Chapter 278 — I’m Still Here II
5 min read ·
Damian’s eyes focused as he was not fully aware and conscious.
But... he was stable enough for one last push.
So he rushed...
Past every creature, through the horde, straight toward the small controller in the chamber’s center.
And anything in his way died.
CRUSH!
A creature’s skull collapsed under his fist, the enhanced strength from eating so many making even broken-handed strikes devastating.
RIP!
He tore another’s arm off, used it to stab a third through the eye socket, the improvised weapon punching through bone.
THROW!
He grabbed a creature bodily, lifted it despite his injuries, threw it at others, their bodies colliding and falling in tangles.
All students rushed to help, attacking from all sides, creating openings, buying seconds.
"KILL IT! KILL IT! KILL IT!"
The mental chant spread through everyone, their voices joining in desperation and hope and fury.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
More core detonations, students sacrificing themselves to clear Damian’s path, their final acts creating corridors through the horde.
William Greene saw Damian’s desperate rush, saw the creatures trying to block his way and saw the one chance they had to survive this nightmare.
’I can’t let the hope of commoners die...’
His mind flashed through his life.
He was an orphan as his parents died in military service.
He was raised in Republic Academy dormitories.
Fought his way to B+ rank through pure effort.
Became President through capability rather than birth and represented everyone who’d been told they couldn’t compete with Nobles.
’Father... Mother...’
Tears mixed with blood on his face.
’Your son is sacrificing himself today as well... Just like you did! Serving humanity! Fighting for those who come after!’
He looked at the massive creature blocking Damian’s path.
One of the biggest remaining, too strong to kill quickly.
But... vulnerable to core detonation.
William rushed forward, past his teammates, past the Imperials and straight toward the creature.
"FOR EVERYONE WHO SAID COMMONERS CAN’T FIGHT!"
His voice carried across the chamber.
"FOR EVERY STUDENT TOLD THEY WEREN’T GOOD ENOUGH!"
He reached the creature, wrapped his arms around its massive form.
"FOR HUMANITY!"
His Aura began cycling faster, building toward critical mass.
"DIEEEEEEE!"
BOOOOOOM!
The explosion was massive, easily three times larger than previous detonations.
The creature vaporized and everything within ten meters ceased to exist.
A perfect sphere of devastation.
And through that explosion, through the fire and smoke and debris–
Damian went past.
****
The small creature saw him coming.
Screamed again, psychic assault trying to stop this threat, mental attack hammering against Damian’s consciousness.
But Sophia’s Conscious Chorus held.
All minds were supporting one.
Damian’s teeth bared in something between smile and snarl, his humanity reduced to base purpose.
’Die die die die DIE DIE DIE!’
He reached the controller.
His hand shot out, fingers closing around its small head, yanking it close despite the organic cables connecting it to the factory-body.
And it screamed as he bit down.
Time seemed to slow.
His teeth found the creature’s neck, tearing through leathery flesh, severing neural pathways, destroying the connection between controller and controlled.
RIP!
The head tore away from the body, organic cables snapping, dark fluid spraying.
Damian’s teeth found the exposed neck, biting deep, consuming even as he killed.
The small creature’s body convulsed once.
Twice...
Then it went completely still.
Thud-thump
...Thud-thump
....Thud-thump
And the distant heartbeat of the creature around them finally... died.
"..."
Silence.
Every creature in the chamber stopped mid-motion and froze completely.
Then fell.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Like puppets with cut strings, their bodies collapsing simultaneously, mindless vessels that couldn’t function without direction.
The few students who remained standing – maybe thirty, forty at most – stared in disbelief.
At the fallen creatures, at the dead controller and at Damian, covered in blood, barely standing, his mind still fragmenting.
Understanding dawned slowly.
They’d won! Against impossible odds!
Against overwhelming numbers!
Against enemies that should have killed them all!
They’d fucking won!
"We... we did it?"
A girl’s voice, small and uncertain.
"WE DID IT!"
A boy’s shout, growing louder.
"WE’RE ALIVE! WE’RE ACTUALLY ALIVE!"
The chamber erupted in celebration, voices overlapping, students embracing, weapons dropped as exhaustion and relief overwhelmed them.
Then... the celebration broke and transformed into something else.
Sob
Crying.
Students falling to their knees as reality crashed down, as the cost became undeniable, as they counted who remained and who didn’t.
Around one hundred and forty had entered this chamber.
And only forty survived.
Cassius stood with his head bowed, mourning the noble heirs from other academies who hadn’t made it.
Jonathan’s golden features showed grief despite the victory.
Ben sat heavily, his body finally giving out, exhaustion claiming him.
Sophia collapsed, the mental strain of channeling seventy wills finally catching up.
Edrin removed his cracked glasses, wiping tears that wouldn’t stop, his mind processing losses with devastating clarity.
Ronan held Lysa’s broken form, her breathing shallow, David’s healing keeping her alive but unable to fully repair the damage.
Zavier dropped to his knees beside him, his hands shaking as he checked her pulse, finding it weak but present.
"Lysa... Lysa wake up..."
They cried for William Greene, who’d sacrificed himself so they could win.
For the twenty-three who’d detonated their cores during the final battle.
For the commoner girl who’d saved a Noble, and the Noble boy who’d saved a commoner.
For everyone who’d entered this portal and wouldn’t leave it.
And Damian...
Damian stood alone in the center, his consciousness flickering, madness still threatening.
He looked at his team, saw them alive, saw Lysa breathing and...
Something in his fragmenting mind relaxed.
The Devourer Art’s degradation continued, but slower now, his unstable mind having nothing left to fight, no enemies remaining to tear apart.
He swayed and caught himself as he looked down at his blood-covered hands.
Remembered, vaguely and distantly, what he’d done.
What he’d become and what it cost to keep his promise.
’I’m... still here...’
The thought emerged weakly, his consciousness barely holding together.
Then his legs gave out.
Thud
Damian collapsed, unconscious before hitting the ground, his body and mind pushed past every limit, surviving through nothing but will and madness.