The Eminence in Shadow: The Dark Swordsman

Chapter 57: The Price Of Pride

Gamma darted across the rooftops, her feet clumsily slipping on the loose tiles as she barely managed to keep her balance. The city beneath her was chaos, fires blazing and smoke curling into the night sky.

"Nothing is under our control right now," she muttered under her breath, her voice laced with both frustration and determination.

Suddenly, the sky lit up with a deafening BOOM. Gamma froze mid-step, nearly tumbling off the edge of the roof. Her wide eyes snapped upward, and her breath caught as a swirling storm of energy illuminated the heavens, its sheer force shaking the ground and splitting the clouds apart.

"No way..." she whispered, her clumsy demeanour melting into stark shock. To think they actually managed to make Lord Shadow use that.

For a moment, she just stood there, heart pounding in her chest. The realization hit her like a thunderclap. We underestimated them. Greatly.

"Lady Gamma! Over here!" Nu's voice rang out from below, cutting through the chaos as he waved his arms frantically.

Gamma's heart skipped a beat as she snapped her gaze downward, her shock growing with every passing second. The streets below were almost unrecognizable-burning buildings, wreckage scattered everywhere, and the remnants of what was once a thriving city. Yet, standing amidst the destruction, there was one spot untouched. The Crystal Chalet, gleaming like a beacon in the midst of the madness.

"You're kidding, right?" Gamma's voice was low and filled with disbelief. Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the scene. "Wasn't Alpha, Epsilon, and Zeta supposed to take care of things here?" Her words hung in the air, laced with frustration and a deep, gnawing unease.

Gamma took a deep breath, her boots crunching against the loose tiles as she steadied herself. Without another moment's hesitation, she leapt off the rooftop, landing in a crouch a few feet from Nu.

"Nu, what's the situation?" she demanded, her voice sharp and tinged with urgency.

Nu, still panting from her frantic wave, pointed toward the distant glow of energy illuminating the horizon. Her face was grim. "Lady Alpha is engaged in battle with the War Goddess. We believe she's an ally of the Crystal Chalet."

Gamma's eyes widened slightly at the mention of Beatrix. Her jaw tightened, the weight of the revelation settling heavily on her shoulders.

Gamma shook her head, trying to shove the mounting fear aside. "What about Zeta? Where is she?"

Nu's expression darkened further. "Lady Zeta is already inside the Crystal Chalet, but we've lost contact with her. A powerful barrier was erected around the building-created by Yukime."

"Yukime?" Gamma repeated, her tone a mixture of disbelief and anger. "Of course it's Yukime. It's always her, isn't it?"

Nu hesitated before speaking again, her eyes dropping to the ground. "And Lady Epsilon..." She swallowed hard. "We don't know her current whereabouts."

Gamma's stomach churned, her heartbeat quickening. "What?" she snapped, her voice sharper than she intended. "What do you mean you don't know? Where was she last seen?"

Nu shifted uncomfortably under her piercing gaze. "The last report said she was fighting Yukime directly. After that... nothing. We've lost all communication."

The air seemed to leave Gamma's lungs all at once. Her knees felt weak, but she forced herself to remain steady. "No... That's not possible," she whispered, her voice shaking. "Epsilon can't be... she's too-"

Her words faltered as a chilling realization settled over her. If Yukime was capable of trapping Zeta and defeating Epsilon, then the Crystal Chalet wasn't just a fortress-it was a death trap.