Chapter 357 - Day MCDI, Part II

I had to fight off the confusion and a swarm of unwanted thoughts. I needed something to break me out of the loop of memories involving Nadia, so I started denouncing it.

"It's impossible. It can not be."

I needed to convince myself of that, but what I really wanted, was to convince myself that it's actually possible. So I dug into my database through the 'Necromancer' class skills, and I discovered that it actually wasn't.

No matter how powerful she would become, it wouldn't truly bring Nadia back. She would always remain under. Just a shell without a soul. Empty doll controlled by a puppet master. This world had enough of those already.

- Take your time, Peter. I know that this is a lot to take - she calmed me down.

I struggled to pick myself up, as my legs were still unable to hold my weight. My stomach was tightly squeezed, and I could feel that I'm about to throw up, but I fought the sensation off.

The body of Zhang Yong helped me to remain standing.

- How... Did you... Her body... - I couldn't even formulate a sentence.

- How did I get her body? I didn't. The body was burned along with others. At least that's what I heard. I wanted to break into Hatta's office to obtain the ashes, thinking I might be able to resurrect her using those, but then I used the device and discovered I could just buy it for points. Exactly like with any other body belonging to a person who died in this city.

I nodded.

- So, Peter... What's your answer? - she extended a hand towards me.

- My answer? My answer is... - the world got stuck in my throat. - My answer is no.

She smiled at me.

- Maybe that is a better solution. I just will have to resurrect you, like them.

Zhang Yong reached for my throat, but I shadow walked to gain some distance, then stumbled, and almost fell.

The other people around me reached for their weapons. I really needed to get my shit together to fight them. I needed to regain control over my own body. For the first time in a very, very long I was in a state of panic.

Two daggers blinked in Blitz's hands, as he jumped forward swinging widely at me. The former leader of Wuxia stepped back, to pick up an ax from the ground, that I didn't notice previously. Mark was armed with his zweihander. Even Nadia had a hidden blade.

I dodged the daggers, then Mbeki threw his spear at me, but I managed to avoid it. The skills were overruling the helplessness of my brain.

I did a little dance, completely giving up the steering wheel to them, as Blitz unleashed a barrage of cuts at me. Then Zhang joined, falling from above, but dodging was not a problem for me. Even with two more enemies, Kagiso and Mark.

At some point, I tried to swing my hand at the former leader of Wuxia, but I froze, and almost lost my life, from the incoming spearhead. I had to shadow walk for more distance. Then I noticed that the others, who used to stand around us, observing like an audience, were all coming down.

One of the silhouettes dropped to knees, and in faint torchlight, I noticed the face of the individual, it was Urho. He groaned in pain, as his jaw dislocated, starting the transformation, but not in a werewolf, in a werebear.

- Surprised? - Maia said to me, with a blade on her own in hand. - I used the opportunity you have me. When Blue came here, I went there. This time, though, I didn't have to sacrifice the living. I could sacrifice the undead.

With those words, she slashed her wrist open, and shards of blood formulated in the air, just to immediately go after me.

I kept avoiding everything that was thrown at me, but fighting back was not that easy.

- Mbeki, what the fuck are you doing, man?! - I yelled at him, as he charged.

There was no response. The ground under my feet moved instead. I was almost caught in the quicksands that appeared out of nowhere in the arena.

I could feel this fire starting to burn in my belly. The rage building up. I knew that it will eventually overtake me, and I will do something that I'm gonna regret later. I was gonna kill some people here. People that I cared about, believe me, or not.

Then a beast landed next to me. Over two meters tall walking human-bear creature, covered in brown fur. Pure furry on two legs. Even for me, it became hard to avoid all of those attacks. If not for the 'Shadow walk' I would be in a terrible spot.

But there was a way out. I just needed to kill Maia. I immediately jumped at her, and swung my fist, just so it would meet with a cluster of shards. Those couldn't penetrate my skin, but I also couldn't get her.

I immediately used 'Shadow reach' to get her with my left, but Nadia was there, ready to block with her own body, and there was no way I could hurt her. I needed to get the hell out since all the others started to pile back up on me. I shadow walked again.

- You won't win, Peter. You can't win. Surrender, I will make it quick - said Maia.

- I will kill you for what you did - I squeezed through my clenched teeth.

The rage was building up. I could even feel something that I never expected. The presence of The Void on the back of my head.

And then, just like that, out of nowhere, everything stopped as Maia fell to the ground with an arrow sticking out of her eye. Surprised I looked back, at one of the buildings surrounding the arena.. On the roof, there was a person, whose face I couldn't see in the dim light, but I recognized the white hair.