Chapter 37: The Edge of Despair
The battlefield quaked beneath Kael's fury. His strikes rained down like thunder, each one sharper, heavier, deadlier than the last.
Le Wai's sword arm screamed in pain. His muscles burned as if on fire, his lungs heaved with every breath, and yet he still forced himself to stand. The once-fluid dance of his blade now faltered, slowing under the weight of exhaustion.
Kael's laughter cut through the chaos like a blade.
"Look at you. The great Le Wai… crawling toward defeat. Is this all the strength you have left?"
Le Wai parried another blow, but the sheer force sent him staggering backward. His boots scraped against shattered stone as the shadow beasts encircled, their eyes glowing with hunger.
Every strike he blocked sent pain rippling through his bones. His chest rose and fell in ragged rhythm, and his grip on his sword slipped, slick with sweat and blood.
Still, his gaze burned.
"I'll fight… until the last breath leaves me."
Kael snarled, enraged by his defiance. He lunged forward, a tempest of black flame consuming his blade. The clash rang out like thunder, forcing Le Wai to one knee.
For a moment, his sword nearly slipped from his hand.
The shadow beasts sensed weakness. They surged forward, their claws raking, their snarls filling the night.
Le Wai twisted desperately, striking one down, then another. But for each beast he felled, three more lunged. His body ached, his vision blurred, and still he stood, refusing to collapse.
Mei Lin's voice called out through the chaos.
"Le Wai—fall back! You can't win like this!"
But he shook his head, sweat and blood streaking his face.
"If I step back now… everything we've fought for… will be lost."
The mastermind's voice oozed from the shadows, mocking and cold.
"Yes… crumble, warrior. Let the weight of your failures drag you into the abyss where you belong."
Le Wai's arms trembled, his knees buckled. Every part of his body screamed to surrender, to give in, to collapse.
But his heart roared louder.
Even as Kael's blade bore down and the beasts closed in, Le Wai forced himself to rise again. Broken, battered, and breathless—but not defeated.
The storm around him grew darker, fiercer. And yet, in the heart of that storm, Le Wai stood as a flicker of unyielding light—fragile, but unextinguished.
For now, his battle was not to triumph.
It was simply… to endure.