Chapter 115: Lyra’s Veil!
Chapter 115
"Kek! Shall we go for some more!" Blake shouted in glee as a loud bang echoed out in the room and the man bolted forward at an astonishing speed.
He quickly bent down and grabbed a sword that was lying on the ground before leaping toward Lyra. In a split second, he was upon her with a vertical slash aimed straight for her face.
Lyra didn’t flinch. She tossed her spear into the air without hesitation, and in the next moment, a large shield shimmered into existence in her hands.
She raised it just in time, blocking the impact of Blake’s sword. The collision rang out with such intensity that the entire room echoed with the loud metallic screech.
’Huh? Is he amplifying the strike? But... right! His veil deals with sound.’ Lyra thought, narrowing her eyes while Blake grinned devilishly from behind the shield.
Blake was about to strike again when he suddenly heard the sound of rushing water. His instincts flared, and he spun around immediately, only to see Jace charging at him. Blood still stained Jace’s lips, yet the young Reaver didn’t falter as he pressed in for the attack with determination.
"Have fun." Blake muttered darkly as he stomped his foot into the ground. The force triggered a violent shockwave that rippled outward, throwing dust into the air as he leaped upward, narrowly evading Jace’s strike.
The attack instead smashed into Lyra’s shield, producing another loud, piercing ring that vibrated through the room.
"Hey, watch it!" Lyra snapped in irritation, lowering her shield before instantly shifting it into a gleaming longsword. She scanned the area quickly, her sharp gaze locking onto Blake, who now stood perched on a table with a mischievous smirk spread across his face.
"I don’t know what you guys meant by an A ranked beast being here in this town," Blake said, his voice low but mocking. He looked down at the blade in his hand as it let out a loud shing. "But if you’re right, then I better leave as soon as possible."
"That is if we let you leave!" Tom roared furiously as he launched into the air with explosive force. A deafening bang accompanied his movement, and blazing trails of flame erupted from his feet as he propelled forward like a meteor.
The B ranked Reaver swung his greatsword, the weapon engulfed in furious flames, aiming to cleave directly into Blake.
"Are you really a B ranked Reaver? You seem slow... or should I say weak?" Blake whispered mockingly. He quickly slammed his hands together, releasing another powerful shockwave meant to fling Tom away.
"Shut up!" Tom bellowed in rage. He spun mid-air, flames swirling around his body until he resembled a burning comet streaking through the room.
To Blake’s shock, Tom smashed directly through the shockwave as if it was nothing. His speed was unreal, far sharper than Blake had accounted for. Before the man could even think of retreating, Tom was already in front of him.
The Reaver’s head slammed brutally into Blake’s gut with bone-crushing force.
"Gahhh!" Blake grunted in pain as his body was flung like a ragdoll. He soared across the room and crashed violently through several tables, splinters of wood exploding in all directions.
The sound of destruction echoed loudly as the scamming leader’s body tumbled and skidded across the wreckage.
’Shit! Okay, I feel like I made a mistake going three against one against these monsters. It’s even a miracle I managed to survive this long.’ Blake thought bitterly as he coughed up more blood, struggling but forcing himself to rise with a loud grunt.
"Now do you realise you made a mistake going against us?" Lyra asked, her voice calm yet brimming with confidence. A wide smile curled on her lips as she casually walked forward, her longsword gleaming.
Each step echoed with purpose, and her eyes never once left Blake, who stood shakily on his feet. Blood dripped from his mouth, his chest heaving heavily as he glared at the trio who were also huffing and panting from exhaustion.
"Funny thing is," Lyra continued, her grin widening, "I haven’t even used my veil fully yet. And from the looks of it, you’re already on your last legs."
Blake exhaled deeply and then chuckled despite his obvious injuries. He stared down at his trembling hands for a moment before raising his gaze back to Lyra, his expression hard.
"You know," he muttered, his tone carrying a strange mix of admiration and frustration, "you really do live up to your title. The Warmongress."
"I mean, it’s a given." Lyra smirked, standing tall and proud, her aura radiating unshakable confidence as her longsword shimmered in the light.
"Stop gloating." Tom frowned at her.
"That is what others call you but I still haven’t seen why you are called that. Show me, show me what makes you, you! Or are you afraid?" Blake asked with a wide grin.
’I need her to use her veil to the max. Only then will she get drained and then I can wipe the floor with her face.’ he thought.
"Fine." Lyra calmly replied as she lifted her sword into the air and let go.
Immediately, it disappeared from view and then she stretched her hands wide as if she was about to hug someone, before muttering.
"Arsenal Veil: War dress."
Instantly, a bright light encased her body as Blake grinned from ear to ear.
The radiance wrapped around her from the neck downward, and slowly her entire appearance began to change. Earlier, she had been wearing a short brown skirt with simple chest armour protecting her body.
But now, she was encased in full armour shaped like a dress.
The armor flowed like a gown, its skirt-shaped plates crafted from polished silver that shimmered brilliantly under the light. Layer upon layer of overlapping metal flares gave the illusion of fabric folds, yet each was solid and unyielding, forged to deflect even the sharpest blade.
The bodice was sleek and form-fitting, etched with delicate filigree patterns that caught and scattered the light like a thousand tiny stars.
Along the hem, small segmented plates swayed with each subtle movement, allowing her to walk as if she were draped in silk rather than steel. The overall look was battle-ready yet breathtaking, a perfect fusion of elegance and lethality.
And resting proudly on her head was a beautiful silver tiara that crowned her transformation.
"Is that all?" Blake asked mockingly as he stretched his palms forward, ready to attack.
Lyra didn’t reply. Instead, more lights shimmered into view around her, and in a few seconds, twenty swords appeared hovering in the air, each one gleaming dangerously as they pointed directly at Blake.
’Okay! This is becoming crazy.’ Blake thought, his grin faltering slightly.
"One more thing." Lyra said coldly as she pointed her hand forward. A longsword materialized firmly in her grip. "Take him out." She muttered, and at once the swords in the air surged.
They shot forward at blistering speed, slicing through the air like a storm of steel.
"Sound Veil: Ultrasonic boom!" Blake roared as he slammed his hands together.
An ear-shattering, barrier-breaking boom echoed through the whole place, the sound so violent it felt like it could split the air itself. The swords charging his way suddenly began to struggle mid-flight, caught in the force of the vibration.
A shimmering wall of compressed sound seemed to form in front of Blake, holding the swords back and refusing to let them pass.
Lyra gritted her teeth as the hovering blades rattled furiously, pushing against the invisible wall when...
TREMBLE!
RUMBLE!
BOOOOM!
The entire shack convulsed violently, throwing everybody off their feet. Even Lyra lost her footing, and her swords crashed to the ground before shimmering out of existence.
CRACK!
The roof of the shack collapsed inward, sending wooden beams and dust flying as sunlight suddenly poured into the room.
THUD!
A deep, heavy sound echoed as every single person froze, their eyes snapping upward to see a massive figure standing before them.
"Wh... What’s that?" Jace stuttered, his legs trembling as he instinctively backed away. The dust finally settled, and the sight before them made their blood run cold.
The creature loomed at a terrifying ten feet, its entire body a tangled mass of thick, gnarled branches interwoven with sinewy, serpentine vines.
Jagged wooden spikes jutted out from its shoulders and back, while creeping tendrils slithered around its limbs like living muscles, tightening and loosening with each movement.
Its chest resembled the trunk of an ancient, weathered tree, dark and rough, yet pulsing faintly as if it had a heartbeat. From within the tangle of wood and vine, two glowing amber eyes burned with a primal, feral hunger.
When it moved, the sound was a chorus of creaking wood and rustling leaves, every step leaving the ground scarred with deep, root-like impressions that spread outward. The air around it grew heavier, as though the forest itself had stepped into the shack.
"Crap!" Lyra and Tom shouted in unison, their skins crawling as beads of sweat trickled down their faces.
"Everybody! Get the hell outta here now! It’s an A ranked beast!" Lyra screamed in fear, her voice sharp with urgency.