Final Stand

In the end, every member of the crew was able to escape the fragments of the castle by crawling and surviving the blasts. Ruined areas were shrouded in dust clouds, as if an island-wide sandstorm had just occurred.

Tem moved along the street of devastation wearing a casual outfit that wasn't damaged or torn. She appeared to be walking as if inside an endless tornado of wind gusts as her hoodie wavered and swayed in the wind.

She saw Muro's silhouette in the distance, standing behind the scattered dust as if he were seeking someone to face him, but he was unaware that his attack had killed only innocent people whose lives had been devastated in an instant and would never again see the light of day.

Her feet thumped on the ground and then came to a standstill.

"Hey!" she yelled loudly to get Muro's attention.

Muro's head swiveled to the side and focused on Tem's body, which was unmoving a great distance away. His eyes trembled, and veins bulged with the anger he felt at seeing her back up and fighting.

It was clear why he was angry as he threw his arm to the side and shouted at her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Will you just die already! How on earth did you escape the explosion? What the hell, is your body made out of obsidian?"

Tem grabbed up and gripped the hood firmly to keep it from blowing off. She waited for the next wind blow before focusing on Muro, who was really the only person she needed to avoid.

"You won't talk?! Fine, maybe after this you will!"

Muro's right arm began to flare like a fire as black energy began to emanate from it. Its static noises could be clearly heard. When it was fully charged, he finally pointed his hand forward and released a long, curving flash of black energy that had the power to instantly penetrate through a human's body.

No matter how devastating the attack would be to a human body, Tem continued to walk straight even though she knew she would be shot. As the bolt zigzagged in the air, Tem suddenly swung her arm to the forefront.

Her wrist changed the course of the bolt, which then blasted into the right-side wall of the structure like a glass of mirror would reflect the sunray.

The force of the impact caused the building's rooftop to collapse, and the material that was propelled from the home erupted into a loud, echoing bang.

Tem continued moving forward without pausing for a heartbeat, prepared to encounter Muro up close. Muro himself was shocked to see his deadly strike diverted without harming her.

"How, did you...? You think you're so funny, do you? If you want to die so badly then be my guest! Try this on for size!"

He continued to charge the same arm after charging it once before releasing a volley of bolts that zapped through the front and flew at Tem.

Like previously, she used her arm to deflect the onslaught of blows and send them flying in various directions, setting off a series of explosions that erupted all around her and even behind her.

"Y-You're kidding..." Muro claimed. "You shouldn't be able to redirect them so easily! Fine, one more time!"

Muro extended both arms out to the side, bending his torso forward as he charged up both arms' energy. As it charged, it sent out vibrations across the air that resembled a shockwave caused by someone applying pressure.

Noisy jingling that resembled the ringing of a huge bell. It continued to echo for a considerable amount of time and could be sensed nearby.

Tem's eyes grew tight as she prepared for a heavier attack than the ones Muro had previously launched, but she continued on without pausing.

"I guess you won't stop. You have such a basic mind! Those you redirected don't even perceive this attack! If you attempt to reflect it, you will be completely eaten up and feel as your body parts crumble one at a time! You won't even get the chance to say farewell to your mates before you turn into a skeletal monstrosity!"

She paused and covered her eyes with her hood as she inhaled deeply and then let it out slowly. The threats Muro hurled at her were already annoying enough, but she never made the mistake of underestimating her opponent, unlike him.

"Stop..."

Knowing that Tem was losing interest in his comments as they continued, Muro grinned in her direction. "I hope we never meet in the afterlife." he claimed, extending both arms in front of his chest, palms facing front,

"Talking..." she finished.

A huge ball of dark energy curled and blasted over the earth endlessly, launching the wreckage along with its rapid forward momentum.

Tem took a step forward, planting her right foot and slightly twisting its sole. Her palm was directed towards the dark ball as she raised her right arm slightly and moved it in front of her chest.

The ball's heat began to approach her face's tip and swiftly got there. As Tem's mouth released the chilly warm air, it appeared as though time had stopped for a split second.

Her pupils were reflecting the dark ball until she shifted her arm. She engaged the ball's frontal body with her hand and was able to stop it in its tracks.

Between her fingers, a significant amount of power was visible thanks to the black electricity. She slid her arm into the black ball and then, like a sword slice, shoved the ball to one side.

The ball swung around her back and past her hip before rising higher in the air.

When it reached its peak, it curved upward before exploding into black thunder that shook the earth next to Tem. Its collision raised many areas of the earth in an instant and sent fragments flying through the air.

The hurricane that was left in its wake dragged on until it reached Muro's stunned body. He was awestruck, and the event caused his limbs to tremble.

"N-No, that can't be happening. I-I must be hallucinating. There's no way... no way in hell you redirected that attack. It was a weaker version of the one I used to devastate this place."

Tem stood up after being squatted, straightened herself, waved her arm up and down to ease the pain, and then turned to face the front with a serious expression.

"You don't get it, frog-head. I'm not only here to protect them. I need to go to the barrier I've been told about even though that is my current top priority. I am aware that the barrier I must find is still some distance out, but if our progress is hindered by anything so important as the commotion you brought about, I will be there and make certain to help them.

"I don't care either if the road is delayed for these catastrophic events for years. I am aware that getting back home won't be simple, and I am also aware that my buddies and I won't be able to get there on our own. That's why finding individuals, regardless of who they are, is another task I have to complete.

"Let it be that if I'm viewed as a pirate while navigating this ocean. Since I've never done it before, sailing on top of a ship feels extremely revitalizing to me now that I've found myself here. I only have one regret in this world, and it is the loss of my ability to swim, which was a curse I first encountered.

"However, even that won't stop me from helping those in need, even if I have to serve hundreds of people in the process!

"Muro. I'll see to it that Yumi and everyone else whose lives you damaged finally experience joy once more. Even if it's not the same, they won't be worried about your presence there.

"This is my final stand on this island!"

To be continued...