After teleporting Wednesday away with Shambles, Luke found himself face to face with Dolores, her expression cold and brimming with murderous intent. Her bony fist, adorned with rings, swung toward his head.
Luke crossed his arms in an X-shape to shield himself and created a telekinetic barrier as quickly as he could.
When Dolores' fist struck the barrier, it shattered instantly and continued its path toward Luke.
PUM!
The fist collided with Luke's arm, sending him flying dozens of ters backward.
As he soared through the air, Luke managed to use his telekinesis to slow his montum- just slightly. He crashed into a tree, and thanks to his efforts, he didn't break it, but he felt a sharp pain in his back.
"Cough... cough..." Luke spat blood. He was sure he had broken a few ribs. He noticed the imprint of Dolores' rings embedded in the skin of his left forearm. Thanks to his shield, the bones in his forearms weren't broken.
If he could have, he would have teleported away with Shambles, but he was already at his limit. A throbbing headache and fatigue consud his entire body. He had overused his powers during the battle with Crackstone.
[Luke, if you teleport away again, I'll kill you.] Wednesday's voice echoed through their telepathic link. Her tone was not the usual monotone devoid of emotion. Instead, it carried both concern and anger.
[Don't teleport you away from . Hide and try to execute a surprise, lethal attack if possible] Luke said as he wiped the blood from his mouth.
His body ached all over, and he felt a ntal fatigue unlike anything he had ever experienced. But he couldn't remain on the ground-Dolores was charging straight at him.
He could have used the last of his ntal strength to send Wednesday more than 20 kiloters away so she could escape, but he knew her too well.
Wednesday would co back no matter how much he insisted she leave. She was incredibly stubborn. The best option was to try to have Wednesday attempt a decapitation strike while Luke distracted Dolores.
Wednesday was running toward the sound of the battle. She bit her lower lip, her expression filled with frustration. Her progress was slow, and she was limping because one of her legs was badly burned, but pain was the least of her concerns.
[Don't die] Wednesday said in a worried tone as she tried to pick up her pace.
She had noticed during the fight with Crackstone that Luke had borne the brunt of the battle. He had used techniques that required imnse energy and had employed Shambles on her several tis—a feat far from easy. On top of that, he took charge of close-quarters combat when it beca necessary.
Luke didn't respond to Wednesday. He was facing Dolores again, who launched another punch at him. This ti, however, the blow was even more powerful-the very air seed to ripple from the force.
If he were in peak condition, his telekinesis and clairvoyance would have made dodging the attack simple. But in his current state, he couldn't move fast enough or use telekinetic waves at the precise mont needed.
If he defended himself the sa way as before, the bones in his arms would shatter, and he'd be sent flying at even greater speed than last ti. The damage would be too severe to endure. In that tense mont, Luke focused on the last card he could rely on: his blue aura.
It was highly likely that Dolores had so kind of artifact protecting her mind. However, such shields weren't impenetrable. All they did was add a layer of protection that a telepath would need to break through before gaining access to their victim's mind.
The problem was that breaking or hacking through this protection could take several seconds -and by the ti Luke did, Dolores' fist would have already landed. He needed to be fast. Very fast.
Luke locked eyes with Dolores, concentrating intensely. Their gazes t. With trendous focus, he entered her mind. As he'd expected, she had protections in place.
The process felt like forcing a lock open, only at an incredible speed-less than a second. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his brain throbbed painfully, but he did it.
With the protections breached, Luke manipulated Dolores' senses, creating an illusion that would allow him to escape.
To Dolores, Luke was still there-motionless and too exhausted to move. She struck him with brutal force, but instead of hitting solid flesh, her fist t empty air.
Luke's body dissolved into a cloud of black crows that scattered in every direction, creating a chaotic visual that left her montarily bewildered.
'Did he manage to break through the protective layers of my rings? That fast?' Dolores thought, surprised and confused as she tried to disperse the crows, which vanished after a few seconds.
Luke was no longer in sight. Although the illusion was brief, it gave him just enough ti to slip away and hide behind a tree several ters away from Dolores.
'Damn it, this hurts...' Luke thought, clutching his head as he leaned against the thick trunk of the tree. His brain throbbed painfully, each pulse like a hamr to his skull.
He hadn't tried to attack Dolores during those few seconds when her vision was obstructed by the crows. At best, he could have inflicted a minor cut on her skin. Against soone like Dolores, who possessed a green aura, such damage would be insignificant. With her regenerative ability, the wound would heal in re seconds.
All he would have accomplished was wasting more of his own energy.
Luke was sick of fighting opponents with regenerative abilities and impenetrable resilience. He and Wednesday had to bear every injury, every scratch, for the duration of the battle.
The pain accumulated with each wound, like a heavy burden that slowed him down and made it harder to endure the next attack. Even small injuries added to his exhaustion, making every movent more taxing.
Luke quickly moved away from his hiding spot, and just as he left, the tree he'd been leaning against was split in half by Dolores' fist.
'Crazy old woman,' Luke thought with a grimace of pain. Even moving quickly hurt.
Dolores harbored a deep, burning hatred for Luke. It wasn't just because he was a Poe or the centuries-old feud between their families. The main reason was that Luke had killed her two beloved children.
When she first heard the news, she wanted to attack Luke imdiately, regardless of whose house he might be staying in-whether Addams, Umbrio, Thorpe, or anyone else's. But she was stopped by her husband.
Dolores extended her hand, her fingers sinking deeply into the broken trunk as if it were paper. With monstrous strength, she ripped the trunk from the ground, roots and all, and hurled it at Luke with incredible speed.
Luke could feel Dolores' murderous intent directed squarely at him. Thanks to that, he managed to predict where the trunk would go and sidestepped it by re centiters. The trunk whizzed past him, tearing his clothes and leaving a sharp gust of air in its wake.
But Luke couldn't afford to relax. Dolores grabbed the other half of the tree and, without giving him a mont to breathe, threw it at him again. This ti, the speed was even greater.
Luke tried to move to the side again, but it wasn't enough. He only managed to partially avoid the impact. Had he not dodged slightly, the trunk would have hit his stomach squarely,
spelling his end.
Instead, the half-trunk struck his right side, near his lower obliques, with brutal force, leaving him breathless.
The jagged edge of the trunk pierced his skin, creating a deep and bloody wound. The impact sent him flying backward. He tumbled across the ground several tis before coming to a
stop, sharp pain coursing through his entire body.
Despite the agony, Luke managed to rise slowly, his breathing labored. His side was bleeding heavily, and the wound was severe enough to make him dizzy for a mont. Even so, he clenched his teeth and stood up, one hand pressing against the fresh injury.
"Does it hurt? You turned my children into lumps of at. This is just the beginning of your suffering," Dolores said, her gaze burning with hatred.
Unfortunately for her, she needed to kill Luke quickly. The battle against Crackstone at Raven Island had been very noticeable. While Nevermore was empty during this ti of year, the school undoubtedly had ways to monitor its grounds, and reinforcents could arrive at any
mont.
Dolores' words, dripping with resentnt, hung in the air, and Luke felt a spark of opportunity. Hatred was a significant weakness if you let it control you in the heat of battle. The stronger the hatred, the easier it is to act on impulse, neglecting focus.
In that mont, as Dolores savored his suffering, her arrogance had opened the door he
needed. Locking eyes with her, Luke entered Dolores' mind once more. This ti, breaking through her defenses was easier he wasn't as pressed for ti as before.
He manipulated her senses, creating an illusion where Dolores experienced total paralysis. It wasn't a ntal command forcing her to stay still, but it was similar. The effect would last only slightly longer than a direct command.
Luke knew this illusion would only hold for a few seconds before she broke free, but those precious seconds were exactly what he and Wednesday needed.
[Now!] Luke said through their telepathic link.
From behind a bush, Wednesday erged, moving swiftly toward Dolores. With the precision
of a hunter, she drove her shadow blade directly toward Dolores' left eye. The blade pierced
through, puncturing the eyeball.
Simultaneously, Luke, still weakened, used his telekinesis to move a small stone. He launched
it with all the speed he could muster toward Dolores' other eye. Both attacks, perfectly synchronized, hit their mark: Dolores let out a scream of pain,
clutching her face as she staggered back.
However, even in her vulnerable state, Dolores reacted with superhuman speed, pulling back
just in ti to prevent Wednesday's knife from driving deeper into her brain. As for the stone, it didn't have enough force to penetrate her skull.
'Damn it,' Luke thought, clicking his tongue. He had wanted to pierce Dolores' brain and send her to join her children. They had lost a pri opportunity to kill her, but there was no use
dwelling on it now.
The only silver lining was that Dolores was temporarily blinded. Even with her regenerative abilities, healing her eyes wouldn't be easy. Her regeneration wasn't nearly as advanced as
Crackstone's.
They had to keep fighting and survive. Luke wouldn't let Wednesday die here. If he had to die,
it would be taking that witch Dolores with him.
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