Boy Meets Ai

Chapter 70

Chapter 70

It was quiet, cold, and white with snow fall. Such a drastic difference from the hell he'd just left. Seiko could almost pretend that it had been a dream. His heart knew the truth though. And it broke him. He went numb, inside and out. The loss he felt was too much to bear.

Huh, maybe I'm in shock.

He turned to the east. His vision was obscured by tears, but it didn't matter with the precise coordinates Oaklee had given. As he pulled back the bow, he noticed something in his hand. The hand that Oaklee had touched. There was a warmth. It felt nice. Her Red bands sprang forth, wrapping themselves around as they travelled up his arm. The bow bent as they connected to it, helping him pull it back even further. A message popped up on his Ui.

[Maximum Overdraw Achieved.]

The arrow shone as bright as the sun, humming loudly with its power. Seiko felt his heart breaking as he unleashed the string. The snow melted as the ray shot across the horizon at the speed of light.

The adventurers struggled to box the monster in. Ogun had one of his arms in his grasp, but it was like trying to stop a stampeding elephant. Shinobu focused on his legs, slicing them to keep him from stepping forward. Gabriel used his trident to continuously bash the creature, keeping him on the defensive while Hendricks and marquis attacked from a distance providing support buffs as needed.

Hendricks turned to the sound of Seiko shouting his name. What he saw made his heart stop. He watched in horror as Oaklee faded away into nothingness. A dark rage welled up in him, consuming his very thought.

"You bastaaaaarrrd!"

He thrashed his guitar so hard that his fingers bled. A massive torrent of energy poured from him as he channeled all of his power into an ultimate attack. The beast was caught off guard as it blasted half of his body away entirely. Everyone was shocked by the display of raw destruction from the bard. It was a devastating attack, but it created an opportunity for him. Ogun now held a severed arm and Aramais was free to attack with a newly regenerated limb. He back handed a surprised Gabriel into a pile of rubble and stomped on Shinobu, breaking her ribs and pinning her to the ground, cracking the stone.

"Looks like I get to squash another bug!"

"Gaaack!" The samurai coughed up blood. The pain was so intense that she was on the verge of blacking out.

"You know something? I was going to add your likeness back into the Ether for Thomas' sake, but you are just so irritating. I don't think I can stand to look at any of you anymore." He stomped down harder, shattering more of Shinobu's bones. She screamed out in agony before going limp.

Hendricks was frozen by fear. Unable to save his friend, he cursed his weakness and his stupidity. This was his fault. They were all going to die because of him. Aramais lumbered towards him. Insane laughter poured from his gaping maw. The monstrous being raised his hands over his head, clasping them together like a massive hammer.

"Good bye! Hahaahahahaaaa!" He went to bring his fists down on the helpless human, but stopped short as he noticed something.

"Ah. It looks like the sun is rising." Gabriel said as he stood. He dusted himself off as if nothing had happened.

Aramais was confused. "What in the world are you talking about? My powers darken the very sky! No sun will rise for you insects ever again! You'll die, forgotten in the shadows of my new world!" He cackled maniacally at his foes. The puny and weak humans that feebly opposed him. They were losing their minds in terror. He looked toward Hendricks to finish him off. But it was odd. The bard wasn't paying attention to him at all. He looked to the west, a smile spreading across his face. The Ai followed his gaze and saw it as well.

"Hahaha Cough cough cough God that stings..."

It hurt Shinobu to laugh but she couldn't help it.

"You're boned." As she said that, the stadium lit up. A ray of golden energy the size of a castle spire slammed into the monster. It picked him up off the ground as it continued on its path of destruction, punching him through the side of the arena.

"Impossible!" Aramais writhed as it burned up his essence. Every part of his being was set ablaze by the light. It washed over him, permeating his form.

"NOOOOOOO!"

The skull shattered to pieces along with the rest of his body.

Hendricks rushed over to Shinobu, healing her as fast as he could. She was stable but the pain was intense.

"I think we did it." She wheezed.

"No talking!" Hendricks chastised her. Ogun sat down next to them exhausted. Marquis watched as the archon flew away to make sure the job was finished, and on the other side of the world, hundreds of miles away, Seiko lay in the snow. He stared off into the white nothingness.

His sobs wracked his body. He cried and cried and that mountain top until he couldn't breathe. The unbearable grief hit him in waves as he kept remembering her face. Gasping for air, he got to his knees, forehead pressed against the cold stones. The image of Oaklee's smile stained his mind. For the first time since he was a little boy, Seiko clasped his hands together and prayed. He prayed to whoever would hear him. He begged them that no one else had died that day.