Chapter 112: Kill or be Killed!
Chapter 111
ROARRRRRRRR!!!
The earth-shaking sound echoed out in all directions as the air shuddered violently, the ground quaked, and every single person Max currently considered a friend or ally suddenly received a glowing mark on their back.
One of those was Lana, who was slowly rising from where she had been slammed into the ground. Zach and the snake hybrid stood side by side a few feet away, both of them trying to peer through the thick dust cloud when the terrifying roar pulled their attention instantly.
’What was that?’ Zach thought with his brows furrowed, scanning the battlefield. His eyes landed on Jake, now towering at seven feet tall with eight monstrous arms protruding out of his body, the grotesque sight stunning him to his core. ’The hell? Was that roar produced by him? If so, then this might be bad for Lenny. But why do I feel scared? He should be able to handle himself... right?’
"KUK!"
Lana’s ragged cough snapped the hunter’s gaze back to the cloud of dust, which was now thinning to reveal her silhouette.
She stood upright, swaying slightly, blood dripping from her mouth and face, forming a small crimson pool beneath her feet. Her remaining wing was tattered and slightly damaged, feathers missing and torn.
On her back, a faint mark glowed, though she hadn’t even noticed it. Her focus was locked entirely on the duo before her. Both of them were inexplicably frozen in place, their eyes wide in confusion.
’Huh? Why can’t I move my body?’ the snake hybrid thought in rising panic. No matter how hard he struggled, not even a single muscle obeyed him.
"Since you’re so willing to kill me," Lana said coldly, her voice like a blade as she leveled her single wing toward the pair, "then you shouldn’t have a problem if I kill you too."
With that declaration, her body exploded forward in a blistering burst of speed. So fast was her movement that she left an afterimage hanging in the air.
In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of the snake hybrid, her wing arcing upward in a savage uppercut aimed straight at his throat.
’No! Move, damn it!’ the hybrid screamed in his head, but terror gripped him. His body remained locked, unresponsive.
What he didn’t realize was that Max’s dragon roar carried a hidden effect. It wasn’t only terrifying—it carried paralysis as well. Anyone the dragon deemed an enemy would be trapped under its influence for a full ten seconds.
With sheer grit, Zach forced himself free of the effect. His legs propelled him forward with full force, his palms pointed outward as he created an immense spike that clashed against Lana’s incoming wing.
The collision unleashed a thunderous bang, the ground beneath them splitting and cracking apart. Zach’s teeth clenched as he pushed with everything he had, yet Lana’s strength felt unnatural—like she had suddenly been blessed with an overwhelming surge of power.
SHIIING!
Before Zach could even process what was happening, razor-sharp feathers burst from Lana’s wings, slicing through the air like a barrage of blades aimed directly at his head. Fortune favored him.
The ten-second paralysis ended at that moment, freeing the snake hybrid. Without hesitation, he yanked Zach out of the line of fire, the two barely dodging to the side as the feathers slammed into the earth with bone-rattling force.
’She’s faster than before... much faster,’ Zach thought, beads of sweat rolling down his temples. Still, he shook the doubt from his mind and charged forward once more, unwilling to yield.
"Just die already!" he roared, clapping his hands together. Spikes erupted in a storm around him, dozens upon dozens filling the air before launching toward Lana in a merciless barrage.
But Lana’s movements were sharp and unrelenting. She ducked low, twisted her body, weaved between openings, coiled with unnatural grace, and sprang forward again. Every strike missed its mark, her figure dancing like a phantom through the chaos.
When she finally landed on her feet, the snake hybrid was already there, his venomous palms lunging toward her back. Yet it was as though she had grown eyes behind her head. Without hesitation, she spun with predatory precision.
Her talon-like foot speared into his hands with a sickening crunch, piercing flesh. Before he could cry out, she shifted fluidly, slamming that same talon foot down into the ground with immense force, the impact sending cracks spider-webbing outward as the battlefield shook once again.
A cloud of dust billowed up as Lana pinned the snake hybrid under her talon-like foot. Just then, Zach darted forward, his spiked arms slicing through the air as he swung them at her with murderous intent. She spun on instinct, her single wing springing up in front of her like a shield.
CLANG!
The spiked arms crashed into her wing with a ringing metallic force, sparks of Ki scattering into the air. Lana didn’t even budge an inch. With terrifying composure, she lashed out with her other foot, aiming for his ribs, but Zach pivoted aside at the last moment. He twisted his body, lunging forward with his head aimed directly for her face, trying to smash it with a brutal headbutt.
The snake hybrid, who had been trapped beneath her, used that split-second of distraction to wriggle himself free. His fangs dripped venom as he prepared to strike, but he was too slow.
"This is a battlefield!" Lana’s roar shook the air. Her eyes gleamed crimson, her voice burning with rage. "It is kill or be killed—and I choose to kill!"
She crouched low, muscles tensing like coiled springs, and then launched herself upward. The sheer force of her leap sent cracks racing through the ground beneath her.
Zach’s headbutt missed, smashing into the snake hybrid instead. The two collided violently, staggering away from each other, blood streaming down both their foreheads.
"Damn it! Watch it, Zach!" the snake hybrid hissed, clutching his head. His vision was hazy, his balance failing. He could barely focus when the air was suddenly filled with the sound of feathers whistling—razor-sharp and deadly, cutting through the air with terrifying speed.
’Curses! How is she suddenly faster and stronger? What’s going on with her?’ Zach thought, his mind reeling. Even with his blurry vision, he dashed side to side, weaving desperately to avoid the storm of feathers. It was her single wing unleashing the attack, and though the strikes weren’t as overwhelming as a full barrage, they were still vicious and relentless.
The snake hybrid barely managed to evade the rain of deadly feathers as well. He snarled, venom dripping, when Lana’s body suddenly dipped in the air. Her flight faltered. With only one wing, she seemed unable to hold herself steady, and it looked like she was plummeting toward the ground.
Her body spun downward like a stone falling from the sky, dust whipping in her wake. Both Zach and the hybrid froze, confusion flickering across their faces.
But at the very last second, her damaged wing flared with all its remaining strength. With a thunderous boom, she accelerated like a missile. In a straight, merciless line, she shot toward the snake hybrid.
"Wha...?!"
His words were cut short as her fist slammed into his abdomen with bone-crushing power. The impact folded him in half, his eyes rolling back as all the air and fight left his body. His knees buckled before he collapsed limply to the ground.
Meanwhile, the glowing mark at Lana’s back flickered erratically, fading in and out. She didn’t notice. Her eyes burned with bloodlust as she turned just in time to see Zach preparing to strike. He was gathering every ounce of strength left in him, his glare locked on her.
Before he could move, Lana spun with her last reserves of speed. Her wing extended fully, slamming into Zach with the force of a thunderclap.
The blow landed across his face like a brutal backhand. His cheek instantly reddened, his teeth cracked, and blood sprayed from his mouth as his entire body was launched through the air like a broken doll. He crashed into the ground a heartbeat later, the impact carving a small crater into the earth. He lay inside it, completely unconscious.
Silence followed.
Lana’s knees buckled, her body trembling. Her wing retracted back into her body, the faint mark on her back finally vanishing. She coughed violently, blood spilling from her lips and splattering onto the dirt. Her chest heaved, each breath a struggle, every muscle burning in agony.
"I... I did it," she whispered hoarsely, her voice breaking, yet filled with the weight of triumph.
Her body sagged forward, the battlefield littered with the broken remains of her enemies.
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{A/N}
Hey guys! Just want to say, this is me picking the book back up after not writing for about twenty days. In my defense, I was occupied with preparing for school resumption.
I’m still trying to get back into the book’s vibe though, so pardon me if this feels a bit rough. Thank you all for reading and understanding 😊🫶