Ester plunged into the market proper, but it was a ghost of its

  earlier self. The only sounds that could be heard were the patting of

  her shoes and the panting of her breath. The smell of smoke getting

  closer. She turned right before spotting figures in the distance.

  She found Saphy, Ezekiel and Kris all crouching behind a stall as

  they watched Lin Hua standing with her back to them, crouching in a

  fighter’s stance with two fans, pink with accents of gold. Her

  skirt slightly torn.

  “We shouldn’t be here…” Ester whispered, glancing from Lin

  Hua to the group. She grabbed Saphy’s arm but she didn’t budge.

  They were all fixed on whatever Lin Hua was facing.

  “I’m not going anywhere…” Ezekiel mumbled.

  “Huh?!” Ester turned her attention to the boy with a shockingly

  stern expression. “Why-”

  Ezekiel pointed towards the blazing fire in front of Lin Hua, where

  two silhouettes with crooked heads became more and more visible, one

  of the figures’ right arm non-existent. Ester squinted.

  “Isn’t that…?”

  “The same guy we saw on our way here?” Kris muttered. “I think

  so.”

  “...But he looks so different.” Ester whispered. “...Why are

  there two of them?”

  The figures were grey and malformed, however the figure with both

  arms looked even worse, greyer, more animalistic. They watched as the

  figure without a right arm grew it back in a horrific way. A hand

  clawing out of the socket of its arm and it snarled in pain.

  “Ugh...” Saphy turned her head. “Can a Synchrite do that?”

  Her voice was shaky to which Ezekiel and Kris shook their heads

  slowly.

  “Not a Synchrite...” Kris noted, “Not a Flo beast either…”

  He muttered something about how it was similar to a report in Leria.

  They watched as it studied its new hand before slowly looking at the

  woman in front of him. It stuck out its hand and with such speed, the

  hand contorted and stretched, trying to grab Lin Hua. Faster than the

  Zero Stars could even process, Lin Hua reacted, countering the strike

  with one flick of her arm. It tried again with the other hand, but

  Lin Hua was one step ahead. Already closing the distance between

  them, dodging its second strike and appearing in front of the thing.

  All that the Zero Stars could see was a flash of light and Lin Hua’s

  arm raised outwards before the man’s head was separated from its

  body. It staggered to its knees before collapsing. The other one

  turned too late. Lin Hua had already contorted her body into a swift

  spin, striking at its neck. She didn’t waste any time roundhouse

  kicking its head a few feet in front of the stall the Zero Stars

  sought shelter at. It took a few moments before Lin Hua exhaled

  deeply.

  “So cool…” Saphy said in awe. Ester agreed. Is that what a

  Synchrite was capable of..? Of what even she could do? And she was

  just a second star, how strong was someone like Markos or even Jacen

  the Slayer?

  “Is it over?” Ester turned to Zeek and Kris who were still quiet,

  watching with a grimace.

  One of the heads let out a gurgled scream as the neck stump bubbled,

  skin stretching before legs erupted through. They kicked and

  thrashed, heels scraping against the ground as they fought for

  stability. Then came arms, bursting through with sickening sounds,

  fingers clawing at nothing before slamming into the ground. The limbs

  pushed and strained while the heads widened unnaturally as something

  forced its way through. A torso emerged inch by inch.

  “What the hell…” Ezekiel muttered to himself.

  The headless bodies began convulsing and shaking as the neck area

  swelled and inflated. A skull emerged, grey gooey flesh instantly

  wrapping it as eyeballs fell into place.

  Both sets of bodies staggered to their feet. In mere moments, Lin

  Hua’s enemies had doubled.

  They began circling her, each one snarling and growling as they did.

  One by one, they began taking turns attacking her. She. However,

  would evade each strike as swiftly as breathing. As far as the Zero

  Stars could tell, they were nothing to Lin Hua.

  “What’s her plan?” Saphy whispered. “I mean, she can’t keep

  dodging, right?”

  “I’m not sure but I think she’s trying to think of a plan.”

  Kris muttered.

  “If cutting their heads didn’t work…” Saphy replied.

  In that moment, one of the monsters, the one that had been the

  closet, stopped and slowly turned its head towards the sounds of

  voices.

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  “Shh!” Ester hissed. Immediately they all dove behind the stall,

  all except Zeek who was intently watching the battle. Kris had to

  pull him down. Backs pressed against the stall, their breaths were

  heavy.

  “You guys are crazy.” Ester hissed. “We shouldn’t even

  here,” She turned to Saphy who just stared at the ground. “I

  would have expected this from...,” She gestured

  frantically at Ezekiel who was still quiet. “But you?”

  Saphy was about to say something, but pursed her lips. She was being

  unreasonably impulsive. Ester sighed.

  “...What do we do now?”

  “We need to help her.” Ezekiel said flatly.

  Ester’s head snapped between Ezekiel and Kris with a what did he

  just say? Expression.

  “...What do you propose?” Kris replied.

  She wanted to rip her hair out. She felt like she was going

  insane...like she was the unreasonable one. What on earth could they

  possibly do..? Unless...he meant…?

  Ezekiel looked up at the sky, “I’m gonna summon the storm.” He

  decided, facing them with a stern expression. “If slicing doesn’t

  work...maybe vaporising will.”

  Saphy turned to look at him in bewilderment. “You could barely

  manage one the last time...How’d you know it’ll work this time?”

  Kris nodded in agreement.

  He made a face before closing his eyes, resting his hands together in

  a meditation pose.

  “Just cover me.”

  They all stared at each other before Kris slowly peeked over the

  stall. He immediately shot back down, his face pale.

  “...It’s still looking this way.”

  “Yeah, because your head sticks out like a sore thumb,” Ezekiel

  muttered, eyes closed.

  Kris peeked again, then ducked. “It’s...it’s walking toward

  us.”

  Thunder growled above them. A single dark cloud was forming in the

  night sky, swirling and thickening.

  “Zeek…” Saphy started.

  “Almost...there,” He hissed through gritted teeth.

  And so was the monster. Growls could be heard and the sound of

  footsteps were getting closer, their rhythm unnatural. Ester looked

  under the stall and she saw it just a few meters away, twitching

  towards them. She flipped back up.

  The storm cloud was rumbling, so much so that both Lin Hua and the

  monsters temporarily looked up in confusion.

  “EZEKIEL…!? Ester pressed.

  “PLEASE..!” Saphy pleaded.

  “COME ON..! Kris urged.

  Ezekiel strained and groaned until his bloodshot eyes flew back open,

  swiping the blood trickling from his nose with his sleeve. He jumped

  to his feet, turning to point at the monster. It fixed its glowing

  green eyes back on him. He gave it a cocky, crooked smile, blood

  still dripping from his nose.

  “Thunder.”

  Immediately a torrent of blue lightning bolted from the thundercloud,

  striking down and encasing the monster where it stood. Petrified

  wails could be heard and then the sound of sizzling. Ezekiel swung

  his arm toward a second one.

  “Thunder.”

  Another strike. This time he staggered legs buckling slightly.

  “Thunder!”

  A third monster was hit by his lightning. It seized. Blood poured

  faster from his nose, his blue eyes fully bloodshot. He weakly

  pointed a finger to the last one, his breath ragged.

  “Wait Zeek...You’re pushing yourself too much!” Kris pleaded.

  “...THUNDER!”

  His final bolt struck. Ezekiel stumbled backwards before they all

  tried to catch him. Because they were all uncoordinated, they ended

  up piling on each other. He breathed ragged, heavily.

  “...You guys… He gasped. “You...guys...suck…” He listened

  for a moment, unable to move. “...Did that work?”

  Ester scrambled out of the pile and peeked around the corner of the

  stall. The monsters’ flesh was charred and singed, twitching.

  Unable to move, but they didn’t fall.

  Ester turned back to the others shaking her head.

  “They’re still alive…”

  Kris and Saphy both scrambled over each other to check, paused, then

  slumped back down just as quickly.

  “But they’ve been damaged, right?” Kris pressed. “They’re

  not moving.”

  Saphy turned back to Ezekiel who lay as still as a statue.

  “...I don’t suppose you can generate another thunderbolt?”

  Ezekiel just laughed.

  “Look up.” The storm cloud that was just brewing was already

  dissipating. Unswirling back and blending into the night sky.

  “I can’t...move.” He said hoarsely.

  “Great.” Ester muttered to Kris. “Your friend is a lunatic.”

  But even if they didn’t say it aloud, they had a new found respect

  for the boy, even though he cackled to himself.

  In that moment, a crash could be heard on top of the stall. Looking

  up carefully, they found Lin Hua squatting above them with a wide

  expression, scanning each face.

  “What are you-” She did a double-take on the boy who appeared

  incapacitated, breathing heavily, eyes closed. “Did the lightning

  come from him?”

  They nodded frantically.

  “Who else...could it have been?” He struggled between each breath

  with a smile. She was quiet for a second before breaking into a

  silent smirk. “...damn brat.”

  She stood up, turning back to the monsters who ever so slowly began

  regaining a greenish colour, to Ezekiel’s exhausted form. A slow,

  heavy sigh escaped her. “...I suppose I should finish this now.”

  They all looked at her, the same question floating in their minds.

  She paused then turned to them and then finally to Ezekiel.

  “Ezekiel.” Her voice was loud and firm. “I commend your

  bravery, to not only put your life on the line to help your friends,

  but also your senior...All four of your efforts won’t go in vain. I

  swear it on the Pride of the HoS and as a third year.”

  She turned back around, closing her eyes for a few moments, raising a

  closed fan.

  “Sing, Utahime.” She whispered. At first nothing happened, and

  then she turned her head to face the Zero Stars.

  “You made a good conjure, for a Zero Star.” She remarked. “Here’s

  my rebuttal.”

  The earth began tremoring and shaking and then a cry could be heard.

  The sky tore open, filling light into the darkness of the

  Marketplace. A beautiful giant koi fish, as if coming from the

  heavens itself, appeared into existence. The koi hung in the air,

  impossibly massive, it bathed in radiant ethereal light. The

  monsters, despite their inhuman nature, seemed to hesitate.

  Lin Hua’s fans snapped open in unison, crossed across her body

  revealing intricate patterns that seemed to shine in the koi’s

  light.

  “In one minute,” She said, her eyes shining with golden light,

  her voice carrying unspeakable amounts of confidence. “You’ll

  witness a massacre.”