Catgirls And Dungeons -
Chapter 232: Battle to the death
Chapter 232: Battle to the death
"Larpard...?" Ereskia choked out, eyes widening.
For a moment, she struggled to process what had just happened. Everything had unfolded in a blur. In one second, a flicker of motion, a flash of light, and suddenly, Lucian was howling in pain.
It took her a breath to understand.
Somehow, magically, her brother had broken free of the parasite’s grip.
And then, through sheer force of will or a spark of power, Larpard had regained control over his mana, and used it brilliantly.
He’d created a clone of himself, a decoy to lure Lucian’s focus. And the moment Lucian dropped his guard, Larpard struck, using the black crystals that he took from the pillars, the ones their father’s sword left behind.
"AAAAAARRRRRRRGGHHHHHHH!"
Lucian’s scream tore through the chamber, raw and furious, as the poison surged beneath his skin. Veins along his face turned a sickly black, the wound oozing with venomous blood.
He staggered, one hand clutching the melting mess of his cheek, his eyes wide with rage.
But he wasn’t down.
Not even close.
Before the echo of his scream faded, Larpard charged again. The dagger in his grip gleamed with violet mana, his eyes blazing with defiance.
He lunged.
But Lucian twisted, dodging with a snarl.
Then—SNAP!
He caught Larpard’s wrist mid-strike.
BOOM!
A brutal kick slammed into Larpard’s stomach, folding him in half.
He coughed blood and dropped the blade with a clatter.
And then, Lucian grabbed him by the collar and hauled him into the air.
Now, Larpard dangled in his grasp, coughing, twitching.
Helpless...
"The fuck did you think you were doing, you little brat?!" Lucian snarled, voice trembling with fury. His grip tightened. "I’ll fucking kill you!"
Ereskia’s heart stopped.
From the floor, she watched, barely able to breathe. Her limbs trembled, her chest burned. The parasite writhed within her, tearing at her mana core. Her vision blurred, but she could still see him.
Larpard.... dangling there.
About to die.
No...
She had to move.
She had to save him!
But how?
How the hell was she supposed to fight, when her body was broken, her mana sealed, the parasite still gnawing at her core?!
Then, suddenly, Ereskia remembered.
There had been one case before. Years ago, there was one person, afflicted by the same Arcane Corruption Parasite... but survived. They had won, however, the price that they paid was devastating.
If Ereskia followed that path, if failed, she would die instantly. But even when succeeded, she’d never be able to advance her mana core again.
But there was no time to think.
Not now, not when Larpard was dangling from Lucian’s hand, limp, bleeding, a breath away from death!
And so, as Larpard’s bigger sister, she couldn’t hesitate.
With gritted teeth, Ereskia turned her focus inward, deep into her center. to her mana core, to where the parasite clung like rot.
And then—
Boom!
An internal explosion rocked her soul.
A ring of her mana core shattered, then another, a self-inflicted detonation!
The parasite was caught in the blast, torn apart, and disintegrated.
...
"COME, SHEOLLLLL!!!" Ereskia howled, voice raw with agony and fury.
Pain slammed through her chest like a battering ram. Her core was damaged beyond repair, she could feel it.
But it didn’t fucking matter.
She had to move. She had to save Larpard now!
And then, it came.
The Sword of the End, her divine weapon, surged into existence, materializing in her hand with a thunderclap of arcane energy.
Without pause, she swung.
SLASH!!!
A massive arc of black energy screamed toward Lucian’s arm, aimed to sever it and free Larpard.
Lucian’s eyes widened in shock.
He hadn’t expected her to break through.
But even that bastard moved fast.
He let go, released Larpard.
And dodged.
BOOOOM!!!
The sword arc slammed into the wall behind him, exploding on impact.
The entire chamber shook, debris flying, and a long, jagged scar was carved deep into the stone.
...
"LARP!" Ereskia instantly rushed in and caught her brother, then moved away.
As she checked him...
Just as she thought...
His mana core was now ringless!
Meaning, he had literally sacrificed three rings to get rid of the parasite!
Meanwhile, Ereskia had sacrificed two, but she still had two rings left.
And with those rings gone, mana began to leak through her body rapidly.
The residual mana stored within them was still there, though, meaning, for a short moment, she would still be able to use her full four-ring potential. No... even more than her usual potential, because with both mana storage nodes fully released, her body was now completely saturated with mana. Surging with it!
Lucian was an S-rank, nearly SS. But with the severe wound he had already sustained, and with Father’s Afelkris crystal poison now eating at him, there was now a chance to kill him.
But with every second that passed, that chance would dwindle.
And thus, Ereskia knew exactly what she had to do.
She had to kill him.
Fast.
"Sister..." Larpard murmured, already broken from all the blows he had received.
"Thank you, Larp, for giving me this chance," Ereskia said at last, smiling as she looked at Larpard tenderly. "Now, leave this to me..."
And so, with Sheol in hand, Ereskia lunged once again into the battlefield.
This time, going in on full offense.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
The air shook with destruction as Sheol and Lucian’s blade collided again and again. Sparks flew. Black lightning cracked and arced across the battlefield. Every clash sent violent ripples through the room. Pillars shattered, walls split, and debris scattered like hail under the storm of their blades.
Lucian, though severely wounded, was still terrifyingly powerful. He was S-rank—nearly SS—after all.
But with Sheol in her grasp, with its first ominous eyeball wide open, and her power spiking from the explosion of her two mana rings, Ereskia fought like a demon reborn.
Blow by blow, step by step—
She advanced.
Relentlessly.
Lucian gritted his teeth, steel grinding against steel as he parried, blocked, countered.
Yet Ereskia kept pushing.
And despite the burning pain surging through her ruined core, she grinned. Every strike, every deflection, it was clear:
She was winning.
Lucian, however, didn’t falter in fear.
In fact, he laughed.
A wild, booming laugh, echoing louder than even the ringing of clashing blades.
"Hahaha! So this is a Divine Weapon?! This is Sheol! Now—if I kill you—IT’LL BE MINE!"
"IN YOUR FUCKING DREAMS!"
With a roar, Ereskia slashed downward. Lucian barely blocked in time, their blades locking for an instant before she shoved him back, forcing him to skid across the ground.
Then, she jumped back as well, creating a few precious meters of distance.
Her breath ragged, eyes burning.
She raised Sheol.
"TAKE!" she howled.
Instantly, her mana plummeted!
All the magic inside her, the overflowing power granted by the broken rings, was drawn into Sheol like a hungry vortex. The first eye flared, blazing with dark light, and then the second eye...
Trembled.
It fluttered.
But it stayed shut.
Not enough.
Not yet.
"TAKE MORE!" she screamed.
And with that, another explosion echoed inside her chest—
CRACK!
One more mana ring shattered within her core, disintegrating into raw energy!
And finally...
Sheol responded!
FWOOOOOM!!!
A wave of darkness burst from the blade. The second eyeball snapped open with a blinding gleam.
Sheol howled with energy, its form shifting, glowing, transforming in her hands. Black veins of cursed power ran along its edge, and an oppressive force radiated from it in waves, shaking the floor beneath her feet.
And just like that, the Sword of the End had awakened its second state!
And now, it was hungry!
Ereskia kicked off the ground.
This was it!
Her one chance to end this battle—right here, right now!
"LUCIAN!!!" she screamed, her voice a raw blend of fury and anguish.
Across from her, Lucian saw what had become of Sheol, saw how its second eye had opened, how it radiated death, and his grin only widened, eyes burning with wild madness.
"COME!" he growled, voice crackling with exhilaration.
And then—
FWWOOSH!
Ereskia dashed forward, faster than lightning!
She swung down.
A black arc tore through the air as Sheol cleaved forward in a wide, vicious slash!
Lucian raised his greatsword, bracing for impact.
But—
Sheol’s arc cut straight through!
Lucian’s chest was left wide open!
With this, he would be easily bisected!
Victory for Ereskia was almost certain now.
BOOOOOM!!!
An explosion erupted as the arc met Lucian’s body, so intense that black smoke billowed from the impact, completely obscuring her vision.
___________________________
Seconds later...
As the dust slowly cleared, Ereskia’s heart pounded in her chest. She clenched her fists, eyes locked on the black haze that cloaked the battlefield.
That last strike...
It had to be enough.
She had seen it. The moment her sword cut through Lucian’s sword, slicing into his chest. A blow like that, empowered by Sheol’s awakening, should have been fatal.
He couldn’t possibly survive.
She took a single step forward, peering through the lingering smoke.
But then—
FWOOOSH!
A sudden gust tore through the haze, and something moved, something fast.
Black lightning cracked the air, zapping just off to her left.
Instinctively, Ereskia turned—
Her breath caught.
Nothing.
Just scattered embers.
Her stomach dropped.
Oh shit—
At that moment, she knew... she was doomed.
From behind her, the giant Wolfman appeared, his presence more suffocating than ever. Now, he looked different.
Now, that bastard was clad in an obsidian-black armor
Yes, her slash had landed, Sheol’s arc had carved straight through his chestplate, there was an unmistakable sword mark there.
But it hadn’t been enough.
Not even close.
After all...this new armor piece was Sacred Rank on its own, materialized to protect Lucian at the last moment.
Its name: Azazel’s Guard.
Ereskia recognized it instantly, as it was something another member of the Shadowfang had before he and Ereskia’s father were lost inside this dungeon.
Apparently, Lucian had killed the guy and stole it.
And with that, it was over.
She felt it.
A white-hot pain screamed across her back, together with the sound of metal slicing through flesh, of bone snapping like twigs.
Lucian’s massive clawed gauntlet had come crashing down from behind—
Ripping.
Tearing.
Shredding her apart.
Blood sprayed in arcs across the ruined chamber.
And Ereskia fell down.
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