and find recruits fit for our army."

"Figures," Zeo murmured.

"After weeks of research conducted by my fellow captains and myself, we've managed to locate our best candidates in the town of Fallen Star." She looked at Zeo.

"We've discovered at least five hybrid Nephilim under the age of fifteen inhabiting that place." Zeo widened his eyes as blood slowed in his veins, freezing.

"Azlanin Zeo." Her gaze landed on Zeo like a punch.

"You've been assigned to lead the first search party. Your mission is to find and bring at least three of those hybrid Nephilim before me." Her words resounded in Zeo's brain over and over.

"You're allowed to take a maximum of three soldiers with you, who will obey your every command until you accomplish your task." Zeo clenched his fists, his throat burning with anger.

"What if I refuse?" he spat defiantly, and the rest of his companions murmured behind him, trying to warn him. Marakudra wasn't impressed by his words. She stared at him for a moment and spoke calmly, "Lord Azmon already knows about the existence of a hybrid Nephilim who lives in the same orphanage you were taken from. I personally asked him to allow my warriors to carry out this mission." She took one step forward and raised her voice.

"And I highly doubt you'd want anyone else but you to carry out this mission. Am I wrong?" Zeo understood immediately, and his pupil dilated in shock. Those weren't Marakudra's commands but Azmon's wicked games, where he pulled her strings like a puppet. If someone had to carry out that mission, it was him and no one else. He felt stupid for questioning his captain.

"My apologies, captain," Zeo said, burying his nails in his skin.

"It'll be my honor to lead this mission." Marakudra narrowed her eyes and nodded before continuing her speech, but Zeo didn't care about her words anymore; his mind was stranded in thoughts. He knew what she meant and hated himself for being unable to stop it. His mission was simple: return to the orphanage and find his little friend. Amy. His blood boiled, knowing Azmon was behind such a disgusting task. Of course, he knew about Amy's existence from the day she was born.

It had been almost two years since he left her behind, and now, she was ready to be part of The Hunters. Zeo wondered if there was anything he could do to protect her. Even if it were the last thing he did in his life. After contemplating his choices for long minutes, an idea popped up in the darkness of his mind. When Marakudra finished her speech, Zeo had made a decision, and his heart finally rested in his chest.

Filled with determination, Zeo cursed the devil itself and swore to the sky that, no matter what, he would never allow those monsters to lay a finger on Amy.