Reincarnated as the Villainess’s Unlucky Bodyguard

The monster let out another roar, its echo shaking the ground beneath them. Liria instinctively stepped in front of Enara, gripping her sword so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Stay behind me!" she barked, her voice leaving no room for argument.

Enara crossed her arms, scowling. "I don't need protection from you, of all people."

Liria ignored her, her eyes glowing faintly as she focused on the monster. [Stats: Gargantuan Hellbeast – Level 20. Health: 10,000/10,000. Strength: 80. Agility: 35. Magic: 25. Weakness: Piercing Damage.]

Great. A walking, roaring apocalypse with an ego to match. Perfect.

"Just our luck," Liria muttered. "It's over-leveled, overpowered, and probably overcompensating for something."

"Are you talking about the monster or yourself?" Enara quipped, smirking despite the looming threat.

Liria didn't answer. Instead, she called up her status display in her mind. Her attributes might have grown recently, but facing off against this monstrosity felt like throwing pebbles at a mountain.

"Alright, hellspawn," Liria growled at the beast, "let's see if I can survive long enough to wipe that smug roar off your face."

The monster lunged, its claws carving deep grooves into the earth. Liria barely dodged, throwing herself into a roll and springing back to her feet.

"Enara, help or stay out of the way!" she snapped, her sword slicing through the air as she countered the beast's next strike.

"Don't order me around!" Enara hissed, but her darkfire flared to life, weaving tendrils of purple flames that slithered toward the beast's legs.

The Hellbeast roared again, its tail whipping out. Liria's instincts screamed at her as the spiked tail came hurtling toward them. She moved without thinking, shoving Enara to the ground and taking the hit across her arm. The pain was immediate, sharp and burning, but she gritted her teeth.

"Are you insane?!" Enara yelled, scrambling to her feet and glaring at Liria. "What are you doing, throwing yourself in the way like that?!"

"It's called doing my job, princess," Liria retorted through gritted teeth, blood dripping from her arm. "You know, the whole bodyguard thing?"

For a moment, Enara didn't respond. Her midnight eyes flicked to the wound on Liria's arm, and her expression softened just a fraction. Then the Hellbeast roared again, and the moment was gone.

"Fine," Enara muttered, her cheeks pink as she focused on the beast. "Just don't die. It'd be inconvenient." Your journey continues with empire

"Touching sentiment," Liria said, smirking despite the situation.

The monster surged forward, swiping at them with a massive claw. Liria leaped into action, using her agility to stay one step ahead of its strikes. She was a blur of movement, dodging and weaving as she lashed out with her blade. Each strike landed, small but precise, carving into the beast's thick hide.

Enara joined in, her darkfire spiraling around the creature's legs. It roared in frustration, swiping at the flames, but they clung to its flesh like living shadows.

"Keep it distracted!" Liria yelled, spotting a weak point near its neck.

"And what exactly do you think I'm doing?!" Enara shot back, summoning more darkfire and sending it crashing into the beast's chest.

As Liria lunged toward the monster's neck, her foot slipped on the loose dirt. She stumbled forward, crashing into Enara. Their foreheads bumped, and for a moment, everything froze.

Enara blinked, her face a shade of red Liria hadn't seen before. "You… idiot," she muttered, but her voice was unusually soft.

Liria pulled back, clearing her throat awkwardly. "Sorry. Tripped."

"Pay attention to the fight!" Enara snapped, though her flustered expression lingered.

The Hellbeast roared again, breaking the tension as it charged.

"Back to work," Liria muttered, shaking off the strange warmth spreading through her chest. She focused, her black flames roaring to life as she surged forward again. This time, she wouldn't miss.

Liria dodged another swipe from the Hellbeast's massive claws, sweat dripping down her brow as she skidded to the side. She could feel the weight of her injuries her arm ached from the earlier hit, and her muscles screamed in protest with every movement. Yet there was no time to stop, no time to think about the growing gap between her stamina and the Hellbeast's relentless attacks.

"Any ideas on how to kill this thing that don't involve me becoming a smear on the ground?" she shouted to Enara, narrowly avoiding the Hellbeast's snapping jaws.

Enara scowled, darkfire still swirling around her hands. "I'm thinking! Unlike you, I don't just charge in like a maniac and hope for the best."

"Hey, it's called improvisation!" Liria countered, her sword slashing at the monster's exposed flank. The blade connected, leaving a shallow cut, but it wasn't nearly enough to slow it down.

The Hellbeast roared, spinning to face her. Its eyes burned with a hatred that seemed almost personal, and Liria couldn't help but mutter, "Why do I always attract the psychopaths?"

"Maybe it's your charming personality," Enara said dryly, her voice strained as she summoned more fire. The flames lashed out at the Hellbeast's legs again, forcing it to stumble.

"Careful," Liria called out. "If I die, who's going to keep saving your royal butt?"

Enara rolled her eyes, but a faint smirk tugged at her lips. "Don't tempt me to test that theory."

The Hellbeast wasn't giving them any time to banter. It lunged at Liria with terrifying speed, its claws ripping through the air. She threw herself to the ground, rolling away just as the claws gouged deep furrows into the earth where she'd stood a second before.

"Seriously, is this thing on demon steroids or something?!" Liria gasped, scrambling to her feet.

"Less whining, more fighting!" Enara snapped, her darkfire coiling into a massive spiral that she hurled at the monster's head. The flames exploded on impact, momentarily disorienting it.

"Nice shot, princess!" Liria shouted, using the opening to leap onto the Hellbeast's back. She drove her sword into its thick hide, holding on for dear life as it bucked and roared in fury.

"I'm not a princess," Enara grumbled, though her cheeks flushed with a mixture of frustration and something Liria couldn't quite place.

As the Hellbeast thrashed, trying to throw Liria off, she focused on the creature's stats again. Its health bar had barely budged, and the sight made her stomach drop. [Health: 9,200/10,000.]

"Great," Liria muttered under her breath. "We're not even making a dent."

The Hellbeast roared again, twisting violently. Liria lost her grip, falling hard to the ground. Pain shot through her shoulder, but she forced herself to roll away as the beast's massive tail came crashing down, narrowly missing her.

"You okay?" Enara called out, her voice sharper than usual.

"Define 'okay,'" Liria said, wincing as she pushed herself up. "Still breathing. Still sarcastic. Guess that counts."

The Hellbeast advanced again, its eyes locked on Liria with a murderous intensity. She tightened her grip on her sword, preparing for another round.

But then, it stopped.