The Last Timeline : Reborn for the spire

Chapter 7: Breaking the Chains

The armored figure tore through the haze of smoke like a wrecking ball. It ignored the guards writhing on the electrified floor, its gaze fixed solely on Lukas. The monster was seven feet of plated iron and malice, its glowing eyes pulsing with an unnatural rhythm that made Lukas’s heart skip a beat. It swung a massive, jagged cleaver that whistled through the air, cleaving a concrete pillar in two as if it were soft clay.

Lukas threw himself beneath the swing. He felt the wind of the blade ruffle his hair. He rolled across the floor, his shoulder slamming into a crate of ammunition. He didn't look back. He scrambled to his feet, his lungs searing as he searched for an opening.

"Sofia!" Lukas shouted, knowing she was likely already in the vents, but hoping to draw the monster's attention. "Get out of here!"

The monster didn't care about Sofia. It turned its massive frame, its boots crunching on the shattered tiles, and prepared to charge again. Lukas looked toward the door. Vell was pulling himself up from the floor, his face a mask of purple veins and raw rage. The gang leader drew his pistol, but his hand was shaking from the electrical discharge.

"Kill him!" Vell screamed at the armored beast. "Kill him now!"

The beast roared, a sound that vibrated deep in Lukas’s chest. It leaped, covering the distance in a single, impossible stride. Lukas didn't try to block. He shoved a heavy filing cabinet into the monster's path. The creature smashed the furniture into toothpicks, but the split-second delay was all Lukas needed. He lunged toward the door, his knife extended, and caught one of the remaining guards off balance. He drove the blade into the man's side, grabbed his dropped rifle, and pivoted back to face the room.

"You want a fight?" Lukas growled. "Come and take it."

He fired the rifle into the ceiling above the beast. The plaster and electrical wiring rained down in a shower of debris. The creature flinched, the glowing eyes flickering under the sudden cascade of sparks. Lukas didn't stop firing. He walked toward the exit, keeping his weapon leveled, his finger pressing hard against the trigger.

The room erupted in thunder. Lukas backed into the hallway, his boots sliding on the slick floor. The armored beast pursued, crashing through the door frame, its cleaver gouging deep furrows into the walls.

"Lukas!"

A voice pierced through the chaos. Serena was waiting at the end of the hall, her face pale, holding a fire extinguisher like a club. She looked past him, seeing the nightmare emerging from the smoke.

"Keep going!" Lukas shouted, tossing the spent rifle aside. "Get to the front gate!"

They ran. Their feet pounded against the linoleum, a frantic rhythm against the heavy, mechanical thudding of the armored beast behind them. They reached the lobby of the building. The glass doors were shattered, and the night air was freezing. The courtyard was a hellscape. Rifts pulsed with violet energy, and shadow creatures skittered along the rooftops, watching the chaos with hungry eyes.

"There!" Serena pointed toward the front gate.

A group of survivors was huddled there, trying to pry the iron bars open. Lukas didn't waste a second. He grabbed a piece of jagged metal from the ground and threw it toward the gate, hoping to draw the attention of the roving patrols.

"Move!" he commanded, pushing Serena forward.

They reached the gate just as the armored beast burst into the lobby. The creature saw them, its eyes glowing brighter, and it leveled its cleaver. But Lukas was ready. He had anticipated this moment since he saw the structural weak points of the lobby. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the glowing essence core he had recovered from the cache, and threw it with all his might into the flickering rift near the entrance.

The core hit the energy field and detonated in a blinding flash of white light. A shockwave tore through the courtyard, throwing the armored beast backward into a brick wall. The pressure of the blast shattered the windows of the lobby, creating a wall of debris between them and their pursuer.

"Go!" Lukas yelled, grabbing Serena by the hand and hauling her through the gap in the fence.

They sprinted into the alleyway, their hearts hammering like war drums. They didn't stop until they reached the cover of a nearby parking structure. Lukas collapsed against a concrete pillar, his chest heaving, his body feeling as though it were being pulled apart. He looked down at his arm. The wounds were deep, and he was losing blood, but the System notification pulsed in his mind.

[Experience Gained: 50/100]

"We made it," Serena whispered, falling to her knees beside him. She looked back toward the building. "They can't follow us through there, can they?"

Lukas didn't answer. He watched the building. The smoke from the explosion was beginning to clear. Through the gaps in the wall, he saw the armored beast standing up, shaking off the rubble. It wasn't dead. It was merely angry.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out from the lobby shadows. It was Vell. He stood in the center of the courtyard, his eyes scanning the area. He turned his head slowly, and his gaze locked onto the parking structure. He stared directly at Lukas, his mouth curling into a slow, chilling smile.

Vell didn't scream. He didn't order his men to charge. He simply raised his hand and pointed a finger toward Lukas, his lips moving in a silent, mocking salute. He knew exactly where they were, and he knew they had nowhere left to run.

Lukas tried to stand, but his legs gave out. The exhaustion was absolute. The System interface flickered once, twice, and then a red warning filled his entire field of vision.

[System Alert: Target Marked]

[Status: Pursued]

Lukas watched as Vell began to walk toward the parking structure, accompanied by the armored beast that now marched at his side like a loyal hound. The gap between them was closing, and Lukas had no weapon left, no strength remaining, and no place to hide. He turned to Serena, his eyes desperate.

"We need a plan," he whispered, but before she could speak, a shadow detached itself from the darkness behind them, a cold blade pressing firmly against the back of Lukas’s neck.