Chương 82: Invincible

The Creature approached the Mountain King — or rather, its headless corpse. It laid a hand on the body, and in that same instant, the Nightmare's entire form began to be consumed by that same dark, viscous ooze coating the Creature itself — it spread across the dead flesh in living, writhing tendrils, seeping into every crack, every pore, gleaming dully like oil under weak sunlight.

Within seconds, not even a drop of blood remained on the ground where the Nightmare had lain, as though its body had never been there at all, as though the clearing itself had forgotten it ever existed. The Creature seemed to have absorbed it entirely, leaving nothing behind. The sight left Lloyd breathless, a wave of nausea rising in his throat, his stomach twisting into an unpleasant, icy knot.

The Creature studied its own hand thoughtfully, turning it this way and that, as though examining something unusually fascinating, then turned back toward the group at once. Where a mouth should have been, something like a smile appeared, stretching to an unnatural, terrifying width, and all three eyes curved into identical smiles at the same moment, transforming its entire face — if it could even be called a face — into a ghastly, mocking mask of amusement. — Shall we have some fun?

In that same instant, a flash of green streaked past the Creature — Lorian was already mid-strike, his blade whistling through the air, leaving an emerald trail behind it, his body moving with the same inhuman speed he'd shown on the first day of the Exam, feet barely touching the ground. Lloyd couldn't believe his eyes.

The Creature stopped Lorian's blade with just two fingers — the steel froze in midair, as though it had struck an invisible wall, ringing out with a thin, drawn-out sound that carried across the whole clearing. A bead of sweat rolled down Lorian's cheek, and he immediately stepped back, dropping into a fighting stance, his expression growing even more serious than before, his fingers tightening around the hilt, knuckles white with strain.

Suddenly the ground beneath the Creature's feet began freezing rapidly, spreading in fast, branching patterns of white frost, and the Creature itself stared down at it with something like curiosity, tilting its nonexistent head to one side. In that same instant, an entire mound of ice rose up where it had been standing, sharp icy spikes shooting upward with a sound like breaking glass. Lloyd had already started to feel a flicker of hope, but it didn't last long.

The Creature sat perfectly calm atop the very peak of the ice mound, one blurred leg crossed over the other, its red cloak swaying gently in a wind that didn't exist, as though mocking them all with its serenity. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators! It spoke in a sorrowful, almost disappointed tone, drawing out the words as though genuinely saddened by its opponents' weakness. — Is that really all?

Another, even thicker layer of ice formed a moment later where it had just been sitting, but the Creature dodged it elegantly, landing lightly off to the side, like a feather caught on the wind. Another mound of ice rose up in this new spot instantly, and then another — wherever the Creature moved, the ice followed relentlessly at its heels, the clearing rapidly transforming into a jagged, ice-scarred battlefield, riddled with cracks and jutting crystal spikes, but even this proved insufficient.

It dodged every attack with astonishing, almost mocking ease, as though dancing among the growing ice formations, swaying side to side with effortless grace, its laughter — quiet, satisfied — drifting out from beneath the cloak every so often.

Brand waited for a moment when the Creature might let its guard down, his body tensing, the flame on his shoulders flaring brighter than usual, casting an unsettling orange glow across the clearing, and seizing his chance, he struck from behind, pouring all his pent-up rage into the blow, his fist rocketing forward like a burning fireball, leaving a short trail of smoke behind it. But then a black hand slipped out from beneath the red cloak and caught his fist effortlessly in midair, as though snatching a fly.

Brand tried to yank his hand back, straining every muscle, the veins in his neck bulging with the effort, but he couldn't break free — the Creature held him in a grip like death itself, impervious to any struggle, the flame around his captured hand hissing uselessly, unable to inflict the slightest harm on that dark flesh, as though fire were fighting against emptiness itself.

Brand landed another strike with his free hand, throwing every last reserve of strength into it, but that too failed, his fist caught just as easily by a second black hand. Suddenly another pair of hands emerged from beneath the cloak, seizing Brand by the shoulders and head, pinning him completely immobile, gripping his body with inhuman force, while the Creature began gently stroking his head with thin, dark fingers, as though petting a disobedient animal. — I wonder what you look like on the inside.

Lloyd watched in horror, his feet rooted to the spot — he was too afraid to take a single step, even as every part of him screamed to act, his heart pounding so hard it ached somewhere behind his temples, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts.

"Come on, move, Lloyd. Do something, anything!" Without even realizing it, he took a step, then another, feeling the ground grow firmer, steadier beneath his feet, fear gradually giving way to something stronger — a desperate, almost reckless resolve, flaring up somewhere in his chest like a spark catching flame.

And then he was already sprinting straight at the Creature, the axe in his left hand cast aside somewhere behind him, forgotten in the momentum of his charge, his right arm blazing with those familiar neon lines, flaring brighter with every passing second, glowing with a pulsing emerald light, its faint hum melding with the frantic pounding of his own heart...