The corrupted rhino understood that their showdown had arrived at a decisive moment as well. It stood perfectly still, so that its movements didn’t shatter its frozen leg, giving Sophia time to scramble out from under it and rejoin the rest of the team.
Analyzing its behavior, Nick had the sense that the creature had some means of countering the frigid venom, given the guarded position it had assumed. He wanted to charge in and end the fight while his opponent was immobilized. But the rhino was facing the arena floor with its back against the wall, offering him no angle of approach. Everyone nearby formed a half circle in front of the beast, desperate to end the fight but unable to close the distance.
They had to figure out how to get around its guard sometime within the next few seconds, while the subzero toxin was still in effect. Waiting too long would spell certain doom. The party was wounded and exhausted. Out of abilities, and down to the final dregs of their endurance and morale.
The mutant, on the other hand, seemed to possess an endless well of stamina and health. And though it was wounded and dazed, it showed no sign of running out of steam. If it could drag out the fight for just a short while longer, it was going to kill them all.
As if to emphasize this grim truth, the patch of shadow shrouding the beast’s eye chose that moment to pulse and flicker. It was clear that within another handful of heartbeats, Bret’s ability would falter and fade out of existence. Equally alarming, the rhino was beginning to regain its coordination, as Paul’s disabling arrow started to wear off.
Nick growled in frustration, seeking an opening but finding none. Watching the final seconds of their last chance fall through his fingers like water through a clenched fist.
Only the beast’s frozen knee held it at bay. He realized with sinking horror, that fluid was dripping to the ground and the block of ice was noticeably thinner than before. Team Earth had mere moments remaining before the fallen rhino was back in fighting shape.
If they didn’t end this now, they were done for. It was as simple as that. While the mutant’s mobility was impaired by the wounds they had dealt it, the injuries weren’t enough to bring it down. If it regained the use of its legs, Nick was certain that the creature would slaughter the party before they could take it out.
That was when, in the heart of that black moment, he caught sight of Kenji sprinting along the perimeter of the arena wall, his approach hidden within the rhino’s blind spot. The strategist had removed his armor and was running almost silently as a result.
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Livid bruises were tattooed against every inch of the man’s skin and his expression was tight with pain. In his hands, Kenji wielded his long spear, body poised to strike the instant that he came into range, no matter what the cost.
He's trying to take out the frozen knee. Nick started throwing random items from his pack, desperate to draw the beast’s attention away from the brave warrior with the shaved head. The others quickly followed suit.
Devin initiated a feinting charge before breaking to one side at the last moment, drawing the rhino’s gaze away while lining up Kenji’s spear with the creature’s ice-encrusted limb. It’s going to work. He’s going to make it. Nick advanced, intending to finish the beast off the moment that Kenji took out its leg and rendered it vulnerable.
Seven seconds before spear met knee with incredible force, the patch of shadow covering the mutant’s face vanished in a puff of black mist, restoring sight to that eye in an instant. An eye that was now perfectly positioned to watch as Kenji began his lunge, unaware that his target could see him coming and was ready to counter the blow.
It’s going to parry, then impale Kenji like a shish kebab. Nick cried out a warning, but it was already too late. Kenji couldn’t arrest his momentum in time, and if he did, this final chance to bring the beast down would be lost, cementing their demise.
He wracked his brain but there wasn’t enough time. There was nothing that Nick could do. Kenji was about to die, sealing their fate and depriving humanity of one of its most skilled strategists in a single fell swoop.
But team Earth wasn’t about to let that happen.
Because that was the moment when James let loose a war cry, charging straight for the beast with blinding speed, burning the remaining reserves within his body to unleash a final burst of motion.
Nick only caught a glimpse of the young man’s face. But when he saw his expression, Nick knew what was about to happen.
Something in James’s eyes told Nick that he had read the situation and come to the same conclusion. That he had weighed the value of his own life against Kenji’s, then decided that he was willing to die to keep the tactician alive.
In short, James was about to sacrifice himself to ensure that humanity had a chance to win back the Earth. Lay down his life for the future of his planet and his people.
It was the most profound, beautiful, and horrible moment of Nick’s life. An instant that would be seared into his consciousness forevermore. A source of anger and strength during the trials to come, leaving him in awe of James’s selfless courage.
Having made his decision and accepted his fate, all the tension flowed out of James’s body.
He sprinted forward in a flash of motion, reduced to a streaking blur as he burned the dregs of his stamina, releasing an explosive surge of speed powered by every fiber of his soul.