YM778.TV Chapter 21 First Battle
He glanced at her as they walked down the hallway, keeping his tone casual. "Lily, could you go fetch Lyra and Lira for me? I\'ll need their assistance shortly."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lily\'s brows knitted. "Is something wrong, young master?"
"Nothing to worry about," I replied with a reassuring smile. "You\'ll understand soon enough."
She hesitated but nodded, casting a cautious glance over her shoulder as she hurried off. Once she turned the corner, Arthur\'s demeanor shifted. His eyes steeled, and he veered down a shadowed corridor leading to an isolated section of the palace.
The hall stretched out before him, quiet and tense, as he sensed an ominous presence lurking. Just as he braced himself, a dark blur lunged from behind, aiming straight for his back. Before the attack could land, a slick, inky limb surged from his side—Venom, his symbiotic ally, had reacted instinctively, blocking the blow just in time.
Arthur spun to face his would-be assassin, locking eyes with the demon who glared at him, teeth bared in frustration. Realizing his ambush had failed, the demon summoned dark energy, vanishing into shadows and reappearing behind Arthur, dagger raised. Venom\'s limb lashed out, intercepting the strike, and the sound of clashing blades echoed down the empty corridor.
"You\'re quicker than I thought," Arthur sneered. "But it\'ll take more than cheap tricks to take me down."
The demon\'s hiss echoed, and he began weaving through rifts, darting in and out of sight in a flurry of slashes aimed at any weak point he could exploit. Yet each time he struck, Venom\'s tendrils formed a fluid, impenetrable defense, intercepting every blow with eerie precision.
Arthur grinned, shaping Venom\'s form into blades as he launched his own attacks, clashing fiercely with the demon. Enhanced by Venom\'s raw power and agility, his strikes landed with brutal force. The demon\'s expression darkened as wounds began accumulating, his movements slowing under the relentless onslaught.
Seeing his chance slipping away, the demon\'s red eyes flared with desperation. With a guttural snarl, he cloaked himself in a sickly green energy, activating Soul Render, his racial skill that allowed his attacks to bypass all physical defenses. Arthur recognized the danger at once.
"Nice try," Arthur muttered, and Venom responded, creating a dark energy barrier to absorb the impact. The energies collided with a deafening crack that shook the walls around them.
"You can\'t keep hiding behind your tricks, human," the demon spat, voice dripping with venom. "This time, I\'ll see you broken."
With a furious roar, he unleashed a savage flurry of attacks, claws slashing and tearing with frenzied strength. Venom\'s tendrils held firm, but Arthur could feel the strain, each blow sending jarring reverberations up his arm.
Blood splattered as the demon landed a swipe across Arthur\'s shoulder, but the wound closed almost instantly, Venom\'s regenerative abilities stitching the flesh back together with unnerving speed.
With a smirk, Arthur turned invisible, blending into the surroundings using Venom\'s camouflage ability. He landed a sharp, slicing blow across the demon\'s ribs before disappearing again, weaving in and out of sight to strike from unexpected angles. Each ambush left fresh cuts and bruises on the demon, his snarls growing desperate and ragged as he failed to keep up.
In a final desperate gambit, the demon unleashed his dark energy in a wide blast, hoping to catch Arthur off-guard. But before he could finish the spell, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Hearing them approach, Arthur deactivated the symbiote\'s full form, molding it into the shape of a sword to appear as though he had been fighting with a sword.
Lily returned, Lyra and Lira flanking her, their eyes widening as they took in the blood-smeared scene before them. Lily gasped, "Young Master! Are you alright?"
Lyra didn\'t wait for an answer. In one smooth motion, she unsheathed her blade and positioned herself beside Arthur, deflecting a vicious strike from the demon. "We\'ve got this," she said firmly, shooting Arthur a quick glance.
Meanwhile, Lira melted into the shadows, her eyes focused on the demon\'s every movement, ready to intercept any attempts at escape. Sensing the tide turning, the demon\'s confidence faltered. With a guttural snarl, he attempted to flee, his form phasing through rifts in an erratic attempt to escape. But Lira anticipated every shift, intercepting him before he could gain distance.
Finally, as the demon made a desperate lunge to slip into a nearby rift, Lira\'s blade flashed, swift and deadly. In a single motion, she severed his head from his body, the demon\'s corpse slumping to the floor as his dark energy dissipated into nothingness.
Holding his severed head, Lira stepped from the shadows, calm and composed as she met Lyra\'s eyes, nodding in silent acknowledgment. Lyra eased her stance, her gaze still sharp, ensuring no trace of the demon\'s presence lingered.
Lily\'s shock broke, and she rushed over to Arthur, eyes wide with a mix of relief and worry. "Young Master, are you hurt?" Her hands fluttered over his shoulders, inspecting him for injuries.
Arthur gave her a reassuring smile, wiping a stray smear of blood from his cheek. "I\'m fine, Lily," he said, a hint of humor tugging at his lips. "Thanks to you. You brought Lira and Lyra just in time."
He turned toward the twins with gratitude. "Thank you both."
"It\'s our duty to protect you, Young Master, and we nearly failed," Lyra replied, her voice tinged with self-reproach. "If not for Lily bringing us here—"
"Enough," Arthur interrupted gently. "What matters is that you arrived in time and neutralized the threat."
"Yes, Young Master," Lira and Lyra responded in unison, bowing respectfully.
Lily glanced at the demon\'s body and her expression hardened. "A demon, inside the duke\'s mansion. We\'ll have to report this to the lord immediately."
Arthur nodded, exchanging a look with Lyra and Lira. "Agreed. There could be others hiding among the palace servants."
With a nod, they gathered the demon\'s body. Lily led the way, her gaze fierce as they made their way to the lord\'s office, Lyra and Lira carrying the demon\'s body and head in grim silence.