Chapter 40: Desperation

"Jerome!"

The anguish cry of Juha echoed through the place as she watched the Sentient Lord remove Jerome's head from his body. His head would have flown a few feet in the air if the Sentient Lord didn't caught it. With rage she had never felt before, she had fully discarded her earlier fear and summoned a strong breeze that sent the nearby generals rolling through the ground. 

She stared at the Sentient Lord's maniac grin and let out a loud battle cry. Juha dashed towards him with her newly summoned wings. She's about a few feet from reaching him before being intercepted by a random undead. 

"Get out of my way!"

The poor undead was left collapsing in the background as a small shards of ice. Many more had come and just like before, all of them fell before her might. 

Juha summoned seven floating ice swords and command them to take care of the incoming zombies. The swords flew through the surrounding and sliced any zombies that tried to get to her. One of the generals tried to join on the fray but a single raise of their Lord's hand is enough to stop them. 

"Enough!"

His shout immediately stopped the zombies in their tracks. All of them slowly move away as the Sentient Lord slowly approaches the raging Juha. Juha brought her summoned swords near her and prepared herself for the inevitable battle. 

"Juha Bara. Your punishment had been long overdue."

Juha gritted her teeth in anger. Her mask are now gone due to her battle from the incoming horde earlier. 

"To think that all those years we spent together would end us up being in each other's throats. How cruel does fate play. I still remember the day you brought me in."

His tone is someone that of reminiscing. Juha saw this and got angrier. 

"I did. I remember it well", She says in obvious loathing. 

He let's out a laugh at her response. "Yeah, I was just a lowly undead at that time. I was lost, I had nowhere to go, I have no purpose. Just like an animal that only knows one thing and that is to survive." He started walking slowly around her. 

"But then, you found me. You gave me hope. You gave me purpose. You gave me a goal to accomplish and in return, all you ever wanted was to have a child with me.

Through the years, there had been many hardships, many highs and lows but we finally did it. We created a nest that was unlike any other. And with through that, you and I became royalty. We are finally at the top of the mountain peak.

With our goal finally realized, all that's left is to fulfill my end of the bargain. However, just as we're about to do it, you backed out."

He paused as he stared at her. His expression devoid of emotion. 

"You left and you started to go against me at every turn. Of course, given that I'm a benevolent Lord, I had forgiven you for every defiance against me. However, you only spat on my face in return.

You should know Juha, my patience can only go so far. Sooner or later, I will snap and it will be only a matter of time before you feel my wrath.

I had warned you…but you still did it. So please don't blame me Juha. I did what I had to do. It's quite unfortunate that you escaped but such is life…

And now that I finally found you, You already know what comes next. You will die today."

Juha was silent all through out his monologue. The Sentient Lord noticed this and frowns. 

"Well? Say something, Juha."

She let out a deep breath. 

"What do you want me to say? We had this conversation before. Over and over however, you never listened to me. And to think that after all this years, you still deluded yourself to think that you're not in the wrong. You want me to say something? Fine. 

You are delusional"

The Sentient Lord scowled at that.

"Through the years we spent our time together, I saw you slowly change right before my eyes. The things you've done…It cannot be forgiven."

"Oh grow up. I have to adapt Juha. Did you really think that I would remain naive when we continously slaughter every abomination we encounter? Kindness has no place in this pathetic world. I have to be ruthless to rise to the top and now look at me, Juha.

I have become a being that this world can only fathom. I am so above everyone that it's not even funny. And with this power, I will make a grand utopia for all of the Undead."

"By wiping out all life on this planet? Have you gone completely mad?! Doing so would endanger us as well!" 

"No, no, you got it all wrong. Juha, with this world cleansed of all those unnecessary baggage, this world can finally be rebuild in our own image. There will be no more plant life, no ocean, and certainly no more of those pesky hannis. All that will remain will be the sentients"

"You are insane."

"No Juha. This is a revelation. Now all I have to do is to destroy those that will eventually oppose me. Starting with this little runt." 

He held the severed head of Jerome right in front of her. Juha realizing his intent quickly made a dash to stop him. However, with her distance being not close enough, she knows she will not be able to stop him in time.

"Don't you dare!" She yelled in Desperation.

Just as he was about crush Jerome's head, Whity suddenly appeared behind him and snatched Jerome's head away from his palm. The sudden incident 

"What the-"

"Whity! You're alive!"

Whity growled in affirmation. 

"Quick! Get out of here! I'll try to hold them off" With a quick nod, Whity immediately runs as fast as he can. The Generals noticed this and started to went after him but was immediately intercepted by a giant wave of ice. 

"I will not let you get to him!"

Every general that tried to went after Whity are immediately halted by the barrage of ice attacks. Due to this, none of them were able to pass through Juha without risking being frozen to death.

Juha stared at Whity's slowly dissapearing form. 'Thank goodness. Be safe, my king.' She thought with a visible smile on her face before she refocus on the Sentient Lord and his generals. 

"All of you, find that meddling drakier and kill it along with that severed head."

He stretched his arms as he stared at Juha.

"I'll handle Juha." 

"Yes my lord." 

With their orders assigned to them, they tried to carry them out however, they were intercepted again by none other than Juha. 

"I said what I said. I will not let you-" 

She was not able to finish her sentence as she immediately blocked a brutal kick from the Sentient Lord. Her arms were shaken from the impact before she was sent up high in the air. Her wings were able to stop her momentum just in time to avoid the incoming rock approaching towards her. 

"Go." 

The generals resumed their pace and with Juha currently being occupied, there's nothing stopping them now to hunt Whity and King Jerome. 

All of them had moved through the forest in a blur. Meanwhile, Juha is busy trying to land a hit on the Sentient Lord but her attacks would suddenly crumble a few feet from him. 

"You would risk your life to that pathetic brat? I fail to see your reason, Juha. He is weak. If he is suppose to be my replacement for your perverted goals then you and I are not so different after all."

Juha's reply was launching a gigantic ice towards him and just like before, it crumbled right before it even touched him. 

Juha let out a curse as she stared at him. 

"That damn ability of yours."

"Destruction. I can disintegrate any molecular structure as long as I see fit but you already know that. You were also my mentor after all."

"I was…and meeting you was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

Juha summoned a large wave of ice arrows and launched it towards him. The Sentient Lord avoided each arrow in break-neck speed and soon enough, he's right in front of her. Juha eyes were wide and she was unable to dodge in time the devastating punch he hit her right in her chest. A loud cracking sound was heard on both sides before she was sent crashing to the ground.

Juha slowly stood up. Her left hand holding her chest. Juha spat out a mouthful of blood before kneeling to the ground.  Her wings dissapeared and so is the rest of her transformation as she lost all her strength.

The Sentient Lord gracefully descended to the ground without even a slightest of sound. 

"You know, I always hated the fact that the more we evolved, the more we turn into something similar to those hannis. Being at the top of our evolutionary cycle gave us things that only those vermins possess unlike on our earlier forms."  He walked towards her until he's just a few inches away from her.

"For example, pain."

He stepped on her hand with such force that it broke. Juha gritted her teeth in pain, refusing to give him a slightest bit of satisfaction. 

Things just got turn for the worse.