Arknights: The Final Reach

8 - The War Veteran

**Elos's POV**

"Bloody hell!" I cursed and Trombe fully manifested itself besides me. Punching its fist against the flat edge of the kitchen counter. Pushing me away from the furniture as fast as possible.

1, 3, 10, a lot of knives rain down from the ceiling onto my previous location. Some bounced against the wooden floor and others stabbed it.

I was lucky to move away in time. Or not, my body would have been riddled with knives.

Unlike the previous room, I have a gut feeling there is someone nearby. Otherwise, my goosebumps are just for show.

I keep my breathing in check and look around for some traces of a person. There were a lot of empty kitchen utensils casings hanging on the wall. Raising my suspicions to a high degree.

There are high chances that the knives are taken out from there. Someone must have done that. Or otherwise, a robot? The latter seems a bit ridiculous.

Suddenly, the knives float one by one before forming a group pointing at my direction.

Sweats formed on my forehead. My body tenses up as I gaze at the sharp edges of the blades. The metals glinting from the flickering fluorescent lights.

The middle of the knife pack took the lead and dashed forward with a blinding speed.

I commanded Trombe to flip the square table beside me. Throwing it up in front which acts as a shield. Blocking the incoming knives.

But, the situation was not in my favour as the table started to crack under the relentless stabs.

Trombe grabs onto the armrest of the wheelchair before kicking off from the wall. Pushing me away in time before the table broke into pieces.

"Is it... the work of magnets?" Possible, but that stuff only attracts and pushes objects which have the same poles.

Maybe, something related to magnets. Which is likely to be magnetism.

"Then, I'm not alone in this room, " I said, confident that someone is controlling these knives. Relying on my trusty guts as my guide.

The door is right behind me, so, I turn and try to open. Only to find that it was locked. If this is a joke, it is not funny.

The knives which fell on the floor float once again. This time, forming circles which vary in size and stacks upon one another. Forming circular movements clockwise and anti-clockwise for each circle.

"You're never been too wrong with your deduction, " A female voice said. Her body slowly appears from bottom to top out of thin air, in front of the moving knives as if the blades were her wings.

Her messy blond ponytail hair sways gently with two black horns on her head. Gazing at Elos with her empty light-green eyes. Fixing her jacket over her grey spandex latex suit.

"Even after such a long time, your mind never loses its edge, " She commented as if she had known me. Her gazes narrow at mine.

Trombe levitates and guards my front in response to my will.

"I don't even know you, " I replied with a barely audible voice.

The pain of keeping up Trombe's manifestation gradually saps my stamina. So, I have to avoid doing excess movements.

"You... don't remember? HAHAHA-, " The woman hectically laughs. As if it was the funniest joke she ever heard.

This woman got a screw loose in her brain. To be able to laugh in this tense situation, or is it just me? Somehow, I felt insulted.

"At least, I don't have to remember someone like you, " I provoked, trying to test her mental fortitude.

"Good point, " She said, unwavering of my words.

She lifts her right hair bang revealing a grey vortex in her empty right eye socket, "You don't remember this too, did you?"

My face contorted slightly from witnessing a missing eye. Which was replaced by something inhumane.

"You pulled my right eye out during the war... now, it's my honour to pull out yours, " She grins widely. Playing with the knife in her hand like a toy.

My neck bulges as I gulp a mouthful of saliva. It seems like I owe this woman's missing eye.

"...your name?" I asked, feeling the adrenaline rush in my blood.

"Hollow... why do you ask? There's no reason for you to know, " She questions, with a frown.

"Someone needs to carve that name on a tombstone eventually, especially, after this, " I narrowed my eyes out of spite.

Hollow released the knife from her hand. It floats behind her and joins the moving circles.

"That's wonderful, and I wouldn't be the only one, " Her grin changed to a large smile. Holding her left cheek with her left palm.

Her boots seem to vibrate before disappearing. Fading from her lower body to her head as she maintains her expression.

"You're just pulling it out of your arse. "

"Funnily enough, I could say the same for you, " She said before completely become invisible. Leaving only the floating knives in my sight.

I heard a couple of footsteps heading towards my direction as I commanded Trombe to punch a wooden plank on the floor. Which is enough to push it inside while the other end flew up.

A thud follows afterwards which I presume that Hollow was hit by the wooden plank.

The knives glint in my direction, spreading out so that there are no gaps for me to escape.

My sweats drop slowly non-stop. The pain of my headache and hunger dealing tolls to my mind.

Until an idea came across.

"Open them, Trombe, " I unconsciously whispered as Trombe quickly moves and open all the cabinets' small metal doors behind me.

I clapped my hands and wielded sound waves as Trombe unleashes its flurry fists onto one of the doors. Taking one out to be used as a shield.

Trombe punches a few more times and widen it to cover my whole body.

The knives flew with blinding speed and scratched the make-shift shield before bouncing off.

"Tha-, " I glanced at my side and saw a few knives change its trajectory. Rushing to my blind side.

Trombe narrowly raised one of its metallic arms and deflected the knives. A gash appeared on its right arm, and the same happened on mine, causing me to grunt in pain.

Due to the sudden injury, Trombe fades for a moment before I hold myself onto the thread of my consciousness, barely. Managed to maintain the manifestation of it.

After that, I realised most of the knives entered the empty cabinets. So, Trombe closes all of it with heavy slams. Pummeling the make-shift shield back to its place and closes the last cabinet.

At that moment, I move by instinct. Trombe kicked me away from the spot and a sharp arc drew in the air.

The split second of safety clouded my judgement, halting my train of thoughts. As I was too late to notice an energy slash coming to my direction.

I spread the sound waves to my whole body and increased the intensity. To lessen the damage the slash could have done.

The energy slash sliced through a part of my wheelchair as my right hand flew off to the floor. Staining it red with my fresh blood.