Chapter 170 Settle the scores (6)

The echo of Lilith’s last words had barely faded among the burning trees when the chain-bound giant charged at her.

The ground shook beneath his footsteps. He raised his massive arm above his head, the rusted chains pulling taut against his bulging muscles, then brought his fist down toward the demoness, aiming to crush her under his sheer brute force.

Lilith did not retreat.

Her black wings unfurled and beat the air violently.

She shot upward just before the fist reached her, the blow shattering the rock beneath her feet and sending debris flying through a cloud of dust.

From above, she looked down at the giant as he pulled his arm from the crater he had made.

"Hmm... you’ve got a good dog, but he’s not good enough." A sadistic smile spread across her face. "Now it’s my turn."

She twisted her wrist.

The black whip shot from Lilith’s hand, cleaving the air with a sharp crack. Purple mana flowed along its length, while metal blades protruded between its links, sharp and gleaming under the dim light.

Lilith swung her arm, and the whip descended on the giant’s chest like the edge of a massive sword.

Slaaash!

The whip tore through the giant’s chest, its blades ripping through flesh in a diagonal path. Blood sprayed as his massive body reeled back, his feet digging into the earth as he tried to resist the force of the blow.

The first strike had barely ended when Lilith’s wrist flicked to the side.

The whip spun in the air, then lashed at his waist.

Craaash!

Flesh split beneath the blades, and the force of the impact surged through his body. His feet lifted off the ground for a moment before he was hurled backward, smashing into the thick trunk of a tree. The wood splintered under his weight, and debris scattered among the trees while the branches above shook violently.

The giant tried to stand, but the whip had already returned for another attack.

It darted toward his arm in a diagonal line, its blades transforming into a flashing black blur.

Slaaash!

The giant raised his arm to block the strike, but the blades tore through the flesh, leaving a deep gash. His muscles convulsed, and his arm jerked aside under the cutting force, while his roar echoed throughout the forest.

Lilith chuckled lightly, clearly enjoying herself.

"Still standing? What a stubborn dog you are."

She raised the whip slightly, its metal links scraping against each other with a faint ringing sound. Along its length, the blades continued to glisten under the light filtering through the trees.

But before she could deliver the next blow, the red-horned guard vanished from his spot.

He appeared directly behind her, his long claws and horns hurtling toward her black wings.

Lilith didn’t even turn to look at him. She merely twisted her wrist, and the whip shot out in a lightning-fast lateral motion, closing the distance between them.

Mid-strike, it split into dozens of transparent phantoms.

The strands spread across the battlefield, tangling in intersecting paths. Some darted toward the giant, while others rushed into the guard’s path.

Most of the whips passed right through their bodies without leaving a trace, vanishing as though they were mere illusions.

The guard didn’t slow down. He continued charging toward Lilith, closing in until he was almost upon her.

Then, one of the phantoms flashed with a dark metallic gleam.

Slaaash!

The blades, which had been nothing but a harmless transparent phantom a moment ago, suddenly materialized, slicing through the guard’s shoulder before he could evade.

His body was thrown off course, blood spraying behind him as his claws missed Lilith’s wing, and he plummeted to the ground.

Lilith watched the guard fall, then turned her gaze toward the short Morveth, who had been watching the battle from a distance.

"Are you still going to stand there and watch?"

She tilted her head, a mocking smile spreading across her lips.

"Or are these two dogs all you’ve got?"

She didn’t wait for an answer. A slight movement of her fingers sent the phantoms scattered across the battlefield darting toward the two guards once more. Their paths crisscrossed around the guards, with real blades hidden among the illusory attacks, forcing them to retreat and dodge without knowing which strikes were real.

The giant tried to regain his balance, but a black whip sliced through the air in front of him, forcing him to stop and recoil from a strike that came dangerously close to his face. On the other side, the red-horned guard leapt away from a cluster of phantoms, only to find that one had already appeared behind him.

Slaaash!

The blades ripped across his back, hurling his body to the ground. He crashed violently, tearing up the dirt beneath him before coming to a halt near the shattered trees.

Lilith laughed, then turned her eyes back to the small Morveth.

"Come on, I know you’re not weak. So why are you acting helpless and just standing there doing nothing?"

He didn’t answer her.

He remained standing in his place, his small arms hanging at his sides, while his face remained hidden behind the strands of his dark hair, concealing any expression he might have had.

His aura betrayed no emotion, and his stance hadn’t shifted in the slightest, giving no indication that he intended to intervene.

Silence reigned for a few moments.

Then, Lilith’s lips curled upward.

Her fingers tightened around the handle of the whip, while the metal blades along its length caught the dim light.

"Very well, I’ll kill them first. I’m starting to get bored anyway. Then I’ll kill you."

She paused for a moment, then raised her purple eyes toward the short Morveth, her smile widening with anticipation.

"I was just a little excited at the thought of fighting all of you at the same time... but it seems I overestimated you."

Lilith’s mocking laughter had barely died down when the smile vanished from her face.

Her fingers settled around the handle of the black whip, and purple mana surged through its metal links. The blades along its length began to tremble, right before the whip suddenly branched out into multiple extensions, shooting out from around her like the tentacles of a metallic beast.

Whooosh!

The extensions converged on the battlefield from different directions.

One darted toward the giant’s neck, while three others veered toward the horned guard, cutting off his path of retreat. Just as the blades were about to reach their necks—

The giant suddenly dropped low, until his fist hit the ground, and the horned guard bent backward, passing beneath two crisscrossing blades by a hair’s breadth.

The rest of the whips passed over them, burying their blades into the tree trunks and rocks behind them.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The trees shook, and chunks of bark and stone flew into the air.

Lilith’s eyes remained fixed on the two guards for a moment before they slowly slid toward the short-statured Morveth.

He had raised his spindly arms toward the sky.

Dark blue mana began to seep from beneath his feet, flowing over the muddy ground like living ink. Its threads stretched between the shattered trees, branching out in intertwined paths until they covered the entire battlefield, drawing a giant blue eye across the ground.

Malrik frowned as he watched it spread, while Lilith remained completely still, watching the Morveth with clear interest. She showed no intention of stopping him; rather, she seemed to be eagerly waiting to see what would happen next.

Suddenly, the eye lit up.

A silent blue flash swept across the battlefield, passing through the two guards and Lilith before reaching Malrik and his army of spirits behind them.

Malrik frowned.

He felt nothing but a fleeting vibration pass through his body, lasting only a moment before the light dimmed and the eye faded, leaving the battlefield exactly as it was.

There was no explosion, nor did the ground shake beneath their feet. That only made him more uneasy about the strange phenomenon.

As for Lilith, she remained still, watching what was happening with obvious interest. She showed no intention of interrupting or stopping the Morveth; in fact, her smile grew slightly wider, as if what she was seeing excited her.

A heavy silence descended over the forest.

Lilith lowered her black whip slightly and turned her gaze toward the short Morveth. A wide, sadistic smile spread across her face, filled with excitement.

"So... you’re a Dreamer."

The two guards moved suddenly.

They advanced toward the short Morveth with calm steps, then stopped at his sides. But something seemed different about them this time.

Their previously calm, expressionless faces had changed, replaced by an unusual liveliness.

The chain-bound giant, whose face had remained grim throughout the fight, now wore a broad smile that bared his teeth.

"Haha... it seems you are well-informed."

The voice came from the giant’s mouth, but its tone was nothing like his previous mechanical one.

"That’s right. You are now inside my Collective Sea of Consciousness."

Behind them, Malrik’s frown deepened.

He had no idea what the two of them were talking about.

A Dreamer? The Collective Sea of Consciousness?

What the hell were they talking about?

He had never heard either of those terms before, and he didn’t have the slightest clue what had just happened. All he knew was that something had changed on the battlefield, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Lilith, on the other hand, showed no signs of concern. On the contrary, her smile widened, and her features took on a more manic edge. The next moment, the purple mana surrounding her began to churn violently, until the air around her seemed to tremble under its pressure.

"Do you think these little tricks are going to change anything?"

She tilted her head slightly, her eyes locked onto the short Morveth.

"But that’s fine too... The more you resist, the more enjoyable it will be to tear you apart."