The Gate Guardian's howl tore through the battlefield, not as sound, but as something far more insidious – an invisible force that crashed into Lauri's mind and clawed its way inward. Pain followed, not physical but something deeper.
It scraped against Lauri's thoughts, splintering his focus, and threatened to tear his consciousness apart from the inside. The world blurred, his vision smearing into meaningless streaks as his knees threatened to buckle beneath him. The pressure of the howl only grew more intense in Lauri's mind as each moment passed, and Lauri's resolve faltered.
'No, this isn't some meagre sonic attack. This pain… This bastard can damage my soul just by howling!'
His teeth ground together hard enough to ache. His grip tightened, knuckles whitening as he forced himself to remain standing.
The howl didn't stop.
It only pressed harder.
Deeper.
Like something trying to hollow him out.
A flicker of instinct appeared within Lauri's mind, pushing back against the force of the howl.
Lauri reached inward and found the light.
His Ascended Aspect: [Well of Light] activated.
A deep, radiant reservoir flared to life within his soul, spilling outward in a controlled surge. Light flooded through his body – neither blinding or explosive, but steady. Shielding him from the insidious nature of the Gate Guardian's howl.
The pressure did not disappear, but it now met resistance where there previously was none.
The invading force crashed against the light surrounding Lauri's soul and was held there, unable to push further, unable to break through. The tearing sensation dulled, reduced from something unbearable to something he could endure.
Sucking in a sharp breath, Lauri's vision snapped back into focus
'How am I still alive? Why didn't those lesser hounds tear me apart whilst I was incapacitated?'
Now that he could think again, Lauri moved his gaze from the Gate Guardian to the space around him, and that was where he found his answer. It seemed the Gate Guardian's soul-rending howl did not distinguish friend from foe. The pack of Fetid Hounds and Festering Mongrels all lay in the throes of intense pain. Writhing on the ground as their Tyrant's howl tore them apart from the inside.
This realisation brought back Lauri's smile.
Still holding onto the one shortsword he had not dismissed, Lauri used [Light Dash] to clear the distance between them in an instant. Without hesitation, he stabbed towards the Gate Guardian's neck. This time, he would finish this beast.
Or so he wished.
The Gate Guardian's howl ended abruptly as one of its forelimbs shot forward to swipe at Lauri, his blade embedded in the Gate Guardian's leg, dragged along as it continued to move forward and connected with Lauri's body. The Fallen Tyrant's strength immediately overwhelmed Lauri's defences, shattering the light Lauri had used to reinforce his right gauntlet, right pauldron and chestplate. The force struck him like a battering ram, sending him bouncing across the field of tainted snow.
After the third bounce, Lauri corrected himself midair. Light surged as Lauri repaired his defences, a spiked warhammer snapping into being between his hands. He hit the ground hard, dropping to one knee as he slid a short distance across the snow. His back now to the Tyrant, the creature didn't hesitate as its jaw unhinged, rancid cheeks tore open as its flesh ripped under the strain. Mangled teeth, slick with discoloured saliva, lunged forward – seeking to take his head in a single bite.
But Lauri was growing sick of seeing this particular Nightmare Creature; looking at it made him sick to his stomach, and that wasn't even accounting for the absolutely rotten smell.
Lowering his body, Lauri twisted into the strike. Manipulating the force of the warhammer with [Light's Edge], essence coursed through Lauri – pouring into his arms, his muscles, the very motion of the swing. Every fragment of power he could muster was forced into that single blow.
The warhammer came around in a brutal arc and connected with the Tyrant's head.
The impact detonated like a point-blank explosion, a shockwave bursting outward as light met flesh. The Tyrant's charge wasn't stopped; instead, the strike redirected it, hurling the massive creature sideways as though struck by a concussive blast. The Tyrant's fetid maw collapsed under the force, its jaw caving in as rotten flesh and splintered bone fragments tore free in a violent spray.
For a heartbeat, Lauri listened for the Spell's announcement… But it never came.
The creature's ruined head snapped sideways, its charge thrown off course – but its body kept moving. Limbs dug into the ground, momentum unbroken, as if the destruction of its own skull meant nothing.
Now, Lauri was truly running out of time. He had started the fight with less than a full core. The ample usage of his Awakened Aspect and all of the essence he had burned to try and kill the Tyrant at the beginning of the fight had run Lauri's reserves low. The last strike especially had put Lauri's reserves dangerously close to zero. Now he would only be able to rely on his Dormant Aspect until his reserves regenerated to a reasonable degree.
But this would not happen until long after the fight was over.
A dangerous smile twisted Lauri's face as he glared at his opponent.
"Come on then! I'll take you all on!"
Lauri roared, preparing to take on the Fallen Tyrant. Light flickered in his eyes as he steadied himself, every instinct screaming at him to retreat, but he had learned to ignore such instincts long ago.
There was only one way out.
Kill the Tyrant before the lesser Nightmare Creatures recover.
That was it.
Even if he died, it didn't matter.
Lauri's life hadn't truly been his own for a long time. He had joined the government to protect people – nothing more, nothing less.
So if his death bought the convoy even a few more moments…
That was enough.
He would bring the Tyrant down – or die trying.
Just as Lauri was about to take a step forward, a thunderous impact shattered the moment.
The Fallen Tyrant was driven sideways as something massive slammed into its flank. Metal shrieked against flesh, the force of the collision tearing through the battlefield, scattering nearby creatures like debris.
Lauri's eyes snapped toward the disturbance, the tension in his mind slipping as relief flickered across his face.
It was none other than the Rhino.
Its steel wedge was lowered, driving forward like a battering ram as it ploughed into the Tyrant, forcing the monstrous body sideways.
Lauri blinked – then let out a sharp breath, the edge of his grin never quite fading.
'…Took you guys long enough.'