10 minutes.
A timer began ticking in Angelus' brain; the tension of the battle rose; urgency was of the essence.
After biting her own pinky finger, her eyelids began to droop as if she were tipsy or under the influence of some drug. Perhaps it was her blood that carried some alcoholic properties, or maybe it was just the feeling of self-harm that allowed her to enter this state.
Armes's indignation spiked because of Angelus's sudden act of what she viewed as 'cockiness.' Her expression darkened; her spite could be felt from outside the typhoon as dense as a crushing tide.
"You, authoritarian scum, think you can govern wherever you please! We are no less than you!"
In a fit of utter rage that reflected a lifetime's worth of pent-up trauma, Arme's disgusting tentacles prepared a barrage that would berate the flimsy muddy floor beneath her.
Standing below her, Angelus stood with her will unwavering as if it wasn't her life that was in danger.
An absolute sense of focus enveloped her entire being; neither the mucky, restrictive mud that lay beneath her feet nor the thick, condensed air that made each breath feel laden could dissuade her will. Both her mind and body felt as if they had become one.
Before Armes's attacks ceased, something was moving at alarming speeds, dashing through the air, in a blur, it seemed as if the spectacle was hopping on solid platforms of air itself— it was Angelus.
She was moving with a sort of unpredictable elegance; each movement of her body felt as if it was a part of some oil tapestry that a master of his craft was so elegantly calcimining, as if she was one with the art, or scrambled unidentifiable puzzle pieces that all connected to somehow form something coherent.
Within an instant, her foot came in contact with the thick outer layer of Armes' tentacle-like hair, but the pressure and pain felt from the kick disappeared as soon as it came. Her attacks and movements were evanescent.
Armes didn't stop her attacks; instead, they became more erratic and unpredictable. It was rage that enabled her strength, but it was also that same rage that would blind her.
It seemed impossible to attack someone whose presence was so minuscule; even an attack that could throw a behemoth off balance felt like nothing until a few moments after the blow had landed.
Not only was this way of fighting incalculable, but it was outright insane, impossible even. Soon after one blow connected, another followed, and Armes couldn't even feel the smallest bit of pain.
"WEAK! WEAK! WEAK!"
Armes' screams felt painful, as if there was something within her tormenting her; the deepest parts of her were in pain.
Angelus didn't care; her attack ensued.
At first, it appeared as if the blow intended to damage the beast as most attacks intend to do, but there was something different about these strikes; each one felt as if it were all intertwined into a long piece of an invisible string that connected each of the blows.
Beneath the abundance of glutinous sludge that somewhat resembled hair was Armes' disgruntled face. Her blade-like fangs scraped along each other, grating like nails clawing a chalkboard.
As if she were a child throwing a tantrum, Armes began thrashing the air around her. It looked as if she had gone insane or if she was attempting to swat some invisible fly that just kept nagging her. Her idiocy led to her dropping Etsy and using another one of her tentacles to enhance her dramatic attack.
Watching from above, Angelus just sat on a piece of debris that was held up by the harsh winds of the typhoon.
It was well known that this woman was a fierce, notorious cultist, but by the looks of it, she had no combat experience whatsoever. But that just didn't make sense. Armes had been in the cult of Sol for the past 3 years; there was no way that she wasn't trained by now. Could it have something to do with this new mutation she had acquired?
'What is the cult doing...'
Mentally noted.
After a few more minutes of thrashing, Angelus finally thought of a plan. This foe was simply too large to take down by herself, and she was bound to tire herself out soon. But this wouldn't work; her state of enlightenment would run out soon. She looked down at her watch: '3:21'
There wasn't enough time to just stall the creature. Angelus looked over at Etsy's still unconscious body, which was lying on a floating piece of muck adjacent to Angelus.
"3 minutes until Zandoff arrives, 2 minutes until I'm most likely dead, 1 minute until Etsy most likely gets hit by a stray tentacle and is killed."
A sticky situation to say the least. But it's the usual occurrence for a general in times of war like these.
Even while understanding the stakes and probability of failure, Angelus's will didn't waver; there was a way to win. Even with the odds stacked against her, there was still a way.
There was one tactic that she had yet to employ. In her enlightened state, she was extremely quick, and her attacks would kick in soon, leaving a dazed state upon the towering beast that was still flailing her tentacles.
She knew what she would have to do.
Moving from each flying piece of debris, Angelus leapt towards Etsy with immense speed. A tentacle was hurled in front of her, stopping her from getting to Etsy.
"I SEE YOU NOW!"
It was inevitable that she would be caught by Armes; she just hoped it wouldn't be this soon. Without wasting anymore breath, Armes focused her attacks on Angelus's general location, and dodging all 8 gigantic tentacles would be a daunting task for just about any experienced fighter.
Arme's attacks somehow felt even faster than they were before, Angelus barely maneuvering past the first 3, with the 4th piercing her cheek, leaving a small scratch.
Even though it was but a scratch, Angelus knew this wasn't good; these types of blows would build up as they lowered her ability to endure them bit by bit. She couldn't allow herself to be hit by another.
With grace, she danced through the next 3 jabs of tentacles; Etsy was within her reach. Tick. Tick.
Her time was about to be up; only about a minute left in her enlightened state. If that ran out, she was as good as dead.
Within just the second that she was off guard, thinking about the time that she had left, she was swept off balance. There was another tentacle; she had miscounted and let herself be put in immediate danger.
There was nothing she could do if she was off balance in the air. The battle was over; there was no way she could win.
'I'm sorry, Zandy, I've failed you, my love.'
Would these be her final thoughts? Some say that in your final moments, you begin to replay your life. But for some reason, the only memories she began to dream of were of those moments she spent with Zandoff. Maybe these times were the only moments when she felt as if she were truly living.
Feeling a grueling force push her through the air, she smiled as she closed her eyes. She really did live a life that she was proud of, a life shared with another being is a fulfilling one, is it not? Isn't that what it means to be a living creature, to share that love with another? Well, who cares? It was one she was satisfied with.
As her life came to a close, it felt as if she landed on a familiar, disgusting surface; the fall wasn't painful, which was weird. When you're being launched through a typhoon, isn't it supposed to hurt as you get ripped apart?
Opening her eyes, she would slowly begin to adjust to the winds that were forcing their way through her eyelids. Someone was mouthing something to hear, but the fierce winds plugged her ears. Until a burning sensation came across her face, it was a slap, a much-needed slap that brought her back into consciousness.
"Wake up! We've got a big ass monster to kill!"
Finally, Angelus's eyes adjusted. It was a sight to see, a somewhat scary sight, but a good one.
"Glad to see your back. Etsy."
Smirking, Etsy pulled Angelus up from the muddy floor and redirected her attention to Armes.
Armes's laughs sent echoes through the muddy arena; it looked as if she thought she had already won. A rookie mistake from a child in a monster's body.
"Whatdya say? Wanna have sushimi for dinner?" Etsy smirked as she put her fists together, proud of the one-liner that she couldn't even say correctly.
"It's sashimi, and that's made with fish, not octopus."
Angelus stood beside her with the same mellow expression she usually carried.
"Whatever, I knew that."
"Also, let's get out of here. We don't stand a chance against her, at least not right now."
Confusion washed over Etsy's face as she looked over at Angelus, who was already walking away.
"Whaddya mean let's run away?! We gotta show this bastard that we mean business!"
"Not to be rude, but you were instantaneously knocked out by this 'bastard,' and I was almost killed even while in a heightened state. We will both die and will end up losing this war if we even lose one more important fighter in the resistance."
"AUAAUGHHHH"
Even though she had the flame of battle raging within her heart, Etsy knew that she was right; they didn't even know how their foe had come to reach this size and power. Just too much that they didn't know.
Laying her head down, she followed Angelus towards the typhoon as they were engulfed by it.