In the shadows of the S Ranked Main character
Chapter 45: A path forward(4)

Chapter 45: A path forward(4)

The air inside the ruined village hung thick and dry, every breath Kai took scraping his throat raw.

His back ached, his shoulder burned where the last monster’s blade had grazed him, and his muscles thrummed with that familiar mix of exhaustion and adrenaline

Beside him, Kathlyn kept pace, her breaths sharp and ragged, her fists faintly glowing. Her shoulders were tight, her movements slower than before. Kai could tell Burning Heart had drained her, and she hadn’t recovered yet.

They kept moving anyway.

There wasn’t another choice.

They rounded the base of the collapsed tower, the ash crunching under their boots.

Then Kai stopped short.

His head snapped upward.

There perched at the very top of the jagged ruin, silhouetted against the flickering, unnatural light was a shape.

Thin Long-limbed.

An archer.

But not human.

Not even close.

The corpse’s flesh was stretched thin over brittle bones, the skull twisted grotesquely to one side, one empty eye socket glowing faint red. It moved with sharp, jerky precision as it raised a massive blackened bow, its hands clutching an arrow of bone.

Kai’s gut clenched.

"Kathlyn," he murmured sharply.

She followed his gaze. Her fists clenched tighter.

"Shit."

The archer drew the bowstring back

TWANG!

The arrow screamed through the air, black energy hissing off its tip.

Kai’s wings flared. Black Wing snapped open, shadowy feathers slicing the air as he launched straight upward, the projectile cutting past just below his feet. His body twisted sharply, momentum spiraling, and his clone shimmered to life beside him.

"Split!" Kai barked, already veering left as the clone shot right.

Arrows fired in rapid succession, thudding into the broken tower’s stones, piercing through old beams, shattering stone edges. The archer didn’t miss it only fired where it sensed movement, its warped head tracking every flicker like a machine.

Kai’s clone drew first blood, its blade flashing in a fast arc, cutting across the archer’s left side not deep, but enough to stagger its aim.

Kai dove, driving his curved blade upward in a hard, punishing slash aimed for the exposed ribs. His blade bit, shadow mana crackling but the creature twisted, faster than expected, kicking out with a long, skeletal leg.

CRACK!

Kai grunted as the kick slammed into his side, knocking the air out of his lungs. His body pitched sideways, but his wings caught him, dragging him into a rough spiral. He forced himself upright midair, grimacing, eyes narrowed.

The archer screeched, its ruined mouth gaping wide, and loosed another volley not one arrow now, but three, the tips pulsing with a sickly glow.

Below, Kathlyn braced, feet grinding into the ash, her fists igniting brighter.

"Go!" she shouted.

"I’ll cover you!"

Kai’s heart pounded. He knew her energy was burning too fast but they had no time to argue.

He shot upward again, weaving through the air, dodging two of the arrows the third grazed his wing, tearing through shadow, making him hiss sharply. His clone surged back in, harrying the archer from below, slashing at its legs, keeping it just slightly off-balance.

Then

BOOM!

Kathlyn launched forward, the ground cracking under her as Burning Heart ignited through every vein. She blurred up the side of the ruined tower, flames blasting from her heels as she darted along broken beams, fists driving upward.

Her punch slammed into the archer’s chest.

The impact cracked through its ribcage, snapping bone, hurling the creature back.

But it didn’t fall.

With a horrible, twitching motion, the archer righted itself midair, jamming its arrow straight down piercing Kathlyn’s shoulder.

She gasped, the sound raw and strangled.

Her fists clenched tighter, flames flickering more violently, but her legs buckled slightly. Blood splattered down her arm.

Kai’s stomach dropped.

"NO—!"

He shot forward, faster, driving his blade up under the archer’s extended arm, slicing clean through the joint. The creature howled, the limb falling limp but its head snapped toward him, empty eye flickering red, mouth splitting in a twisted grin.

It raised another arrow, this time pulling magic directly into the shot, the energy hissing louder, sharper.

Kathlyn forced herself up, coughing

Blood dripped from her mouth.

Her face twisted with fierce determination.

She roared, slamming her fists together, the last of Burning Heart surging violently outward in a wild, desperate burst. The flames detonated across the tower’s upper beams, ripping through the stone, splintering the supports.

The entire top section of the tower groaned

Then collapsed.

Kai grabbed Kathlyn, his wings folding tight as they dove away, ash and shattered stone raining down behind them. The archer screeched once, twice then was buried beneath the falling rubble, the tower’s spire crashing down in a thunderous cascade.

They hit the ground hard, Kai rolling to absorb the impact, his arms tight around her.

"Kathlyn!"

She coughed again, more blood streaking her lip, but she gave him the faintest, shaky grin.

"I... got it."

Kai’s breath trembled as he pulled her up, one arm locking around her waist.

"Yeah," he rasped, heart still hammering.

"You did."

Behind them, the dust settled, the twisted corpse pinned and unmoving under the ruins.

But Kai didn’t look back.

He only held her tighter, feeling the weight of her trembling in his arms and knowing this wasn’t the end

But that didn’t last long not long after Kai’s foot slammed on the ground pain flaring sharply through his right arm.

He gritted his teeth.

Shit.

The break was clean he’d felt it snap when the corpse’s last wild swing had caught him midair. His sword tumbled from his fingers, clattering uselessly across the dirt. He tried to flex his hand, but the arm barely responded, the bone pressing wrong under the skin.

Kathlyn was still on her feet, but barely. Her chest was heaving, one hand braced against the jagged wall beside her, the other clutching at her ribs. Blood streaked the corner of her mouth; her breath came in shallow bursts, and her legs kept buckling slightly as she tried to push herself upright.

Kai hissed a breath through clenched teeth, forcing himself to his knees.

His shadow clone flickered into being beside him — but even the clone wouldn’t last long. Not with the amount of mana he’d burned

He forced himself to look up.

The corpse archer stood across the ruined square, half-buried in rubble, but still moving.

Its ribcage had cracked in several places from Kathlyn’s last desperate blast. One arm dangled uselessly, bone snapped, hanging by strings of blackened tendon. But its remaining hand still clutched the long, warped bow, its head tilted sharply as it knocked another arrow, the tip crackling faintly with dark energy.

Kai’s pulse pounded hard in his ears.

One hit.

That was all it would take.

One arrow through Kathlyn right now, and she was done.

He staggered up, left hand trembling as he called his blade back — but his grip was wrong, sloppy, awkward without the use of his dominant arm.

He clicked his tongue sharply.

Fine.

Then they’d have to end it, here and now.

"Kathlyn!" he barked.

She looked up, blood trickling down her chin, eyes dazed but still locked on.

"On my mark!" Kai snapped. His clone darted forward, weaving through the rubble.

The archer screeched, jerking up its bow

"NOW!"

Kathlyn roared, both fists slamming together, Burning Heart igniting with a sudden violent flare. The light wasn’t controlled anymore; it wasn’t refined or sharp. It was raw, unstable, leaking off her skin in wild, spiraling bursts

Her feet tore across the ash-strewn ground, driving her forward in a mad sprint. The archer loosed its arrow, the black projectile screaming through the air

Kai’s clone took the hit.

The shadow dissolved, its form splitting apart into dark smoke.

But the distraction was enough

Kathlyn slammed into the creature with full force, her fists hammering directly into its torso, again and again, the sheer impact cratering its chest, bones cracking under the relentless strikes.

Kai, teeth gritted, raised his left hand, channeling what little mana he had left into one final Lightless Slash. The blade hissed through the air, catching the archer across the skull not cutting deep, but enough to knock its head sharply to the side, exposing the fractured neck.

Kathlyn saw the opening.

She surged upward, her final punch snapping the creature’s jaw sideways

then drove her fist straight through the exposed neck.

The archer spasmed once, twice

then collapsed, its body caving inward, black rot spreading rapidly through its bones.

Kathlyn staggered back, her knees buckling as she fell hard to the ground.

Kai half-collapsed beside her, his breath ragged, right arm hanging limp at his side.

Neither of them spoke at first.

Kai’s chest rose and fell in harsh, uneven pulls, his teeth clenched against the stabbing pain in his shoulder. He could feel the swelling already, the break sharp and clean but vicious.

Kathlyn coughed roughly, wiping blood from her mouth with a shaking hand.

"I—" she gasped softly, "...I think I’m done."

Kai let out a strained laugh, sweat dripping into his eyes.

"Yeah," he muttered, voice hoarse, "me too."

He leaned back carefully against the cracked stone wall behind them, grimacing as his broken arm throbbed.

For a long moment, they just sat there battered, bloodied, breathing, but still alive.

Kai slowly turned his head, looking over at her.

"

Kai exhaled, leaning his head back against the wall, his pulse still hammering in his ears.

Somehow, they’d survived another fight.

But even he could feel it

they were running out of time.