VOXISTALE: Novel Edition

Chapter 79

No matter how many times Terrence tried to attack, it was no use. He just wasn't strong enough to face an opponent like this. A dome of shimmering gold surrounded the entire football field, bleachers included, the shining barrier blocking Terrence from escaping into the city. Fuku laid motionless on the ground nearby, Terrence having crawled his way over to her, attempting to shield her from the crushing blows Krashna continued to hit them with.

This was the difference between being trained relentlessly for years versus just having the fundamentals down. Krashna had complete mastery over his SOUL it seemed, able to conjure massive constructs of unbound force and energy with very little drawback. He wasn't sweating, or even moving as shimmering golden tendrils pummeled down onto Terrence. The golden-eyed Messiah Leader had been holding back earlier, he knew that now. Each time he was hit, it felt like a sack of bricks was landing on him.

Yet he remained brave. Someone had to protect Fuku, otherwise she wouldn't be able to have a second date with Rian, or return home to her father. He continued to crawl his way closer to her, noticing that she was unconscious. Krashna had really thrown her around earlier—it would seem even a girl made of fire had her limits.

With Sadie, Rian, and Frisk nowhere to be seen, things were looking hopeless. All Terrence could hope to do was try and take all the hits for both him and Fuku. His stamina for fighting was completely spent, endurance was the only option now.

If nothing else . . . he could protect this one last person from the wrath of the Messiah.

Krashna stumbled toward the pair, a little off-balance from the head injury he'd suffered, though that didn't seem to hinder him in any other way.

"Guys like you piss me off, Terrence," Krashna growled, swiping his arm, a golden tendril appearing to lash against the older boy's back, tearing the back of his shirt and skin open like a whip, "guys that cling onto the strings of life, thinking that maybe they can save themselves or someone else. Guys that just simply won't die when I command it, and you know what? I won't even be satisfied with you." Terrence cried in pain as another lash struck his back. "I won't be satisfied with this fire bitch. With your friends. No, see, I'll kill your girlfriend. But first I'll torture her. Rip the life right out of her SOUL piece by piece. After all, she's entirely to blame for this whole mess."

A third lash. Terrence grunted, feeling overcome with pain, fatigue, and emotion, yet something in him spurred him on and gave him the strength to continue guarding Fuku's body.

"And then?" Krashna's mouth widened in a wicked grin. "I'll—"

The Messiah leader was suddenly cut off as a wooden bat slammed into the side of his face, knocking him down onto a knee, blood spitting from his nose, his eye quickly swelling. Behind him, a bewildered Gregory stood, wide-eyed, holding the bat in his hands, shaking in his grip.

He swung again, but the bat was caught mid-strike by Krashna, who bared his teeth, blood staining his mouth. "Which is nothing compared to what I'll do to you, Gregory. Do you people take some sort of satisfaction in wallowing in your meaningless defiance? What was going through your mind just now, Gregory?"

A tendril snatched the boy up by the foot, lifting him into the air. Terrence tried to take the opportunity to move, but another tendril crashed into his hand, and he could feel his wrist nearly shatter. He collapsed on top of Fuku, luckily not getting burned by her body heat.

"You, don't even think about it, I'm busy with someone else. Wait your turn," Krashna ordered, turning to Gregory once again, "Gregory, humor me. Were you thinking 'hm, I'll hit Krashna with a wooden bat. That's sure to defeat him!' You know what? Perhaps I overestimated your intelligence."

Before Greg could so much as reply, the tendril cracked like a whip, burying the poor kid in the turf and fake grass of the football field, before lifting him back up. He was covered in scratches and already forming bruises, his glasses shattered beyond repair, a few shards of them buried in his face, and the attack alone seemed to have knocked him out, his body going limp, his eyes closed, his expression bland.

"You're of no use to me now. You're better off dead. But . . . no, you deserve punishment." Krashna hissed with a sinister grin, the tendril once again slamming Greg down onto the ground before letting go, leaving him unconscious there. "Death is too good for someone like you. Cowards disgust me, and cowards who think they're allowed to defy me are even worse. Now stay there."

Krashna was about to continue pulverizing Terrence and Fuku, but something in the corner of his eye caught his attention first—a car was rapidly approaching, the driver none other than the dirty blonde from earlier . . .

The Son faced the vehicle, producing several tendrils to rip the car to shreds before it even reached him. That is, until a sudden molten-colored fist slugged him in the side of his face- exactly where the bat had hit, knocking him a few paces to his right. "How did you—" he began, before the grill of Rian's car slammed into Krashna dead-center, a crunching noise splitting the air as Krashna was sent tumbling away.

Terrence stood on his knees, chest heaving heavily, blood obscuring the vision of one of his eyes. He nearly slumped over, passing out right there, when Sadie's voice called him to attention.

"Help me get Fuku in here!" She called, opening the drivers side door and leaping out, first helping Terrence to his feet before she lifted up Fuku, Terrence putting one of her arms around his neck as the two carried her to the car, Sadie opening the back door. "Hurry!" the brunette urged, looking over to see Krashna was beginning to slowly move. He might have proven to be durable, but even a car at that speed had to hurt.

"Gregory," Terrence told her hoarsely, feeling ready to keel over.

Sadie looked over to where the boy laid, and furrowed her brow. "Screw that and screw him, get in the car."

Terrence stared at her as she climbed into the driver's seat, before shaking his head, and hobbled away from her, stumbling toward Greg. "What are you doing? He tried to have that freak kill us!" She cried, but Terrence didn't stop as he passed Krashna's battered body, who was trying and failing to pick himself up, barely even able to get his arms beneath him, though his rage remained, eyes glaring fury into Terrence as he moved by.

Once he reached his friend, Terrence stooped over, trying his best not to fall over then and there, pulling the boy up, slinging an arm around his shoulder, and proceeding to try and carry him back to the car. Sadie didn't help this time, glaring daggers at Terrence for his act. He finally managed to get Greg into the back seat beside Fuku before he heard a yell behind him, tiredly turning to see Krashna was now standing, unstable on his feet, his eyes wild and livid. "You . . ." He pointed, breathing heavily, stumbling toward them.

"Let's go," Terrence urged Sadie, finally climbing into the passenger seat.

Krashna didn't even bother to speak again, so enraged that he couldn't even begin to put it into words. He continued to move forward, golden tendrils appearing around him. Despite his injuries, he didn't seem to have any trouble conjuring more of his magic. Sadie revved the engine before putting it into reverse and slamming on the gas. Golden energy crashed toward them from all sides, the car crumpling to absorb the impact. The passenger's side airbag inflated as the tires tore up the football field, but they finally steered away, rolling away from the school at high speeds, leaving the Messiah leader behind.