CHAPTER 172: The Crucible of Chaos - Part IX

CHAPTER 172: The Crucible of Chaos - Part IX

The wind howled on the rooftop, whipping through the hair of ENID and MARCUS as they faced VIKTOR. Lucian lay unconscious near the entrance, victim of a precise blow. Their numerical superiority had vanished.

"Coordination!" Marcus shouted, launching himself into the attack.

But Viktor was a specter. He dodged Marcus's blow with a fluid movement and, on the counterattack, drove a piece of silver railing he had torn from the structure into Marcus's neck. A choked scream. Marcus fell to his knees, touching the smoking wound before collapsing, paralyzed.

Enid held her breath. They were alone now.

"It's like he knows what we're going to do," she said, frustrated.

"It's not magic, dear Enid," Viktor replied, adjusting his cuffs. "It's muscle memory. Centuries of it. Every body I've inhabited, every swordsman, every assassin, left their mark here," he touched his temple. "Their reflexes are my reflexes. Their experience, my advantage."

Enid didn't wait to hear more. She lunged with a guttural scream. Viktor evaded her easily, deflecting her attack and sending her rolling across the floor with a push that seemed almost careless.

"Imagine it," he continued, walking towards her as she got up. "The Umbra Era, from the 18th to the 21st century. A feast of chaos. And in the midst of it, Marius, the great Lycan leader. So powerful... so predictable. By the time the Era ended, I was already wearing his skin. It was one of my most gratifying acquisitions."

"You're a monster," Enid spat, wiping blood from her lip.

"I am eternal," he corrected her with terrifying calm. "And if by some miracle they kill me here, the Crucible's final protocol will activate. The last barrier will collapse, vaporizing everything left inside. Fénix, Darem, you, the unconscious ones over there... everyone. I'll die too, it's true. But I don't plan on losing."

With a sinister smile, Viktor brought his hands to his forehead and began removing the sutures that crossed his skin. A dark, thick liquid dripped. Underneath the flesh, he revealed a grotesque cavity where a grayish brain lay, and at its center, a single, moist eye that blinked, staring fixedly at Enid.

"This," said Viktor, his voice echoing from that horror, "is what endures. My essence. My legacy. My true immortality."

He replaced the sutures, sealing the nightmare.

"Ready for the final act?"

Enid charged again. A right hook aimed at breaking his nose. Viktor dodged it and his counterpunch, a dry left hook, split her lip.

"Damn you!" she yelled, spitting out a tooth.

"Compliments won't save you," he replied.

It was then that Viktor looked towards the stairs. A smile formed on his lips.

"While you struggle here, the real spectacle is down there. Darem... you know? He possesses the Nail. The Nail of the Cross. A find from the personal inventory of good Marius. Things one discovers..." his laughter was a cold whisper. "That artifact doesn't kill, Enid. It purges. It increases the mortality of its wielder to biblical levels. Your friend Fénix doesn't know what he's up against."

Panic, cold and sharp, pinned Enid for a second. It was all Viktor needed. He lunged, but she reacted at the last moment. They became entangled, and the force of the collision sent them both tumbling down the stairwell, falling in a spiral of blows and curses that echoed in the narrow concrete space.

They rolled, impacting against the metal steps. On the ground floor, Viktor stood up first, his elegance intact. His eyes swept the maintenance area and settled on a pair of abandoned copper pipes. He grabbed them and, with supernatural strength and speed, began rubbing their ends together. The metallic screech was deafening, and in seconds, the ends gleamed with a dangerous edge.

"A trick I learned from a blacksmith in Marius's body," he said, brandishing the makeshift spears. "Simple is often most effective."

He charged. Enid, staggering, already had her weapon in hand. Four detonations shook the air. Four silver bullets embedded themselves in Viktor's torso. He stopped, a gasp of surprise and pain escaping his lips. The advantage was hers. Enid didn't hesitate. She lunged at him, executing a combat lock that immobilized his arms and forced him to drop the pipes.

"It's over, Viktor!" she yelled, squeezing with all her strength.

Viktor struggled, but the silver bullets and the lock had him trapped. With a desperate movement, Enid managed to tear the sutures from his forehead again. The gray brain and the central eye were exposed, looking at her with a cold, ancient intelligence.

"How stubborn!" Viktor huffed, not losing his sarcasm. "But your effort is futile. Darem has the power of a demigod out there. And Fénix... Fénix is going to burn."

Enid clenched her teeth, ignoring his words, focusing only on keeping him immobilized. She knew it was the only chance. As long as she held him like this, the fate of everyone was still at stake.