Rhett barely had ti to breathe as Carrion’s cleaver ca crashing down again, the force of it sending a jolt through his entire body as he raised his weapon to block. The impact drove his feet deeper into the ground, his arms trembling from the strain, and before he could even reset his stance, Carrion was already moving again, relentless, unyielding, like a storm that refused to pass.
"Focus," Carrion said in that low, hollow voice, stepping forward with another crushing swing.
Rhett gritted his teeth and forced the blade aside, twisting his body just enough to avoid taking the full weight of the strike. "You just don’t know when to stop, do you?" he shot back, but his voice was tighter now, strained.
He tried to create distance, just a step, just enough to breathe. But Carrion didn’t allow it.
Every ti Rhett shifted, Carrion closed in. Every opening he tried to make was shut down imdiately, as if the undead knight could read his movents before he even made them.
Then, Rhett’s eyes flicked to the side.
Just for a second.
And that was all it took.
Not far from him, Lira was fighting. No, struggling.
Two body tempering undead had cornered her, their movents heavier, stronger than anything she had faced before. One slamd into her guard, forcing her back, while the other circled, waiting for the smallest mistake.
"Back off!" Lira snapped, her voice sharp but already losing strength.
She slashed forward, her blade cutting across one of the undead, but it didn’t stop.
Didn’t even hesitate.
The second one lunged from the side.
CLANG!
She barely blocked in ti, but the force of it sent her stumbling, her footing slipping on the blood-soaked ground.
"Damn it—!"
"Lira—!"
Rhett’s voice broke through the chaos as he saw it clearly now.
She was losing.
He pushed forward instinctively, forcing Carrion back half a step for the first ti.
"I said, move!"
His muscles bulging as he tried to break away, but Carrion’s cleaver ca down again, cutting off his path completely.
BOOM.
Rhett was forced to stop, his weapon raised just in ti to block.
"...You’re not going anywhere," Carrion said, his voice as steady as ever.
Rhett’s grip tightened, his eyes burning now.
"Get out of my way!"
He swung harder this ti, faster, trying to force an opening, but Carrion t him head-on.
Again.
And again.
Each clash pushed him back, keeping him locked in place.
"Rhett—!"
Lira’s voice cut through everything.
Sharp.
Desperate.
Rhett’s head snapped toward her again, and what he saw made his chest tighten.
She was too slow.
One of the undead caught her mid-step, its blade slamming into her side.
THUD.
Her body jerked.
Her weapon slipped.
"—!"
No scream ca out.
Just a broken gasp.
The second undead didn’t wait.
It struck again, driving her further down, forcing her to one knee.
Blood spread quickly, dark and heavy, staining her clothes.
Her breathing turned uneven, shallow, like she couldn’t draw enough air.
"No..."
Rhett’s voice dropped, barely audible.
His body moved before his mind could catch up.
"Lira!"
He pushed forward with everything he had, forcing Carrion back a full step this ti.
But it still wasn’t enough.
Carrion stepped in again, blocking him once more, unshaken.
"You—!"
Rhett’s voice cracked, anger and desperation mixing together.
"MOVE!"
Behind Carrion, Lira tried to lift her weapon again, her hands trembled.
She couldn’t.
Her body wouldn’t respond the way it should.
One of the undead raised its blade.
The other moved closer, closing off any escape.
Rhett’s vision narrowed.
The sounds around him faded.
The clash of weapons, the screams, the chaos. All of it, gone.
For a mont, everything slowed.
Lira looked up, and her eyes found his. Even through the distance.
Even through the chaos, she smiled, small, and soft.
The sa smile she always had, even in the worst monts.
Her lips moved.
No sound.
But he didn’t need to hear it.
I love you.
"...No."
The word barely left Rhett’s mouth.
His grip loosened for just a fraction of a second, and in that mont, the world felt like it stopped.
----
Caelus had just forced Graveknit back with a heavy strike when sothing felt off.
Not on his side.
On Rhett’s.
He glanced over out of instinct, expecting another clash, another explosion of force between Rhett and that monstrous knight.
Instead, he saw sothing worse.
Rhett wasn’t moving.
He stood there, weapon lowered just slightly, his entire body frozen in place as if the fight had slipped out of him completely.
"...What the hell are you doing?" Caelus muttered under his breath, irritation flashing first, then quickly turning into sothing else when he followed Rhett’s line of sight.
It’s Lira on her knees, dead.
Caelus’s expression darkened instantly.
If Rhett broke here, if he lost it now, then this entire line would collapse. The soldiers were already shaken, already on the edge. Rhett was one of the few still holding them together.
If he died...
Then this wasn’t a retreat anymore.
It would turn into a slaughter.
"Fuck," Caelus hissed under his breath. "If this guy dies, we’re all dead here."
Graveknit lunged again, its twisted limbs snapping forward, aiming straight for his chest.
Caelus didn’t dodge this ti.
He stepped in.
His muscles tightened, veins standing out along his arms and legs as he forced everything he had into that one movent. His foot slamd into the ground, the muscles in his legs bulging as he rooted himself in place.
"Not now," he growled.
He raised his weapon and t the attack head-on.
The impact hit like a collapsing wall.
The ground beneath him cracked, dust kicking up around his feet as he held his ground by sheer force.
His arms trembled.
His teeth clenched.
But he didn’t give an inch.
"Move," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Then, with a sudden burst of strength, he twisted his body and shoved Graveknit’s attack aside, creating the smallest opening.
That was all he needed.
Caelus turned and moved imdiately, crossing the distance in a few long strides.
"Rhett!"
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