BXBX NOVEL Chapter 145: Oh, The Toll Of War And Blood
His gaze pierced through the glass ceiling of the penthouse below, his sharp eyes catching every detail within the luxurious room. His targets, oblivious to their impending doom, relaxed like all was well with the world.
He listened intently. All was quiet until the stillness was broken by a faint, haunting melody that drifted up to meet him from below. The dirge resonated within him and stirred his vitality like the ripple a leaf makes as it drops to on surface of a pond.
It was a mournful hymn that spoke of loss and despair. He smiled softly at the lyrics.
"In fields where silence echoes loud,
Where crimson rivers stain the ground,
The shadows of the fallen rise,
Beneath a weeping, war-torn sky."
Olivia had chosen well. The melody was a fitting prelude to the night's work. The time had arrived.
His wings ceased their motion, and he hung in the air for a moment, suspended by a combination of power and purpose.
The dirge grew louder, its somber notes wrapping around him like a shroud. He felt the weight of the melody, the sorrow of countless souls, and it fueled his resolve. This was a reckoning.
With a final, steadying breath, Ezra descended. The wind roared in his ears as he aimed for the glass ceiling, his eyes locked on the unsuspecting Maguire coven below.
The moment of impact was a symphony of destruction. The glass roof shattered beneath him, cascading like deadly rain into the room below.
He landed with a predatory grace, crouched amidst the debris, his wings unfurling in a dramatic flourish. Panic erupted among the occupants, their cries mingling with the haunting song that now seemed a harbinger of their fate.
"Oh, the toll of war and blood,
Cries of sorrow, crimson flood,
In the name of peace, we fight and die,
Leaving only tears to dry."
Gen crashed through the door, her giant battle axe gleaming in the dim light. Her grin was wild, eyes blazing with the thrill of impending battle. The air filled with the scent of fear and blood, a scent that only fueled her fervor.
Without hesitation, she charged at the two nearest vampires, Isolde and Marissa. Her axe arced through the air, a blur of steel and fury. Isolde barely had time to raise her hands in defense before the blade cleaved through her, sending her crumpling to the ground in a lifeless heap.
"Brothers lost, their names a song,
In whispers carried on the wind so long,
Echoes of the battles fought,
In every heart, a painful thought."
With a beat of his wings, Ezra launched forward, his eyes locked on Delilah and the coven leader, Lucien. Delilah sprang to meet him, her deadly knife flashing in the dim light.
She struck with lethal grace, but Ezra twisted away, his movements a blur of shadow and speed. With a savage yank, he tore off her arm, her scream echoing through the chaos.
He pulled in his wings and turned to Lucien, their eyes meeting in a moment of mutual hatred. They clashed violently, a whirlwind of fists and fury. Lucien's strength was formidable, his blows landing with bone-crushing force, but Ezra's fury was unyielding.
"Oh, the toll of war and blood,
Cries of sorrow, crimson flood,
In the name of peace, we fight and die,
Leaving only tears to dry."
Each punch and kick was a test of wills, the air thick with the scent of blood. Ezra ducked under a wild swing, countering with a brutal uppercut that sent Lucien staggering.
Delilah charged in with a strike that turned a chunk of Ezra's torso into light. Ezra fought on through the pain, the wound regenerating rapidly.
Beside them, Marissa hissed, baring her fangs, but Gen was relentless. The two vampires clashed, Marissa trying to wield her dark arrow and bow in close quarters. She managed to get a shot off and Gen dodged before the lightning could descend.
"Ghosts of soldiers, silent mourners,
Guardians of the broken corners,
Of dreams and hopes left in the dust,
In memories, we place our trust."
Ezra dodged Lucien's strike, twisting behind him as the vampire unleashed a white-hot flame, the fire instantly blackening the floor. The furniture around them caught fire, endangering everyone in the room.
Ezra's tailed whipped out, wrapped itself around Lucien and tossed him into the flames. The vampire's clothes caught fire but he was unharmed, having an immunity to fire granted by his power.
The man glanced around the room, taking in the situation. "Retreat!" He commanded.
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"The fields now still, the battles past,
Yet scars of war forever last,
In every heart, a wound so deep,
In every soul, the pain we keep."
The Maguire coven scrambled to teleport away, but nothing happened. Their vitality fizzled out around them.
"It's that fucking song!" Delilah yelled, looking around. They could feel it now. The song, that haunting dirge, sapping their vitality and severing their connection to their abilities.
Ezra grinned. It was Olivia. She stood at the edge of the room, her presence commanding and serene.
Now that she had ascended, her full abilities had returned to her, a force of nature in her own right. The song emanated from her, a conduit of her will, weaving through the room and binding the coven's powers.
"Oh, the toll of war and blood,
Cries of sorrow, crimson flood,
In the name of peace, we fight and die,
Leaving only tears to dry."
Gen laughed madly, her axe lashing out and cutting through Marissa's bow. The second swing of her axe was swift and brutal, cutting through the vampire's torso and ending the threat with a single blow.
Blood sprayed across the room, a macabre tribute to Gen's power and prowess. Her grin widened as she surveyed the destruction.
Ezra pressed his advantage. He kicked Lucien's legs out from under him, sending the vampire to the floor. He wove around Delilah, delivering rapid strikes and dodging counterattacks.
He twisted behind her, grabbed her head and tore it off her neck, tossing her broken body away. His shadows lashed out and seized Lucien, binding the vampire and sending him to his knees. Fire raged on around them.
Ezra crouched in front of Lucien, bringing his face close to the vampire. Olivia's song continued in the background.
"This," Ezra whispered, his eyes holding Lucien's gaze. "is what me fighting back looks like. I won't kill your wives. No. You all would be my message to the Silent Hand."
He paused.
"I'm coming for all that you have."
Lucien flinched at the look in Ezra's eyes.
Ezra stood, leaving with his coven as the last of Olivia's song faded in the night.
"As we gather, mourn and weep,
For those who lie in endless sleep,
May their sacrifice remind us all,
Of the price of war, the lives that fall."
Fire raged into the sky, a silent proclamation to all that the Matten coven was going to war.