Chapter 422: Outsider (2)


    ?


    "It appears that our talk is over."


    Aeliana''s heart pounded in her chest, her mind struggling to process what was happening. The Kraken. It was here. And it wasing for them-no, not them. For her. She could feel it, a primal, instinctive pull that made her skin crawl. The glow around her intensified, the light growing brighter, more erratic, as if responding to the creature''s presence.


    Luca''s gaze flicked back to her, his dark eyes meeting hers for the briefest moment. There was something in his expression-something she couldn''t quite ce. Not fear, not concern, but... anticipation? Resignation? She couldn''t tell. And then he turned away, his focus shifting to the descending tentacle.


    Aeliana''s breath hitched, her body trembling as the reality of the situation crashed over her. The Kraken was here. And it wasing for her. She wanted to scream, to run, to fight, but her body refused to move. She was trapped-trapped by her pain, by her rage, by the glowing energy that now surrounded her like a cage.


    The tentacle was close now, close enough that she could see the suction cups lining its underside, each onerge enough to crush her in an instant. She braced herself, her mind racing, her heart pounding in her ears.


    And then, just as the tentacle was about to strike, Luca moved.


    SWOOSH!


    Luca moved like a shadow slipping through cracks in the air, his body propelled forward with an unnatural grace. His estoc was already drawn, ck starlight gathering along its length as he surged toward the descending tentacle. His movements were impossibly smooth, a seamless transition between stillness and lethal intent.


    His body coiled for a fraction of a second-then exploded forward.


    Void Starfall de: Starline


    The instant the words left his lips, the air around him shuddered. A thin, radiant line of ck starlight traced the path of his de as he shed diagonally through the thick, writhing appendage.


    BOOM!


    The moment the strike connected, the starlight expanded, an eruption of force sting outward from the thin line he had carved through the tentacle. A wave of distortion rippled through the flesh of the monstrous limb, and in the next instant-


    CRACK!


    The massive tentacle was torn apart along the line of impact, its own weight dragging it violently to the side as the severed chunk fell away. A spray of dark, brackish liquid erupted from the wound, sttering across the battlefield in thick, sludgy arcs.


    Luca twisted his body midair, his foot barely brushing the ruined stone of the courtyard as heunched himself backward, escaping the immediate area of impact. His breath was steady, controlled, his eyes cold as he observed the result of his strike.


    The Kraken recoiled.


    A deep, guttural sound reverberated through the air, something between a roar and an unearthly shriek. The force of it sent tremors through the ground, making the already broken structures around them groan in protest.


    Aeliana gasped, her wide eyes locked on Luca. He had moved faster than she could even register—one moment he was still, and the next he had shattered one of the Kraken''s limbs as if it were nothing.


    And yet.


    The severed tentacle crashed into the cavern floor with a sickening, wet thud, sttering brackish ichor across the stone. The force of its impact sent tremors through the ground, loose debris tumbling from the jagged ceiling above. But even as the limb writhed in its death throes, the wound was already knitting itself back together.


    Schlrkkk― the sound was grotesque, like flesh reweaving itself in fast motion. The Kraken''s regeneration was instantaneous, dark energy crackling along the severed edges as new flesh coiled and twisted into shape. The gaping wound Lucavion had carved out mere moments ago had already sealed itself, as if the strike had never happened.


    Lucavion clicked his tongue, tilting his head slightly as he took in the sight. "Well, that''s just unfair," he murmured, though there was no real frustration in his voice. If anything, his lips curled into something dangerously close to amusement. "So, you regenerate instantly, do you?" He chuckled, tapping his estoc lightly against his shoulder. "I guess I should''ve expected as much. It wouldn''t be fun otherwise."


    Aeliana barely registered his words. She was still gasping, her body wracked with pain, barely clinging to consciousness as the glow around her pulsed erratically. Her entire body was screaming at her to copse, to give in-but her hatred burned, white-hot and searing, keeping her conscious even as her limbs trembled.


    The Kraken did not hesitate.


    SHRRRIIEEEEKKKKKKK!


    The cavern walls trembled as the monster let out a deafening, mind-rattling shriek. The sheer force of the sound sent a violent shockwave through the air, cracking stone and forcing Aeliana''s already struggling body to convulse in pain.


    And then- BOOM.


    A second tentacleshed down toward Lucavion with terrifying speed, its monstrous weight cutting through the air like a guillotine.


    SWOOSH!


    Lucavion moved.


    He twisted his body at thest possible moment, a single step carrying him out of the tentacle''s devastating path. The air pressure from the impact alone sent his coat billowing, his silver-streaked hair whipping around him as the stone beneath him shattered from the force of the blow.


    But he wasn''t done.


    Even as he dodged, his Void Starfall de was already in motion.


    SLASH-!


    His estoc carved through the Kraken''s thick, grotesque flesh in a precise, almost effortless motion. The dark steel of his de glowed with a starry shimmer, leaving behind a thin, crackling line of starlight energy in its wake.


    For a second, there was silence.


    Then-


    BOOM!


    A violent explosion of force erupted from the wound, severing another chunk of the Kraken''s limb. Ichor sprayed across the battlefield once more, the sheer impact sending tremors


    through the cavern.


    Lucavionnded gracefully a few paces away, adjusting his grip on his sword as he studied his opponent. His smirk widened. "Still not enough, huh?" he mused, watching as the Kraken''s wounds began to heal yet again, the grotesque process unfolding before his eyes.


    The monster''s remaining limbs twisted in agitation, its abyssal eyes narrowing as if recognizing Lucavion as a true threat.


    SHRRRRRKKKKKKKK!


    Without warning, three more tentacles surged toward him, their sheer size eclipsing the cavern''s already limited space. They came from multiple directions at once, each one moving


    with unnatural speed, leaving no room to escape.


    ''Ah, there it is,'' Lucavion thought, his smirk deepening. ''The moment when they stop


    underestimating me.''


    BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.


    The tentacles descended.


    SWOOSH-!


    Lucavion''s body blurred.


    He moved like falling starlight, his steps impossibly fast, fluid, weaving between the monstrous appendages with a speed that defied logic. Each time a tentacle struck the ground,


    it left behind massive craters, obliterating everything in its path-but not him.


    His de was already carving through the air.


    CLANG. SLASH. SCHLKT.


    Each movement was precise. Lethal. Tentacles were severed in the blink of an eye, the wounds


    glowing with that eerie, crackling starlight energy that prevented them from regenerating


    immediately.


    The Kraken shrieked in agony, but Lucavion wasn''t finished.


    Heunched himself skyward.


    A single step on the air propelled him higher-above the chaos, above the carnage-until he@@novelbin@@


    was directly above the Kraken''s massive, writhing body.


    And there-suspended in the air, his dark coat billowing, his de gleaming with an


    ominous, celestial glow-Lucavion smirked.


    "Not so tough when you''re not swinging those limbs around, are you?" he taunted, his voice dripping with amusement. He twisted his wrist, adjusting his grip on his estoc.


    His de thrummed with power.


    "Let''s see how you like this-"


    Void Starfall de: Event Horizon


    The moment he uttered the name of his technique, the cavern went silent.


    And then- BOOM.


    A pulse of pure starlight energy erupted from his de, copsing the very space around it.


    For a single, terrifying instant, it was as if reality itself warped inward, crushing everything


    caught within its radius.


    And the Kraken?


    It reeled. Its body convulsed violently, its monstrous form buckling under the sudden, overwhelming force. The very fabric of its existence seemed to strain against the attack, the eldritch energy that sustained it shing with the starlight trying to erase it.


    For the first time since the battle began-


    The Kraken hesitated.


    Lucavion''s smirk widened. "Heh. Got your attention now, don''t I?"


    SHRRRRRRRIIIIIEEEEEEEKKKKKK!


    The Kraken''s scream was one of pure rage.


    And then-


    It evolved.


    The air around it shifted, dark energy surging outward in a violent wave. The wounds


    Lucavion had inflicted healed twice as fast, the Kraken''s body growingrger, stronger, its


    abyssal eyes glowing with something different.


    Not just anger. Recognition.


    Lucavion''s eyes narrowed slightly, his amusement not fading, but his grip on his estoc


    tightening just a fraction.


    ''Ah...'' he mused, rolling his shoulder as the starlight energy in his de intensified.


    ''So, you''re finally taking me seriously, huh?''


    He grinned, stepping forward as the Kraken''s monstrous energy surged once more.


    "Good."


    His de hummed.


    "That makes two of us."