Mad Hatter's Guide to Clearing The Game
Chapter 113: Ch111. Three against two

Chapter 113: Ch111. Three against two

The air in The Maw was thick, pressing against Miles like a weighted cloak, suffocating yet electric as the three Revenants lunged at him again. His grip on the [Harbinger’s Scythe] tightened as his [Doppelganger] charged forward, without waiting for Miles’ direct command.

Before he could even process it, two of the three creatures were upon him.

Miles barely twisted in time to dodge the strikes, the Revenants’ elongated claws scraping against the rusted debris where he had stood moments ago. The impact sent a shockwave through the unstable terrain, dislodging jagged slabs of metal and shattered bone.

’Shit, fuck, shit, fuck, shit!’

Miles moved, leaping backward as the creatures swiped again. He had fought fast Revenants before, but the intent behind their attacks was different.

’It’s like that thing I fought before in the hidden chamber, but worse...’

If one was already hard to keep up with, two was crazy. But there were three of them, and it was only thanks to his [Doppelganger] that he was not fighting all of them at once.

The [Doppelganger] moved like Miles, with seamless precision, slashing at the Revenant’s limbs with swift strikes that sent arcs of dark blood spraying into the air. But it was not enough.

The other two kept coming at Miles, their hollow eyes glowing with the same sinister intelligence, their attacks faster and sharper than before.

Miles’ breath came in ragged gasps as he danced around the Revenants’ slashing claws. His muscles burned with exhaustion, but the adrenaline kept him sharp, moving. His [Doppelganger] was doing its best to hold off one of the Revenants, but the other two were closing in on Miles with relentless speed and killing intent.

He twisted sideways, ducking under a swipe that would’ve torn his head clean off, and used the momentum to launch himself into a roll. His boots scraped against the rough ground as he came to his feet just in time to parry a strike from the second Revenant with the scythe’s blade. The force of the blow sent him skidding back, his feet digging into the unstable terrain.

"You got to be fucking kidding me!" He grunted, wiping the sweat from his brow. The whispers around him were growing louder, pressing against his mind, their voices becoming more insistent, more desperate.

"... We... want... more..."

Miles gritted his teeth. He could not afford to lose focus, not now.

Not when there were three of these creatures gunning for him, each more lethal than the last. The [Doppelganger] was holding its own, but there was only so much it could do when the numbers were stacked against them.

The first Revenant lunged, its claws coming down in a savage arc, aiming straight for his torso. Miles swung his scythe to intercept, but the sheer power behind the strike sent him sprawling to the ground. He barely caught himself with one hand before the second Revenant was on him, its jaws snapping just inches from his face.

His heart raced. There was no room to breathe. No room to think.

There was only the fight.

Miles kicked out, his boot connecting with the second Revenant’s enormous knee. The creature staggered back, howling in pain, but it was not enough. Another Revenant was already behind him, claws raised high.

"Not today..." He muttered under his breath. With a flash of desperation, he thrust his scythe forward in a wide arc, using all his strength to batter the attacking Revenant back. The impact broke its balance, but not enough.

And then, an explosion of pain as the third Revenant raked its claws across his side. Blood poured from the gash, splattering onto the ground as the force of the strike sent him flying back.

"Fuck!" Miles shouted, struggling to regain control. The world spun around him, his vision blurring for a second before he snapped back to reality. His breathing came in shallow gasps as he tried to push himself back up, but his body felt like lead.

His scythe flew out of reach.

The whispers roared in his ears now, a cacophony of voices pleading, demanding something he could not understand.

"... Deeper... Come deeper..."

The Revenants loomed over him, their towering forms blocking out what little light there was. Miles tried to summon the strength to move, but the pain in his side made it nearly impossible to breathe.

"Damn it, get up!" He roared to himself, his fists pounding the ground in frustration. He had fought worse than this. He had fought things that should’ve killed him dozens of times before. But this... This was different. The Maw was different.

And it was toying with him.

’No. It’s not different.’ Miles thought to himself in the blink of an eye.

It was not different.

Not after Kurt had him go through hell and back with his training. Three Revenants? What a joke!

Miles huffed, panting heavily, and rolled sideways as soon as the three clawed hands reached him. He felt the small flame inside him roaring, ready to become a wild fire. Ready to feed on Miles’ resistance, on his infuriated resilience.

And he let it.

Miles let that small flame grow, until it became a roaring, surging fire that set his mind and soul ablaze.

The Revenants stepped forward, their jaws snapping, claws glinting in the dim light. It would only take one more hit. One more strike, and it would all be over.

His hand brushed against the ground, and something cold and sharp wrapped around his fingers. His scythe, but it was not his scythe.

It was black as obsidian, but did not glint in the dim light. It was his [Doppelganger]’s shadow scythe, and Miles grabbed it with everything he had.

With a roar, Miles pushed himself up with every last ounce of strength, swinging the scythe in a wide arc, his body moving faster than his mind could process, the pain and exhaustion having turned into simple white noise in the back of his head.

The first Revenant’s head was cleaved clean off in a single, fluid motion, and the second one stumbled back, its form split open by the force of the strike. But it was not enough. Not yet.

The third Revenant came at him with a shriek, claws raised to finish him off. Miles barely had time to react before the creature was on him, its claw swiping down, but this time, he was ready. He caught its arm with the haft of the scythe, twisting his body as he ducked under the attack.

With one fluid motion, he raised the scythe again and drove it into the creature’s chest. It screeched, the sound shaking his bones, but Miles did not stop. He wrenched the blade free and struck again, slashing through the creature’s throat.

At the same time, another blade appeared from the Revenant’s back. This one glinting in the dim light, and Miles understood it as soon as his enemy collapsed at his feet.

His [Doppelganger] had taken the [Harbinger’s Scythe] and used it against the Revenant, and for a moment, there was silence.

Miles stood there, his chest heaving, blood dripping from his side. The pain was almost unbearable, but it was the least of his concerns. He could not stop now. He had to finish this.

And then, the ground beneath him trembled.

The Maw was alive.

The whispers came again, louder, closer, almost a physical presence pressing in on him.

"... More..."

A deep rumble echoed through the wreckage as the earth split open in front of him, the ground buckling as a massive figure emerged from the shadows. This one was different. It was larger, even more grotesque than the Revenants he had fought. Its form was a monstrous amalgamation of flesh, bone, and rusted metal, its head crowned with jagged horns that scraped against the ceiling of The Maw.

It was the one. Miles was sure of it, even though it looked different, stronger, fiercer.

It loomed over him, its eyes glinting with a malevolent intelligence. Miles felt a sickening twist in his gut as the whispers grew louder, their demands more urgent.

"... Come deeper..."

The Maw was calling to him.

His mind raced, adrenaline pumping through his veins as his [Doppelganger] stood beside him, ready for the next battle.

"No."

If that Revenant had appeared before him out of its own volition, Miles had no business going any deeper into The Maw.

Not yet, at least.

"Maybe some other time." He grinned. "Now, it’s just you and us."

For a brief moment, Miles felt something stir deep within him. Something primal. Something hungry.

"Let’s do this." He muttered to his [Doppelganger] under his breath.

He did not know how, but he knew that his second shadow, the [Doppelganger] was grinning just as savagely as he was.

It was all or nothing now.