(Zelink) The Legend of Zelda and the Last knight- Swords and Roses

Why we failed pt. 28 Identity Crisis

Chapter

Why we failed 100 years ago pt. 28

Identity Crisis

Link sprinted across the churned earth, his pulse hammering with urgency. Ahead, dust swirled and timber creaked ominously under the blows of the Lynel's monstrous weapon. The fencing, a barrier hastily conjured by ancient spells, loomed before him—spiked palisades too sheer and tall to scale easily.

Think, Link! he urged himself fiercely, eyes darting for any break or foothold. Courage, wisdom, power... Hylia help me, which one do I use now?

From inside the barricade, Regosso's furious shouts had turned frantic. He swung wildly, his blade ringing uselessly against the Lynel's heavy shield. The beast roared in fury, its great ball and chain whirling violently through the air.

Crash!

Regosso parried desperately—but it was hopeless. The steel of his longsword splintered in a burst of sparks, the shattered metal scattering like fragments of starlight. Regosso staggered backward, disbelief etched across his arrogant face, now white with panic.

"Regosso!" Link shouted over the din, though he knew the proud lordling couldn't hear him. "Stay on your feet! Keep moving! Hide!"

He needed a way inside—now.

His gaze caught something: a pair of heavy shields, discarded by fleeing cadets and some from the cretins from before, lay half-buried in the muddy earth beside the barrier. Link's heart jolted with sudden clarity. Not a ladder—a ramp.

Without hesitation, he seized one of the broad shields, dragging it close. It was sturdy enough, its curved edge almost perfect. His muscles burned as he heaved it up against the palisade wall at an angle, driving its metal lip deep into the earth with a determined stomp of his boot. Breathless, he grabbed the second shield, wedging it higher, using the first as a sturdy anchor.

If this doesn't work, he thought grimly, I'll be nothing but a fool who died trying to save another fool.

Inside the ring, the Lynel snorted, stalking closer to Regosso, who scrambled backward desperately, gripping only the useless hilt of his ruined blade. The beast lifted its weapon again, its dreadful chain rattling like death's own bell.

"Hold on," Link whispered fiercely, steadying himself as fear coiled tight in his chest. His shoulder screamed in protest as he began his climb, armor scraping wood, boots slipping against slick metal. Yet he pressed upward, driven by the sheer stubbornness that was courage—the courage he wore like armor now, far stronger than steel or mail.

Almost...there!

With one final heave, Link vaulted over the spiked lip of the fencing, heart nearly stopping as he plunged into the arena. He landed hard, rolling swiftly to his feet, sword already drawn, breath ragged and vision narrowed.

The Lynel turned slowly, sensing the new intruder, its furious eyes fixing upon him.

Link tightened his grip, swallowing down his terror as he squared off with doom itself.

Alright, beast. Let's dance.

Link barely had time to find his footing before the Lynel roared, shaking the earth beneath his feet, its crimson eyes blazing with fury. Regosso scrambled backward, weaponless, panic flashing raw across his face.

"Get to the edge!" Link yelled desperately. "Find a way out!"

Link's heart nearly stopped as the Lynel halted suddenly, roaring toward the heavens. Its monstrous ball-and-chain dissolved into shadows, vanishing into a swirl of dark mist that coiled eerily around its muscular frame. Link froze, breath trapped painfully in his chest as he watched, transfixed in horrified awe. What sort of power is this? he thought desperately. Before he could even blink, the black vapors solidified once more, conjuring a massive, cruelly serrated axe into the beast's monstrous grip. The newly summoned weapon gleamed darkly, hungry for blood, promising swift and merciless death. A chill colder than the deepest winter settled in Link's bones. He knew, in that harrowing instant, the true magnitude of the ancient evil he faced—and how dangerously close he was to being utterly consumed.