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Void flickered, shooting towards Wei with frightening speed. A terrifying omen weighed on his heart, akin to an augury of doom. His thoughts raced.
'Is it Crota?' Void's face darkened, an uncertainty stirred in his chest. His figure materialized, gripping his blade, Void stood beside Wei.
"Get back, this isn't your fight." Wei noticed his presence and snapped with a sharp glare.
"It's not yours either. Join the retreat, there's still time." Void pleaded, his eyes lingered on the Hive prince.
Crota sauntered towards them, dragging along his heretical sabre. Viridian flames danced around the blade as it dug into the lunar surface.
"I can't do that."
Wei's light surged, a jolt danced around her fingers and lightning coiled around her arms. She punched, and a turbulent storm thundered towards the Hive prince.
Crota roared, and with a savage strike, crushed the lightning. Facing his flames, the storm trembled. Raw power coursed through her veins, and Wei charged by hurling another cyclone towards him.
Void unsheathed his sword and immediately poured his light into the blade.
A second later, Crota broke through the tempest, thrusting his dreadful sabre towards Wei. But just as it grazed her, a lilac light flickered and Void's blade parried his own.
As their swords clashed, Crota easily overpowered the hunter, flinging him away. Void dug his blade into the ground, barely grinding to a halt, "We can't win!" he barked.
"I know." Wei charged again, her fists collided with Crota's crystalline Sabre. With shear strength, she forced the Hive prince half a step back. But as the viridian flames flared, Wei felt her light being burned away.
Void instantly clicked his wrist, his comms connecting to the Nightstalker's private channel. "Code red, if you've got spare hands, shoot this way."
The comms buzzed, and a strained voice replied, "You bastard, we're fully booked, but I'll cut you a deal. Sit tight." Levi spoke through panting breaths.
The Hive prince acted with frightening speed, thrusting his dreadful Sabre forwards. But moments before it reached Wei, a lilac light flickered, Void's blade clashed with the heretical sabre.
Before Crota could pull back, Wei jostled with lightning and threw another punch- Thunder roared and a storm struck the Hive prince, but he did not falter. With a savage swing, Crota flung Wei backwards. Instantly, he raised his sabre, slamming it above Void's head.
Void grit his teeth and sliced above to parry, but as sword and sabre clashed, a terrifying force came crashing down, forcing him to his knees. Void's arms shook as he desperately gripped the hilt of sword.
Crota's viridian flames danced over Void ready to burn his soul to cinders. Void spat out blood and struggled to escape, but Crota's sabre easily pushed him down.
Tearing through the skies, a Shadowshot flew towards Crota. Sensing its corrosive light, Crota redirected his fire above. Pillars of flame slithered and collided with the it swallowing it whole.
At that instant, Crota lost sight of Void and the latter's figure scattered into haze. The Shadowshot's unstable energy erupted with a bright flash, pushing everything back.
Shockwaves scattered and Void flickered beside Wei. He was battered and bruised, with a necrotic energy eating away at his strength.
"Are you planning to die here? Leave!" Wei barked stumbling to her feet, Crota's sabre had dug into her skin, leaving her panting for breaths.
"I could ask you the same thing!" Void stayed down, hoping to gather his strength. His eyes darted around the battlefield. The smokescreens he placed had lingered, allowing the retreating guardians time to recoup.
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Just ahead of the retreat, the frontline was filled with hundreds that faced the army to buy time. But with the rejuvenated Hive army fiercely attacking them, their frontline would soon crumble.
Yet in this situation, keeping Crota occupied for a few minutes was the most he could ever do for the city. He knew Wei could not bear that burden alone.
Then, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Void's eyes widened and he yanked Wei down.
"Duck!"
A vicious gale swept across, tearing through the dust clouds. Crota had just cleaved through the eruption. Void's eyes narrowed, "He's not playing around anymore."
He could sense Crota's patience growing thin. Right now, brewing within the prince's malefic soul, Void could see it , a terrifying desire to kill.
Void shakily got to his feet. "Don't let that blade touch you. " His eyes were glued to Crota's sabre. The viridian flames retreated from Crota's figure and wickedly danced around his blade.
Wei pursed her lips, observing Void's courage, she was flustered. A young guardian was giving it his all, just to survive. So why had she lost hope? No, she couldn't afford to let him down.
She tapped her communicator twice and the Praxic Fire's channel lit up. Wei looked ahead, Crota's malevolent killing intent had condensed into the world. The Hive prince lifted his sabre.
That was all she saw.
Crota took a step forward. A single step, that left everything in ruin. Immediately appearing ahead, his sabre loomed above their heads. He swung and a fiendish storm descended towards them, ripping the horizon apart.
Void jerked forwards, preparing to swing but Wei threw him to the side. Her Jade Cong trembled with lightning as her fist collided head on with the sabre.
Necrotic flames ate away at her arms but she refused to let go. With each passing second, Wei struggled under the sabre's weight, her feet dug into the soil.
"Reinforcements will come in a bit, we just need... to hold him back." Wei panted, her fingers gripped the sabre's edge.
Void writhed in pain, a necrotic rot gripped his soul. Watching Wei struggle to hold back Crota's blade, Void came to a dreadful realization. He couldn't muster even a single ounce of light.
'Zamyr, is this the end you saw?' A strange thought bloomed in Void's mind. With a swift flick, Void discarded his sheath. If this was the end, he'd go down fighting.
~Do it now. Use it.~ The Ahamkara's whispers echoed and the ring stirred awake.
Void grabbed the fragment hanging around his neck. As if possessed, its crude markings shimmered. The fragment began eating away at the necrotic flames and a bright light pulsed from its core, momentarily stunning Crota.
[Traveler's Blessing activated! Time remaining: 30 seconds]
The sudden burst of light chased away the dark, filling Void and Wei with brimming light.
Facing the light, his wretched soul shivered. Crota's presence faltered, for the first time, his overbearing sword logic faced an entity it could not devour, a light it could not extinguish.
Wei's strength returned, and lightning danced to her tune. The sabre bounced off her figure as a thunderbolt erupted from within her. Immense light flowed through her as she shot towards the Hive prince.
Crota condensed a malefic ball of energy in his palm, with a flick of his wrist, the energy burst forth, colliding with Wei head on, it forced her to her knees.
[Time remaining: 29 seconds]
Void raised his sword overhead, its edge lined with a sharp lilac light.
-Clank-
A crushing strike violently cleaved through the air clashing with Crota's sabre, just as his sword strike was devoured by the sabre, Void flickered ahead.
Overpowering Crota's energy, Wei rose to her feet, charging towards him. Crota immediately raised his hand, and a malefic and fiery hail rained upon them. Void weaved through them, zipping towards the prince while Wei summoned a storm to smite the Hive prince.
Their swords clashed again. Without his tyrannical presence, Crota could not suppress the light. This time, Void's light had reached him, barely grazing his skin. Then, Wei's thunder struck and a pillar of lightning engulfed him.
But they knew it wasn't enough. Despite his suppressed powers, Crota was no weakling. Wrestling through the storm, he unleashed his sword logic, erasing the very concept of lightning.
Once again, the Hive prince had merely suffered a graze.
[Time remaining: 28 seconds]
Void summoned Zamyr's will and clashed against the sabre again, but despite the Ahamkara's power, Crota's sword logic could not be overturned. When their blades clashed again, Void was thrown back.
Taking advantage of the gap, Wei darted, lightning coiled around her arms. She threw hundreds of punches as uncountable shockwaves collided with Crota, each managing to stall him just a little.
[Time remaining: 27 seconds]
Void's eyes widened as he felt a familiar aura, he turned to spot a thunderbolt racing towards him. An instant later, Sai mota appeared. The two only shared a glance, but she had already grasped the situation.
Without a word, Sai Mota had joined the fray. Her lethal arc daggers barely chipping away the prince's crystalline skin.
As Void, Sai and Wei clashed with the eater of hope, the Hive prince fought with a mad frenzy, managing to dominate the three guardians.
[Time remaining: 26 seconds]
But then, a flaming meteor came crashing down and Eriana emerged with fiery wings, her flame bolstered their strength further. She joined the three in trying to suppress Crota, her fire dyed the horizon a golden hue.
As a song of fire resounded in the battlefield, four guardians raced against time to stop the world-breaker. Each second more precious than the last. Giving it his all, only one message lingered in front of Void's eyes.
[Time remaining: 25 seconds]
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