Chapter 99: The Wound That Didn’t Heal

The metal door buckled inward. Something massive slammed into it again, tearing the frame loose and sending the door crashing across the rooftop. Dust billowed through the opening. A huge creature emerged from the darkness. Dark, armor-like scales covered its body. Vertical pupils locked onto Ethan the instant it appeared. The Blackscale Drake.

The last time he had seen it, the creature had been badly hurt. The Tyrannosaurus Rex had torn off one of its legs, leaving it bleeding and barely able to move. Now that leg had grown back. The new limb was slightly paler than the surrounding scales, and its movements lacked some of the original’s fluidity, but it was strong enough to hold the enormous body. More important, the hatred in its eyes was unmistakable. It remembered him. It remembered the extraterrestrial life crystal he had taken from the Museum. And it had finally caught up.

“Roar!”

The Drake lunged. Its claws struck the rooftop hard enough to crack the concrete. Ethan threw himself sideways as the jaws snapped shut where his upper body had been a moment earlier. The sound of teeth grinding sent a chill down his spine. He retaliated at once. He raised his hand and unleashed Spatial Cut. An invisible blade tore the air and struck the Drake’s shoulder. A sharp metallic impact rang across the roof. His eyes widened. The attack had barely left a mark. A thin white line appeared across the scales. The skin beneath stayed intact.

What the hell? Before he could launch another strike, the Drake twisted its massive body and swept its tail across the rooftop. He crossed his arms and activated Spatial Cut again, aiming to intercept the blow. The force of the collision nearly tore him off his feet. He was thrown backward, boots scraping the concrete. Pain shot through his hands. The webbing between his thumb and index finger began to throb. He managed to steady himself just before he reached the broken railing. Below him the street was several floors down. One careless step would send him over.

The Drake did not give him time to recover. It charged again. He sidestepped the first claw, ducked the second, and unleashed another Spatial Cut toward its neck. The attack hit the same thick scales. Another white mark. Nothing more. The creature swung its head toward him, jaws opening wide enough to take his torso. He threw himself aside. Teeth snapped shut inches from his shoulder, and the force of the movement sent a blast of foul-smelling air across his face. He countered with another Spatial Cut, targeting the less protected flesh around its mouth. This time the strike drew a thin line of dark blood.

The Drake roared in fury. Its tail slammed into his side before he could retreat. Pain exploded through his ribs. He crashed into a concrete pillar, and a sharp breath left his lungs. For several seconds he could do nothing but fight for air. The Drake turned toward him. Its vertical pupils narrowed. Then it advanced, step by deliberate step, as if it knew its prey could no longer run.

He forced himself upright. His mind raced through the options. Space Fissure was gone. He had already used all five daily activations. Spatial Cut could mark the creature, but not deep enough to stop it. Teleportation was useless while the surrounding space stayed sealed, and the Drake’s own interference made entering the Survival Space too risky. Even Time Stop was unlikely to save him. One second would give him barely enough time to move, not enough to escape a creature that had already blocked his spatial abilities. The options were shrinking.

The Drake suddenly accelerated. He raised his arm and unleashed another Spatial Cut, aiming for its face. The creature jerked its head aside. Its claw swept across his back. Pain tore through him. He stumbled forward, feeling warm blood spread under his shirt. He barely managed to turn before the next strike came crashing down. He rolled across the concrete. The claws shattered the spot where he had been lying and sent fragments of stone flying. He scrambled to his feet, breathing hard.

This won’t work. He could not win a battle of attrition against a creature whose defenses were stronger than before. Every exchange left him more exhausted. The Drake showed no sign of slowing. Another attack came. He dodged, but his injured side failed him. The claws caught his shoulder and flung him across the rooftop. He struck the ground hard. For a moment his vision blurred. The wind howled around him, and the sound of the Drake’s approaching footsteps seemed unnaturally loud. He planted one hand on the ground and tried to rise. His muscles trembled.

Is this really where I die? He had survived the early days of the apocalypse, gathered supplies, awakened powerful abilities, and built a refuge that could protect several people. He had even stolen a treasure from under the nose of a King-rank creature. Now, after all of that, he was about to die on a rooftop because he had underestimated how quickly the Drake could recover. The creature raised its claw. He braced himself.

A golden blur tore through the air. A powerful gust swept the rooftop. Before the Drake could bring the claw down, a bone blade struck its neck. The impact produced a sharp, grating sound. Then the blade bit into exposed flesh.

“ROOOAR!”

The Blackscale Drake screamed. Black blood sprayed across the concrete as the wound split open, tearing through the scar tissue the Tyrannosaurus Rex had left earlier. The creature recoiled, thrashing its head. Ethan stared in disbelief. Kate Kasen had returned. Her golden wings spread behind her, holding her above the rooftop. She held the bone blade ready, scarlet eyes fixed on the Drake. She had struck the exact spot where the rex had bitten it. The scales there had not fully regenerated, leaving the wound vulnerable. She had not wasted the opening.

The Drake stumbled backward, its roar changing into a furious, pained growl. It tried to turn toward her, but she was already moving. She swept around its head and slashed again. The bone blade hit the damaged section of its neck and forced the creature to recoil. Black blood dripped down its scales. For the first time since the fight began, the Drake looked genuinely threatened. It lunged at Kate, jaws snapping shut around empty air as she climbed beyond its reach. She folded her wings and dived again. Her blade flashed. The Drake twisted violently, narrowly avoiding another strike to the neck. Its tail swept the rooftop, smashing through the remains of the railing and sending broken metal tumbling into the street below.

Kate rose sharply. The tail missed her by inches. She circled back, forcing the Drake to turn its head and expose the old wound once more. Then she attacked. The bone blade carved through the damaged flesh, and the Drake let out another furious scream. It had already taken too much damage. The missing leg had only recently grown back, and the earlier fight with the rex had left other wounds that had not finished healing. Against a fresh opponent it might have overwhelmed her. Against this assault it was struggling to defend itself.

The Drake finally abandoned its attack on Ethan. With a furious roar it charged toward the stairwell. Kate pursued, slashing at its back whenever she could reach it. The creature crashed through the doorway and thundered down the stairs, leaving shattered concrete and broken metal behind. She followed for several seconds, driving it farther down the building. Then the Drake disappeared from sight. She hovered above the stairwell, listening. Only when the heavy footsteps began to fade did she stop.

The rooftop fell quiet. Ethan remained on the ground, breathing hard, one hand pressed against his injured side. Kate returned to him. Her gaze swept over his bloodied clothes before it settled on his face. The wind moved her golden hair. The distant roars of the two Kings still rolled across the city, and for a moment neither of them spoke. He was alive. The Drake was gone, for now. And the space around the building was still sealed.

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!