The Noble Queen-A Shadow Slave Fanfic

Chapter 808: A Ray of Sunshine

'Think...think...'

Noble's mind sped through the possibilities, discarding one after the other.

Cutting off the head hadn't worked, nor had separating the pieces of the body. No amount of cuts seemed to be enough. Nothing short of obliterating him would prevent the monster from reconstructing himself.

What could she do?

Noble furrowed her brow. Below, the monster continued to pace, looking up at her like a wolf stalking a hare.

The floating Saint could feel his hatred for her and her pure soul. It drove the Skinwalker to remain even though he could have abandoned his flying prey many times over.

There were many easier targets, yet the creature stayed, seething over the prize just out of reach.

'If a physical attack does not work, perhaps an emotional one will...'

Careful not to let his emotions enter her soul, Noble reflected the hatred back at him and amplified it.

The monster held his head and fell to his knees. "What are you doing?!"

Noble pressed into the feeling, continuing to reflect some of the hatred while collecting the rest. Circulating her essence, she poured it into her soul in preparation for the bomb she was about to release.

'Time to put this to the test...' Noble dismissed Helios.

She wanted her echo's wound to heal more quickly and didn't want to do additional damage with her next move.

With Helios gone, Noble increased the pressure against her foe even as she mentally balled the energy in front of her.

'Closer...closer!'

The monster lowered his head, his hatred for her growing exponentially.

A smile formed on Noble's face. That was exactly the push Noble needed. The emotions coalesced in front of her, then, without warning, the air around her exploded with an invisible force.

The particles, electrified with an emotional charge, ripped through the Skinwalker with catastrophic force.

The earth around the monster was torn apart, sending frozen debris in every direction.

An unearthly howl came from the ground as the Skinwalker writhed in the forming crater.

Noble floated above the haze, sparks forming on either side of her body.

'Here we go!'

At her command, the Zenith and Paradox Fang dove into the ashen haze, becoming heavier as they fell. The attack hadn't killed the Monster, but it had affected him.

If she couldn't annihilate him, then she would separate the vessel and deliver the pieces to Ravenheart for disposal. That was the plan until…

The Skinwalker lifted his head…and his scream became a chuckle.

A wave of hatred crashed into Noble unlike any she had experienced before. It was almost as focused as her own beam, though it had no physical force behind it.

Noble almost opened her eyes to confirm what her other senses had told her. It was too unbelievable.

The monster wasn't weakened. He was stronger than ever before.

'What in two worlds…It…it fueled him?'

Noble gritted her teeth. The creature was a consumer, and what better

nourishment to feed a hungry monster than his own desire to destroy?

The blades continued to fall from the cloud-covered sky into the haze below.

But they never found their mark. Sensing the movement, the Skinwalker dashed to one side, allowing the weapons to make two new dents in the landscape. But he wasn't done.

With catlike reflexes, he crouched and jumped into the sky with tremendous force. If it had been night, Noble might have thought he was leaping to catch one of the three moons, but it was day, and his target was much closer to the ground.

Noble twisted, flew higher, and dodged to the left, but somehow he tracked her movement and adjusted his course. Catching her around the waist, the monster hugged her as he had the pilgrim. But instead of squeezing her in half like her predecessor, the man aimed their trajectory opposite from whence he had come.

Noble beat against the man, but it did not do any good. His aim was absolute.

The pair collided with the frozen ground, making a new divot next to the first in the ash-filled sea. Noble hissed.

She was now fighting a two-front war: the blows of the Skinwalker and the blinding pain of her flaw.

Well, she was already blind with her eyes closed, but now the pain distorted her second sight as well.

Seizing the advantage, the Skinwalker pressed her against the earth. He kicked the Zenith as it tried to come to her rescue. Pinning Noble to the ground, he blocked the Fang with his elbow and then brought his fist down on her visor to rip it from her face.

"Look at me." The breathy command was almost too inviting.

Yet Noble resisted, keeping her eyelids closed against the pain. Her Flaw was ripping at her soul, making her telekinesis dysfunctional.

"No." She managed through gritted teeth.

"No, indeed." The monster wrapped his cold fingers around her neck and lifted her into the air. "I should thank you for the boost. That was very energizing. Unfortunately, I cannot repay you by simply breaking your neck. That would be too easy. Open. Your. Eyes."

Noble wanted to spit in his face, but she was too busy gasping for breath. The whole exchange had taken barely ten seconds, and the pain made her mind feel like it had slowed to a crawl.

Noble gasped, feeling the air being choked from her lungs. She could hold out a significant amount of time without air, but not indefinitely.

Something had to change.

Fortunately, it already had. The monster must not have known about her Flaw or he never would have released her from its hold.

Like a freed bird, Noble lifted into the air.

"Oh no, you don't." The monster grabbed her shoulder with his free hand.

While Noble could not lift him with her telekinesis without harming herself, she could physically drag the Skinwalker into the sky.

So together they rose into the air and into the cloud-filled firmament.

Noble spun around, trying to pry his fingers from around her neck. His left hand released her shoulder to grab her wrist instead.

"That won't work. I am not going to fall." He sneered.

Noble's eyes flashed and stopped spinning. Right at the moment, the Zenith came barreling through the clouds. It impaled the monster, severing the spine.

He clicked his tongue calmly.

"You would have done better to gouge out my eyes. Not that I would have let you. Give up now."

Noble did not answer, climbing ever higher as she resumed her spin. They broke through the clouds and entered the space above. Noble felt the warm sun shining on her face, even as a cold fear gripped her heart.

The Paradox Fang lifted, ready to comply with anything its master commanded. The Memory hovered ominously over the pair, reflecting the sunlight in the monster's eyes.

"Do you mean to blind me with light from that tiny blade?" The Monster was both amused and angry.

He twisted her wrist to her side, still squeezing her neck in his ironlike grip. Noble clawed at his fingers with her other gauntlet.

Another menacing chuckle escaped the monster's lips. "Poor, scared little girl, open your eyes and let me come in."

Noble's mouth moved, her voice coming out like a wheeze. She pushed the final bit of air from her lungs as a single word was spoken into existence.

"Mordret."