133 Failure


    Alex''s heart pounded in his chest as he watched the remaining townspeople dissolve into puddles of blood, their screams echoing in his ears. Count Desmond''s sinisterughter filled the square, a haunting reminder of the carnage that had just unfolded.


    "You''ll pay for this," Alex growled, his voiceced with fury. His fiery sword zed with renewed intensity as he prepared to strike again.


    Desmond smirked, his eyes gleaming with malicious glee. "You''re toote, Alex. The ritual isplete."


    With a flourish, the Count drew aplex vigil in the air. Dark energy crackled and surged, coalescing into a vortex of shadows at the centre of the square. The air grew thick with the scent of blood and decay, and the ground trembled beneath their feet.


    Alex lunged forward, his sword aimed for Desmond''s heart. But the Count was ready. He parried the blow with ease, the force of their sh sending shockwaves through the square once more. "You can''t stop it now," Desmond sneered. "The Variant beast will awaken, and you will be powerless to stop it."


    A deafening roar erupted from the vortex, shaking the very foundations of the town. Alex nced towards the swirling mass of darkness, his eyes narrowing in determination. He had to finish this, now.


    The pressure of a mighty C+ rank Variant beast oozed out from the vortex, sending biting chills down Alex''s spine as he realised he was finished if this thing came over.


    ''I''ve never felt something so terrifying before… Even Professor Will''s aura didn''t feel so bone chilling!''


    Desmond pressed the attack, his strikes fuelled by dark energy. Alex met each blow with his own, his mes burning hotter with every sh. The twobatants moved in a deadly dance, neither willing to give an inch.


    "You think you can defeat me?" Desmond taunted, his de slicing through the air. "I''vee too far to be stopped by the likes of you."


    Alex didn''t respond. He focused on the rhythm of the fight, his movements precise and deadly. He could feel the strain of the battle, his muscles burning with effort, but he couldn''t afford to slow down. Not now. N?v(el)B\\jnn


    With a powerful thrust, Alex drove his sword towards Desmond''s chest. The Count dodged, but not quickly enough. The de sliced through his side, and Desmond hissed in pain, stumbling back. "Enough of this," Desmond snarled, his hand clutching his wound. "It''s time for you to witness true power."


    He raised his hands, chanting in anguage Alex didn''t recognize. The vortex of shadows intensified, and from its depths emerged a massive, grotesque creature. The Variant beast, a towering abomination of ws and fangs, let out a bone-chilling roar.


    Desmond activated a suppressing formation, vigils glowing with dark energy around the beast. The creature''s power was forcibly reduced, but even at E+bat strength, it was a formidable threat.


    "Destroy him," Desmondmanded the beast, his voice filled with triumph.


    Alex turned his attention to the beast, his grip tightening on his sword. He had to survive this. He had to find a way to kill Desmond once and for all.


    The beast lunged at Alex, its ws shing through the air. Alex dodged, his sword zing as he countered with a series of rapid strikes. The beast roared in fury, its movements slowed by the suppressing formation but still deadly.


    Desmond watched with a twisted smile, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "You''re finished, Alex. There''s no escape."


    But Alex refused to give up. He channelled more of his fire talent, the mes enveloping his body in a fiery aura. He struck the beast with all his might, each blow sending sparks flying. The beast howled in pain, its dark blood sttering the ground.


    As the beast recoiled, Alex saw his opportunity. He turned his attention back to Desmond, his eyes burning with determination.


    "This ends now," Alex growled, his voice cold and hard.


    He charged at Desmond, his fiery sword cutting through the air with deadly precision. Desmond raised his de to defend himself, but he was too slow. Alex''s sword sliced through Desmond''s arm, severing it at the shoulder. The Count screamed in agony, blood pouring from the wound.


    "You think you can defeat me?" Desmond spat, his face contorted with pain and rage. "I am unstoppable!"


    Alex didn''t hesitate. With a swift, decisive move, he drove his sword through Desmond''s heart. The mes consumed the Count from within, his screams echoing through the square. Within moments, Desmond''s body was reduced to ash, carried away by the wind.


    This time, Alex made sure that his death was real. He wouldn''t let the Count pull any tricks on him again.


    His neglect of checkingst time had led to the deaths of over ten thousand innocent people.


    Alex stood over the ashes of his fallen enemy, his breathing in ragged gasps. The fight was over, but a hollow emptiness settled over him. The townspeople were dead, their lives sacrificed in a gruesome ritual. He had failed to save them.


    But there was no time to dwell on his failure. The Variant beast still lurked in the town, a deadly threat that needed to be dealt with.


    Alex turned his gaze towards the darkened streets, his sword still burning with fierce determination. He would hunt the beast down, kill it, and ensure that the sacrifices of the townspeople were not in vain.


    He moved through the wreckage of Monty town, his senses on high alert. The beast was somewhere in the shadows, waiting. With every step, Alex felt the weight of his failure pressing down on him. But he couldn''t afford to stop now. He had to survive, and had to be stronger. As he entered a narrow alley, the sound of ws scraping against stone reached his ears. The Variant beast was close. Alex tightened his grip on his sword, mes flickering along its edge.


    He would face the beast head-on, and he would win. There was no other option.


    The darkness of the alley swallowed him, and the hunt began.