"Embrace the surge, the hunger!" The woman's laughter echoed, laced with manic glee.
'Great. Just my luck.' Acacia saw Cerais's head snap towards her, shock widening her eyes as she drew her twin swords.
"Why aren't you...changing?" The woman's brow furrowed in confusion, her voice losing its manic edge as she finally noticed the lack of any visible effect. Before she could react further, a net of energy slammed down, pinning her beneath several arriving heroes. They handcuffed her hands and dragged her away.
"Erla, you've been injected. We need to get you and Elric to safety. Healers, over here!" Cerais's voice cut through the chaos, directing medical attention towards Elric.
The horrifying image of the crystal-filled woman flashed through Acacia's mind, sharp and vivid. 'That's what awaits me if I let them take me to a hospital.' Acacia sighed as she looked around and noticed that some of the monsters had been held down and slashed to death. The healers had spread towards the injured.
Cerais moved swiftly, her grip tightening on Acacia's shoulder. "Erla! Focus! Before you transform... but... why aren't you? Are you immune?" Her eyes narrowed with a mixture of concern and suspicion.
"Captain!" A warning cry ripped through the air as a pack of grotesquely mutated dogs, their teeth bared and snapping, surged towards them.
Behemoth, sensing the immediate threat, stirred against Acacia's neck, then swiftly detached, slithering down to her shoulder. Behemoth rose and unleashed a powerful, sustained hiss that momentarily faltered the dogs' advance. But the mutated creatures, driven by their altered instincts, pressed forward despite Behemoth's display. With a swift, deadly grace, Cerais unsheathed her swords, and a sharp gust of wind, like an invisible blade, tore through the pack, felling them instantly.
Cerais's gaze, sharp and accusatory, dropped to Behemoth. "Why do you have that... thing?"
"Just had to make things more complicated, didn't you?" Acacia muttered, a sigh escaping her lips as she watched Behemoth wriggle stubbornly before laboriously climbing back up and settling around her neck.
"Answer me! How did you steal it?" Cerais's voice was sharp but Acacia's gaze remained fixed on Elric, where two healers hovered anxiously. "Fine. Silence won't save you. I'm arresting you until you confess."
In a swift, brutal move, Acacia seized Cerais's collar, hauling her forward and slamming her knee into her stomach, eliciting a sharp gasp. Before Cerais could react, Acacia's knee connected with her ribs with sickening force, a distinct crack echoing through the chaos. She tossed Cerais aside like a discarded doll. Biting down hard on her own hand to draw out blood, Acacia unleashed a swarm of shimmering butterflies that materialized, their wings beating a disorienting rhythm as they descended upon the surrounding heroes.
She lunged towards Elric's side, scooping up his limp form as the healers recoiled from the iridescent insects. With a strained sigh at his mumbled words, she hefted him onto her back. She snapped her fingers making the butterflies disappear as she ran off.
"Stop the monsters! I'll deal with her!" Cerais roared, slashing through the cloud of butterflies as she surged after Acacia.
'I have to get out, I have to get out,' Acacia's thoughts hammered as she weaved through the panicked surge of people. Then, a sharp, violent crackle ripped through the air, followed by a series of sickening thuds. People began to plummet from the rooftops, their bodies hitting the ground with gruesome, bone-jarring cracks, leaving trails of smoke and the acrid smell of burnt flesh. Acacia craned her neck, her blood running cold as she saw Barachiel standing tall, arcs of raw lightning leaping from his hands towards the figures silhouetted against the sky.
Barachiel's powdered blue hair whipped around his face in the wind as he unleashed another devastating wave of lightning downwards, incinerating the mutated creatures in a single, brutal strike. Before Acacia could react, he had descended with terrifying speed, landing directly in front of her and unleashing a searing bolt of lightning. With a desperate heave, she threw Elric to the side, throwing her own arms up to shield herself from the incandescent blast.
"I'll handle this one. Focus on the situation," Barachiel commanded, his gaze never leaving Acacia. Cerais, her swords still gripped tightly, halted abruptly.
"But Captain—"
"That's an order, Cerais." Barachiel's tone brooked no argument, and with a reluctant turn, Cerais moved away, leaving Acacia alone with her formidable adversary.
"I knew it. Knew you were playing a part. Erla Rion died five years ago. A wasting sickness took her." Barachiel's voice was cold and accusatory.
"You certainly work fast," Acacia retorted, taking a shaky breath. She glanced down at her arms, noticing the branching, crimson lichtenberg figures etched across her skin. They weren't fading. 'Why aren't they fading? Is he too powerful?'
"Advanced technology makes information readily available, especially when her death predates the Second Apocalypse." Barachiel sneered, unleashing another crackling wave of lightning, which Acacia narrowly evaded. "You murdered innocents, and I still question Elric's complicity. Then this staged rebellion, timed perfectly to exploit our vulnerabilities, fueled by your hatred for Encer. First, the insidious infiltration, the theft of the Slitherwing. Now, a coordinated external attack to divide our forces."
"Save your convoluted deductions," Acacia retorted, raising a sceptical eyebrow. "Yes, my end goal involves your organization's delightful demise, but don't conveniently dump every ill deed at my doorstep. My immediate concern is retrieving him." She gestured pointedly towards Elric's prone form. "Once he's with me, you won't have to suffer my presence any longer."
"Then the Slitherwing returns to our custody," Barachiel countered, his voice hardening.
"A day ago, perhaps. But circumstances have... shifted," Acacia replied, a hint of a dangerous smile playing on her lips. "My answer is a firm no."
"Then your existence ends here." Barachiel's voice dropped to a lethal growl as a vortex of crackling blue energy enveloped him, the air around him shimmering with raw power.
"Try me." The illusion shimmering around Acacia dissolved, her dark brown hair cascading down her back as a pair of magnificent, crimson wings with intricate obsidian designs unfurled and beat the air.
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"That face... those wings... you're the one who battled Cerais." Barachiel's brown eyes widened in stunned recognition for a fleeting moment before a blinding sphere of lightning coalesced in his hands, and he hurled it with lethal intent. But Acacia was already airborne, her movements lightning-fast. With a sharp bite to her hand, a crimson whip materialized in her grasp. In a fluid motion, she flicked her wrist, sending the weapon snaking through the air. It wrapped tightly around Barachiel's neck, and with a brutal yank, she hauled him upwards, slamming his body against the nearest wall with a sickening thud.
Barachiel's grip on the whip tightened like a vice as searing lightning surged up the crimson tendril, slamming into Acacia's body. Her muscles spasmed violently in mid-air, a strangled cry escaping her lips, but he maintained his relentless assault, volts of energy continuing to course through the whip. Teeth gritted against the agony, Acacia clawed at the palm of her free hand, her nails tearing flesh as she summoned another whip. With a desperate flick, she lashed it towards him. The second crimson strand wrapped instantly around his arm, but he merely tightened his hold, sending another brutal jolt of lightning down its length.
A searing prickling sensation erupted across Acacia's skin, her chest constricting with agonizing tightness, every nerve screaming in protest. Yet, she refused to yield. Her grip on the whips remained ironclad. Stretching the crimson strands taut, she used the tension to propel herself downwards in a lightning-fast descent, her two feet slamming into Barachiel's chest with bone-jarring force, driving him into the ground with a heavy thud.
Acacia landed heavily, gasping for breath, her body shimmering with angry red Lichtenberg markings. Behemoth stirred against her neck, a furious hiss directed at the slowly rising Barachiel. He clutched at his chest, his face contorted in pain as he drew ragged breaths. Then, with a sudden, explosive burst of speed, he was upon her, his fist crackling with blue energy as it slammed into her face, sending her staggering back. He pressed his advantage, a relentless flurry of punches raining down, a brutal jab to her ribs, a sickening crack against her jaw, a numbing blow to her chest.
Acacia's wings twitched involuntarily as she stumbled away, spitting out a tooth that clattered on the asphalt. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder as a group of heroes, some with weapons raised, rushed to the scene.
"Nowhere left to run," Barachiel snarled, his gaze unwavering. Acacia's eyes darted around, taking in the grim reality: the street was eerily deserted, the civilians evacuated, leaving only the arriving heroes, the fallen, and the lingering monstrous remains.
"Figures," Acacia muttered, a bitter smile twisting her lips as the heroes formed a tightening circle around her. She raised her hands in a gesture of surrender, her gaze sweeping over their approaching forms, Barachiel leading the advance. 'Just a little closer, you fools.'
"Don't even think about it," Barachiel warned, a visible crackle of blue energy enveloping his body.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Acacia replied sweetly, her smile widening as they closed the final distance. She felt the cold press of a gun barrel against her spine. 'Now.' With a subtle snap of her fingers, the world around her fractured. Every hero within the circle shimmered, their forms twisting and solidifying into perfect replicas of Acacia herself. A collective gasp of confusion rippled through the identical faces. In that instant of disarray, Acacia whirled, yanking the gun from the hand pressed against her back.
A guttural roar escaped her as she unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, the weapon bucking violently in her grip. She staggered under the recoil but kept firing, beams of destructive energy tearing through the ranks of her clones. The other Acacias, caught in the crossfire, turned on each other in panicked self-preservation. The scene dissolved into a chaotic mess of energy blasts, screams of confusion, and flailing limbs as the clones attacked both each other and the real Acacia, who dodged and weaved, firing wildly, missing more often than hitting, until, with a frustrated growl, she flung the weapon aside as she ran out of the confused crowd.
Acacia's frantic gaze searched for Elric when a searing pain ripped through her back. She was yanked violently upwards by her wings, the tendons tearing with sickening pops as they were ripped clean from her flesh. A strangled scream tore from her throat as she stumbled, the raw, bleeding wounds on her back screaming in agony. Her eyes darted around wildly, finally locking onto a figure holding her severed wings... an illusion of herself. With a furious snap of her fingers, the image flickered and dissolved, revealing Barachiel, his expression grim.
"This ends now. Surrender. There's nothing to gain from this senseless violence. Revenge is a hollow victory, a waste. Can you honestly say you find satisfaction in the lives you've taken?"
"Your sanctimonious words mean nothing to me," Acacia spat, a venomous sneer twisting her lips. "You think I'll feel remorse for them? You, who have dealt out death just as readily? You're delusional."
"There's a clear distinction. These people are innocent. Those... creatures out there are monsters wearing human skin."
"Those 'monsters' are my family," Acacia snarled, her voice thick with fury. "The same bond that would drive you to kill for yours fuels my every action. And I will kill for them." A surge of raw anger coursed through her, igniting a primal response. Thick, thorny vines erupted from the ground and snaked up the buildings, their growth alarmingly rapid. A scalding gust of steam hissed from her ravaged back as new, leathery wings tore through the flesh, unfurling with terrifying speed.
"Then peace will be bought with your blood and theirs." Barachiel's voice was cold and absolute as he clasped his hands together. Three concentric rings of crackling blue lightning materialized around him and shot outwards with deadly speed. Acacia snapped her newly formed wings around herself like a shield, the sizzling energy deflecting off their leathery surface.
Unfurling her wings, she surged upwards into the sky. With savage precision, she raked her nails across her arms, crimson droplets blossoming into a rain of needle-sharp projectiles that plummeted towards him like deadly hail. His reflexes were lightning-fast; Barachiel evaded the barrage and propelled himself upwards with a burst of energy, closing the distance until he was almost within striking range, unleashing a concentrated ball of lightning. Acacia twisted in the air, narrowly avoiding the blast, then plummeted downwards in a swift, predatory dive, her fist connecting with his chest with a resounding crack, sending him hurtling towards the ground.
He landed with a sickening thud, coughing up blood. Acacia descended like a vengeful fury, grabbing his collar and unleashing a brutal series of punches to his face, each blow fueled by rage. He retaliated with desperate ferocity, his hands digging into her face, thumbs gouging at her eyes, eliciting a raw scream of agony. Blinded and enraged, Acacia clawed back, her nails tearing deep furrows across his face until a violent gust of wind slammed into her, throwing her backwards.
"Everyone is safely evacuated, sir," Cerais said.
Acacia pushed herself upright, a hiss of escaping steam accompanying the rapid knitting of flesh around her eyes. Her head swivelled towards Cerais, her gaze a promise of swift retribution.
"You... you won't escape this." Barachiel rasped, pushing himself to his feet with visible effort. Blood streamed down his face, obscuring one eye entirely, yet his remaining eye burned with fierce determination. Acacia glared at both of them as the black vines continued to grow.
Acacia's gaze snagged on Elric's prone form, then flickered to the grotesque tableau of her clones, impaled and lifeless amidst the encroaching black vines. The illusion slowly wearing off their bodies. A deep, steadying breath filled her lungs, and then, unexpectedly, she bolted. Barachiel and Cerais exchanged a moment of bewildered silence, anticipating a counterattack. A snarl of frustration tore from Barachiel's throat as he realized her intent and gave chase. Acacia sprinted, scooping Elric's limp body into a protective embrace before launching herself into the sky with powerful wingbeats.
'Retreating?' Daemonis's mental query held a note of disbelief.
'Prudence, not retreat,' Acacia countered mentally, her jaw tight against the throbbing exhaustion. 'I'm running on fumes. That mass illusion bled me dry. I can't afford a prolonged engagement.'
"Acacia!" Barachiel spat, the name a venomous curse ripped from his throat, thick with hatred and rage.
She glanced down and banked sharply, narrowly avoiding a crackling bolt of lightning and a slicing gust of wind as she climbed higher and higher, leaving their attacks far below.
The true scope of the black vine's devastation unfolded beneath her. The Flow Society headquarters was utterly engulfed, a grotesque monument to her power. Entire structures groaned and crumbled under the relentless pressure.