As soon as she managed to advance for the third time, she withdrew to the right side and swiftly pulled her axe out from between the creature's fangs.
Once she was free to move, both of her hands instinctively wrapped around the wooden part of her axe, raising it above her head, her eyes burning with a dark glow before the axe came crashing down quickly. The sharp edge split through one of the creature's many legs, causing purple fluid to gush out and splatter everywhere, staining Yamka's face with drops that settled on her cheeks and forehead, trickling downward.
The creature staggered backward, its screams of pain echoing through the night breeze, shattering the silence and awakening some of the monsters that had been peacefully sleeping around the battlefield.
The arthropod creature lost its balance even though all it had lost was a single leg among the hundreds it possessed , yet that damage was enough to make it even more aggressive, its red eyes glowing with heightened danger.
The creature lifted the front part of its body high before bringing it down swiftly, attempting to crush Yamka beneath its mass, taking advantage of their difference in size.
But Yamka dodged the attack by pulling back to the side. Her skillful evasion only fueled the creature's anger and its burning desire to put the girl in her place and avenge its severed leg and the pain she had caused. It let out a sharp, irritated screech.
It repeated its attacks again and again, and with every attempt, Yamka found a way to survive its blows. She did not strike back yet, instead focusing on evading, waiting for the right time and method to kill it. Her eyes darted across its body while her expression remained grim and focused.
At last, her gaze stopped moving, fixing on a specific spot on its body, and her mind told her it was the perfect target for her next strike. Her lips curled into a dark smile as she muttered.
"Found it."
She stepped back as its body bent forward again for another attack. Yamka waited for the moment when it lifted its body upward, standing on its hind legs.
At that instant, Yamka's green eyes gleamed, and she dashed toward it, both of her hands gripping her axe tightly. She swung it swiftly, striking the metal edge against the creature's abdomen.
Slash! The cold metal cut through the arthropod's body diagonally, causing purple blood to burst outward in a violent spray. The creature's body writhed in its final moments before its soul was drawn away, then collapsed lifelessly onto the grass, still bleeding.
Yamka took two steps back, distancing herself from the creature's severed parts. The adrenaline's effect on her body faded, leaving her exhausted. Her axe slipped from her hand as her shoulders slumped in fatigue.
Her vision began to blur, everything becoming hazy and unclear. Her breathing was shallow and heavy. Slowly, she raised her hands to look at them , both stained with purple blood.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as everything around her grew darker. A dark feeling began to seep into her chest , its source unknown, yet strangely painful, unlike anything she had ever felt before. Her movements started to waver slightly.
At that moment, Haruki leapt toward her, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders in a strong embrace, his expression glowing with pure joy as he shouted with cheerful excitement.
"You did it! You defeated the monster all by yourself! You're the strongest here, Yami!"
That dark feeling faded the moment Yamka turned her head to look at Haruki's radiant expression. Her lips slowly curved upward as the heaviness in her chest lightened. Haruki's words filled her with pride, perfectly feeding her arrogant side.
She puffed out her chest and threw an arm over his shoulders, confirming his words proudly.
"Of course I'm the strongest!"
Noroi watched them from where he stood for a few moments before his feet began moving forward in steady steps toward the creature's dead body.
His eyes were narrowed, his expression dark. The sounds of Haruki and Yamka's voices faded behind him as he focused all his attention on the shape before him. He bent his knees, crouching down, and pulled a small knife from the pocket of his jacket. With it, he cut a few centimeters from the creature's outer shell.
"Noroi!"
Haruki shouted, calling out to the other boy, unaware of what he was doing. All he could see was Noroi's crouched figure from behind.
Noroi closed his hand around the severed piece and turned his head to look over his shoulder at both Haruki and Yamka before replying.
"I'm coming."
He quickly slipped the piece he was holding into his pocket, hiding it, then pushed himself up to his feet, casting one last glance at the dead body before turning back toward them.
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐