Chapter 9: "Legends Fall"
The battlefield was still. A strange calm settled over the ruins.
And Shrey… was gone.
His body lay crumpled, the Queen's stinger still buried in his chest. Smoke drifted from the wound. Blood ran like rivers across the cracked earth.
From the nearby cliff, two figures watched in silence.
Captain Jacks.
Zaid.
Zaid, eyes narrowed, clenched the report in his hands. The same report he had given to Jacks earlier—marked with red warnings.
> "This boy carries the Soul Eye. He is more than a prodigy—he is a bridge between life and… something darker."
Zaid's eyes glowed faintly—like silver flames. His voice was calm, too calm.
"She killed him…"
Jacks said nothing. He took a deep breath, cracked his neck, and stepped forward.
"Zaid."
"…Yeah?"
"I need you to stay alive."
"You're asking a lot."
Suddenly—
CHIBI MOMENT #3:
Shrey (tiny chibi): "Ow! Maya, stop!"
Maya (tiny chibi): "Stop dodging training to flirt with Mayra, idiot!"
She smacks him with a foam bat. Everyone laughs. Shrey cries dramatically.
Rohan (tiny chibi, crying): "Oscar-worthy performance…"
BACK TO REALITY
Zaid whispered, "He always kept smiling… even when he was broken inside."
Captain Jacks stepped into the field. His coat flew off as he activated a power he hadn't used in ten years. The ground beneath him split.
His pupils changed into an ancient sigil.
"Summon Protocol: CODE: HYDRA 12.
A massive skeletal beast exploded into existence behind him, followed by two more. Creatures that existed only in myths… now at his command.
Zaid extended his hands. Dark strings flowed from his fingertips—Kinetic Soul Control. His specialty. His aura merged with Jacks's summons as he spoke:
"I'll guide their movements. You strike."
Jacks nodded.
And the Queen turned toward them—still alive, though burning, her body tattered, her hate unbroken.
She let out a roar that made the clouds tremble.
The final war had begun.
Jacks dashed forward—invisible to the naked eye. The summoned beasts launched from behind him, jaws wide. Zaid controlled them with surgical precision. Claws, tails, and wings ripped through the air.
The Queen retaliated—sending spikes of obsidian energy in all directions. One of the beasts shattered mid-flight, vanishing into dust.
Zaid winced. "She's adapting."
Jacks didn't blink. "So are we."
He teleported mid-air, landing a thunderous kick on the Queen's face. Her jaw cracked—again. This time, for good.
But she struck back, landing a blow on Jacks's side. He coughed blood, but kept moving.
For every injury she gave, he delivered three in return.
Zaid kept the other two summoned beasts moving in a coordinated spiral—pinning her down.
And then, in a moment of perfect silence—
Captain Jacks appeared behind the Queen, whispered:
"For Shrey."
And stabbed her through the back with a condensed beam of his own DNA-fused energy blade. The Queen screeched in agony.
But she wasn't done.
With a sudden twist, she impaled Jacks in the side. Blood poured, and he fell to one knee.
Zaid screamed, "CAPTAIN!"
But Jacks only grinned.
"I'm just getting started…"
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To be continued in Chapter 10: "The Last Sting"
(A full battle: Jacks vs. Queen — the final stand.)
Let me know if you'd like more chibi memories to flash during Jacks's final attacks, or any inner monologue from Zaid about Shrey's past.