Last Beats

Gazef only realized something was wrong once the blood started to flow out of his mouth. His eyes moved at a slow rate, catching the sight of a fist approaching his face. Ellie's new transformation didn't only give her speed, but also power. Blowing Gazef's head earlier required many enhanced strikes. But, now, she only used one punch. Blood, brains, and a disgusting viscous liquid spurted out of the exploded hit. Still, Ellie had learned from her previous mistake and didn't stand by. She released punch after punch, targeting any body part of Gazef that she could see, she only stopped once there was nothing to hit.

"Haa Haa…" Ellie was panting hard as she felt pain surging throughout her body. She herself realized that her transformation was not something natural. She forcibly modified her own body to undergo a drastic change for a boost in power. The repercussions showed themselves a lot sooner than she thought. In front of her very eyes, she could see how Gazef's body started to reform. She suddenly remembered something that Ed told her and the others after fighting Harald.

'If it's a cultivation technique, you only need to fight until your enemy's QI is exhausted. If it's a racial feat, then you need to fulfill a condition in order to kill them.' This was Ed's advice when fighting an enemy that could regenerate. At least, that's all Ellie remembered about it.

If Ed was present, he would remember that the way to kill a Hydra is to destroy all heads before any other else could regenerate. But, even then, he would be in a bind, as Gazef only has one head. Still, even then, he would have reached the same conclusion as Ellie, and that is to 'Kill him in one hit!'

Gazef stood back up with his reformed body, jumping towards Ellie without saying a word. He extended his hand and wrapped them around her again before she could react. He was trying to stop her from attacking him, as he knew he couldn't handle her attacks. Not even his scales could provide enough defenses for him.

"Heh!" Gazef let out a laugh once he managed to bind Ellie. However, he then felt a strong force tugging him. Ellie pulled Gazef towards her, by using her overwhelming physical strength. Gazef succumbed to force and his body arched backward like a bow. He had no idea what Ellie was planning, but he wasn't as worried since he thought that he hands were bound. Still, he forgot the main weapon of the tigers. The weapon they use to deliver the finishing blow against their enemies.

'The Fangs.'

Ellie opened her mouth as wide as she could while timing her attack correctly. Her target? Gazef's throat. Right as he was pulled in front of her, Ellie bit down with her entire force, biting through Gazef's neck like it was an ice cream. A gurgling sound was heard, as the air that tried to escape was stopped by the gushing blood. Gazef's eyes opened wide as he couldn't believe what happened to him. And, before he could react, Ellie made him taste even more fear.

She stepped on the elongated hands that bound her with her powerful legs. And, while gripping the parts that she could touch, she started to pull up using her entire waist strength.

"A-a-Ah!" Gazef tried to scream at the top of his lungs, but his damaged throat wouldn't allow it. He couldn't bear the pain of having his arms slowly torn off, yet he could do nothing but look at Ellie as she did it. A tearing sound was heard, and Ellie retreated a couple of steps. The force that kept her at place was canceled. She had removed both of his arms.

Ellie removed the parts that remained on her as she walked towards Gazef's mutilated body. He was struggling to get up, but couldn't as he had no hands to support him. His body started to regenerate, but Ellie didn't allow it. She inserted two fingers into the hole she made by biting his throat, and dragged down, removing the front half of his neck. She then proceeded to break both of his legs while throwing his hands on top of his. This was all to delay his regeneration as much as possible.

They were now standing on top of the destroyed castle, where Gazef's previous throne took place.

"It's time for you to return back to the ground," Ellie said as she raised her right arm, and crouched a little. The wind around her started to whistle as she started to gather the QI into her hand. Her entire body started to burn, so hot, that the fire turned pure white. Then, Ellie raised her left hand. She looked like someone trying to show off their muscles.

The white flames rushed into her Gauntlets, making them burn even fiercer. The light being produced from the Gauntlets rivaled that of the sun. Once she felt that her entire power was used, Ellie said, "Planetary Impact!" while hitting Gazef with both of her fists. A flash of light surged through the entire capital, with the origin being Ellie's attack. The houses and buildings shook due to her attack causing an earthquake.

Eric, who was busy fighting the three-headed Hydra, could only look towards Ellie's position as his heart beat hard. Again, he cursed his own shortcoming and vowed to become stronger.

Ellie's two punches caused everything under her to dissipate into nothing. Gazef's body, the rubble, and even her own two feet. She couldn't stop from injuring herself. She smiled as she looked at Eric who was coming towards her. The Hydra fighting him was no more, meaning that she fulfilled her mission. Her two feet continued to bleed out, while the poison on her left arm quickly spread through her body. Her QI, which was stopping the venom, was no more.

Her entire complexion grew pale and then turned into purple. The venom pierced through her heart and surged through her veins. Ellie couldn't move. She laid on her back and looked at the free sky that she created for her country. Her eyes closing ever so slowly, she couldn't help but think about her friends. Her heartbeat turned silent.