Chapter 88: KARAKA’S DAGGER
‘It’s getting faster….’
Frustration riddled Lily’s face as her clash with the black monster continued.
Not only were its explosive blows getting more powerful with each strike, but its attack speed was also increasing by the second.
Its precision grew more precise with each successive hit, sometimes even grazing parts of Lily’s body despite her being in mist form.
Though her technique provided substantial defense, allowing her to sometimes blend into the mist and avoid the full brunt of its attacks, she knew this strategy wouldn’t hold out for long.
The monster was adapting, becoming more relentless and formidable with every passing moment.
She needed a way to end this fight quickly; a battle of attrition wasn’t in her favor.
As the monster grew stronger, so did its scaly armor, becoming more impervious to her attacks. It wouldn’t be long before she ran out of mana to maintain her mist form.
She needed to end this fight now.
Desperation drove her to assess her surroundings for anything that could give her an advantage.
The icy mist, the towering trees, and the jagged rocks all seemed to blur together as she racked her brain for a solution.
The monster’s single, fiery eye watched her with a cruel, mocking intelligence, its smile widening as it sensed her growing desperation.
“Think, Lily, think….” she muttered under her breath. Her eyes darted around, searching for any weak point, any opportunity to turn the tide.
Calming down her breathing, Lily focused a portion of her mana on her eyes and watched as the monster’s fiery fist barreled towards her face, calculating the distance before it could hit her.
BOOM!!!!
Lily jumped back just in time. A massive explosion erupted under the monster’s fist, creating a small fiery crater. Its snarling laugh still echoed in her ears, but she ignored it as her vision turned bloody red.
Readjusting her mana to her arms and legs, she coated her blades with red mist, preparing for her ultimate strike. The monster was still off balance from its previous attack, and Lily knew this was her only chance….
[Bloody Mist: Secret Technique]
[Crimson Strike!]
Like a whirlwind of blood coating around her blades, Lily’s body disappeared into a blur of hazy mist before quickly making her way towards the monster.
Her eyes locked onto its neck.
The world seemed to slow down as she closed the distance.
Her senses were heightened, every detail etched into her mind—the heat radiating from the monster’s body, the acrid smell of burning stone and metal, the intense focus in her own heartbeat.
The monster, sensing the imminent danger, tried to raise its arm in defense, but it was too late.
In a flash, Lily reappeared behind the monster, her blades slicing through the air with deadly precision.
The red mist around her condensed into razor-sharp edges, cutting through the monster’s scaly armor like butter.
Her blades met the monster’s neck, and with a single, fluid motion, she severed its head from its body.
The monster’s fiery eye widened in shock before the light within it dimmed, and its head fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
The massive body staggered for a moment before collapsing, the flames around it flickering and then dying out.
The battlefield fell silent, the echoes of the monster’s roars replaced by the stillness of the night.
Lily stood over the fallen beast, panting heavily.
‘Is it over…?’ she wondered with skeptical eyes, watching the lifeless corpse.
Even though the flames that surrounded it were gone and its head was cleanly severed from its body, there was still a looming threat that Lily couldn’t quite understand.
Her instincts told her that the fight wasn’t over yet.
What she had landed was a direct critical hit, a life-ending attack.
Any normal human or monster by now should be dead, and yet the thing lying on the ground still exuded threatening energy, trying to swallow her whole.
Lily’s grip on her dagger tightened even more.
Despite her lack of mana, she took a slight step back, making sure to keep her eyes locked on its body, despite her worries for her sister.
The intense silence in the air made her gulp down her saliva.
Looking at the severed head, it was clear there were no signs of life. But this monster was a golem to begin with.
In theory, ‘It should still have a core…’ she thought.
Although she wanted to attack it from its core directly due to the Black Scales there was far too little options, she had for a proper strike, not to mention that the energy behind the monster was equal throughout all of its body making finding the core that much harder especially in the heat of battle.
Determined to end the threat once and for all, Lily scanned the monster’s body, searching for any signs of the core.
The black scaly armor and the fiery remnants of its once powerful form made it difficult, but she knew she had to find it.
‘Where would it be…?’ she pondered, her mind racing.
Usually, golems had their cores hidden deep within their chests, protected by layers of rock and magic.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves. ‘I need to get to its chest,’ she decided.
Taking cautious steps forward, Lily approached the fallen body.
She could feel the residual heat emanating from the monster’s form, the red mist around her blades still shimmering faintly.
Her heart pounded in her chest, every instinct screaming at her to be careful.
With a swift motion, she plunged her dagger into the creature’s chest, tearing through the black scales. It was tough, but she pressed on, determined to find and destroy the core.
As her blade pierced deeper, she felt a sudden surge of resistance—a pulse of energy that almost pushed her back.
‘There it is…’ she thought, gritting her teeth. She could sense the core now, a throbbing, pulsating mass of chaotic energy buried within the golem’s chest.
With all the strength she could muster, she drove her dagger deeper, aiming for the core.
Suddenly, the monster’s body convulsed, and the severed head’s single eye glowed with a faint, eerie light.
A guttural, otherworldly noise emanated from the creature, sending shivers down Lily’s spine.
But she didn’t falter.
Rushing, she tried to push her blade deeper, but before she could do so, a repulsive energy exploded from deep inside the monster’s core, pushing her back forcefully.
“Guh!!”
Her breath escaped her as she was hurled against a gigantic tree, her already tired body battered further by the shockwave.
She looked at the monster, its head floating and reattaching itself to its body. Fear struck Lily as her body shivered upon making eye contact with the raging monster.
“HUMAN STRONG! FUN! THIS FUN! FIGHT MORE! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!”
The monster screamed like a drug addict, stepping closer to the fallen Lily.
‘I need to get out of here…’
Lily mustered up her remaining mana to try and turn herself into mist, but there was no effect—she didn’t have enough mana left.
‘Damn it…!’
Staggering herself back up, Lily used the remainder of her mana to fortify her body instead. She didn’t let go of her dagger as she prepared for another inevitable clash.
Breathing heavily, she steadied her stance, eyes focused on the approaching monster.
She could see the malicious glee in its single eye, the anticipation of the next battle. Despite her fear, she forced herself to stay calm, analyzing her surroundings for any advantage she could use.
The forest around her was dense, the trees towering and ancient.
She noticed a large, sturdy branch above her, partially broken but still hanging by a thread.
An idea sparked in her mind.
‘If I can just lure it under that branch…’
The monster roared, its steps heavy and deliberate. Lily took a deep breath, her grip on the dagger tightening.
“Come on, you ugly brute,” she muttered, positioning herself strategically.
As the monster lunged at her, she dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding its fiery fist. The impact created another explosion, shaking the ground beneath her.
Using her agility, she moved swiftly, leading the monster toward the precarious branch.
“FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!” the monster chanted, its excitement growing.
Just as they were directly under the branch, Lily made a swift move, slashing at the monster’s legs with her dagger. It stumbled, giving her the brief moment she needed.
With all her remaining strength, she leaped onto the tree trunk and kicked off, hitting the branch.
CRACK!
The branch snapped and fell, crashing down on the monster with immense force. The impact momentarily stunned the beast, giving Lily a small window of opportunity.
Ignoring her fatigue, she dashed forward, aiming for the monster’s exposed chest where she had felt the core’s energy earlier.
Now that she knew where it was located, killing it should be easier now….
‘This is for my sister!!!’ she screamed internally as she made her lunge.
But the moment she got closer, only the flaming form of fists came into her vision.
“HUMAN STUPID!”
‘Huh…?’
Lily didn’t have time to react as multiple blows hit her face and body.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Like the intense sound of fire spells detonating in an area, Lily’s body was pummeled with multiple punches.
Explosions rang out as fires burned, and once again, Lily was thrown back to the other side of the mountain.
Lily gasped for breath, crashing against a wall.
‘What happened?’ she wondered.
She was sure the monster was pinned down, so how come it could easily move?
“HUMAN DEAD?”
The monster easily got to her location, looking at her curiously, wondering if she would ever get back up again….
‘How am I alive?’ Lily wondered. She knew she took a direct hit, yet she felt surprisingly little pain for that absurd amount of blows….
“HUMAN CANNOT MOVE, FIGHT END NOW!” the monster concluded before its fists burned into fiery flames once more.
“HUMAN, WAS FUN!”
Lily’s vision blurred, her body screaming in protest as she tried to stand.
The pain, though less intense than she anticipated, was still excruciating.
Closing her eyes, preparing for the inevitable, Lily heard the monster’s mocking voice once more.
The heat flared up for a few seconds before it ultimately disappeared. Moments later, a sharp sound resonated in the air.
SWIISHHH~!
‘Did I die?’ Lily wondered as she felt the sudden, eerie quiet.
“What are you doing, Sis~?”
Suddenly, a cute, familiar voice echoed in her ears, and a soft touch was felt on her cheek.
“Gosh~ he really did a number on you. Tsk~ tsk~”
Opening her eyes, she was surprised to see the lovable face of her younger twin.
“L-Lillian!?”
“Hehe~ did you miss me?”
“But weren’t you just…?”
Still trying to process what was going on, Lily looked around to find where the monster suddenly went, only for her eyes to see a mangled-up corpse behind Lillian’s back.
The monster she struggled so hard to fight against was now just multiple sections of dissected meat.
“What… how did you…?” Lily stammered, her mind reeling with confusion and relief.
Lillian grinned, her eyes glinting with a new, eerie intensity. “Let’s just say I got a little help.”
“Help? What are you talking about?” Lily asked, confusion and concern evident in her voice.
“It’s a bit of a long yet short story, but in short, I killed that monster you’re welcome hehe~… that’s all that matters for now.” Lillian replied with a nonchalant shrug.
“Huh…how?” Lily pressed, still bewildered by her sister’s sudden transformation.
Lillian didn’t reply immediately. Instead, she gently lifted her older sister, cradling her like a princess.
“Lillian?”
“Don’t struggle too much, Sis~ I’m just carrying you to a safe place. We don’t know when another one of those monsters will show up again,” Lillian said, her tone light yet serious.
Lily reluctantly relaxed in her sister’s arms, her mind still racing with questions.
