Holes litter Eve's body, and yet her bones continue to move. She can't afford it; if she does, it would be the end of her.
Her gashes spew blood to no end; one, then two beams barely miss her nimble figure.
Only the two upper arms keep shooting, and yet why did the arm in her chest become passive?
After Eve bound herself truly to Nightfall, a few things changed. Her irises changed colours. But more importantly, she can wield Nightfall in a single hand without any problems.
With the addition of power and the defilement's transformation. Both of them are in a bigger stalemate than they were before.
Something has to change.
This is a long shot, but I can definitely pull it off. However, if I do, I will be left vulnerable.
Eve bursts into a dash towards the corpse, her body zigzagging from side to side so she doesn't get blasted.
Her body came to an abrupt stop, her left foot forward, and her right foot pivoted back. Her core turned to the right, Nightfall gripped by the hilt, and with all of her might, she launched it toward the defilement. Then, with all of her might, Nightfall was launched towards the body of the defilement.
The corpse obviously dodged to the side, but that's exactly what Eve planned.
While the defilement dodged the incoming Nightfall, Eve broke into a sprint again, at the feet of the corpse. Before the dodge, the sword that Eve had previously used was there.
Nightfall pierced the wall behind the defilement's original position.
Eve managed to snatch the sword from the ground, and her sprint never stopped until she reached Nightfall again.
Once she reached it, she had to dodge two attacks before she could retrieve Nightfall.
You have one shot, don't waste it.
Eve dodged two more attacks.
She exhaled deeply, then threw Nightfall horizontally into the air.
As Nightfall finished its ascent and began descending, Eve threw the other sword with the tip pointing at it. The sword crashed against the fuller part of Nightfall, and to Eve's surprise, it flew towards the defilement. Eve wanted the other sword to pierce the middle arm. But somehow it cut off the left pale arm that protruded from the corpse's left shoulder blade.
The pale arm landed in the sand; with it went Eve's chances of winning.
Why?
Because the eyes of wonder thrive on chaos.
One
Two
Three
...
Seventy-seven.
Seventy-seven eyeballs fill the arena, from the walls to the grimy sand on the ground.
The pale arm moved to the right and shot at one of the eyeballs. The eye absorbs the beam and suddenly...
Eve had a clean hole blasted through her chest from behind.
If she hadn't moved by instinct when the pale arm shot, it would've pierced her heart.
What is going-
Eve turned her head to look behind, and she only saw an eyeball looking back at her.
SHIT, the eyeballs serve as a conduit-
The pale arm shot again at one of the eyes, and Eve's right calf is pierced straight through.
Nightfall lands at her feet.
What the fuck do I do?
Eve bends down as fast as possible to retrieve Nightfall, dashing back with all of her might. She pierces the eyeball that was behind her.
Seventy-six to go.
Another hole appears in Eve's body, this time in her shoulder.
Then another hole, and another one.
Her body resembles a colander almost perfectly.
Eve stands there, all fight draining out of her.
What's the point?
Another hole appears through her biceps.
I'm tired.
An extra hole appears.
A dog's death awaits me.
Another hole.
"There's one more thing you haven't done yet", Nightfall whispered.
Shut up, let me die in peace.
Another hole.
"Ask for his help."
Him? Who is he? Right, him, I'm sure he left. Why would he watch his pitiful student get killed?
"You have nothing left to lose, you already got my strength. Why not get his boon also?"
Another hole appears in her body, and she can barely stand upright.
No, I'm done Nightfall, I'm too tired to even try.
"You killed your mother, Eve, but there's someone out there who still wishes to see you."
Who?
"Your father, Eve, I'm sure he is still out there."
Eve's eyes shoot up in surprise.
Her father could still be alive out there.
Just as a hole was about to appear in her forehead, she yelled with all of her might.
"THREE, GIVE ME THREE ELYON!"
Someone in the crowd smiled from ear to ear, and his eyes turned to display the number "3".
Nightfall increased Eve's total strength by two, and Elyon increased her overall speed by three.
She can win
Just like an afterthought, Eve disappeared before the beam went straight through her head.
Sixty-three.
Thirteen eyeballs gone in just a split second.
A fine line of dust appeared along half the arena's walls, then fifty eyeballs remained. The whole arena walls are filled with a cloud of dust.
Only the eyes on the sand remain.
Eve begins to zigzag through the arena, destroying every eyeball that comes in her path.
Forty.
Twenty-seven.
The corpse of the defilement still manages to hit her a few more times. But she doesn't care about the pain anymore.
Fourteen.
Someone is waiting for her.
One.
Zero.
I know how to defeat you.
Eve dashes towards the corpse, stopping just in front of it.
In one clean slash, she manages to sever the final pale upper arm.
The corpse's right hand closes around Eve's forearm, but Eve cuts it clean off as well.
Eve thrusts her sword into the left arm, severing it completely.
Only the pale arm in the corpse's chest remains.
Eve drops Nightfall in the sand, and her right hand closes around the pale wrist
Thank you, Elyon, for everything.
In a swift motion, she pulls out the whole arm from the defilement's corpse, spewing blood everywhere. What lies at the end of the appendage is a heart fused to the bone, which is still beating.
Eve's left hand grabs the heart and squeezes; the heart explodes in bits of blood.
The corpse and the pale arm fall on the sand.
Eve's body grows weak as Elyon cancels his power.
Her gaze wanders up at the crowd.
For a moment, everyone is silent.
"SHE DID IT. EVERYONE SHE DID IT. EVE WON, SHE KILLED THE DEFILEMENT!" The announcer's voice booms through the arena.
The crowd begins to applaud, then scream. All of them glorifying her, even a boy who looks familiar, shouts at the top of his lungs, his parents doing the same.
Tears begin to fall from Eve's eyes.
She extends her hands to embrace the crowd.
Mother...father...look...they see me...I'm fina-
The pale arm twitches.
Half of Eve's face is blasted away.
Eve's body falls on the sand with a thud, motionless.