Glass cannon

Kai knew that he was fucked the moment the Demon attacked. The tiny, miniscule, microscopic idea in the back of his mind that he could even do anything about that abomination was crushed in an instant.

Sofia was fast, Wa'rak was even faster. But the Demon...

As soon as the full moon abomination made its move, Kai lost track of it. The air where it just stood shimmered as the after image of the Demon flickered.

Kai couldn't see it, it was just gone. Even with the help of Soul Sense, the Demon had to have a much higher Mana pool than him, rendering the skill useless.

Yet Failure did not falter. Kai wasn't even sure if the charismatic man could see the Demon or not, he just stood there and smirked.

He knew he was safe anyway, it's not like he was the one that was going to be fighting that dreadful abomination after all.

"Showtime!"

Not even a second after the Demon disappeared, a gust of wind threatened to knock Kai over. Actually, it threatened to knock everyone over.

Snapping his neck around to look at where it came from, Kai was shocked at what he saw.

The Demon's claymore was mere inches away from cutting Failure's pristine neck, while the rapier was just about to penetrate his heart. But neither hit their target.

Aldred had swiped away the claymore so it just barely missed, meanwhile he had bitten down on the rapier.

That was only two of the Demon's three weapons through.

Filled with fury at the fact Failure insulted their god, the Demon roared and swung the double headed axe downward, aiming at Aldred's body.

Aldred just grunted and dodged, while Failure grinned and spread his arms.

"Boys, girls, beasts of the light side of the moon. Rejoice, because today is the day we have all been waiting for.

And I can tell how long you have all wanted this, I can see it in your eyes, your hearts, your minds."

Kai shivered at that last part, having a small flashback.

"So show them how much you want this, exterminate any who stand in our way."

Failure's eyes glinted with madness for only a moment before that look was replaced by the usual commanding and confident presence.

"It's our forest after all."

Then, everyone in the forest moved.

The cogs of war started turning as the beasts realised what they were fighting for once more. This was their home, their livelihood. The abominations do not deserve to live.

Each and every beast started dashing at the abominations, some faster than others.

The one leading the pack, of course, was Wa'rak. The most proud yet caring of all the moon beasts Kai had met in his time in the forest.

And much like Noelle, Kai did not want to get on Wa'rak's bad side.

Snarling, the pitch-black wolf threw himself head first into the crowd of abominations, his claws like a whirlwind of wrath as he annihilated the crescent moon abominations who got in his way of getting to the stronger abominations.

Kai could only watch with wide eyes at the display of carnage.

This was war, war was kill or be killed.

Time seemed to pass in slow motion as the humans finally got the memo of what was going on too. Some started moving before the others, those being either the bravest or the stupidest.

But who knows, you need a bit of stupidity to be brave and you need a bit of bravery to be stupid.

The humans who wielded close range weapons hastily yet warily made their way towards some of the crescent moon abominations, meanwhile those who wielded bows or used magic attacked them from the distance.

But while the humans on the side of the moon beasts were wary and careful, the humans on the side of the abominations were anything but.

They charged forward without delay, not caring for their own lives.

They were like a shark who has caught a scent of blood, they were merciless and had a crazed look of hunger in their eyes. Their hair was damp and their skin was sweaty and clammy, they just didn't look good in general.

It just looked... wrong.

There was clearly something wrong with those people, but Kai couldn't figure out what it was that had them acting so savage.

Maybe it's just the situation.

Which was a very plausible theory, people had a subconscious desire to live after all, but that just didn't sound right.

Another roar from the direction Aldred was in snapped Kai out of his thoughts. Turning his head, he saw Aldred and the Demon going at it.

It was brutal.

The Demon wore no armour to protect its body, it didn't need it. Its weapons were constantly moving, like a ever changing shield of metal that gave Aldred no room to land a blow in the first place.

Three of its Arms were constantly moving, its actions all in perfect harmony as it left no room for Aldred to sneak in a blow. It's fought arm just dangle limply beside it though, sometimes being used to reinforce the hand wielding the claymore.

Aldred on the other hand, made minimal attempts to injure the full moon abomination in the first place. It was like he was attempting to gauge how strong or even how much strength the Demon had regained in the hundred years it was gone.

Aldred's claws were sharper than any weapon Kai could've wielded, his fur more durable than any armour Kai could've adorned. Instead of a wolf in sheep's clothing, it was a terrifying monstrosity in wolf's clothing.

So far, barely even twenty seconds had passed since the start of the war, yet it felt like an eternity. The grass that was once so gentle and normal was now cloaked by the blood of beasts, humans and abominations alike.

Red, blue, the shades of blood did not discriminate, it was spilled no matter who it belonged to.

Kai sighed as he watched the violence unfold. It was heartbreaking. Many lives were going to be lost today, and its not like he could do anything about it.

He was only one person after all.

It wasn't like one person couldn't do nothing though. Failure was over at the sidelines, rapidly shooting out tendrils of wood, wrapping themselves around the limbs of some of the stronger abominations to give the moon beasts or humans the moment they needed to kill them.

Sweat was starting to build up on the charismatic leader's brow, but his resolve was not shaken. He did not falter in the eyes of pain, the eyes of defeat or even the eyes of death.

He could see them just as well as they could see him.

More and more tendrils came to life, each robbing an abomination of its life. The wooden roots of death did not falter either, just like the one controlling them.

Failure would also shoot the odd tendril in the direction of the full moon abomination, giving Aldred a small moment of respite in their gruelling face off.

Right now, there was no clear sign of who was winning. Both could block the others blows perfectly fine, yet they couldn't land a successful blow either.

Only time could tell who would be the victor, the one who would remain standing while the others corpse decomposed into the earth below the ground they died on.

In all honesty, Sofia seemed to be the only one with some semblance of sanity. She was constantly firing off arrows, hitting vital points on the abominations she targeted, all the while she was moving around lest she got cornered.

John was out on the frontlines, constantly being bombarded with blow after blow. But the shield he received from Failure as a gift held strong. Kai wasn't sure if being hit on the shield gave him the stacks of his innate ability, but it seemed he was still doing perfectly well even without the full twenty stacks.

As for Noelle-

Without warning, another gust of wind threatened to knock everyone over once more. But because some of the abominations didn't have legs, they were able to land cheap blows on the disoriented beasts and humans alike.

"Aldred!"

Responding to Failure's shout, Aldred grunted and launched another attack on the Demon, this one much stronger than any previously.

The Demon blocked with the double headed axe it wielded, but it's arm trembled with the aftershock.

An opportunity arose, one of the Demon's arms was out of commission for not even a moment, a moment was all Aldred needed to land some sort of blow that could change the tide of the fight.

But Aldred didn't attack. Instead, he used that moment to fall back and make a dash for the other side of the open area, under the protection of the Mother Tree.

This way, no one would be affected with the aftershocks of their battle if they were too far away.

That was everyone accounted for on the battlefield. All of that, and barely even thirty seconds had passed.

But where did that leave Kai?

He just stood on the sidelines, watching the carnage unfold. He was a glass cannon after all, what would be the point of him firing early?

He had his Mana reserves full by now, a perfect thousand. After that, he would be able to drink three Mana potions, giving him about another minute in his fused state.

So he had to pick the perfect time to get involved, the most crucial moment when he could offer a final push in order to win the war.

Sadly, he could only offer them that if they were winning in the first place.

With the savagery of the crazed humans and the beastial instincts of the abominations, the beasts below the trees were losing.

Even the powerhouses like Wa'rak, John, Sofia and some of the other moon beasts and humans Kai didn't know that well were not enough to hold back the tides of abominations.

They were slowly losing.

Kai sighed. Why did he have to end up in this situation anyway? God, what he would give just to be lying back in bed with maybe a chocolate bar or a bowl of actual cereal and not white room porridge.

Maybe if he survived he could do all that, but to survive, the glass cannon must be shot prematurely.

Ah... Dammit.

Summoning Life Eater from his soul, Kai looked down at the horrid looking weapon somberly.

Now that he thought about it, the blade was made out of abomination flesh, and it absorbed the life of those it killed. He was about to go kill a bunch of abominations...

Does that count as cannibalism?

It's not like it mattered anyway, the blade would probably have to kill a few humans today as well.

But Kai would have to deal with that problem soon enough anyway.

So once he was kitted out, he activated his innate ability and fused with Umbra for possibly the final time in this dreadful forest.