Chapter 92: Reinforcements Arrive
Velka staggered, her knees barely able to support her body. The spear in her hand now felt unbearably heavy. She even struggled to lift her own weapon.
The lightning that once shone brightly now only flickered faintly, extinguished before it could be released.
Captain Bear approached, his footsteps pounding the floor until dust rose in the air. His breathing was heavy, yet his face radiated triumph.
"It’s over," he said coldly. His massive axe rose high, the shadow of its blade engulfing Velka’s small body.
Velka could only lift her spear halfway, her hands trembling violently. She knew she could not withstand the next strike.
Blaaaarghhh!
The axe came down, aiming to split her head.
But at that very moment, the clang of metal resounded sharply. The captain’s colossal axe was suddenly repelled as if kicked by an unseen force, spinning through the air before crashing heavily onto the floor. The weapon stopped just an inch from the feet of the Reserve General.
The chamber fell into silence.
Captain Bear’s eyes widened in disbelief. "W—what!?"
All the demi-human troops instinctively turned toward the source of the disturbance. Their eyes locked on the entrance hallway.
Two figures stood there. Their shadows stretched long across the ground, their aura pressing down on the entire dungeon.
Velka, still drenched in blood, forced herself to turn. Her eyes widened, torn between shock and disbelief.
"Y—you...." she whispered weakly.
The demi-humans immediately raised their guard, weapons ready, prepared to face this new threat. The air grew unbearably tense.
Two unfamiliar figures had appeared before them—faces none of them had ever seen.
"Who are you?" the reserve general demanded.
"It doesn’t matter," one of them replied.
That figure had horns like a ram, but no wool. His skin was smooth like Alvaric’s, yet his tail and horns made him resemble a demi-human.
Naturally, that confused the other demi-humans—except Ramiel. His eyes widened the instant he recognized Lyrith walking past him.
Ramiel merely watched, not daring to stop her. His entire body trembled in fear.
"Is that the one Leon spoke of before?" he whispered. Swallowing hard, he could not tear his gaze away from Lyrith.
But when Lyrith glanced his way, he immediately lowered his head. He did not dare meet her eyes. His instincts screamed at him not to.
What Ramiel felt, the others did not. They had no idea who Lyrith truly was.
Another captain stepped forward instead. He drew his weapon, ready to fight, pointing his spear at Lyrith.
"Leave now, or I will—"
Slash!
Blabm!
The captain’s head tumbled to the ruined floor, rolling to the reserve general’s feet. A heartbeat later, his body collapsed. He had been killed in less than a second.
Seeing what had just happened, the demi-humans instinctively retreated. But the reserve general stepped forward. He believed he could still defeat Lyrith.
He thought so because of their numbers. Two against hundreds—by sheer calculation, it was impossible to lose.
"Who are you?" the reserve general demanded again.
"Leave now!" Ramiel shouted.
The reserve general turned, startled to see Ramiel’s panicked expression. Ramiel signaled frantically for him to retreat.
But the general did not understand—or rather, he thought Ramiel was exaggerating. He was convinced they could win.
"Don’t worry! We can—"
A second later, Lyrith was already in front of his face. With a single swipe of her claw, she attacked. The general recoiled instantly, retreating as fast as he could.
He succeeded—but at the cost of deep wounds across his chest, blood pouring freely from the gashes.
The reserve general’s eyes widened in shock. He had been certain he avoided the strike.
"Damn it. She’s faster than I thought," he cursed.
He steadied his stance, preparing to fight more seriously. He convinced himself that his injury was only because he wasn’t ready.
With growing confidence, the general leveled his weapon at Lyrith.
He even smirked. "Come on! This time I’ll kill you," he declared boldly.
"Kill her!" he commanded his troops.
**
Slash!
Blash!
Crash!
Lyrith’s claws tore through the air again and again. She moved at blinding speed, her motions nearly impossible even for Ramiel to follow—perhaps three times harder to track than his own movements.
The room was now awash in blood. None of it belonged to Lyrith, but to the demi-humans who dared to fight her.
Blood dripped from the tips of her claws. Her gaze was cold, her face utterly devoid of emotion. With every movement, demi-human bodies split apart before they even realized what happened.
"She... she’s a demon," whispered one soldier, trembling.
No one replied.
Because at that very moment—
Slash!
His neck was severed, his head sent flying as his body crumpled to the ground.
Lyrith walked forward slowly, yet each step somehow seemed faster than the eyes could follow. Suddenly she was already in front of another soldier, her bare hand piercing straight through his abdomen.
Blarrghhh!
His entrails spilled onto the floor.
Screams filled the chamber. Panic spread like wildfire. Those who once trusted their numbers could now only watch as their comrades fell one after another, unable to mount any real resistance.
Captain Bear, who had looked so mighty before, now felt his body turn to ice. He stepped back unconsciously.
His face was frozen in terror of death. More than half their forces had already been slaughtered.
"No... this is impossible..." he muttered.
The captain kept retreating, his focus shattered by the sight of Lyrith’s merciless expression. Fear robbed him of control over his body.
At that moment, Velka seized the chance. She leapt and drove her spear into the captain’s neck from behind.
The strike landed, blood spraying—but the captain did not die. He spun around and struck Velka hard.
Velka smiled. "Got you!" she hissed.
Slash!
A blade cleaved through the captain’s neck. His body and head fell together. A woman stood before Velka.
The woman smiled warmly. "Are you alright?" she asked kindly.
Velka did not know her, but the gentle smile and expression convinced her this woman was no enemy.
Velka returned the smile. "Thank you. Who are you?"
Marie turned her gaze toward Alvaric, who was still unconscious. Her face filled with worry as she hurried to his side, kneeling next to him.
Velka instinctively tried to stop her, suspicious she might be an enemy in disguise. But Marie’s words dispelled that doubt instantly.
"Do you have any medicine?" Marie asked softly.
**
On the other side, Ramiel remained frozen, staring blankly at the one-sided massacre. The demi-humans had tried to swarm Lyrith, but not a single one managed to land a scratch.
If even a high-ranking general like Ramiel trembled in fear, what hope did the others have?
"Damn it. So the Demon Woman really is still alive. And she’s on Alvaric’s side?" Ramiel swallowed hard. "This is truly disastrous. There’s no way the kingdom’s forces can win. This... this is the end for us."
Ramiel’s face was etched with utter despair.