Russ crawls between the concrete chunks immobilizing Kate and grabs her by her dress, tugging at it. Ethan squats the wall he's carrying, slowly lifting himself when another chunk falls on it. He falls back to one knee, drawing all the Ether he can to bear the crushing weight.

Tatiana attempts to maneuver around Kyle, but he counters each of her strikes with precision. Her lightning pierces through his defense, striking and burning his flesh. Yet he seems unaffected by his wounds.

Kyle's breaths grow ragged as black veins appear on his neck. With a brutal clash of blades, Kyle forces Tatiana back to the center of the yard. He collapses, unable to move, leaning on his blade, stabbed in the ground beside him.

'I could do it with Tombstone. I have to try,' Ethan thinks, fearing that what he plans could kill him and Kate. He diverts parts of the Ether he absorbs and guides through his back to Kyle and into his heart.

"Ether manipulation leveled up," the system announces. Kyle stands back up, feeding his abilities with the Ether Ethan gives him. "Thank you," Kyle says, steeling himself as Tatiana leaps back up.

She thrusts her sword at the ground, planting it next to her. The scales of her left arm blaze with a bright ethereal glow. The air crackles with energy, and a roar echoes across the yard, covering the sounds of crashing buildings.

Sparks travel from her feet to beyond Ethan's. Tatiana's eyes blaze with Ether as a serpentine illusion wraps its spectral form around her arm. Ethan casts Shield, willing the spell to form not around himself but around Kyle.

Tatiana hurls a beam of lightning bolts at them. The bolts arc through the air, leaving a trail of blinding light in their wake. The roars crescendos, cracking the pavement of the yard and deafening the survivors.

The lightning strikes the shield with a thunderous impact, each bolt crackling and cracking its surface. It shatters, and the attack flails Kyle with bolts that burn through his flesh.

Protecting his face with his sword, Kyle stands his ground, clenching his fists with such strength that he bleeds over the handle. Through Kyle's abilities, Ethan's Ether substitutes the muscles, and bones damaged by her magic. Yet, this ability of his doesn't negate the damage his heart and other organs suffer.

Time seems to stand still as the power of the lightning beam reaches its climax. She closes her palm despite the Ether of her arm not being fully consumed. The attack vanishes along the roaring illusion wrapped around her arm. Kyle drops to his knees, his body smoking and trembling from the onslaught.

Russ frees Kate from the rubble and drags her off to the side, towards a cover of fallen debris. Ethan staggers under the crushing weight of the concrete, his body straining as he holds with every fibers of his body. He bends to the side, aiming to discharge the weight onto the ground.

Kyle forces himself to stand, leaning heavily on his sword. His body is a patchwork of burns and open wounds, filled with broken bones held together by Ethan's Ether.

Tatiana's left arm starts slowly absorbing Ether from its surroundings as she pries her sword from the ground. She poses her blade with both her hands, coating it in lightning, and mutters, "I'm going to enjoy this."

Kyle readies himself, barely able to stand through the pain.

"Kyle won't survive this attack," Ethan realizes. His heart races, and a sensation of intense heat blooms from his chest, radiating through his veins. Every fiber of his being thrums with power. His fingers pass through the concrete, gripping it. He rises, the oppressive weight now feeling light in comparison to the force pulsing through him.

"Strengthening ranked up," the system announces.

"Prescience," Ethan thinks. The world around him slows as he previews the chunk of wall hurtle through the air, missing Tatiana by a hair as she bursts forward.

Tatiana lunges at Kyle in a single step, leaping through the air slightly above the ground. Ethan channels all his Ether, prying it from Kyle for an instant, and swings the massive slab of concrete with all his might.

Her eyes widen as the projectile closes in, the realization dawning on her that she's unable to dodge. It sends her sprawling, the impact reverberating through the battlefield. The slab skits on the ground and hits a wall, collapsing it and the two stories above.

Tatiana spins around in the air and grabs the ground with her left arm to stop herself. She stands back up and relocates her right shoulder in an echoing pop.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kyle steps forward as Ethan restores his Ether sharing. Ethan says, "You should go; take Six and get away from here."

"I fear the only thing keeping me alive is you right now," Kyle retorts. He passes his hand over his eyes and flicks off blood leaking from his temple. "You either make it out, or neither of us do. You won't convince me to leave you."

She charges again, her sword alight with fresh lightning. The ground trembles beneath her as she approaches with blinding speed.

Kyle's blade meets Tatiana's with a deafening clash, sparks flying from the impact. Tatiana's strength and speed seem to increase with each passing moment.

Ethan summons Skysong and thrusts at her, hoping to catch Tatiana off guard. She dodges by twisting her body, but the distraction is enough for Kyle to land a blow on her side.

Blood spills from her wound, yet it seems like it is already healing. As Ethan sees it, he's reminded of Thrumm using the same ability. 'She has Regeneration,' he realizes.

She snarls, retaliating with a strike that sends Kyle stumbling back. She follows through on Ethan with a series of close, rapid cuts. He deflects her with the spear's metallic shaft, each of her blows scarring it.

Her blade's lightning doesn't pierce Skysong but travels it and gathers on its blade. He sees Tatiana's next move, her sword piercing Kyle's defense to stab his throat.

Ethan swings Skysong, aiming for her sword. The impact generates a crackling explosion of lighting that sends Ethan's weapon into the ground and her sword into the air.

Kyle thrusts Phantom Reaver at her chest, piercing her right lung. She moves in, furthering the blade into her own body. Her scaled fist coats in flaming Ether, and she punches Kyle in the face, Ethan unable to react between Prescience and reality.

Kyle flies into a building too far away from Ethan for his Ether to reach Kyle. 'Fuck.' Ethan bursts into Kyle's direction, but Tatiana grabs him by the ankle. She slams Ethan into the ground and then twists her entire body to send him into an opposite building.

Ethan's plexus crashes first into a wall, the impact paralyzing his diaphragm and emptying his lungs. He falls into the yard, unable to breathe; he stands up and moves forward, but the lack of oxygen blurs his sight.

Kyle exits the building in a smoking explosion. Black veins crawl under his paling skin, yet he seems faster than ever. Tatiana grabs her sword as it falls down and pries Skysong from the ground. She throws his spear at Ethan, forcing him to dodge as he struggles to breathe.

Kyle roars as their blades clash, the impact sending shockwaves through the yard. Each strike shatters the pavement, creating a web of cracks that spread out from their feet. Sparks and arcs of lightning fly with every collision, illuminating the battlefield.

Kyle slows down, soon landing his last blow that is nothing more than a desperate, childish swing. She relishes in the moment, slowly readying her sword to cleave him from head to toe.

Kyle impales her below her throat, the sudden burst of speed allowed by a last shard of life force escaping her reflexes. "I missed," he says along a gulp of blood.

She recoils, grabbing her throat in pain as her pendant, pierced by his attack, falls on the ground. She lunges forward, stabbing Kyle through the heart. The gem at the base of her blade pulses, and a red whisp escapes Kyle's body.

"No!" Ethan roars, finally finding his breath. Despite his heart being filled with Ether, he feels life force seeping into it. He wills it to flow into his heart and form the Flame sigils in his mind. The fireball he summons bathes the hotel in a blinding blue light as it traverses the yard in a flash. It shrieks in the air, vaporizing it on its path until it collides with its target.

It doesn't explode but rather expands, covering Tatiana and the rubble behind her in a cone of radiant light. She's propelled backward, her body and clothes igniting.

Ethan rushes at Kyle's side, catching him in his fall. Despite his strength, Ethan feels Kyle's weight in his arm. He stares down at Kyle, his heart sinking as he sees the blood pooling from the wound in Kyle's chest. Ethan presses on the wound, unable to stop the bleeding.

"I got what I wanted," Kyle coughs. He places his sword and smoke packet in Ethan's hand. "Killing him was the point; making it out was always optional. I got what I wanted, and now I can go in peace knowing he won't hurt anyone else."

'Maelor, if you can hear me, I beg of you to come save him!' Ethan thinks, his prayers unanswered.

Ethan's hand trembles as he clutches the sword, Kyle's blood still warm on the handle. The world around him seems to blur, the edges of his vision darkening as a red-hot fury builds within him.

Ethan's breath comes in ragged, uneven gasps. His heart pounds in his chest like a war drum, each beat a call to violence. He looks down at Kyle's lifeless body, his whitening eyes staring into the void.

Tatiana exits the pile of rubble. The spell scorched her skin, creating wide wounds that don't heal. Her hair falls out in burning chunks as her clothes melt onto her skin. "Did I break a Reaper's heart?" she mocks, the wound in her throat turning her voice cancerous. "Do not worry; I'll send you right after him. Maybe you will catch the same ride to hell."

"This ends now," Ethan growls. The red strand hovering Kyle's body sinks into Ethan, restoring his life force. "Insight."

Tatiana Chertov

Lv.20/20 (Vanguard) Human

Lv.14/30 (Ascended – Immortal)

Strength: 22 Charisma: 12

Dexterity: 15 Perception: 17

Constitution: 37 Willpower: 20

Intelligence: 14

Talent

Last stand

Rapid growth

Titles

Ascended

Ascended skill – Melee weapon (saber)

Ascended skill – Melee weapon (great sword)

Dryad huntress

Dungeon conqueror (C)

Dungeon conqueror (D)

Dungeon conqueror (E)

Dungeon conqueror (F)

Faun huntress

Goblin huntress

Human huntress

Imp huntress

Kin slayer

Mistress of the hunt

Necrospider huntress

Ogre huntress

Troll huntress

Warg huntress

Wolf huntress

Abilities

Berserk (F)

Blazing strike (F)

Damage transfer (F)

Endurance (C)

Harmony – Lightning breath (F)

Sanctuary (C)

Silent steps (D)

Strengthening (D)

Toughness (C)

Unyielding (F)

Regeneration (F)