Jinn BLADE
Chapter 113 | Gotcha

Chapter 113: Chapter 113 | Gotcha

The wind whipped fast around them as both Verkaryon and Jinn began to plummet from the apex of the tower, their bodies flailing as Jinn resisted.

"Kurghk!" Jinn grunted, his body trembling from the pressure as he held on tight to one of Verkaryon’s arms, refusing to let go.

His other hand gripped the black sword—still humming with power—that had emerged from the obsidian stone he’d awakened with his eidra just moments before.

Then, with gritted teeth and a sharp breath, he pulled his body up, positioning the blade in a piercing motion.

*swoop!

He snapped it forward, aiming straight for Verkaryon’s chest with everything he had.

But Verkaryon twisted his body fast, wings pushing against the air, and managed to dodge the direct strike—yet the edge of the blade still grazed his side.

*tsss!

A hiss echoed through the air.

The wound sizzled, black smoke curling from his skin as if it had been burned from within.

"ARGH!" Verkaryon shrieked in pain, flinching back violently.

"P-Prime Eidra!" he spat, panic flickering in his voice as he tried harder to shake Jinn off.

His wings burst open wide, their feathers snapping with force as he began flapping them hard,

*Flap! *Flap! *FLAP!

slicing through the air with each beat.

The powerful gusts tossed their bodies slightly as gravity continued to drag them down, the tower above becoming nothing more than a distant silhouette.

"LET GO OF ME, YOU INSECT!" Verkaryon roared, his voice raw with fury.

His talons slashed wildly in the air, trying to claw at Jinn or force him to release his grip.

But Jinn held firm.

His grip stayed locked on Verkaryon’s arm, his fingers tightening even more.

His muscles screamed in pain, wind slamming into his face, but he didn’t loosen.

His sword—still glowing with dark and golden eidra—vibrated in his hand, as if it wanted to strike again, waiting for the moment.

*FLAP! *FLAP! *FLAP!

Verkaryon flapped his wings harder, turning his body in an erratic spiral, trying to throw him off balance.

"Kurghk!" Jinn coughed as the wind slammed against his face, but his eyes didn’t waver.

They stayed locked onto Verkaryon’s chest, searching again for another opening, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

*SHRIEK!!!

Verkaryon shrieked once more, the pain still echoing from the earlier wound.

His wings flapped harder than before, sending bursts of sharp air that twisted around them as he spun his body like a serpent in mid-air, trying to shake Jinn loose.

"I SAID LET GO!" Verkaryon screamed, his fists swinging, talons striking wildly, one of his knees smashing against Jinn’s side.

The blow hurt, but Jinn still didn’t let go.

His fingers clutched tight around Verkaryon’s arm, his muscles straining, burning from the fall and the force of the wind.

The black sword in his other hand kept its glow, dark and golden eidra dancing violently across its surface like fire that refused to go out.

"You think you can stop this!?" Verkaryon roared, his eyes wide, bloodshot with rage.

"You don’t even know what the thing inside you is!"

Jinn’s gaze narrowed, cutting through the storm of wind between them.

"Doesn’t matter," he growled, shifting his weight with effort as he tried to adjust mid-air, the tip of his sword twitching slightly in his hand,

"I’ll figure it out—after I kill you."

"You arrogant—!" Verkaryon spat, before slamming both of his wings in a single violent burst, sending them careening sideways through the air.

Their bodies hurled toward the ruined tower wall, jagged edges waiting like teeth.

*Drrrrrrrrge!!!

Jinn’s side scraped roughly against a broken piece of stone, pain flaring across his ribs, but even then, he still didn’t let go.

His sword hummed louder now, as if feeding off the madness and violence of their fall.

It vibrated with energy that felt more alive than before, surging in his grip like a beast ready to be unleashed.

And still, the ground was growing closer.

Jinn then greeted his teeth as he pulled in more eidra from his arm, then yanked Verkaryon downward, twisting his weight until the avian was now below, facing the ground.

He gritted his teeth harder, forcing himself to stay above as the two of them spun through the wind, the roaring gusts deafening.

The ground was getting close—too close—but Jinn didn’t care.

He raised the black sword again, his arms shaking from the pressure, the blade crackling with violent golden and dark eidra, dancing like wild fire.

His hands tightened on the hilt, knuckles pale, and with a loud grunt, he thrust the sword downward, aimed directly at Verkaryon’s chest.

*swoop!

But then—Verkaryon’s eyes snapped open wide.

His beak opened far more than it should, abnormal and twisted, and then a guttural scream burst from deep inside.

*SHRIEK!!!

A dark wave of eidra exploded from his mouth, sharp and thick, like a corrupted wind compressed into a blast.

*Boom!

"What—!?" Jinn shouted, eyes widening as the wave slammed into him before he could move.

The impact crushed into his chest like a hammer, sending a violent shock of corrupted force rippling through his body.

His sword was knocked off its path, swinging back as his arms jerked.

He lost his balance.

Completely.

His body tilted sideways, uncontrolled, and in that very moment, Verkaryon made his move.

With a violent flap of both wings and a savage twist, Verkaryon snapped upward, screaming like a beast, and slammed his taloned foot straight into Jinn’s gut.

*THUD!

"HRGGK!" Jinn choked out, breath escaping from his mouth in an instant.

His hand broke from Verkaryon’s arm, his fingers clawing at nothing but air.

Then he was gone—spinning, flailing.

Falling.

The sky spun all around him, the winds cutting across his skin like knives, his sword barely in his grip.

The tower above twisted in and out of view as he tumbled through the sky like a doll.

And below—

The ground was coming.

Fast.

Too fast.

For a moment, everything just went quiet.

Then—

*CRACK!

A flash of crimson light exploded from below, slicing through the air like lightning.

From that burst, a figure shot upwards—fast, precise, too fast for the eye to catch fully.

Zendrell.

He surged beneath Jinn in the blink of an eye, his whole body wrapped in blazing red eidra that cracked and shimmered like fire.

One arm shot out, steady and unshaking, grabbing Jinn mid-air with a tight, unmovin grip.

"Got you, kid," Zendrell muttered, voice steady, even with all the wind screaming around them.

Jinn felt the sudden stop hit him hard—his chest snapped forward slightly from the catch—but it was bearable.

That crimson eidra around Zendrell felt solid, warm, like armor and fire at the same time.

It wrapped around both of them, shielding their bodies as Zendrell bent his knees mid-air and blasted a burst of eidra from his boots.

With a loud

*CRACK!

they shot forward, slicing clean past sharp stone ruins just inches below—and finally landing on solid ground.

Jinn’s lungs still fought for air, his breath uneven, chest burning from the fall. But his eyes slowly drifted up, locking on Zendrell.

"You’re lucky I was watching the sky," Zendrell said, his tone dry and sharp like always.

"Don’t die now, else all that training I gave you’s gonna go to waste."

Jinn didn’t say anything at first.

His mouth parted slightly, but nothing came out.

His heart still beat loud in his ears.

He could still hear that awful scream from Verkaryon ringing inside his skull.

That feeling—that second where the blade was just inches from ending it all—it still clung to him.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Far above, Verkaryon hovered alone, black blood leaking from his side, his wings flapping unevenly as if struggling to keep him afloat.

He snarled down at the pair below, his eyes filled with venom and disbelief.

And Jinn, though battered and bruised, gripped the hilt of his sword once more, his fingers tightening around it like steel.

This wasn’t finished.

Not yet.

Then—almost like it was planned—another figure emerged from the side, dragging shadows and dread with her.

Jirael.

She appeared, limping slightly, her body scraped and battered as well, but her presence remained cold and commanding.

Behind her marched an army of undead soldiers and eidrics, their hollow eyes burning faintly, their pale hands shimmering with coiled eidra ready to be unleashed.

"You...!" Jirael’s voice broke through the tension, her eyes widening in disbelief the moment she saw Jinn.

"How did you manage to get here?"

Jinn cracked his neck to the side, his body still aching from the brutal fall and that kick from Verkaryon—but even then, he readied himself again, dropping into a steady stance, sword lifted and eyes locked forward.

He didn’t answer.

Didn’t need to.

His silence was answer enough.

Zendrell, just beside him, smirked as he let his massive blade rest on his shoulder.

He rolled his neck with a loud crack and chuckled.

"Looks like my sister reached the kid in time," Zendrell said, his crimson eidra starting to whirl around his body, faintly at first, then growing brighter, hotter.

"That means Malgareth’s finished... no—" he chuckled again, sharper this time "—that bastard Garian is done for."

"NO!" Jirael screamed, her voice cracking with rage as her staff burst with a surge of dark energy, its core pulsing with a vile glow.

Above them, Verkaryon spread his wings wide, now stabilizing himself in the air directly over Jinn and Zendrell.

His eyes glowed, his aura flaring in a violent spiral around him.

Below, the undead horde reacted to Jirael’s fury—blades raised, armor clanking, eidra beginning to glow on their pale limbs.

A low moan echoed from within their ranks like the sound of bones grinding.

All of them, ready to strike.

And standing alone before them...

Only two figures.

Zendrell, grinning with that usual battle-hungry gleam in his eye.

And Jinn, silent, focused—his black sword gleaming with arcs of golden and dark eidra, ready for what came next.