Chapter Sixty-One: The Cold, Part Four
Sirius dodged, flipped, and slid as he darted away from Thyrex’s relentless attacks. “It’s like he’s gone completely insane,” he muttered, twisting to avoid another wild swing. His expression twisted with annoyance as he blocked an attack. “What on earth could cause this transformation? Who would’ve thought eating another Tuner’s heart would lead to this kind of power boost?” He shook his head in disbelief. “How could S.T.A.R.S. keep this from us?”
In quick succession Sirius whispered, “Keijo Hawk’s Fumi: Singularity.” He compressed his Hindo into a small, dense sphere, a gravity well powerful enough to bind Thyrex in place, preparing to implode on impact.
The sphere pulled Thyrex in, pinning him for a moment before detonating with violent force. The explosion rocked the ground, a shockwave sending thick dust clouds billowing through the battlefield. As the smoke began to settle, Sirius squinted through the haze, his heart pounding. “No way he went down that easily,” he murmured, only half-convinced.
As the dust cleared, Sirius’s eyes widened. Thyrex’s right shoulder and arm had been obliterated, yet within moments, the flesh knit itself back together, his body regenerating as if untouched.
“Did he just… regenerate?” Sirius’s voice was barely a whisper.
Before he could fully process the sight, Thyrex let out a wild, unhinged laugh, his eyes glazed with madness. Without warning, he turned and dashed toward his comrades, Nyra and Vossir. His once-focused eyes were now wild, burning with a deranged bloodlust that seemed to spread through the air like poison.
Ignarok’s gaze snapped toward Thyrex, his senses on high alert. “This Hindo… I haven’t felt anything like it in ages. Madness… but from whom?” He looked back just in time to see Thyrex standing behind Nyra, his hand plunging into her chest before she even registered his presence. In an instant, he ripped her heart free.
Vossir’s horrified scream tore through the battlefield. “What the hell, Thyrex? Why?” He stumbled back, staring in shock at Thyrex, who now stood over Nyra’s fallen form. “You’ve chosen madness over us?”
Thyrex’s grin widened as he met Vossir’s gaze, the glint of insanity lighting his face. “No sacrifice, no victory,” he sneered, his laughter echoing with dark abandon. Without hesitation, he lunged forward, and in a brutal flash, Vossir’s heart joined Nyra’s.
The Madness Hindo around Thyrex began to swell, red Hindo spiraling out in waves, sending tremors through the ground. The air grew hot and suffocating, and in the distance, nearby volcanoes began to rumble ominously, their peaks glowing with impending eruptions.
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“This changes everything!” Ignarok’s voice was tense. “He’ll keep killing until his Hindo burns itself out!” He scanned the battlefield, shouting, “Sirius!”
“What? Kind of busy here!” Sirius yelled back, only to be blindsided by Thyrex’s fist. The impact sent him hurtling through the air until he crashed into the side of a nearby volcano. The collision cracked the hardened lava surface, triggering premature eruptions that spewed ash and fire into the sky.
Pulling himself up, Sirius rubbed his bruised jaw, wincing. “Ignarok! How about a little warning next time?” He muttered, grimacing. “Man, he packs a punch.”
Ignarok’s face was set in grim disbelief. “Sirius, you don’t understand. Madness Hindo is why this realm looks the way it does. That energy reshaped reality here… and altered everyone within it.”
Sirius’s jaw dropped. “Wait, you’re telling me this nobody went from zero to realm-destroyer because he ate a few hearts?”
Ignarok’s gaze grew somber. “Madness Hindo isn’t new. It’s an ancient force, formed centuries before you and Yozora were even a thought. And Nuri… he isn’t just a flaming hawk. He’s the last of the Clan of the Burning Hawk.”
Sirius gave Ignarok a confused look. “Who the hell is Nuri?” He thought, “Did this old man forget I just got here?”
Almost as if on cue, a voice burst from below the estate. “I’m the guardian of this realm, The Last Burning Hawk.”
Sirius felt a surge of disbelief and awe ripple through him. His jaw dropped, his eyes widening as the weight of the revelation settled over him like a crashing wave. “Guardian of this realm?” His mind raced, grappling with the impossible truth. “The Last Burning Hawk?”
His face shifted from shock to something more intense, awe tinged with respect and maybe a bit of reverence. He’d heard legends of the Burning Hawk Clan, tales of fiery warriors with unmatched strength who had ruled with both fury and honor. “So Kova was right… I kept writing this dungeon off as no big deal, and all this time, the last of the Burning Hawk Clan’s been here.” A smirk stretched across his face. “I need those feathers.”
Slapping his face in exasperation, Ignarok sighed. “These boys never take anything seriously.”
Sirius smirked. “Come on, Ignarok. A legendary hawk? You can’t expect me to ignore that! Those feathers have to be next-level.”
Ignarok’s voice took on a grave tone. “Sirius, listen carefully. Don’t even think about approaching Nuri lightly. The only one who hasn’t been burned by his flames is Yozora. Grabbing a feather could severely damage your Toro, considering what we’re dealing with now… Nuri is facing the very force that wiped out his entire clan.”
Sirius’s smirk faded as he absorbed Ignarok’s words. “Wait, you’re saying this madness wiped out the whole Burning Hawk Clan?”
Ignarok nodded, his gaze sharpening. “Yes. Madness Hindo, a chaotic, self-consuming energy that destabilizes everything it touches. It doesn’t just corrupt, it annihilates. It’s a force even the Burning Hawks couldn’t fully resist.”
Sirius let out a low whistle. “Alright, fine. I’ll avoid the feather-stealing for now. But we still have a heart-eating lunatic on the loose.” His eyes narrowed, a deadly glint returning as he readied his spear. “Looks like I’ll have to put him down before his madness puts a dent in my plans.”
Ignarok nodded, stepping forward. “We’ll need to strike together to end this before it escalates. If he consumes more power, there may be no stopping him.”
Looking back, full of fury. “No!” yelled Nuri, “Thyrex belongs to me now.”