Free Web NovelChapter 20: Monster
Arc blurred from the spot, appearing above the Destroyer mid-flight with his fist raised high. He punched down with a force that shook the cavern as it collided with the Destroyer’s crossed arms, which had been raised at the very last second.
Boom—
The Destroyer narrowly escaped a fatal blow to his chest, but he couldn’t escape being buried into the ground by the sheer force behind Arc’s punch.
Before he could recover, Arc’s foot was already in his line of sight, stomping down on his face and cracking the earth further beneath his head. Then came the punches.
The Destroyer could only raise his hands in defense once more. It did nothing but protect his already flattened face—now stamped with Arc’s shoe prints—as the latter rained down a flurry of blows on him. Each strike buried him deeper into the earth. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
The Destroyer felt his health rapidly decline from the unyielding attacks, his body quickly becoming covered in bumps and bruises from the devastating onslaught.
Seeing the cold eyes of the attacker above him sent a chill down his spine. For the very first time in his life, he panicked and felt fear.
He had always prided himself on being a monster—a true terror to his enemies. But now...
Those eyes... that expression... that was the look of a monster. A true predator.
’Run... I have to run now!’
Those thoughts crossed his mind, followed immediately by fierce denial.
’No... This can’t be. I’ve always been the strongest. The predator. I’ve always come out on top. This thing I feel now—this fear—is an illusion! It has to be. I, the Destroyer, have never felt this way in my life. It must be a negative status effect. Yes... it must be a skill this low-level human is using to manipulate me into thinking he’s stronger.’
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
A sudden, powerful burst of aura exploded from his chest, knocking Arc off him and sending debris flying as he rose from the floor. He levitated into the air as demonic energy surged through him, turning his eyes bloodshot and unveiling his raw bloodlust.
"HOW DARE YOU?!" he roared in anger. "I’M GONNA CRUSH YOU AND EVERYTHING THAT HAS EVER COME IN CONTACT WITH YOU VERMIN!"
Boom—
He launched himself forward like a comet, driving his fist toward Arc, who crossed his arms to block the strike. The blow landed with much more force than Arc had anticipated, knocking him a few feet back.
Bam—
The Destroyer was already on him again, throwing mad punches that sounded like sonic booms as they collided with Arc’s protective forearms. Each blow knocked him back, cornering him against a wall where he could no longer retreat.
But contrary to the Destroyer’s expectations, Arc didn’t make a desperate move to avoid getting trapped. Instead, he simply lowered his arms amidst the flurry of punches.
The Destroyer immediately doubled the strength behind his strikes, throwing everything he had into Arc, who was completely backed up against the wall. Yet, the youth simply stood still as the punches harmlessly bounced off his skin.
"Is that all you’ve got?" Arc asked slowly.
The Destroyer’s eyes widened in shock, seeing that he was dealing 100% attack power while Arc was receiving 0% damage. But he refused to stop. He couldn’t stop now.
Suddenly, Arc raised his palms and caught the oncoming fists cleanly in the air.
"That’s enough. I’m bored now," Arc said. He slowly twisted the fists in his grasp, forcing the Destroyer down to his knees.
The Destroyer felt his fingers crush one after another under the pressure of Arc’s iron grip. The bones of his hands were starting to slowly snap from being bent at an unnatural angle.
Every trace of anger and pride in his eyes vanished, replaced by genuine fear and terror as he looked up at the looming figure staring down at him with cold, mechanical eyes. He watched Arc’s lips slowly part as a single word escaped his throat.
"Die."
"N—NO, WAIT—" the demon pleaded.
He watched an obsidian blade rise from the floor and spin until its tip pointed directly at his side. Before he could finish speaking, the blade shot forward like a cannonball.
"A-Arc?!"
Swish—!
The blade scarred the Destroyer’s left eye, carving deep into his brow before diving past. It had been deflected because the sudden voice calling out to Arc distracted him at the last moment. He slowly turned to see who the intruder was.
Liz froze on the spot. She had been glued to the floor from start to finish, unable to find her voice to say anything all this while. It was only now that she finally regained her senses to speak, her voice coming out louder than she had intended.
The moment Arc’s eyes landed on her, she felt a chill run down her spine. Those eyes weren’t the kind of eyes any human should possess. Even after watching him survive something she knew Felix—the strongest in their party—wouldn’t last a few seconds against, she was certain the soul behind those eyes didn’t belong to a mortal.
Arc had either been possessed by a demon and lost his mind, or he had been hiding his true strength from the group this entire time.
She blinked, and in that split second, Arc vanished from his spot. Her heart instantly dropped as she stumbled backward.
"A-Arc?" she stuttered in panic.
Suddenly, a hand appeared in her field of view, closing in to grab her face. Behind that hand was a glimpse of those unchanging, terrifying eyes. The killing intent rolling off him was palpable.
She was doomed.
She knew running would be futile—not after witnessing a godly speed that her eyes could barely keep up with. She wished she could survive and live longer, long enough to find a real purpose in this new world.
Tears welled in her eyes. She didn’t want to die. She had never asked for any of this. She should have contained her curiosity. She should have been nicer to him. Maybe things would be different now.
Arc’s palm completely covered her vision. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
’Please... someone save me.’
Suddenly, a hand grabbed her hair from behind and yanked her backward with unbelievable force, sending her crashing out of the grand door and colliding into a large goblin, knocking it down with her.
She felt her entire body ache as a few of her bones fractured on impact. Her vision turned blurry as she felt around for where her Grimoire had fallen. The second she realized she couldn’t find it, she stumbled to her feet and began running toward the tunnel. A sharp pain shot through her ankle; she had sprained it.
But this didn’t discourage her. She looked behind her shoulder once before she began limping down the tunnel, blasting her way out of the trapdoor with her flames and moving as fast as she could out of the throne room. She sprinted across the village, heading directly toward the border of the island.
Hope was starting to ignite in her heart that she might actually survive this. All she had to do was return to the party, and everything would be fine. That was what she told herself repeatedly as she broke out of the forest—only to freeze in absolute terror.
Standing before her was a legion of Crimson Goblins, charging back from the neighboring island and marching in her direction at full speed.
Back in the boss room.
Arc’s open palm, which had been aiming to grab Liz’s face, had gripped something—or someone—else instead. After Liz had been tossed out of the room by the strange, white-haired lady, the newcomer had interlocked her fingers with his open palm.
"Oueee. Look at that. Don’t we look cute together?"
