009

"Divine Protection activated successfully. Terrium output, 100%." Haya announced, I was lucky to protect myself and it seems that the protection cut through the metal. I tried to stand up, looking up on the behemoth in front of me.

I glanced to my right, over to the commander and the cleanup crew and there was no response, they were definitely trapped down there. I can only hope they're not dead.

The behemoth roared and attacked, plunging its fist in my direction, I quickly fired flames from my staff, disintegrating each and every body part that it attempted to throw at me.

I felt exhausted as it pulled its arm out. It shrunk massively in size, only extending up to its upper body. Then, from the dirt beneath, several more undead climbed out, climbing on the behemoth and attaching themselves to the destroyed arm.

"Tch." I looked around, finding a way to at least contain it. Since at this phase, with almost no agents coming through, this entire thing will take forever. I see the behemoth, I see the dirt, I looked above, and saw the mall, and the various tubes that output the… excess Terrium. "I got it," I proclaimed, "Haya. You got it?"

"Eyup, I'll activate it on your cue."

"Can you force me to overexert as well?"

"I can try." A few clicks in my brain caused my entire body to reinvigorate itself. I feel a few strains, and deepened breaths. Everything hurts, but I can move them.

Then, I ran. Ran as fast as I could, aiming in between the behemoth's legs, dodging and weaving the various undeads that tried to grab me out of the way. The behemoth tried to throw a punch, but I managed to jump over it, barely landing on my feet as I reached the ground.

"Prepare it." I told Haya, as I continued my desperate dash. It seems that the undead caught unto my plan as they started to ignore me but instead formed up just below the Behemoth.

I heated the tip of my staff, preparing to lob a fireball straight at them. I maneuvered my entire body to throw it as far as I could at their centre, the fireball flew through the air, lighting up the darkness as it fell dead straight to the center with a fiery explosion! The path is clear. Dashing as fast as I could, each step straining my legs further.

I prepared my staff again as the undead tried to clash on me. But with luck, I managed to slip right under them, the Behemoth none the wiser as it punched its own undead under him.

Then--with all concentration at the tip of my staff. With the harshest prayer I could chant, with all the force that my body can over-exert, I yelled, at the top of my lungs, "BLAST!"

Air blasted from the staff at such excessive force, pushing the air quickly all around, with the Behemoth itself flying high into the air. And, with my last bit of energy, I told Haya to activate the disposal, "NOW!"

Excess Terrium shot from the various tubes and into the sky. Blasting the Behemoth up high, each of its skin, corpse, muscle fiber, melting into nothingness. I stared at the hot, bright yellow beam, how it folds onto itself, how it completely destroyed the being that almost killed me. Then, it stopped, there was nothing left of it, not even its corrupted Terrium core.

I laid down on the ground, exhausted. Closing my eyes, I hear the undead slowly crawling towards me. I can't move, I'm too exhausted, I can't even hear Haya talking in my head, if she's still there that is. The last thing I heard were gunshots, the spraying of fire, and a feminine voice.