Surviving These Unfair Scenarios [LITRPG - DIMENSION HOPPING]

The battle between Katya and the Superior Dracling had already begun, a ferocious, purely physical combat that tore through the air with a primal intensity.

The Dracling, a massive, muscular figure with skin sturdier than the most resistant of all known metals, moved with a brutal, unyielding strength. It used its giant claws and fanged maw to attack, every blow a sonic boom that shook the very ground. But Katya was an equal, if not a little bit superior, force. Her living scythe, a weapon of serrated bone and cursed energy, moved with a terrifying, feral grace. The two of them were a whirlwind of destruction, and their bodies a blur of motion that defied the human eye.

The blonde's fighting style was a dance of pure madness. The goddess mask on her face, which had been a symbol of her power, was now a conduit for it, feeding her cursed energy and a terrifying, unyielding rage that made her laugh like a maniac.

She fought without feeling pain, and her movements were a frenzied, desperate blur of energy and fury. The cursed energy of the mask gave her superhuman abilities and a horrific regenerative power. She would take a powerful, bone-shattering blow from the Dracling's claws, but she would simply laugh, and the wound would close almost instantly. The Dracling, for its part, was not used to dealing with an enemy who could match its speed and strength in such a way, but it clearly reveled in the challenge. Its eyes, filled with a primal, savage hunger, were fixed on Katya, and every time it managed to do some damage, it would let out a low, guttural chuckle of sadistic pleasure.

In a moment of pure, unadulterated rage, the Dracling roared, a powerful sound that shook the very ground. He swung his massive, jagged claw, a move so fast that Katya, despite her new speed, was unable to completely dodge it.

The claw slammed into her left arm with a sickening crunch, and with a single, powerful twist, the Dracling ripped the entire arm from her body. Katya's body, for a moment, went limp, but she did not fall. A powerful, guttural laugh of pure, unadulterated madness erupted from her, and the cursed energy of the mask began to glow. Her severed arm, now a twitching, bloody stump, began to contort and twist, the cursed flesh and jagged bones of the goddess mask rebuilding it in a matter of seconds.

The Dracling, for its part, stared at the sight with a mix of shock and awe, its sadistic pleasure reaching a new level of pure, unadulterated joy. It was not a fight. It was a game… A game of torment.

Meanwhile, on the ground, both Kazues watched the terrifying scene unfold, their expressions a mix of awe and horror. Alter Kazue, who was still holding her chest where the Dracling had hit her, simply stared at the two of them with a calm, almost detached expression.

"We have to do something!"

Kazue screamed, her voice filled with a powerful conviction.

"We have to help her!"

Alter Kazue, without taking her eyes off the battle, simply shook her head.

"We can't."

She said, her voice dry and filled with a cold, analytical tone.

"Look at them... That isn't a fight between a user and a monster. That's a fight between two demons. We would only get in the way."

Her words were interrupted by a massive roar from the Dracling, who, in a moment of sheer frustration, launched a torrent of black fire at Katya. But the girl was ready. She opened the gaping maw of the mask on her face and unleashed a torrent of verdant energy that shot out of her, meeting the fire in a powerful, earth-shaking explosion that seemed to consume both attacks.

The Dracling, whose eyes were wide with a newfound shock, roared in anger, but it was clear that it was also impressed. The fight continued, both of them slowly deteriorating despite their regenerative abilities. The constant barrage of attacks, the endless cycle of damage and regeneration, was beginning to take its toll, and their movements were becoming slower and slower.

Finally, in a moment of pure, raw strength, the Dracling managed to stop Katya's living scythe with one of its hands. The blonde, who had been wielding it with both arms, was completely defenseless after this. Even if it was for a brief moment, it let the Dracling to pierce her stomach from one end to the other with its other claw, just to let out a powerful, guttural chuckle that echoed through the air as it finally thought it had defeated its prey.

But it was not to be... Katya, whose eyes were filled with a raw, savage madness, simply began to laugh. She used the proximity of the Dracling's body to her advantage and, with a powerful, guttural roar, pulled herself closer to it, making the monster's claw pierce her stomach even more as she laughed in pure, maniacal glee.

The Dracling's eyes, filled with a sudden shock, were now fixed on Katya, but it was too late. She let out a guttural, terrifying shriek, so loud and piercing that it made both Kazue and alter Kazue cover their ears, and as she did, the monster's body was completely pierced by dozens of black spikes that shot out from within it.

Kazue recognized that skill quickly; those spikes were a manifestation of the skill [Spines of Corrupted Piety] that both Arianka and the Empress had used in the previous scenario, a divine class skill that did catastrophic damage to the monster, causing it to scream in agony as it let go of Katya.

The girl, whose body was now covered in black stains, simply laughed, her mouth spewing a torrent of blood.

"Come, Bhaal!"

She screamed, and a massive, demonic pentagram of green energy appeared in the air. From it, a figure of a devil emerged, with its body trembling with anger. It had dark, reddish-brown skin and long hair that fell to its shoulders. Its head was adorned with a bronze-like headdress that resembled a fish, and its chest was covered in ornate, metallic wing-like armor. The devil held a golden chalice in its right hand and was clearly there against its will, as a massive chain wrapped tightly around its body and a shackle on its neck. The other end of the chain was in Katya's hands, and she held it like a leash.

"Elemental Fusion!"

Katya screamed with an extreme and terrifying grin, her laughter echoing through the air. The body of the devil Bhaal disintegrated, and its essence was absorbed by her scythe, giving it a blackish, kaleidoscopic color. This was the [Almighty] element, the only one in the system that was capable of penetrating defenses regardless of the level or rank of the opponent.

The Dracling, which had been trying to recover from the spikes, was not prepared for this. Katya swung her scythe in a single, fluid motion. It moved so fast that the Dracling, which was still in a state of shock, could not react. The scythe, imbued with the [Almighty] element, passed through it's body as if it were nothing more than butter, cutting it in half from head to tail.

The monster's eyes, filled with horror, widened in shock, letting out a final, terrified shriek before its body began to disintegrate into a fine, black dust, leaving behind only a core, a black pearl the size of a ball, which fell to the ground alongside Katya, who was still laughing, her body trembling with a mix of pain and pure, unadulterated madness.

The wound in her stomach was still there, a massive hole that was slowly but surely healing; still, she had lost a tremendous amount of blood. She looked at Kazue, who was looking at her with a mix of fear and concern, and then at alter Kazue, who was looking at her with unfiltered disgust.

Kazue ran over to her friend's side while screaming, her voice filled with a desperate plea.

"Sit down, Katya! It's over! Please!"

But Katya simply laughed, her body trembling with a mix of pain and something else.

"It doesn't matter."

She said, her voice filled with a raw, powerful emotion.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"All that matters is that you're safe. You're with me."

Kazue's expression softened, but she saw how pale Katya was and began to feel a deep, unsettling panic.

"We can't just stay here! We have to find the others to treat you! … Chloe, she'll know what to do."

As soon as she said this, Katya's body began to tremble even more violently.

"And Adam too!"

Kazue continued, oblivious to the change in her friend's behavior and sudden trembling.

"I'm sure the mask is doing something to your mind."

As soon as she said this, Katya's body began to tremble so violently that it looked like she was having a seizure. Alter Kazue, seeing this, cursed under her breath.

"Oh, fuck…"

Alter Kazue moved with a flash of light, her body a blur of yellow, pulling Kazue out of the way just as Katya swung her scythe down, with a terrifying, guttural shriek coming from her throat. Taking a few steps back, Kazue looked at her friend in shock, tears welling up in her eyes.

"What are you doing!?"

She screamed.

"Why did you try to attack me!?"

Katya, whose mask now had a gigantic, fanged mouth, began to cry a stream of black blood that ran down her face, and her voice, which was now filled with anguish, was not her own.

"It's not fair! It's never fair!"

She screamed violently, recoiling from the failed attack.

"I did this for you! I did this to protect you! But all you ever talk about is Adam! And Chloe! And Drake! It's always them! It's never me!"

The madness in Katya had reached a breaking point, and she was no longer able to think straight.

"It's not fair!"

She screamed again.

"You belong to me! And to no one else! I need you! Not them!"

She then proceeded to jump toward them again, her scythe swinging wildly. While her movements were still fast, the wound in her stomach was limiting her greatly, so much so that both girls were able to dodge her attacks with an effort. Alter Kazue, who was a much better fighter, dodged with a cold, detached grace, but she knew that if Katya were fighting at the same level she had against the Dracling, neither of them would have stood a chance.

Katya continued to pursue them, crying blood and swinging her scythe.

"What do I have to do for you to notice me!?"

She screamed over and over.

"I do notice you! You're my best friend! I admire you!"

Kazue screamed back, her voice filled with a desperate plea. But Katya didn't stop… She continued her assault.

"Lies! Lies! You are always with other people, talking about others, never by my side! What do I have to do for you to be with me, and only me!? Torn you apart and keep your pieces? I'll do it!"

Kazue began to feel a deep, soul-crushing despair as she and alter Kazue continued to dodge her attacks. While they run and evade, alter Kazue, with her face filled with a cold, calculating disgust, asked.

"Who the hell is this girl anyway, and why is she so crazy?"

Kazue, her voice filled with tears, responded.

"She's not usually like this!"

"Not usually!? Does that mean there are times she does act like this!?"

Alter Kazue screamed, her voice filled with anger.

"Eh… Sometimes... Sometimes she gets a little violent."

Kazue said, her voice a whisper.

"But isn't it normal with friends? I… err… This is the first time she's been like this!"

The two continued to dodge, their movements becoming more and more frantic. In a moment, a slightly stronger attack than normal grazed alter Kazue's arm, and she immediately summoned her sword of light.

"I'm done with this, I'm going to kill her now."

She said, her voice flat and decisive. However, Kazue's eyes began to swell.

"No! She's not like this! It's the mask!"

She screamed, trying to stop her alter ego.

"It doesn't matter what it is!"

Alter Kazue screamed back.

"She's a danger! She's going to kill us! I have to kill her first!"

But Kazue, in a final act of desperation, grabbed alter Kazue by the arm.

"No! Please! She's my first friend!"

She screamed, her eyes filled with tears. Alter Kazue, seeing the raw, honest plea in her eyes, clenched her fists and let out a frustrated sigh.

"You're an idiot! … *Sigh* Do you have any idea how to stop her!?"

She screamed in frustration.

"No!"

Kazue screamed back, her body trembling with a mixture of fear and ingenuity, like if she was proud of not knowing.

Alter Kazue, who was now dodging another of Katya's attacks, let out a loud, frustrated groan that seemed to come from the very depths of her soul. She managed to avoid another wild swing, and when she was finally in a safe spot, she looked at Kazue with an expression that was a mix of irritation and a rare, almost reluctant, concern.

"I have an idea."

Alter Kazue said, her voice a low, urgent whisper.

"It's not the first time I've dealt with a mental attack like this, and while I can't guarantee that the solution will be the same, it's the only option we have… You have to get close to her and give her a mental shock strong enough to destabilize her. The wound in her stomach should do the rest."

She said while looking at Kazue with a serious, unyielding expression.

"How sure are you that this will work?"

Kazue asked, her voice trembling with fear, but alter Kazue's face remained impassive.

"It's highly improbable, but it's the only idea I have."

She said, her voice flat.

"What happens if I fail?"

Kazue asked, her voice filled with nervousness.

"You'll die."

Alter Kazue said, her voice cold and unfeeling.

"She'll cut you down, and that will be the end of it. After that, I'll be the one to kill your friend. Are you sure you want to risk your life in such a ridiculous manner?"

Kazue didn't have to think twice. Her eyes, filled with a raw, powerful determination, were fixed on Katya, and she immediately said.

"Yes!"

Her answer took Alter Kazue completely by surprise.

"Well, then, let's go!"

Alter Kazue said, her voice filled with a renewed sense of purpose. She then proceeded to use her sword of light to parry one of Katya's scythe swings, who was still screaming and crying blood. The force of the parry managed to destabilize the blonde for a moment, and alter Kazue used that opportunity to use her light speed to get behind her and held her in place.

Katya screamed and cursed at "the copy of Kazue" for causing "her Kazue" to abandon her as she struggled to get free, but she was too weak to overcome alter Kazue's raw strength.

"Okay, what do I do!?"

Kazue screamed after approaching at full speed and standing in front of her friend.

"You have to give her what she wants!"

Alter Kazue screamed back.

"What?! What do you mean by that!?"

Kazue screamed back, her voice filled with confusion. Alter Kazue sighed, her face filled with a rare, amused smile.

"It's a long shot, but hopefully it should calm her rage, or even revert her back. Either way, it's better than having your head chopped off."

She then looked at Kazue, her amused smile widening.

"Giver her what? … "

Kazue responded.

"You know what I mean!"

"Why!? She's not actually asking that, she's crazy right now!"

The girl was clearly understanding the subtext, but it was still hard for her to process.

"Yeah, crazy for you! Now, pucker up..."

Alter Kazue said, containing her laugh for the first time in years.

"... And give her some sugar!"

Kazue, whose face was filled with a look of pure dread, looked at alter Kazue with a look of pure, unadulterated shock. But then, she took a deep breath and, with total determination, she leaned on Katya, prepared her lips and kissed her... Not on her lips, though, but on the forehead of her mask.

Immediately, Katya's body went limp. The cursed energy that was covering her body began to dissipate, leaving her body in a state of pure, unadulterated stillness. The grotesque, fanged mouth on her mask slowly closed, and the mask returned to its original form—a smooth, blank face with two black holes for eyes and a pair of horns.

Katya, whose body was now completely limp, coughed up a stream of black blood that was so powerful it almost knocked Kazue over before she finally fell unconscious in her arms. Kazue was surprised, thinking the worst, but alter Kazue, who was now standing over them, simply shook her head.

"She's not dead."

She said, her voice filled with a rare, honest concern.

"She just passed out. Look."

She then pointed at the wound in Katya's stomach, which had stopped bleeding and was slowly but surely closing. Alter Kazue sighed, a tired but honest smile on her face.

"Well... I'll give her that."

She said, her voice filled with a raw, honest awe.

"You may be a handful, but you have some very interesting friends..."