Dead Inside

68.

Once Sabre stood in the center of the battlefield, he then realized he had no idea what he was doing. Rainbow Steve didn't have his powers anymore, and Sabre's only known ability was to see the future. They didn't stand a chance!

Portal Steve was summoning portals and using their advantage to appear around Forest Steve to give him a punch or a kick. He even used this ability to bring Forest Steve closer to the rest of the group. Blue Steve was using water to wash out any dangerous flames close to his friends. Alex didn't do much but create bright green flames and teleport around to throw the flames at Forest Steve, though he dodged them swiftly. Bright Steve created bright lights to blind Forest Steve whenever he turned in his direction. Emburn was on all fours, crouching low with her fur bristling and claws unsheathed. Cala was hovering with a book hovering at her shoulder. Sally stood in the back, dropping explosives after explosives onto the ground. Sabre guessed everyone would be questioning how she had so much stuff if they weren't busy trying to destroy Forest Steve. Dust Alex was running in circles excitedly around Sally like she didn't have a care in the world about the battle against Forest Steve. Carodu had a pair of knives in her hands, held criss-cross over her shoulders and she threw them at Forest Steve when she got the chance. Entity Steve, however, was cowering behind a tree. Forest Steve was blocking every attack with branches that he summoned from the ground in long, twisting bunches.

He's powerful, Sabre realized. But was that really a surprise? Probably. Even the God of all Steves was struggling to land a blow on the previous Green Steve guardian.

Suddenly, the God of all Steves summoned a large ball of bright white light. Sabre watched with wide eyes as the God of all Steves threw down a large glowing white beam at Forest Steve. Forest Steve barely escaped, the beam landed close to his feet and the ground exploded from beneath him. Forest Steve flew quite some distance away and landed roughly on his back, the branches on him piercing the ground. Instantly, the group began to work well together. Kay threw a knife upward and Portal Steve caught it in one of his portals and created another near Forest Steve. The knife flung out at him and left a jagged wound in his neck, flinging blood across his torn and burnt shirt.

He can't move! Sabre realized. The branches that had grown out of his back pinned him to the ground. Hope sparked inside Sabre, perhaps the God of all Steves' prophecy wouldn't have to come true to defeat Forest Steve.

That all left in a flash. Literally. Bright Steve threw out a bright light towards Forest Steve but a cocoon of shrubs and twisting branches grew quickly around him in the form of a shield. Once the light faded, the cocoon was shrivelled up and dry. Was he dead?

Forest Steve soon appeared behind Portal Steve. Sabre cried out to him but it was too late. Forest Steve summoned a thick staff of twining branches and smacked Portal Steve out of the sky. Portal Steve landed hard on the ground with a cut off grunt. Forest Steve continued to block off any attack made to protect Portal Steve, who was struggling to sit up. Dread flooded Sabre as Forest Steve teleported next to Portal Steve. He threw down a foot onto the injured Steve and smirked. The branch was still held tight in his grasp, held outward at his side. Sabre tried to rush forward to help Portal Steve, but Rainbow Steve held him back with a shake of his head.

"I need to help him!" Sabre insisted.

"Don't," Rainbow Steve told him. "There's nothing you can do for him."

Sabre watched Forest Steve lift the branch, the sharp end pointing right for Portal Steve's chest. Sabre couldn't help but let his tears fall as the branch fell in a gush of thick crimson liquid and a lifeless Steve was left to rot in the battlefield.