I barely had ti to register what was happening, Temur moving when the monster’s fist smashed into . The impact drove the air out of my lungs and sent skidding across the ground again. The damned monster was lumbering my way again!
But Temur was already building his attack.
I felt it as his aura surged, heavy and sharp. He ran past , sword raised high, red light crawling along the edges of the blade as he layered more and more aura into it. The weapon seed to grow denser with every step he took until it seems even he was struggling to control it.
Then he slashed.
The aura tore free with a mad howl, lightning-fast and taller than him, burning with a frenzied red glow. It collided with the monster just as its three hands ca down on again.
One of its hand was severed completely. The other two were cut deep before the attack fizzled out.
Dark blood rained over .
I flinched as the monster stumbled back, screaming and writhing. My head swam as I looked up at Temur. I’d honestly thought that thing was about to end .
Temur leaned heavily on his sword, chest heaving.
"We made a critical hit," he said, nodding toward the severed hand.
But the other hands were still there, that was what bothered .
Ans now the monster didn’t rush us. It paused, slowly turning toward Temur, Its mouth opened, flesh peeing back to reveal its abomination of a maw.
I understood what it was about to do a heartbeat too late.
The thing exhaled and the air in front of it twisted.
The stench of rot hit first, then a searing wave of black energy rolled toward us, scorching everything in its path.
"Woooo!" Temur shouted and slashed the air without hesitation, releasing a burst of aura that split the wave in two. The heat still washed over us, but the worst of it passed.
Thankfully, the breath was short.
Then the monster inhaled again.
I raised my hand, Unholy magic spilling over my fingers. "Unholy magic."
Temur poured what little aura he had left into his sword.
But neither of us got the chance to act.
A thin, shimring blue beam punched straight through the monster’s jaw. Its front fangs shattered, flesh burning away layer by layer.
The creature lashed out blindly, shrieking as another beam followed, a wider one this ti, slamming into its side and sending it staggering.
Relief hit hard as I looked toward Litha. A massive orb of mana hovered above her head.
"That should be enough to put it down," I said.
"Well," Temur muttered.
We watched as the monster curled in on itself. Its remaining four hands were dragged back into its body like limbs retracting into a shell. What stood before us was just a huge mass of rotting flesh.
"What’s its deal?" Temur asked.
I didn’t like it.
Too much rot, it too hard to tell what kind of damage we’d really done. I kept my distance, Unholy magic still coating my hand.
"I don’t think it’s dead."
"It better be. I’m low on mana," Litha said dryly, eyes locked on the thing. Nothing had gone right since they were kidnapped, just one ss after another.
She ca down from her tree to survey it.
"I’m pretty low too," Temur added.
I shook my head. I hadn’t burned much Unholy magic, most of my strength had co straight from Hermit.
"Is it finally over?" I asked.
Even if I could keep fighting, I really didn’t want to.
Litha drew back her remaining mana. "Well, at least we can escape now..."
Hermit suddenly scread in my head.
And I moved without thinking.
I slamd into Litha, knocking her aside. She was the only one I could reach asTemur was too far. Just seconds before the monster exploded outward.
Four hands burst free, each wrapped in corrosive black energy that it hurled in all directions without waiting a mont.
One blast hit dead-on. I spun through the air as acid burned through my clothes and latched onto my flesh, chewing into like sothing alive.
I scread, panic and pain flooding my chest. I slapped at my torso, only ended up saring the substance onto my hand. The pain doubled as it began eating into my skin where I just rubbed.
Temur wasn’t spared either, he rolled across the ground, groaning as he tried to scrape the acid off himself.
Litha looked from us to the monster advancing toward us. Her eyes hardened.
"I really, really hate working with idiots," she snapped.
She ran straight at the monster. "Use your inner power! Your aura and Unholy magic!"
I barely heard her over the pain, but my heightened senses caught enough.
I focused.
Dragged the Unholy magic out of and wrapped it around my body. Green light flared, burning against my skin.
"Aaaargh!"
The energies collided. The pain was unbearable, but slowly, the corrosive power was stripped away. I collapsed, gasping. It felt like acid was still flowing through my veins.
Temur groaned nearby, his body smoking with fading red aura.
I turned my head toward Litha and the monster.
At first, I thought the pain was making hallucinate.
Then I saw it clearly.
Panic surged through as I tried, and failed, to stand.
The monster opened its mouth to roar.
And Litha, wrapped in blazing blue light like the dying embers of a star, leapt straight into its open jaws.
What. The. Fuck. Was she thinking?!
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