Ch. 64: "Whether I Live or Die, That's Another Matter"

The ripples of energy flowed throughout my body, thundering like a raging river carrying a formidable electric current.

With a wave of my hand, I gestured to draw in the empty air, creating a swirl of blue particles gathering to form a sword that emanated a purplish sheen.

That sword then fused with the Electro element I wielded.

As the black thorns rained down towards me, I deftly swung the sword, slashing them one by one without leaving a single trace.

My movements flowed nimbly like a graceful dance that dotted lightning with every swing.

I glanced briefly at Furina, still hiding behind me, her body curled and trembling in fear.

Yup, my shoulders are going to get tired like this.

I immediately shifted my gaze forward.

The fake Charlotte, or more precisely the disguised girl.

Her body seemed made of a thick, black liquid substance that oozed on the ground, creating thorn-covered vines ready to pounce.

I darted forward, swinging the sword with all my might. But at the same time, the thorns sprouted from the ground, forming like bars caging me in an invisible cage.

I kept slashing them relentlessly, but more and more grew, threatening to rip through my skin.

Growling in frustration, I then enveloped myself with the Electro Vision aura, letting purple lightning flashes lash out blindly through the sword.

Thanks to my Electro aura, I managed to break through with a single slash, piercing that thorny defense until I could reach her!

But... not long after that. The girl made a suspicious move.

The girl instead attacked Furina with a rain of black thorns spewing from the opposite direction!

My eyes widened in shock instantly. I immediately went to Furina's side and slashed away all those attacks.

Even though she had died previously, she still had an unexpected cleverness!

This is very troublesome!

"Besides being a burden, what else can you do?!" I shouted at Furina, still rooted in her spot. "If you are the Archon, then do something!"

It may sound hurtful, but that's the reality.

Here, Furina, she will only be a burden to me.

I won't be able to attack her while also constantly protecting her at the same time!

My sword kept swinging brutally, splattering lightning flashes in the air.

The frantic motions I initially thought were enough to defeat her turned out to be meaningless against this endless thorn-formed creature.

Like creeping plant roots, the black thorns kept emerging every time I slashed them. Over and over again, without end.

I relied on agility and Agility.

Like a blazing fire, I weaved, ran, avoiding every attack with wild sword swings.

But quickly I realized the bitter truth - the faster I moved, the more stamina was drained!

Sweat drenched every inch of my skin as it felt heavier. My breath started gasping under the burden I bore.

No, I must not give up! If I give up now, I could die!

With one final swing, I managed to slash the thorny girl away.

But that didn't make her stop and give up just like that.

Between my ragged breaths, I staggered over to the trembling Furina.

My body hunched over beside her, with my hand braced on my shaking knee.

I raised my face to look at her, my lips curving a pitiful sneer.

"Maybe we're going to die, you know..." I rasped hoarsely.

Furina's eyes widened at those words. Utter fear enveloped her as the woman hugged me with a violently trembling body.

"Do something, I beg you!" she pleaded with a hoarse voice holding back sobs.

Come on... you can't take my joke seriously, okay?

I was just kidding. Of course I don't want to die.

But, how can I defeat her?

With my stamina completely drained, it's impossible for me to continue this battle.

Honestly, I've been feeling the seething frustration welling up inside me this whole time.

Trying to rely on Furina is basically just wasting energy.

In the end, she's just an ordinary human with no powers!

If only she were Charlotte, maybe we could support each other with our respective abilities.

But here, Furina will only be a burden that slows down my movements.

"I also can't rely on Furina because she's just an ordinary human..." I muttered irritably between ragged breaths.

Suddenly, the thorny girl unleashed a new attack mode I had never seen before!

From her thick, black liquid body, she released a gushing burst like a swirling vortex of blackish energy waves intertwining into a dark maelstrom.

I was stunned seeing this new type of attack.

My eyes widened in shock at that horrifying, alien phenomenon.

Without another thought, I immediately brought Furina's body into my embrace and moved to evade as quickly as I could.

I had no information whatsoever about that new attack!

Who knows if it was a deadly assault that I couldn't block?

With that consideration, I decided to put as much distance between us as possible.

Sure enough, once that dense black energy gushed onto the ground, the impact was truly horrific!

I swallowed hard, staring at the devastation.

With firm steps, I stood upright facing her, closing my eyes briefly to gather my focus.

Soon after, the Electro Aura enveloped my body again, and I pointed my sword's tip at her.

"Whether I live or die, that's another matter," I said in a calm, chilling tone.

I immediately charged. My sword lashed out mercilessly, splattering purple flashes from the Electro aura surrounding me.

I swung, thrust, slashed the sword with all my might to reach my target.

Heh, our first encounter was truly pitiful. We were both not strong back then!

I didn't even have a sword yet!

At this point, the black-formed girl suddenly unleashed her strange attack patterns to block me.

Sometimes she created thorns from the ground sprouting like thorn vines, an attack I had known before.

That's when I thrust my sword, chopping up every obstructing thorn until they were scattered without a trace.

But at other times, she also released that alien attack I had never seen before.

Something oddly shaped and glowing with a purplish aura that made me shudder in dread.

That's when I chose to keep my distance and evade, because I had absolutely no idea of the horrific effects of that attack.

It could be disastrous if I melted from that.

I kept defending and attacking in a chase rotation.

Insisting on not giving up even though my body had reached its limit.

Sweat flooded every inch of my skin as blood trickled from the corner of my split lip.

A stinging sensation gripped me as the sweat touched the wounds all over my body.

But I didn't care, anger and determination kept pushing me forward to fight.

Keep attacking, attacking, and attacking... until finally my energy was nearly drained to the last drop.

My consciousness started to blur and I almost passed out.

Not long after, something utterly shocking happened!

The girl started showing signs of weakening. She looked at me. Seemingly realizing my near-limit condition!

It was at that moment that her greatest attack emerged.

I was utterly convinced that was her trump card!

As soon as I saw her preparation, I couldn't help but sneer widely with a mocking smile.

"Gotcha!" I hissed confidently.

***

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