NOVEL NEXT Chapter 123: Enlightenment
Karl and Lunara surged forward, their figures cutting through the battlefield like twin streaks of lightning. The air around them trembled, charged with the lingering echoes of past destruction. Karl, his gaze locked onto the weapon lying ahead, dropped low, his body sliding across the dust-laden ground with the grace of a predator closing in on its prey. His right hand stretched sideways, fingers closing around the weapon's sturdy handle, he twisted his body, rising seamlessly to his feet. A surge of energy coursed through him, flowing into the axe like a river finding its path.
For a fleeting moment, his vision sharpened beyond mortal limits, every pulse of energy, every vibration within the weapon's form became clear to him. He could see the very molecules that shaped his axe, feel them responding to his will, shifting, aligning, bending under his command. The weapon vibrated, its edge gleaming with a raw, untamed force, as if eager to unleash devastation upon command.
Lunara, moving like a specter of the wind, was already closing the distance to the beast. Her body folded low, her right leg stretching forward while her left bent beneath her, her weight balanced on the ball of her foot. The ground beneath her trembled as she skidded across it, a veil of dust swirling around her in a ghostly dance. Her eyes burned with an unwavering focus, her breath steady despite the chaotic storm raging around them.
The beast, sensing the impending clash, let out a guttural growl, its impatience manifesting as the glow of its curved horns intensified. A sudden tremor rippled through the battlefield as an energy blast erupted from its horns, a concentrated force of raw destruction hurtling toward them like a falling star.
Lunara, still gliding, thrust her hands forward. Her daggers, previously embedded in the solid ground with their tips piercing deep. The very tips of the blades gleamed under the fading light, their presence like sentinels standing defiant against the coming storm.
She gripped the daggers' handles firmly, her fingers tightening like a vice, pressing firmly against the warm metal. A surge of energy pulsed through her veins, flowing seamlessly into the twin blades, causing them to glow with an eerie luminescence. As she slid them free from the ground. a soft hum resonated through the air, the daggers thirsting for battle. Her body, now shrouded in a veil of power, felt weightless, like a shadow, inverse to the heaviness of her true form.
The beast's energy blast roared toward her, searing the air with its intensity. The moment it came within arm's reach, she launched herself skyward with a force so overwhelming, the ground beneath her feet shattered as she ascended with a force that defied nature itselfnas if gravity bent to her will, the wind whispering in reverence as it swirled around her. She soared high, her silhouette cutting against the sky like a streak of shadow-infused light.
Below, Karl found himself face-to-face with the incoming beam, did not hesitate. His muscles coiled like steel cables as he hurled his energy-infused axe forward, his energy surging through the weapon. The moment the axe met the blast, it spun wildly like a propeller slicing through the blast with surgical precision, parting the beam as though it were fragile silk. The weapon's trajectory was perfect, its momentum unyielding, tearing through the energy wave toward the beast itself.
But just as it neared the beast, the origin of the devastating attack, the force propelling it dissipated. the fading momentum causing the remaining blast to ricochet back, reversing the axe's trajectory with terrifying speed.
The air trembled as the axe came hurtling back, its edges whispering death as they sliced through the wind. Karl stood his ground, his gaze unwavering. At the last possible moment, his hand shot out caught it mid-flight, fingers closing around the handle with effortless precision. Without hesitation, he surged forward once more.
Meanwhile, Lunara, still suspended in mid-air, felt something shift within her, embracing the moment of enlightenment. It was as though she had transcended the very laws of nature, exchanging her own weight for the spectral lightness of her shadow, no longer bound by the earth's pull, she had become something more.
As she descended neared the beast's thick hide, swift and calculated.
her daggers trembled in anticipation. She landed in a blur, pinpointed the vulnerable joint where the primordial beast's head meet its massive body loomed before her. Her daggers glowed faintly, their edges whispering against the air before striking home.
The twin blades pierced the beast's tough flesh with the precision of a serpent's fangs, sinking into the sinew with an effortless grace. The energy she had imbued seeped in, coursing through the wound like venom spreading through a victim's veins, embedding itself deep within the creature's very essence.
"RRROOORR!" The beast staggered backward, a guttural cry ripping through the air as a strange, consuming weakness crept through its colossal form. It could feel its strength siphoning away, as if the very essence of its power was dissolving into the void.
Karl seized the moment. With a powerful surge, he propelled himself into the air, his body cutting through the wind like a sharpened blade. The air around him twisted, spiraling in a faint tornado as his axe pulsed with raw energy. At the tip of the blade, a luminous force gathered, forming an ethereal edge that crackled like lightning hungry for release.
"HAaaaaa!" His battle cry tore through the tension as he brought the axe down with all his might. The sheer force of his swing sliced through the thick air, the blade's edge howling as it descended like the executioner's guillotine. The weapon met the beast's thick, obsidian-like horn with a deafening CRACK. The impact reverberated through the battlefield as if the void itself had split apart.
The horn groaned under the pressure before it SHATTERED, shards exploding in all directions. The axe carved downward, slicing deep into the beast's upper jaw, cleaving through flesh and bone until it reached the core, a radiant crystal pulsating with unearthly power.
A shockwave burst from the wound, and Karl was hurled backward, his body spinning through the air like a broken doll. His axe flipped free from his grasp, glinting momentarily before vanishing into the swirling dust. He hit the ground with a forceful THUD, sending a ripple through the earth as dust surged upward in a suffocating cloud. His eyelids fluttered, a feeble battle against unconsciousness, before the darkness claimed him.
High above, Lunara had fought her own war against exhaustion. Her enlightenment had drained more than just her energy, it had left her soul trembling at the edge of collapse. As the beast lurched, its massive frame crashing toward the earth, Lunara's body was caught in the chaotic storm of its fall. Her twin swords, once a force of unwavering might, now spun helplessly around her like moons caught in an unraveling orbit. She slammed into the solid ground with a force that sent cracks rippling through the terrain, her consciousness slipping into the abyss of slumber.
Behind her, the beast met its fate. Its colossal body struck the ground with a thunderous BOOM, a tremor so fierce it felt as though the planet itself had roared in defiance. A towering pillar of dust erupted, swirling violently like the birth of a new storm. Silence followed, an eerie, heavy silence that bore witness to the battlefield's devastation.
At the time Karl and Lunara clashed with the first Primordial Rhino, on the other side of the mountain, Kola and Theodric stood side by side, only a few inches apart, facing their own monstrous foe.
"RRROOORR!"
The beast across from them let out a thunderous bellow, the sheer force of its roar sending tremors through the ground beneath them. Its breath, hot and thick like steam escaping from a fractured furnace, billowed from its nostrils in heavy gusts.
Theodric turned slightly toward Kola, his voice tinged with dry curiosity. "Why do you seem to derive pleasure from hurling yourself into incoming disaster?" His eyes flickered toward the Primordial Rhino, which stomped the ground with impatient fury.
Kola smirked, his muscles tensing as he prepared for the inevitable assault. "You can shift the trajectory of your weapons mid-air, right? You can even levitate using them as a foothold?" His question was sharp, calculated.
Theodric gave a short nod.
Kola exhaled, glancing toward the beast. "For me, it's different. Every time an attack comes, it's like I hear a call, an irresistible pull, commanding me to meet it head-on. My body responds before I even think. And through this reckless instinct, I discovered something strange about my strength..."
Before he could finish, the beast seized the moment.
Its massive, jagged horn vibrated violently before releasing a compressed echo wave, the sheer force rippling the air as if space itself was distorting.
Boom!
Kola didn't hesitate. He took several rapid strides forward, spreading his hands wide as the devastating wave struck. The impact crashed against his outstretched palms, its crushing force divided in half the moment it made contact. Still, the remaining shockwave sent him skidding backward, his body flipping into a single somersault before landing with the grace of a predator.
As his feet touched the earth, he instantly lunged forward, his hands cutting through the air like blades. With a sudden, explosive motion, he slammed both palms toward the beast.
BOOM!
A resounding force erupted from his hands, unleashing a counter-wave of echoing shock that surged toward the creature. The Rhino staggered, its massive hooves digging trenches into the ground as a guttural snarl rumbled from its throat. Discomfort flickered in its wild eyes, it had felt the sting of its own attack.
Kola smirked, casting Theodric a side glance. "I can release back the force I absorb." His voice was calm, yet the weight of his revelation hung between them like an unsheathed blade, daring the battle to escalate further.