The entire area fell into a heavy silence the moment the blank eyed man delivered his ultimatum.
His voice had carried an ominous weight, forcing everyone to confront the dire choice before them, surrender or face a fate worse than death.
For some, the prospect of surrendering and receiving the so called "blessings of the Mother" seemed a preferable option. The promise of avoiding death and gaining strength was tempting, especially when juxtaposed against the horrifying image of having their consciousness severed from their bodies, trapped in a perpetual prison of their own minds.
Kaya could see the uncertainty flickering in the eyes of her warriors. She understood their fear but felt a rising frustration at their wavering resolve. Where was the fierce determination they had shown earlier? Where was their fighting spirit? The sight of their hesitation gnawed at her.
With a swift, decisive motion, Kaya slammed her spear into the ground, the metallic clang echoing through the tense silence. All eyes turned to her, seeking guidance, seeking strength.
She did not look at them but fixed her gaze firmly on the blank eyed man.
"I will not surrender," she declared, her voice steady and resolute.
Blue electricity crackled around her body, and her eyes blazed with controlled fury. Her figure look like a beacon of defiance in the encroaching darkness.
Turning to her people, Kaya softened her tone but maintained its intensity.
"For those who wish to continue fighting, stand with me, I sincerely thank you." she said.
"And for those who choose to surrender..." She gritted her teeth, fighting back her disappointment.
"I will respect your decision. But remember this, if you ever point your weapons at me, I will not hesitate to fight back with everything I have."
The air grew thick with tension, a different kind of silence settling over them. The blank eyed man watched, his expression inscrutable. Yet, if one looked closely, they might catch a flicker of amusement in his otherwise vacant eyes.
"I will give you one minute to decide," he said, his voice devoid of emotion.
"Those who do not surrender will be killed."
As the seconds ticked by, the weight of the decision pressed down on everyone. Slowly, one by one, some began to step forward. They walked to the front of the blank-eyed man, kneeling and raising their hands in surrender. Each movement felt like a betrayal to those who remained steadfast. In the end, ten people chose to surrender, leaving thirty three who resolved to fight.
Kaya's heart was a storm of conflicting emotions. She felt a bittersweet sense of pride in those who remained by her side, their faces set with grim determination. But the sight of those who surrendered filled her with a deep sadness and a pang of disappointment. They had fought together, bled together, and now they were choosing a different path.
The blank eyed man regarded the scene with a chilling detachment.
"Your choice is made," he said, his voice cutting through the air.
"Prepare to face the consequences."
Kaya tightened her grip on her spear, electricity crackling more fiercely around her. She stepped forward, her voice ringing out clear and strong, addressing both her remaining warriors and those who had surrendered.
"For those who stay, fight with all your heart. For those who leave, may you find whatever peace you seek."
The silence that followed was thick with unspoken words and unexpressed emotions. The blank eyed man's ultimatum had drawn a line in the sand, and now, the battle would resume with renewed fervor.
As Kaya stood deep in thought, her mind racing with the consequences of the battle, the blank eyed man's voice cut through her reverie like a blade.
"Those who chose to die a dog's death are truly foolish," he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.
"But before I begin the massacre, there is something I must do."
Raising both of his hands toward the kneeling, surrendering humans, he began to chant in a language no one understood, a harsh, guttural series of sounds that grated on the ears like nails on a chalkboard. As the chant reached its climax, the shadows beneath the surrendering humans began to darken and writhe, morphing into countless tentacle like shapes.
These shadowy appendages surged upwards, wrapping around the surrendering humans, forming cocoons of living darkness.
Panic seized Kaya. "This is not what we agreed upon!" she shouted, her voice thick with outrage.
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"You said they would be blessed, not harmed!"
The blank-eyed man turned his cold gaze towards her, a twisted smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.
"I am not harming them," he replied smoothly.
"Don't you dare fucking lie to me!" Kaya roared, her eyes blazing with fury.
"I can see what you're doing you bastard!"
"See for yourself," the man replied, snapping his fingers.
The shadowy cocoons burst open, revealing the humans within. At first, they appeared unchanged, but as they turned to face their former comrades, gasps of horror rippled through the ranks. Their eyes were now completely white, devoid of any pupils a chilling echo of the blank eyed man.
Kaya's anger reached a boiling point. "You fucking Maniac! How dare you! You promised not to harm them, and now you've turned them into mindless monsters!"
"I stayed true to my promise," the man said with a shrug.
"I blessed them and made them stronger. I never said I wouldn't erase their consciousness in the process."
Kaya's body erupted with lightning, the raw power of her fury crackling through the air.
"ATTACK!!!" she roared, her voice a thunderclap of rage.
Her warriors echoed her command with a unified roar, charging towards the blank eyed man with a ferocity born of desperation and anger.
Before Gabby could stop her, Kaya leapt into the air, her spear poised to strike. The blank eyed man merely watched, unimpressed.
"Foolish," he muttered, and with a flick of his wrist, he ordered the newly transformed blank eyed humans to attack.
Chaos erupted on the battlefield. The transformed humans obeyed instantly, their movements mechanical yet terrifyingly fast.
The blank eyed man himself moved with such speed that he appeared as a blur, his first target being Jason. With a single, devastating punch to Jason's stomach, the sound of cracking bones filled the air as Jason was sent flying into the forest, blood spraying from his mouth.
In the midst of the chaos, Kaya reached the blank eyed man, her spear descending with lethal intent. An explosion of dust and debris followed the impact.
As the dust settled, the battlefield held its breath. Kaya's spear was stopped, held in place by the blank eyed man's bare hand.
Without hesitation, Kaya launched a flurry of attacks, her spear a blur of deadly precision. Sparks of electricity crackled and exploded with each strike, yet the blank eyed man dodged and blocked with infuriating ease.
Their clash was a dance of lightning and shadows, too fast for the average eye to follow.
To those with keener sight, the battle was both mesmerizing and horrifying. Kaya's relentless assault was met with the blank eyed man's cold, effortless defense.
The air vibrated with the sound of electricity and the shockwaves of their blows. Kaya’s determination was palpable, but the blank-eyed man remained expressionless, his face a mask of indifference.
In a sudden, brutal counterattack, the blank eyed man struck Kaya in the stomach, sending her sprawling across the ground. She tumbled, bloodied and battered, finally coming to rest against a tree.
Her body was a mess of wounds, blood seeping from countless cuts, her breathing ragged and labored.
The sight of Kaya's battered form ignited a fury in the Stormbringers. Fueled by a mix of rage and desperation, they charged forward with a reckless abandon. The blank eyed man turned his head towards them, his lips curling into a derisive smirk. Slowly, he began to levitate, his feet leaving the ground as he rose above them.
"What a foolish attempt," he intoned, his voice dripping with disdain.
"Now, let me show you the difference between you humans and us."
With a commanding voice, he declared, "Domain Expansion: Corruption."
A shadowy dome enveloped the battlefield, plunging everything within a 50 meter radius into pitch darkness. The air grew thick with a palpable sense of dread. Those caught inside gripped their weapons tighter, their eyes wide with fear, straining to see anything in the oppressive blackness. Minutes passed, stretching into what felt like an eternity, with nothing but the sound of their own labored breathing to break the silence.
Without warning, a blood curdling scream pierced the darkness. Heads whipped around, straining to locate the source. They saw a man on the ground, clutching his head in agony, his screams reverberating through the void. Panic set in as others approached, trying to understand what was happening, only for the screams to abruptly stop. The man lay still, lifeless. The one who had checked his pulse turned to the others, his voice trembling.
"He's dead," he announced, confusion and fear etched into his voice.
Murmurs of disbelief spread through the group, each person trying to make sense of the inexplicable death. But before they could process it, more screams erupted, one after another. The chilling sounds of people collapsing filled the air, their bodies hitting the ground with sickening thuds. The man who had earlier checked for a pulse was now frantically trying to save someone, anyone.
As he moved, a sharp pain tore through his chest. He looked down to see a sword protruding from his body. His eyes widened in horror as he turned to face his attacker the very man he had declared dead moments ago. The blank eyes stared back at him, devoid of any life. He fell, his own life snuffed out.
Outside the shadowy dome, the battle continued unabated, the din of clashing weapons and cries of pain filling the air. As the dome dissipated, the horrific scene inside was revealed. The transformed humans, now blank eyed and devoid of pupils, stood among the bodies of their fallen comrades. Despair swept through the remaining Stormbringers as they recognized their friends and allies, now turned against them.
Floating above them all, the blank eyed man surveyed the chaos he had wrought.
"Whatever you're trying to do is futile," he proclaimed, his voice carrying across the battlefield.
"You cannot win. It is simply not possible." His words were a chilling finality, an epitaph for their defiance. He chanted a spell, and luminous projectiles magic missiles shot forth, homing in on the remaining humans with deadly precision.
The battlefield was a scene of utter desolation. In the midst of this, the blank-eyed man appeared in front of the still bloodied Kaya, who was leaning against a tree.
"Open your eyes and see the results of your choice," he taunted, his voice dripping with contempt.
Kaya remained silent, her eyes closed, her breath shallow.
"Typical of humans," he sneered, "weak and useless." His hand shot forward, aiming to grab her by the throat.
But his hand passed through her form as if it were air. His expressionless mask cracked, giving way to a twisted, maniacal grin. He tried again, and again his hand passed through. A guttural laugh erupted from him, echoing across the battlefield.
"I can't believe I was fooled by an illusion!" he said, his laughter a dark symphony.
"Though weak and useless, humans are an entertaining race." His eyes gleamed with malicious delight.
"Run as much as you like," he called out into the air, his voice a venomous promise.
"You can never hide from me, not now or ever."