Mavobella: The Angel Of Death

Chapter 43

The Imperium castle wasn’t just a fortress anymore—it was about to become a battlefield, and this wasn't something that would happen tomorrow. It was unfolding in front of us right now. We surged out of the lab like a storm, a wave of liberated souls crashing against the dark and oppressive forces of the Imperium. The air around us buzzed with energy, an electric charge of anticipation and defiance. Every heartbeat pulsed with the urgency of the fight ahead, our steps quick and deliberate as we spilled into the endless corridors of the castle. This wasn’t just rebellion; it was survival. It was war.

As we raced down the hallways, the sound of our footsteps echoed off the stone walls, mingling with the distant hum of machines and the low rumble of tension building toward something inevitable. Every inch of me was alive, thrumming with adrenaline. We weren’t trained soldiers, but in that moment, it didn’t matter. We had each other, and that was enough.

But when we reached the open hall, the stark reality of what we faced slammed into us. Lining the far hallways were the Imperium guards, each one clad in armor that gleamed under the harsh, artificial lights. Their faces were unreadable, masks of cold indifference. Their weapons—celestial guns—were already raised, their barrels trained on us like silent harbingers of death.

In the blink of an eye, they opened fire.

“Take cover!” Isaac’s voice rang out above the din as he pushed forward, his command sharp and immediate. But the guards were faster than we anticipated. The bullets screamed through the air, the rapid fire like a deadly rain of metal. Sparks flew as they struck the stone walls and pillars around us, the sharp clang of impact reverberating in my ears. Fear threatened to seize us, but we couldn’t let it. We had to fight.

My heart pounded in my chest as I summoned Ye, the familiar weight of my scythe grounding me. Her blade shimmered in the flickering light, a sliver of hope cutting through the chaos. I gripped her tightly and launched myself toward the nearest guard, her sharp edge slicing through the air with precision. The metal of my weapon collided with the guard’s armor, the impact sending a shock up my arms. The satisfying clang of steel meeting steel rang out, but I pressed on, undeterred.

Wade and Nicole fought alongside me, each of us moving in a deadly rhythm. Wade’s fists were like hammers, smashing into the guards with brutal efficiency. One by one, they staggered under his blows, their helmets cracking with the force of his punches. Nicole, quick and agile, danced through the fray, dodging strikes with a grace that seemed almost effortless. In one swift motion, she disarmed a guard, wrenching a celestial gun from his grip.

“Watch out!” she yelled, her voice cutting through the noise as she fired a shot, the gun kicking back in her hands. The blast hit its mark, sending another guard crashing to the floor. The recoil jolted her, but she recovered quickly, her eyes sharp and focused.

“Take their weapons!” I shouted over the chaos, my voice hoarse with exertion. We were outnumbered, and worse, outgunned. The guards had the advantage, their celestial weapons far superior to anything we had. For every guard we brought down, two more seemed to take their place, each one as relentless as the last. Their armor gleamed with the unyielding authority of the Imperium, a reminder of the power we were up against.

Marion fought like a warrior, her fists striking with brutal precision. She grabbed a fallen guard’s gun and turned it on him without hesitation, her expression set in grim determination. Even with the extra firepower, though, we were barely holding our ground. The guards pressed forward, an unrelenting tide of armor and violence, driving us back step by step. It was like fighting against a wave that refused to break, a tide that threatened to drown us under its weight.

“Fall back!” Isaac’s voice cut through the din once more, a desperate command. “Regroup!”

I glanced around, my mind racing. We were losing ground fast. Isaac, fighting at the front, was holding off multiple guards at once, his movements fluid and fast. I hadn’t realized how skilled he was in combat until now. But even he was starting to slow, the sheer number of enemies wearing him down. His strikes became more measured, his breath coming in heavy gasps as the guards closed in.

“We can’t keep this up!” I shouted, my voice laced with urgency. “We need a plan, now!”

Before Isaac could answer, the ground trembled beneath our feet. A loud crash echoed through the hall, the walls shaking with the force of it. I froze, my breath catching as a massive figure stepped into the chaos. It was Xavier.

Dressed in dark, imposing kings armor, Xavier’s presence seemed to fill the entire corridor. His every step commanded attention, his aura heavy with authority. He exuded power, the kind that made the air around him thick and oppressive. The fighting stopped abruptly, the guards lowering their weapons as if by some unspoken command. The silence that followed was suffocating. The silence that a king deserve, and unfortunately he was it.

“Stop!” Xavier’s voice boomed, his tone cold and absolute. The guards obeyed instantly, their ranks forming a solid wall behind him. The oppressive force of his gaze swept over us, a cruel smirk playing on his lips.

Isaac stepped forward, his jaw clenched with fury. “Xavier, this ends now!”

Xavier’s eyes glinted with amusement as he surveyed the scene. “Does it? You’ve caused quite the disruption, Isaac. But this is my domain, and I don’t take kindly to disobedience.”

Isaac didn’t flinch. “We won’t be your pawns anymore. We’re done being controlled by you.”

Xavier chuckled, a low, mocking sound. “Is that so? And how exactly do you plan to stop me?” His gaze flicked over the group, dismissive, almost bored. “You’ve barely managed to make a dent in my forces.”

Isaac’s eyes burned with determination. “We’ll fight until the last one of us falls.”

“Admirable,” Xavier drawled, “but pointless.” He took a step closer, his presence looming. “I’ll make you a deal. A duel—one on one. You and me.”

“What?” Nicole blurted out. “Isaac, no! We can take him together!”

Isaac turned to her, his expression resolute. “Nicole, we’re out of time. If I can defeat him, we can end this.”

Nicole’s voice wavered with fear. “What if you lose? What if he kills you?”

Isaac’s gaze hardened, though I could see the flicker of doubt in his eyes. “I have to try.”

Xavier’s smirk deepened. “Tomorrow, then,” he said smoothly, turning on his heel. “Prepare for your defeat.”

The silence that followed was suffocating. It pressed down on us, thick and heavy, as if the very air had turned to lead. The weight of our situation struck me hard, like a blow to the chest I hadn't seen coming. We had begun this fight with hope, believing we could tip the scales, but now... now it felt like that hope was bleeding out with every clink of the guards' chains as they shackled us.

The cold metal bit into my wrists, pulling me back to the grim reality unfolding around us. They marched us down into the castle's depths, step by echoing step, deeper into a darkness that felt less like a place and more like a living thing, wrapping itself around us. The air grew colder with every stair we descended, our breath starting to mist in front of us.

When the dungeon doors slammed shut behind us, the sound reverberated through the stone like the final note of a dirge. In that moment, the world felt smaller, the walls closing in, and the silence settled in—thick and unyielding. All that remained was the weight of defeat, pressing down as heavily as the chains that bound us.

“We’ll find a way,” Isaac murmured, but his voice was low, as if even he wasn’t sure anymore.