Fighting a Monster

Chapter 15: Fighting a Monster

Bang!

Leonard's bullet hit Ray Bieber's head and didn't stop until it went completely through. The monster, however, seemed unaffected, and grayish liquid splattered on the ground.

The liquid writhed and soon turned into cream-colored maggots, which began to move.

Ray Bieber wasn't too fast, but not as slow as William would have liked, as he lunged at Borgia. Everyone understood that his target was the chest with 2-049.

He "has lost control of his Beyonder powers." Dunn yelled, especially to the two Nighthawk rookies, who had never seen such a situation before. "Lorotta, he tries to find his weakness. He looks like a dead soul."

Lorotta nodded without hesitation and raised her hands to press her eyes. Her pupils turned colorless. She stared at the massive monster as it searched for whatever it was that held it to the world of the living.

William hesitated to bring Debris out. He cursed himself because he did not carry another sword on him, since his greatest power was reached with one.

"Darling, try to fight without me. If necessary, I'll intervene." Debris advised him, and William agreed with her.

Klein touched his glabella to activate his spirit vision, apparently trying to help Lorotta find a weak spot. Aiur Harson and Leonard Mitchell began to sing simultaneously.

An ethereal power emanated from their voices, which would put one into a relaxing sleep. The monster slowed down, trying to fight the poem's allure, but failing.

However, at that moment he opened his mouth and let out a shrill cry that only a Beyonder could hear.

William clutched his head in pain, and some blood spurted out of his nose, but he stayed on his feet. Part of a Knight's ability was to stand as a banner for the army, he couldn't fall.

Klein also managed not to fall for some reason. Leonard and Aiur, on the other hand, practically passed out on the spot, blood pouring from their mouths, noses, and eyes.

The three Sequence 7s only slightly paled and took a couple of steps back. Borgia tried to fire, but no damage was done.

Bam!

A blow sent Borgia flying, his revolver falling to the ground. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't. The monster jumped back at the chest, but Aiur shot at it, moving it enough to prevent Ray Bieber from grabbing it.

Unfortunately, the chest cracked a bit as a result, and the internal knocks intensified.

"I found it." Lorotta's voice came as a Christmas present to everyone. "I need you to control it for at least three seconds."

"Good." Dunn closed his eyes and seemed to fall asleep.

The madness seemed to fade from the monster's eyes. His eyelids also began to close. Dunn's body trembled, and it seemed as if he had snakes under his skin, writhing.

Lorotta did not stop and ran. He propped himself up on one hand as he raised a clenched fist, punching the monster's groin mercilessly.

Having seen the supposed weak point, even if William believed that weak point to be general to any man, monster or not, he too moved.

Lorotta did not stop at his barrage of attacks. He threw a punch, this time with more force. Her fist dug into the monster's body, and she soon pulled out its intestine along with a notebook.

William was faster than Lorotta. She had seen how the monster was about to let out another scream, this time probably at full power. William jumped high enough to win an award for it and, with the momentum, landed a hook on Ray Bieber's jaw. The blow prevented the monster from screaming again.

"Everybody down!" Aiur Harson hurriedly shouted.

They watched as the monster suddenly swelled up. A second later, it exploded, and everyone was sent flying.

Dunn and Lorotta were knocked out about forty feet from their original position. Aiur Harson, Borgia, and Leonard Mitchell were also on the ground, but they were groaning in pain, trying to get to their feet.

Klein barely stood on both legs, battling a terrible headache. William, on the other hand, was sent more than twenty meters and collided with the stacked boxes.

Klein was about to relax when an object landed less than three meters from him. It was the chest with 2-049.

"Shit!"

He tried to jump in the opposite direction to escape the range, but just then his thoughts began to slow down.

Panic appeared in his mind. They had all been shot down and they would not be able to wake him up in time. Without further ideas, he moved his body with great difficulty.

He took a step counterclockwise. He inwardly recited a chant.

'The Immortal... Lord of... Heaven and Earth... for Blessings...' Even his thoughts were slow, but it didn't stop him from completing the ritual.

'The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth for Blessings;'

'The Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth for Blessings;'

'The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings.'

In the end, his thoughts were so slow that he seemed about to disappear, but a series of chaotic murmurs filled him. An endless gray mist appeared before him.

In the real world, a certain clown in a suit approached the unconscious Klein under an illusion. 2-049 had stopped all of his attempts to turn the Seer into a puppet.

At that moment, a horrible pressure descended on the place. The few Nighthawks that remained awake lost consciousness, unable to resist due to their injuries.

The clown did not notice this and spoke directly to Klein.

"Do you want me to wake you up? You can save yourself as long as you promise me one thing." Klein did not move. "I need you to help me grab the Antigonus Family Notebook. Nod if you agree, I know you can still..."

He couldn't finish his speech. His Clown instincts warned him to duck.

He didn't see anything, but he knew that he had avoided the danger. Beside him, William stood, more intimidating than ever.

He placed his hands as if he was holding a sword, but to the clown, it looked like he was holding air.