Savage Awakening 49. The Battle of Olympia Beach (II) (Patreon)

(2/2)

Edit notes: added Law section of Marcus’s inspect to previous chapter

Major Law of Holy Cleansing (Elemental Law of the Sacred)

Minor Law of Fortification (Elemental Laws of Steel)

Minor Law of Tempering (Elemental Laws of Steel)

//

Time for Zane to uphold his end of the bargain.

The Soldier of God was bigger than him, and higher Leveled than him, and a Major Law flowed off his huge shining sword, swelling its powers, making it hard to look at with the naked eye.

Here goes nothing….

***

Hours ago…

Reina sat Zane down to go over his battle plan. She'd interviewed Avery so thoroughly Avery got a little annoyed. She went over every Skill she'd seen Marcus use, every Law, exactly what his Soul Weapon was.

Zane would know that the instant he saw the man. But Reina insisted he had a well-thought-out plan beforehand. Zane was good at tactics, coming up with ways to win in the heat of the moment—what she gave him was strategy.

Marcus's main weapon was a Skill called Wrath of the Heavens. When he'd hit Avery with it, she'd caught it and fully redirected it—and it still nearly killed her. The only thing was, he had to charge it to unleash it.

"Here's what I think you should do," said Reina. And she went over her thoughts point by point.

After a while, he found himself just looking at her face. He could tell why people were drawn to her. It wasn't just her beauty, though that helped. It was her intensity, her focus, her insistence on doing everything the right way, down to the smallest detail. She'd had to work out the army’s whole strategy, and now she was here with him working out his fight too. She was remarkable.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her head and blinked up at him. "Zane?"

He blinked. “…Sorry. Could you repeat that?"

She smiled. "Of course."

***

Now…

Marcus spat down at him. “That was a lowly trick, Sage! But if you think tricks are enough to beat me—”

He choked off. Zane was on him like a rabid dog. Reina's number one goal—don't let the man breathe. Don't let him charge that strike. Don't even let him find his footing.

So Zane threw himself at Marcus. He swung straight for the man’s throat.

He'd hardly gotten a step in range when Marcus's greatsword flashed into him, then out. Pain flared harsh down Zane’s left side, and a thick slab of flesh sloughed off.

Marcus's grin widened—and froze. Because Zane didn't slow at all. He didn't even wince—he'd run straight into the path of the blade. And kept on going. No chance to breathe.

Marcus tried dodging too late. Zane’s two swerving Axes sank deep into the man’s back. They ran up against a layer of divine essence and Ethereal Slicing cleaved through. White-hot blades met flesh. Fire worked beautifully with Sharpness, softened up the skin for the Axes to sink through and bite into the flesh beneath.

It felt like trying to shove a butter knife through iron.

What the Hell was this Marcus made of? It must be those Steel Minor Laws of his, firming his body. Still Marcus howled. He didn’t seem much hurt, just furious—like he couldn't believe he’d actually gotten hit.

He spun back, shrugging off the Axes. And Zane saw the black scar where he'd roasted the skin. Surface burns. Zane didn't let up for a second. His Axes were on short leashes today. One swing and they were right back at it, going straight for Marcus' head.

He slashed once. Marcus parried, stepped back, slashed again, and Marcus blocked it. But Zane just kept lunging, grinning—

Marcus slashed and took a chunk off of Zane's back. He must have carved off a chunk of lat—Suddenly, one of Zane’s arms felt odd to move.

Warning: Health under 75%!

He didn’t care. The next second, his slash ripped down the big man's chest. Blood and fire spurted into the air, and Marcus stumbled back. His face twisted in annoyance, like he was being chased by a very persistent wasp.

Zane slashed again, and again, and again. It didn’t matter if he got hurt. He just kept coming after the man. Marcus took a lump out of him, then another, but Zane just kept going, getting in his face, giving him no space—he could tell the man was getting uncomfortable, and Zane relished it.

Marcus was bigger. Marcus was stronger. The only thing Zane had on him was what Reina called ‘madman factor.’

“From what Avery tells me, he's used to fighting people scared of him. But you won't be. You're not scared of anything.”

He’d found it interesting how she took that for granted.

“Sometimes you fight like you’ve been possessed by a demon. I need that from you, Zane. Go to that place and don’t get out. Keep pressing him!”

Zane did. He opened up his heart and let it bleed out into the battlefield, and he took it straight to the man.

It was the only way he had a chance.

Sure he was getting butchered, but he had Marcus stumbling back. One wrong step and Zane got a clean cut all the way down Marcus’ thigh. He felt that cut in his soul—yes! He was getting closer. He tried pushing more for more, feeling that old fight fervor licking hot in his heart—

Marcus roared, "Enough!"

There was a blast of pure light, an eruption of blinding Major Law, and Zane was sent sprawling backwards. His whole front side felt scalded.

By the time he blinked the light out of his eyes, it was too late. Marcus’s sword flashed down. A chunk came out of Zane's leg.

“Ha!” Marcus roared.

He tried to press—it would’ve been so easy to fall back, then and there.

But Zane stood his ground and threw with the man. Man-to-man.

He landed a blow, took another, threw a harder one back. The trouble was—

Warning: Health under 50%!

Savage Body activated.

Vitaly increased 25%

Speed increased 25%

Strength increased 25%

Marcus couldn’t be much under 75% health. Zane was losing.

But if Zane could do what he needed to do, none of this mattered.

He grinned viciously. His blood pumped hot and an electric thrill ran through his soul. He slashed another line down Marcus's chest, drew another fountain of blood even as one of his legs buckled beneath him. He gave out a hit, took one back, and slashed out another. He was having a hell of a time.

He was now this weird, lopsided, limping figure. Chunks were falling off his body by the second, but he didn't care. It didn't matter what Marcus threw at him. He refused to back down; he returned fire just as fiercely.

If anything, he was fiercer now. Savage Body gave him a second wind—it annoyed Marcus to no end. The man was seething shock and fury. It was like he had no limit to his anger—the longer Zane stood up to him, the angrier he got. His teeth were clenched tight, his eyes were wild red, and his face was flushed all the way through. He punctuated his hacks with screams. “WHY… WON'T… YOU…GO… DOWN?!”

Marcus leapt back, face twisted in frustration. Instantly Zane knew he was trying to charge Wrath of the Heavens—motes of light started collecting on his sword. But Zane was on him too fast, and he had to let go of it.

“Is this your idea of a fight, you stupid animal?!” Marcus roared. 

Behind them, the Galleons were burning. Out of the corners of Zane’s eyes he saw the Luminous Faction swarming all over them. A few Lieutenants were holding their ground, but they were fighting dozens of men at once. The Iron Legion was slowly being pressed back, swallowed up—huge swathes of them couldn't even get off the ship; the arrows kept falling.

Meanwhile, Zane and Marcus went blow for blow for blow, carving massive chunks out of each other. One face was lit up with mad joy; one burned with rage. Marcus was bleeding all over, badly burned, smoking, charred up and down his body.

But Marcus was clearly winning.

Time was running out. Zane had done his best. He suppressed the man's best strike. He kept the man flustered, on the defensive. He’d poured out his heart. Reina had hoped it would be enough…

He stepped on a chunk of his own flesh, and nearly slipped.

It just wasn't enough.

If he kept going, there was a good chance he wasn't walking out of this one alive.

Warning: Health under 25%!

But there was just one last hope. One last gamble. As a slash carved down his abdomen, Zane felt his life slipping away from him, felt death looming over his head, felt the beautiful pressure of it, and he smiled.

Reina wanted him to run if things got dire. Make an explosion, retreat to their ranks, and they’d cover for him…

But he was so close.

Fuck it. He had to go for it. He rolled the dice.

He gambled on the feeling—a feeling he'd been hunting the whole fight.

He bit down hard and stood his ground. He slashed, and blood flowed in a river down Marcus's chest. The big man howled and gored him right back.

Fuxi’s Whetstone wasn't enough. He needed something more testing to force out that crack in the Universe—another kind of whetstone. He felt his body failing on him. He felt his blood running white-hot. He croaked out a laugh. More, more, more!

SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH—

It wasn't enough. Just a little more pressure—!

Neither man gave an inch.

But it was impossible to keep this up. They were both losing too much. One of them had to fall.

And it was Zane who fell first.

It was a matter of simple physics. His right leg simply ran out of tendons. So he fell to a knee. Marcus started to laugh, a sneering laugh of his own. He was bloodied. He was limping. But it was clear who was about to win.

Warning: Critical Health!

Savage Body activated

Vitality increased 50%

Strength increased 50%

Speed increased 50%

Zane was so close—he slashed from his knees, defiant, and slashed again, managed to draw out the faintest hint of a crack. He saw it—so close!—

The greatsword went through Zane’s stomach and out of his back. Straight through his spine. He choked.

He blinked down at it, a little stunned. He tried to get up, tried to move, but it seemed his body wasn't listening to him, which was quite annoying.

“…”

He couldn’t feel much of anything. That was very, very bad news.

Seriously?

…Was this it?

He was in the middle of quite a good fight. It seemed a shame it should end here.

Marcus leered down at him. “How sad. I had high hopes for you, Savage Sage! But in the end, you were just another dumb mutt. Fitting. Fight like a mutt, and die like a mutt!”

He wrenched out his sword, and a fountain of blood went out of Zane’s mouth. He could see the crack in the Universe—it was so infuriatingly close.

Only…blackness encroached on his vision. The world was drifting away from him. He’d run out of time. He’d gambled… and it seemed he’d lost.

His head lolled, eyelids fluttering. He keeled over.

He had no regrets in his heart, at least. He’d put up a good fight. He’d fucked Marcus up pretty badly—well under 25%. And Marcus’s army looked pretty decimated too. Reina, Avery, and the rest—Zane trusted they’d clean him up. Even if they couldn’t, his forces were crippled. They’d be safe, at least. That was enough.

“I’ve dreamed of this moment, you know,” said Marcus. He kicked Zane over, set a boot on his chest, and grinned down at him. “Do you know how angry you’ve made me, you little shit?”

He snorted. “If you thought I’d kill you this easily…” He barked a laugh. “No. You'll suffer just as you made me suffer! We’ll start with this little Faction you’ve scrounged together. What should I do to them? Any suggestions? A little flaying, a little—”

“No!” A cry. Zane saw Reina running over to him from the other side of the battlefield. Tears streamed down her face.

Marcus watched her come, amused. “Who’s this? Ah! This is Reina, isn’t it? Your second-in-command? She’s a pretty little thing, isn’t she? Ha! She’ll be Exhibit A. What do you think?”

“You bastard!” cried Reina.

She threw a Skill at Marcus, and he batted it aside contemptuously.

What the hell was she doing? Zane tried to tell her to get away, but his throat wouldn’t listen to him. He was in disbelief. She was usually so logical—yet when it came to him, somehow she totally lost her head. So much so she was charging the Leader of the Iron Legion. Alone.

Zane was struggling to get up to his feet in earnest, now. Struggling to do anything. But he could only watch as she threw herself at the man.

And he caught her by the throat with his sword hand. And all Zane knew was fear.

NO!

She thrashed. She choked. Marcus laughed and tightened his grip. Her flails were getting weaker, growing limp—

Zane opened his mouth and let out a soundless scream. There was a crack.

“Eh?”

Marcus blinked.

Where his sword hand had been, there now seemed to be a stump.

A stump burning with two Major Laws, woven through the head of a single Axe blade.

Then the pain seemed to hit all at once. Marcus stumbled back, howling, clutching at the stump.

Hovering in Zane’s blurry, dying vision, was one last notification.

Law comprehended!

Major Law of Absolute Sharpness

Reina dragged in a breath.

Then she thrust out her hands at Zane.

You have been afflicted by: Healing Touch III

Health restored 25%!

The world rushed back to him. Suddenly his heart was beating again; he dragged in a breath.

And he stumbled to his feet. His whole body was trembling. Not from weakness.

From fury.