Realm Lord-Chapter 186: We All Make It

The three warriors sprinted forward as one, their feet pounding against the muddy ground as they raced through the narrow corridor of darkness. Creatures lunged at them from both sides, but the combination of blindness and electrical disruption made their attacks wild and uncoordinated.

Arthur’s odachi flashed through the air in desperate swings, cutting down anything that managed to get too close. His shadow powers were completely exhausted now, the corridor of darkness already beginning to dissipate as his energy reserves hit rock bottom. Each step felt like running through molasses, his muscles screaming in protest with every movement.

Cara ran beside him, her light flickering weakly as she struggled to maintain even basic illumination. She had used too much power in the massive flash, and now she was paying the price. Her luminous sword had dimmed to barely more than a glowing ember, but she held it ready nonetheless.

Aziel brought up the rear, his spear work focused on preventing the creatures from closing the gap behind them. His lightning attacks had been reduced to sporadic sparks, but he used what little energy remained to keep their pursuers at bay.

"How much farther?" Arthur gasped, his lungs burning with each breath.

"I can see it!" Cara replied, pointing ahead through the darkness. "The car! It’s about two hundred meters!"

Two hundred meters. It might as well have been two hundred miles. Arthur’s legs felt like they were made of rubber, and his vision was starting to blur from exhaustion. The corridor of darkness was collapsing now, and creatures were beginning to close in from both sides.

Myah’s arrows continued to rain down around them, each impact buying them precious seconds as they fought their way through the horde. But even her seemingly endless supply of ammunition had limits, and Arthur could tell that her rate of fire was slowing.

A creature wearing the remnants of a firefighter’s gear lunged at Arthur from the left, its helmet cracked and its face a mask of decay. Arthur barely managed to get his blade up in time, the impact sending shock waves up through his arms. The creature’s weight bore him backward, and for a moment, he thought he might go down.

But Cara was there, her dimmed blade slicing through the creature’s skull with surgical precision. "Stay with me!" she shouted over the chaos. "We’re almost there!"

The armored vehicle was visible now, its bulk a welcome sight in the darkness. Arthur could see Myah’s silhouette on the roof, her bow drawn and ready to provide covering fire for their final approach. The distance seemed to shrink with each desperate step, but the creatures were closing in from all sides.

"Thirty meters!" Cara called out, her voice cracking with strain.

A pack of creatures cut in directly ahead of them, cutting off their direct path to the vehicle. These were different from the others—faster, more coordinated, as if they retained some spark of tactical intelligence. They moved with purpose, spreading out to create a barrier between the warriors and their salvation.

"New plan!" Aziel shouted, his spear crackling with what little electrical energy he had left. "We go through them!"

Arthur nodded grimly, raising his odachi despite the burning pain in his arms. This was it—the final push. Either they would make it to the car, or they would die trying. There was no middle ground, no room for hesitation.

The creatures ahead of them prepared to charge, their hollow eyes reflecting the dim light of Cara’s flickering blade. Behind them, the main horde was closing fast, their collective moaning creating a sound like distant thunder.

"Twenty meters!" Cara’s voice was barely a whisper now, her strength nearly gone.

Arthur could see the details of the car now—the heavy armor plating, the reinforced doors, the familiar bulk that represented safety and escape. Myha was moving on the roof, repositioning herself to provide the best possible covering fire for their final approach.

"Ten meters!"

The creatures between them and the vehicle began to charge, their movements surprisingly coordinated for beings that were supposed to be mindless. Arthur raised his blade, gathering the last of his strength for one final effort.

This was it. This was their moment. Success or death—there would be no second chances.

The gap between them and the car seemed to stretch like an eternity, but Arthur could feel it closing with each pounding heartbeat. Just a few more steps. Just a few more seconds.

They were almost there.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Arthur’s feet pounded against the muddy ground, each step bringing him closer to salvation or doom. The creatures blocking their path to the vehicle had spread out in a defensive line, their decaying faces twisted with that same hollow hunger that had haunted his nightmares since this battle began. Behind them, the main horde was closing fast, their collective moaning growing louder with each passing second.

"Now or never!" Cara’s voice cracked with exhaustion, but her determination burned brighter than ever. Her luminous blade, though dimmed to barely more than a flickering candle, still held enough power for one final strike.

Arthur’s odachi felt impossibly heavy in his hands, the weight of the weapon seeming to multiply with each heartbeat. His shadow powers were completely depleted, leaving him with nothing but his own human strength and the razor-sharp edge of his blade. But sometimes, human determination was more powerful than any supernatural ability.

The first creature in their path lunged forward with surprising speed, its arms outstretched and its mouth gaping wide in a silent scream. Arthur met its charge head-on, his blade slicing through the air in a desperate arc. The steel bit deep into the creature’s skull, splitting it open like an overripe fruit. Dark fluid splashed across Arthur’s face, but he didn’t have time to wipe it away.

Cara was beside him instantly, her dimmed blade finding the throat of another creature with surgical precision. Despite her exhaustion, her movements were still fluid and controlled, each strike economical and deadly. "Keep moving!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the chaos.

Aziel’s spear crackled with the last dregs of his electrical power as he engaged two creatures simultaneously. The lightning was weak now, more like static electricity than the devastating bolts he had wielded earlier, but it was enough to disrupt the creatures’ coordination. His spear point found the eye socket of the first creature, punching through to the brain beyond. The second creature’s claws raked across his shoulder, tearing through his shirt and leaving bloody furrows in his skin.

"Aziel!" Cara’s voice was sharp with alarm, but he was already moving, spinning his spear in a tight circle that caught the creature under the chin and drove upward through its skull.

"I’m fine!" he gasped, though the blood streaming down his arm suggested otherwise. "Just keep moving!"

The gap between them and the vehicle was closing rapidly now. Arthur could see Myah clearly on the roof, her bow drawn and ready. She had positioned herself to provide covering fire, but she was being careful with her shots—with the three warriors so close to the creatures, there was a real risk of friendly fire.

"Duck!" Myah’s voice carried across the battlefield, and all three warriors dropped to the ground instinctively. A massive arrow whistled over their heads, striking a creature that had been attempting to flank them from the right. The impact was devastating, tearing the creature’s torso completely apart in a shower of dark matter.

Arthur rolled back to his feet, his muscles screaming in protest. The vehicle was so close now he could see the scratch marks on its armored hull, the reinforced tires, the heavy doors that promised safety and escape. But between them and that salvation stood three more creatures, their forms silhouetted against the dim light emanating from the vehicle’s interior.

"Together!" Cara shouted, raising her flickering blade one final time.

The three warriors charged as one, their weapons flashing in the darkness as they crashed into the remaining creatures. Arthur’s odachi took the head off a creature wearing the tattered remains of a business suit, while Cara’s blade pierced the skull of what had once been a construction worker. Aziel’s spear found the third creature’s brain through its eye socket, the weak electrical discharge finally snuffing out its unnatural life.

"The door!" Cara pointed toward the vehicle’s rear entrance, which was already beginning to open. Myah had climbed down from the roof and was working the heavy locks from the inside, her face visible through the reinforced glass window.

Arthur’s legs felt like they were made of lead as he stumbled toward the vehicle. Behind them, the main horde was only seconds away, their shambling forms creating a wall of death that seemed to stretch across the entire landscape. The sound of their approach was like distant thunder, growing louder with each passing moment.

"Come on, come on!" Myha’s voice was muffled by the armored door, but her urgency was clear. The heavy portal swung open with a mechanical groan, revealing the dimly lit interior of their mobile fortress.

Cara reached the vehicle first, her exhausted form collapsing against the door frame as she hauled herself up into the interior. Arthur was right behind her, his hands gripping the metal rungs as he pulled himself up with the last of his strength. His muscles felt like they were on fire, every movement sending waves of agony through his overtaxed body.

"Aziel!" Cara’s voice was sharp with alarm as she looked back toward their companion.

Arthur spun around to see Aziel stumbling, his wounded shoulder causing him to lose his balance. The bleeding had worsened during their sprint, and his face was pale with blood loss. Behind him, the first creatures of the main horde were already reaching the vehicle, their clawed hands scraping against the armored hull.

"I’m not going to make it," Aziel said quietly, his voice filled with grim acceptance. He raised his spear, preparing to make a final stand.

"The hell you’re not!" Arthur’s voice was hoarse with exhaustion, but his determination was absolute. He started to climb back down from the vehicle, his odachi still gripped tightly in his hand.

"Arthur, no!" Cara grabbed his arm, her grip surprisingly strong despite her exhaustion. "You can’t—"

"I’m not leaving him!" Arthur’s eyes blazed with fierce loyalty as he shook off her grip. "We all make it, or none of us do!"

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