Against The Eternity Chapter 22: [21] Chapter - 9: A Beast (Part - 2/2)

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[21] Chapter - 9: A Beast (Part - 2/2) Anshvi struggled back onto her feet on the other side of the clearing. Her breathing was ragged now, sweat dripping from her jaw and onto her dust-coated skin. Her eyes locked onto Eklavya. “We end it,” Anshvi growled out from her position across the clearing from Eklavya. Eklavya wiped the blood from his lips before giving a curt nod. His glowing blue eyes burned with determination. “Together.” They both moved at the same time. Two lines crossing each other in the clearing. The beast charged towards them in a fit of rage like a cornered king. The claws tore into the earth, chunks of dirt flying in all directions. The jaws opened wide enough to snap a bone into pieces like twigs. The remaining serpent tail lashed out wildly, spewing forth venomous blood that landed on the ground and hissed like acid. Anshvi darted beneath the lion's snapping jaws, rolling across the ground in a controlled motion. She rose back up quickly, her spear striking upward in a brutal motion. The spear thrust straight into the lion's throat. Blood sprayed violently onto her arm. The beast choked on its own blood, but its eyes burned with even greater ferocity. But Eklavya was already in motion, approaching the beast from behind. He ran up the beast's hind leg once again, using the beast's own body as his battleground. His sword cut deep into its back, through its muscles and its hide, in glowing green strokes. The beast's wounds kept opening up anew. Blood ran down its back in a river of crimson. The lion reared up in pain, trying to dislodge Eklavya from its back. Its massive body twisted in a bid to crush Eklavya beneath its massive form. But Eklavya was already airborne, pushing off from the beast's back and flipping through the air just in time to land on the ground where Eklavya had been standing just a moment before, when the lion came crashing down onto that very spot. The clearing shuddered beneath their feet as the lion landed. Both Eklavya and the beast stood on opposite sides of its wounded form, panting heavily but still standing. Both of them were now fighting with savage desperation, every strike a product of instinct alone, of sheer willpower alone. The clearing was torn apart by their battle, its earth cracked, its trees uprooted, its blood-soaked earth stained darker by the beast's blood. The beast would not die, no matter how grievously it was wounded. Its chest heaved violently, its crimson eyes blazing with a final, desperate fury. The beast launched itself into a final, mighty roar, lashing out one last time. Its massive claws swept through the clearing in a brutal arc that could rip a man in two. Eklavya ducked low, the wind of its strike whipping through his hair as its claws passed inches above his head. Anshvi stepped forward to interpose. The point of her spear shaft hit the claw with a sharp crack. The shock ran up both her arms like a lightning bolt, immediately numbing her hands and making her step back as the wood creaked under the strain. But she did not flinch. Not for a moment. In that one moment, their eyes met. No words were exchanged, nor a signal was sent. They moved in perfect sync. Anshvi went first, pushing her spear forward with all the strength she had left. The blade went into the lion’s ribcage and into the beast’s heart. Just as Anshvi struck, Eklavya leapt forward. The blade of his spear flashed briefly under the moonlight before it went straight into the lion’s skull. For an instant, time stood still. Then the lion spasmed uncontrollably. Blood spurted from the entry and exit wounds as the beast’s massive body jerked about, legs trembling beneath its own weight. The lion tried to roar once more, but the sound died in its throat as the life went out of its crimson eyes. With one last, earth-shaking thud— The lion fell to the ground. The earth shook beneath their feet. The only sound was the heavy breathing. The forest was holding its breath. Eklavya stepped back, his c