Extra's POV: My Obsessive Villainous Fiancee Is The Game's Final Boss-Chapter 168: The First Fall

It was as if the world was in slow motion.

The muffled crack of the explosion rippled through the air, and Valen, who had tried and partially succeeded in dodging to the side, was thrown through the air, embedding into the stone wall of the nearby building.

For half a second, he hung there, stunned. His clothes were soaked, blood clinging to it like an overcoat.

The battle paused and for a moment, there was silence.

Then came the veins.

They bloomed across his skin like cracking lightning, red and angry, as they crawled up his neck, coiling around his face.

His eyes turned dark, blood spilling into it, the iris and pupils disappearing until all that was left were pools of blood where the eyes should be. He let out a low, guttural growl, his swords falling from his hands as his fingers twisted, bones shifting beneath the skin.

"Valen?" Ren shouted, but there was no response. The man's body shuddered, convulsing as the veins dug deeper.

And then, Restoration kicked in.

A static hum filled the air. Valen's body flickered like broken light on a dying screen, and the veins vanished. His skin returned to normal, and the red cleared from his eyes. His Divine Gift was stronger than the Plague!

Then, a screech pierced through the air, and the zombies surged forward in response, attacking with renewed enthusiasm.

Valen didn't wait to see what would happen next. Diving, he scooped up his blade, plunging it straight into the skull of the nearest zombie.

Nearby, Thorn, Elias and Ren fought, trying to hold back the tide. Elias' sword was wreathed in white hot flames, severing any that came close, while Thorn's sword curved through the battlefield like a snake, lengthening and contracting.

Ren was zooming around the place, blocking off the explosions wherever he could, his bracers flickering weakly, each shield shattering after every explosion. The bracers worked by absorbing force but the explosions were shattering each forcefield before they could even absorb any force.

In the middle of the huddle, Lilith was holding the reins of the five horses, patches of blue energy covering their eyes and ears to prevent them from being spooked. She was watching Ren closely, ready to step in if anything went wrong.

Valen, for his own part, moved like a man possessed. His expression was one of serene calm, like he was in the middle of meditating, and not actually fighting off a horde of zombies.

But the swarm didn't care.

They rushed towards him like a wall of human flesh. A pair of zombies tackled him from behind. Another bit into his shoulder. Blood spilled again, this time his own, and the veins came back. Red. Webbed. Furious.

Again, there was a buzz, his body flickered like static, and the plague was gone.

He kept going, slashing as more undead surged from the alleys, filling the intersection completely. Zombies fell, other zombies trampling on them like a carpet as they attacked madly.

The ground was now completely red, the blood from the zombies, painting the floor.

Valen tilted his head as he fought. What if…

He gave up on defending and spun straight into the midst of the zombies.

A claw ripped open his arm. One of them latched onto his leg, biting deep.

The plague moved through him, even faster than it had the last time, as if it was actually intelligent. Red veins spiraled across his face like fire dancing over oil.

He could feel Restoration buzzing within him, eager to restore him to his base state, but he pushed it back. Not yet.

He kept fighting, blades swinging like a man making a last stand. His lips twitched at the thought. This is fun.

His body trembled, his skin splitting. He could feel the ripple of energy building within him, his body swelling unnaturally.

With a soft chuckle, just before his smile fully bloomed, he dove into the crush of zombies, cutting down as many as he could. Then, he exploded.

The force tore a crater into the street, blowing all the zombies around him apart.

When the smoke cleared, there was nothing left of Valen.

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As they fought, Ren wracked his brain. Everyone here trusted him and had placed their lives in his hands. He wasn't about to let them down.

The problem right now, was keeping everyone alive. He could escape this, but what about Thorn and Elias?

He zoomed to the other side as the explosion went off, the force rippling outward, slower than his mind, but faster than his body.

His shields bloomed to life, taking the brunt of it and shattering an instant later.

He used the split second reprieve to glance around the battlefield. Valen was engaged with the zombies on the other side of the intersection, his Divine Gift working on the plague.

His eyes shifted to Thorn and Elias, his eyes narrowing as it landed on Elias, who stabbed his flaming sword into the ground, the fire racing on a path towards the zombies. It touched them, and they began burning, faster than normal.

Wait a minute!

An explosion rippled through the zombies, throwing them in every direction and his hand snapped forward, another barrier stopping the spray of blood and chunks of meat.

A second later, there was a buzz from near the horses, white and black static appeared in midair, and Valen materialized, clothes clean and complete with his twin swords strapped to his back. It was like an old save file from a game, reuploading itself.

"Lilith!" Ren yelled. He hated that he had to do this, but this was his fault. He'd get them out of this, whatever it took. "Dome!"

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Lilith didn't need to be told twice. She lifted her hand, blue, translucent energy slipping out in a solid stream, it zipped around the horses and each fighter, forming into a dome around them.

"Let's get out of here." He turned back to his companions, the light of the coin he'd dropped near the border watchtowers blooming in his mind.

Then, he heard something that froze him in his tracks.

"Hello, Terence Ross."