[Vol. 8] Chapter 263: Too Bad It Can Talk
Countless monsters, some that had just finished mutating, others still eating, were instantly turned to ash by the lightning, without any chance to resist.
The lightning bolts did not fall very fast, but they were extremely accurate, as if locked onto the areas where the [Flesh Eaters] were gathered.
Just the creation of a dozen giant craters was enough to wipe out almost one-fifth of all the monsters in Saint Tyr City.
This disaster had been building for a long time. The one controlling things from behind the scenes had already consumed far too many lives. Even though the outbreak had lasted only a few hours so far, perhaps nearly half of the city’s one million residents had already mutated or been eaten.
Because of this, even though the attack was devastating, most of the areas in the city where [Flesh Eaters] gathered no longer had normal living beings.
Even the ground and buildings there had been changed into strange flesh-like material. This allowed Sasha to attack from all directions without holding back, quickly wiping out the main force of the enemy.
Her plan was clear. With the power of the [Fifth Form - Catastrophe], she could call down at least a hundred lightning strikes.
If she cleared away most of the monsters in the city and broke through the blockades at the four city gates, then even if some scattered [Flesh Eaters] remained, it would still be much easier for survivors to escape.
After all, those monsters’ most dangerous trait was their almost unkillable life force in special environments.
But their direct attack power, speed, and strength were not truly unbeatable. That was why fighters like Tairnak and his elite Behemoth warriors, who had special powers, could hold the hotel against them, they had a way to stop the [Flesh Eaters] from regenerating.
But the true mastermind behind all this would never just sit and watch her change the situation alone.
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
Suddenly, the ground shook again. But this time it wasn’t because lightning was striking the monsters. Instead, the building that Sasha had seen earlier from the sky, the Saint Tyr City Grand Church, the one most covered in flesh growth, began to move!
A monstrous creation, made from a mix of stone and living flesh, rose straight up from the city. It twisted and reshaped itself into a huge fist that seemed to stretch endlessly, then punched upward toward the bow-wielding girl in the sky with a roar of rushing wind.
“!?”
Sasha froze for a moment. She was just about to dodge the unknown attacker when a strange, blurry female voice suddenly spoke near her ear. The voice was unreal and faint, yet somehow so clear that she instantly understood the meaning.
[Don’t dodge! Hit it back!]
The sudden voice in her mind startled her, but for some reason her body moved faster than her thoughts.
Almost the instant she heard it, without thinking, the girl raised her bow and shot toward the rushing giant fist.
“Third Form — Inferno!”
The arrow shot out like lightning, and as soon as it left the bow, it became a burning golden-red dragon of fire. Its path tore and twisted the air as it roared toward the sky.
“ROAR!!!”
There was no fancy display, the dragon of hellfire smashed into the giant hand of flesh and stone mid-air. It was like a super missile exploding, creating a terrifying shockwave that destroyed over a dozen tall buildings in the city.
Even Sasha, in her current empowered state, had to retreat more than a hundred meters to avoid the blast center.
“That was close!”
When the clash ended, the girl looked at the outline of the nearby buildings and suddenly realized, a wave of fear hit her. She had completely forgotten that she had been floating directly above the Xavier Hotel, where over a thousand survivors were hiding!
Thankfully, she had instinctively followed the voice’s advice instead of dodging the giant fist. If she had simply moved aside, she might have been safe… but the people standing in the attack’s path would have been…
But… was that blurry voice, which was clearly from a woman, actually helping her?
Sasha wasn’t stupid. Someone who could send thoughts directly into her mind in that situation, and even make her instinctively follow the command… there couldn’t be a second person like that in the world.
Thinking about it, she couldn’t help but feel even more grateful.
She really was still too inexperienced. Even if she had temporarily gained this power far beyond human limits, her mindset and combat experience couldn’t fully match it. If it weren’t for that person’s timely reminder just now, she might have made a huge mistake.
Feeling lucky, Miss Sasha took a moment to calm her emotions, steadying her restless mind after suddenly gaining such power. She waited for a while, but when the mysterious voice didn’t give her any further instructions, she didn’t hesitate anymore and turned to look toward where the earlier explosion had happened.
By now, the aftershocks of the battle had completely faded. But to Sasha’s surprise, even after taking the full force of her [Third Form - Inferno] attack, that enormous fist, made of flesh, rock, and other materials, and seemingly transformed from Saint Tyr Church, was still there.
Although its attack had been stopped and its surface was covered with cracks and burn marks, the damage wasn’t serious. In fact, the wounds were already healing at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a short time, it had almost fully recovered.
What… what on earth is this thing?!
Sasha felt a chill on her scalp. She had already expected that such a big commotion would force the hidden mastermind in Saint Tyr to take action, but she hadn’t imagined they would literally merge the entire Church into this creepy form and attack her, something even more disgusting than the [Flesh Eaters].
Normally, if she ran into such a strange and gross thing, she wouldn’t care how strong it was, she would turn and run. But this time was different. She had no way to retreat. Since she had been given this divine power, she also had to take on the responsibility that came with it.
Taking a deep breath and forcing down her disgust, the girl once again drew her bow.
The last three forms of the Red Lotus Six Forms were divine techniques. [Fifth Form - Catastrophe] could destroy more than 70% of the [Flesh Eaters] in the city in one strike, but it wasn’t a single-target attack and consumed a lot of power. After using that move, she could feel the burning heat from the rune on the back of her hand weaken a lot. Now, with such a strong enemy appearing, she knew she had to finish the fight quickly.
However, just as Sasha was deciding how to attack and what strategy to use, the giant hand, still floating in the air, suddenly twisted again. In the center of its palm, a mouth quickly formed and let out a thunderous roar toward her.
“Whose servant are you, to dare interfere with the plans of our Faction? This is a grand plan agreed upon by all the great lords! Did the Great Beginning bestow you with a gift just so you could betray us and cause trouble? What exactly do you want?”
“…?”
Wait… it can talk?
Sasha felt a strange sense of absurdity and confusion. She had no idea what the monster’s strange words meant, but from the sound of it, it seemed to think she was… some kind of ally?
But she was human, and her power came from the goddess. How could she be allies with a monster trying to destroy the city?
Maybe… she should try saying a few things to test its reaction first?
Thinking that, the girl took a deep breath and parted her lips.
“None of your damn business. Who do you think you are?”
“?”
“?”
The crisp words left her mouth, but before the other side could respond, her own expression froze.
Wait, hold on, that’s not what she meant to say!