PATH OF THE STAR HUNTER

“Aim those damn machine guns”

“We need more ammunition”

“Sir, they’re plummeting toward us.”

Following the attack of the four mutated beasts that led the offensive, Green Seed Town’s city defenses were already at their lowest point, so the arrival of the flying mutant beasts began to cause the defensive forces to collapse.

In the center of the north wall, the squad currently led by Silvia was using their combined forces to protect the anti-aircraft weapon station but they were quickly being overwhelmed by the incessant rain of new enemies.

With their lieutenant on the battlefield in front of the north wall in a precarious position, both Silvia and Claire were succumbing to stress when a small gap opened up in the aerial fire causing a small unit of Raven Rippers to pass by aiming directly at the squad.

Facing the situation she found herself in, Claire completely lost her temper wishing she could rip her enemies apart and step over their mangled corpses to get to her beloved’s side.

Stress and anger completely squeezed out Claire’s potential as her eyes began to glow like beacons of purple light, her wavy hair became weightless, and a tsunami of telekinetic energy was expelled from her outstretched hands.

.....

As if she wanted heaven itself to collapse under her might, Claire slammed her hands down causing the rush of telekinetic power to hit all of the devouring ravens, snatching away any control they had over their flight path.

Splat* Splat* Splat*

The devouring crows brutally slammed into the front of the north wall, causing a foul sound as their bodies were ripped apart by the impact force.

Almost at the same time, Claire fell to her knees as she used all of her willpower to stay conscious despite the piercing headache that caused her to overexert herself a moment ago.

Unfortunately, the mutated beasts knew no rest and more and more devouring ravens began to pass beyond the containment line aiming directly at Claire who these beasts considered a threat.

This time Claire didn’t have even a pinch of strength to resist but at the moment a strangely cool embrace enveloped her protectively and soon a barrier of ice enveloped Claire and her protector.

Claws ahead, the devouring crows attacked the barrier relentlessly while being knocked back by the shots and attacks from those around. The ravens’ suicidal attitude soon paid off as the ice barrier began to collapse with shards of ice cracking every second and just as the last two ravens were knocked down; it was their claws that reached beyond the barrier spilling someone’s blood into it.

Immediately the barrier collapsed showing Silvia injured with her back full of cuts while she protected Claire with her own body. Morales arrived just in time to see the third wave of attacks heading towards the girl duo which caused him to feel his heart skip a beat.

Leaving aside the friendly relationship between the three, Morales was absolutely certain that in case something bad happened to Claire, Desmond would surely murder him in a dark alley.

Fueled by his fear of Desmond, Morales activated an ability he did not yet have full control of, causing the crystal revolver in his hands to warp into a shifting prismatic fractal that quickly transformed into a double-barreled shotgun made of crystal.

Without thinking about it carefully, Morales pointed the gun upwards, and accompanied by what seemed like a fragment of a heavy metal song, a brutal sonic shock wave covered the area of ??tens of meters above Morales wounding the devouring crows so strongly that they these simply collapsed on the spot falling off the wall to their deaths.

Poor Morales on the other hand was thrown backward from the lack of control over the shock wave of his shotgun which nearly knocked him off the wall into the city but a soldier on the spot was quick enough to grab him from the jacket preventing him from falling to his death.

Some completely exhausted and others wounded, Desmond’s squad was already at the end of their strength when the sound of heels coming up the stairs became eerily clear in their ear.

Walking up the stairs was Sasha who had finished her battle against the giant sandworm a few minutes ago, Sasha quickly checked on Silvia’s condition handing the latter a potion before her attention turned to Desmond.

Sasha wanted to help, she wanted desperately to get off the north wall and join Desmond in the fight but she knew if she didn’t do anything now; the entire city would fall which left her with no choice but to intervene.

The helplessness, the anger, the desire to protect someone she loves, the pain she felt seeing Desmond hurt, all those feelings washed over Sasha like endless waves of fuel that only fueled that fire inside her.

Glowing brightly, pulsing to the rhythm of her emotions, the vermilion fire within Sasha was begging to be released, she knew it, she also knew that she might have trouble doing it but that didn’t matter to her anymore; all that mattered was saving the city to help Desmond.

Sparks and flames began to flash around Sasha, like a heart made of fire around her that throbs with latent power, her previously hidden horns extended several inches like two katana tips made of ruby, from the center of her chest liquid fire began to pour out like spring water turning into a dress that envelops her exquisite figure; all this while the heartbeats of fire strengthened and intensified.

Then like a second spring, Sasha’s power blossomed again, stronger, more intense, and purer. Waves of strangely harmless vermilion fire spread from the point where her heels hit the ground and from her seductive lips a single sentence emerged that completely changed the course of the battle: “”

Sasha was the living embodiment of beauty and destruction, always faithful to the name given to her by her mother; Sasha Kor Ignis.

Born of fire, defined by the nature of flames and bringing death with that blaze that burns eternally within her; perhaps even the term femme fatal was not quite right for her.

And for the first time in their lives, every living thing in the area witnessed what looks like a flaming sky as hundreds if not thousands of fire roses swallowed a portion of the mutated beast army before crippling the other part.

With this, the defensive forces in the city had time to breathe and counterattack the remaining mutant beasts, strongly tilting the balance towards the human side.

Perhaps the only people who were not happy at that moment were Claire who was still in a delicate state and Sasha who was seen by others with amazement, infatuation, and fear as she lamented that she had exhausted all her strength and was now unable to help Desmond.

Interestingly in a strange twist of fate, it was the harpy Athena who came in last-minute killing Desmond’s opponent in one move where the harpy had fully exhibited the killing potential of her kind.

For a moment, the human troops believed that the battle was finally over as the few mutated beasts left alive were slowly but surely slaughtered, but the faces of many paled as they saw Keneth rise from the ground.

It couldn’t be helped, many people had witnessed Keneth’s abilities that not only made the wolf an unstoppable force but also made him immune to all firearms.

However, all the witnesses were even more impressed by the strength displayed by Lieutenant Astryd who was exhibiting a destructive power that almost reached the rank of captain.

The final confrontation between Desmond and Keneth was witnessed by many, the power displayed by both and how terrifying their destructive abilities were was enough to intimidate the spectators; but no one expected that Desmond’s power seemed to grow by leaps and bounds at the last moment helping Desmond completely destroy Keneth.

Quickly some troops emerged from the lower part of the north wall to meet Desmond who seemed seriously injured from his previous battle, accompanying that small troop was the trio of Sasha, Claire, and Silvia who advanced with expressions of concern on their faces.

In the distance, in the middle of the battlefield surrounded by corpses and pure destruction, Desmond finally managed to gather the strength to stand up after having removed Keneth’s head that was previously clinging brutally to his right shoulder.

His right arm hung helplessly as blood continuously dripped leaving a trail on his way to find the people who came looking for him, the torn flesh on his right shoulder was a bloody sight to see and even some bones were easily visible demonstrating the seriousness of the wound but Desmond held his ground as he walked forward with his left hand holding Keneth’s skull.

Just a few feet from the rescue team Desmond saw a pair of familiar worried faces, Desmond’s attention wandered a bit as he looked around for a brief moment, in the dead of winter this landscape used to be covered in an endless immaculate white; it was a beautiful scene to behold... but now everything was red as far as the eye could see.

And with the end of the battle of the bitter winter, the sepulchral silence came while many cried the death of their comrades, the red snow only served to remind everyone of the number of lives that were lost that day; to remember that winter was no longer safe for humans.