Cipher turned toward the voice but quickly realized she wasn't the one being addressed. The warrior in front of her—wounded but defiant—was the original owner of the name Cipher.
"You're hurt," Emma said, eyeing the blood seeping from Warrior Cipher's wounds.
"So are you," Warrior Cipher shot back, wiping her mouth. "But that doesn't matter now."
Emma exhaled sharply. "The ninth wave is coming. We barely survived the last. If we fall here, Earth falls with us."
Warrior Cipher narrowed her eyes. "Are you suggesting we run?"
"I'm suggesting we fight smarter," Emma said. "We retreat, heal, and strike back. If we die now, our sisters' sacrifices will mean nothing."
Warrior Cipher shook her head. "No. If we abandon the gates, no one will stand in our place. The soul suckers won't stop. This is the final stand."
Emma clenched her fists. "You think sheer willpower is enough?"
Warrior Cipher smirked weakly. "It always has been."
Emma hesitated. She knew Cipher was stubborn, relentless. But this—this was madness.
"We can't win like this," Emma said, her voice softer now.
Warrior Cipher straightened despite the pain. "Then we fight until we can't."
Emma sighed, glancing at the battlefield. "You're impossible."
"And you're scared," Warrior Cipher countered. "That's fine. But if fear stops you now, you might as well let the soul suckers take you."
Emma growled, frustration boiling in her chest. "Fine. We fight. But if we die—"
"If we die, we die warriors," Warrior Cipher interrupted. "No regrets."
Emma huffed. "You're insane."
Warrior Cipher chuckled, coughing slightly. "Then let's give them hell."
Warrior Cipher narrowed her eyes at the churning sky. "This storm… it's unnatural."
Cipher grimly nodded. "More than just a storm. Something is coming."
A crack of thunder ripped through the air, lightning slashing the clouds apart, illuminating the battlefield in violent bursts. The rain intensified, shards of ice plummeting like a furious barrage.
Then—Emma's shrill voice cut through the chaos. "Cipher! The South North gate has been breached!"
Cipher whipped around. A sphere of bluish and reddish gas pulsed in the distance, growing larger with every second.
Warrior Cipher cursed under her breath. "This isn't good."
Emma scrambled forward, gripping the hilt of her dagger. "What if it's them?"
Warrior Cipher drew her bow, jaw tightening. "It's always them."
The portal flared, colors twisting violently. A guttural howl echoed through it—deep, distorted, hungry.
Emma shuddered. "I hate that sound."
Cipher inhaled sharply, steadying herself. "We hold the line."
The howl grew deafening, rattling the ground beneath them.
Warrior Cipher pulled an arrow, nocking it with precision. "Ready yourself. If they step through, we end them."
Emma gripped her dagger tighter. "No mercy?"
Cipher's gaze burned with resolve. "None."
The portal pulsed again, blinding for a moment.
Emma followed suit, eyes locked on the portal as something massive tore through. A hulking beast emerged, its four heads snarling in unison, two powerful legs ending in gigantic claws. Eight monstrous hands flexed menacingly, while its vast wings spread wide, casting an ominous shadow.
Warrior Cipher's breath hitched. "My God… this isn't just an ordinary Mornogan soul sucker. This must be their mother!"
Before Emma could respond, a horrifying chorus erupted—the wails of countless Mornogan soul suckers pouring out in relentless succession, their deafening shrieks mingling with the roaring storm.
Warrior Cipher clenched her fists. "Emma, this—this is why we were appointed as Guardians of Earth! None of these damned creatures must cross this realm!"
Emma steadied herself, the weight of their duty pressing down. "Agreed. We end this now."
Warrior Cipher exhaled sharply, high impulse flooding her veins. "If we go down, we make sure they don't cross! A glorious death—it's the least we can give our sisters!"
Emma's expression hardened. "Sisters forever."
Warrior Cipher's bloodshot eyes gleamed. "Forever!" She shouted, voice merging with Emma's, their declaration echoing through the battlefield.
Then—Warrior Cipher barked the command. "Now!"
Emma didn't hesitate. She pulled her crossbow taut, losing an arrow with a glowing sphere at its tip. It streaked through the air, a deadly omen.
Warrior Cipher followed suit, releasing her own shot—the force behind it so immense that it overtook Emma's arrow mid-flight. At the precise moment they intersected, Warrior Cipher's arrow absorbed the red fireball from Emma's, fueling its momentum before plunging straight into the mother soul sucker.
A devastating explosion erupted—light and sparks scattering across the battlefield.
Warrior Cipher didn't falter. She raised her sword high. "Charge forward!"
Emma shot forward, her movements swift and precise. Warrior Cipher matched her speed, closing in on the mother Mornogan soul sucker. The air crackled with energy as they moved—faster than anything Cipher from the game had ever witnessed.
Emma exhaled sharply. "I swear, we're moving faster than light itself."
Warrior Cipher grinned, eyes locked on the beast. "Then let's make this strike count."
Without hesitation, they leaped into the storm-ridden sky, weapons poised. Emma diverted, aiming for the smaller soul suckers, cutting through them like a whirlwind of fury. Warrior Cipher focused on the mother, her grip tightening around her sword.
With a battle cry, she plunged the blade deep into the creature's eye.
The beast let out an ear-splitting shriek, writhing violently. Its twisted heads snapped in different directions, trying to shake off the pain.
Emma glanced over mid-strike. "Cipher! It's trying to force the sword out!"
Warrior Cipher gritted her teeth. "Let it try."
The mother soul sucker convulsed, its screams merging with the howling storm. Then—its fury boiled over.
Emma's eyes widened. "Cipher, move!"
But it was too late. A surge of bluish fire spewed forth, hitting Warrior Cipher square in the chest. The force sent her flying backward, the sword remaining lodged in the beast's eye.
She twisted mid-air, muscles straining, and landed hard—but steady—on both feet. Her breath came fast, but she lifted her head, defiant.
Emma rushed to her side. "You alright?"
Warrior Cipher cracked her neck, a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips. "Did you really think fire would take me down?"
Emma let out a relieved chuckle. "Alright then, what's next?"
Cipher's eyes glowed with battle-born resolve. She reached for her next weapon.
"We finish this."