Beyond the Apocalypse
Chapter 709: Running away

Chapter 709: Running away

All eyes—Korokor’s soldiers and Vorometallicae alike—turned toward the explosion. As the blinding storm of lightning and fire finally faded, the shape that emerged from the smoke sent a tremor through the battlefield.

Standing atop the charred and broken corpse of the Legendary Vorometallicae Asuru was not a towering warrior, but a small yellow cat. Its fur crackled faintly with residual electricity, and its narrow black eyes with glowing green pupils surveyed the field in eerie silence. The contrast between the beast’s size and the scale of his kill made the sight almost surreal.

For several seconds, silence reigned across the entire battlefield. Awe, shock, and a creeping sense of dread gripped every soul present. The impossible had happened—again. A member of the Depravita race had brought down a Legendary. Not just any warrior, but a champion of the Void Heart Fortress.

Yes, Asuru had been weakened—his body decaying from disease, his strength diminished, and his energy polluted—but still, there wasn’t a single Sage or Half-Step Legend who could confidently claim they could have ended him, even in that weakened state.

Jormungandr had accomplished the impossible. He stood nearby, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, his chest rising and falling as exhaustion caught up with him. That final strike had drained his energy pool to the very last drop.

Yet a wide, satisfied grin spread across his battered face.

Fang moved to the crater without delay. Without hesitation, the giant T-Rex gently lifted the small yellow cat, then opened his jaws wide and devoured Asuru’s corpse.

The next moment, Fang turned and began his slow retreat from the crater, making his way toward the edge of the Korokor Stronghold, with Jormungandr on top of his head. He did not abandon the battlefield—his eyes remained locked on the enemy in case reinforcements arrived—but it was clear: his primary concern was the small yellow cat’s safety.

No one from the Korokor army objected to his withdrawal. The small yellow cat and the T-Rex had done more than enough.

And now, with Asuru gone, the pressure lifted from the ground forces. Their assault redoubled. Without the shadow of a Legendary hanging over them, morale surged, and the slaughter intensified.

Up in the sky, Sebastian had witnessed everything. He saw the death of Asuru. He saw the tide of battle tipping against them with even greater force. Rage flared in his chest—but beneath it, carefully hidden behind clenched teeth and narrowed eyes, was fear. Real, sharp fear.

The Legendary Vorometallciae didn’t see a way out of this nightmare. His forces were falling apart, his fellow Legend had perished, and Vlad still stood—not a single wound on his body and far from defeated. The only path to survival that remained was retreat.

"But if I run... they will..." He didn’t dare finish the thought. Losing this many troops, along with a Legendary, would be a sin the higher-ups of the Void Heart Fortress would not easily forgive. Not now—not when things were already going so poorly for their side.

Unfortunately for Sebastian, there was no time left to weigh the consequences.

Vlad appeared before him like a collapsing star, his punch roaring with the power of a fractured dimension. His strike wasn’t just physical—it tore through the fabric of space itself. A hand-blade followed, slicing the air like a rift that sought to undo reality. Sebastian reeled back, barely blocking the blow.

The battle in the sky reignited, more explosive and ferocious than before. Despite their injuries, both warriors clashed with such force that the sky trembled and the land groaned beneath them. With every strike, winds howled. With every clash, lightning tore across the horizon.

More and more wounds opened across Sebastian’s body. Blood seeped from his cracked armor and flayed skin.

But then—something changed.

One of Sebastian’s claws raked across Vlad’s chest with a clean, brutal swipe. Vlad flew backward, crashing through the air like a meteor. That wasn’t new. What was new... was the wound.

It didn’t heal.

Sebastian’s eyes widened, then gleamed with renewed hope. "He’s finally out of energy! He can’t regenerate anymore!"

The realization was like light at the end of a dark tunnel. The True Depravita’s infamous regeneration had finally failed. Sebastian’s lips curled into a cruel, bloodthirsty smile.

Without hesitation, he lunged forward, pouring every remaining ounce of power into one final, all-or-nothing attack.

He appeared in front of Vlad in less than a second, claws gleaming with lethal energy, ready to shred the True Depravita into ribbons.

But just as his claws were about to land—Vlad smiled.

From his outstretched right hand, a glowing sphere manifested. It shimmered sky-blue and pulsed once before expanding into a massive domain of energy.

"A Legendary Ability!" Sebastian gasped, his eyes widening in horror.

The moment the domain expanded, the air thickened. Sebastian’s limbs felt like they were moving through solid lead. Time seemed to slow, space stretched, and his body groaned in protest.

Then—Vlad vanished.

The teleportation he used now was far beyond the quick blinks from earlier. It was instantaneous, absolute, untraceable.

Sebastian’s eyes darted in every direction.

And then—agony.

"AAAAAARRRGGHHHH!"

Two of Vlad’s hands pierced through his back like spears. The other two slashed horizontally across his wings, severing them in one brutal motion.

Sebastian screamed in pure torment as his wings, his pride and lifeblood, fell from the sky in bleeding arcs.

Vlad’s face was a mask of killing intent and merciless brutality.

And he wasn’t done.

With Sebastian immobilized, Vlad’s upper arms adopted a bladed stance, drawing power into a final, killing strike aimed for the neck.

But Sebastian wasn’t finished yet.

In the depths of his agony, his eyes flared crimson. A final surge of raw bloodline energy erupted from his core, exploding outward in a desperate pulse. The blast caught Vlad point-blank and hurled him down like a comet. He crashed into the ground, forming a crater on impact.

Seizing the moment, Sebastian turned, his face contorted in pain, rage, and desperation. His severed wings twitched uselessly, yet his body moved on pure instinct and survival.

And then—he fled.