'It's unkillable. It can't be killed…'
Those were my last clear thoughts before I finally blacked out, my body giving in to the blood loss.
…
[Lycrane's POV]
Lycrane's expression barely changed as she watched Obyron collapse, crimson pouring from the deep wound in his leg.
"Unkillable? Hah…" she muttered, frowning as his last thoughts echoed through the spirit link she had forged between them. "What exactly does that mean?"
She leapt aside, narrowly avoiding a tree root that shot up from the earth like a spear. The word unkillable lingered in her mind, puzzling her.
She wasn't an expert on this type of monster—known as the Shapeless, a B-Rank abomination—but she was certain there had to be a way to destroy it.
Previously, she had been waiting carefully, gathering her mana for a specific attack that would not pose a threat to the collapsing structure of the narrow tunnel. She aimed to behead the beast. However, it appeared that her plan had not worked.
According to her knowledge, the Shapeless was an extremely unsettling type of monster. Information about it was scarce, but records described it as a creature that, upon physical contact, penetrated one's subconscious to uncover every negative emotion and fear. It then manifested as the very thing that terrified the individual the most.
Before this transformation occurred, the monster resided within a host—a womb of unspecified species. However, rumours suggested that pregnant women from remote villages sometimes unknowingly carried a Shapeless within them, and over time, the negative miasma from this B-Rank monster gradually corrupted the bearer, turning them into a grotesque monster akin to the thing Obyron bumped into earlier.
That said, the reason why Obyron called it unkillable might be because his most feared thing was a monster that can't be killed.
Lycrane dodged another tree root and deflected a flailing tentacle, which surprisingly continued to thrash about even after the main body's head had been severed.
At that moment, Lycrane clicked her tongue and made a swift judgment.
Unkillable means something that can't be killed.
But…
The idea that the monster was unkillable was nothing more than a figment of Obyron's imagination. After all, that's what it was in the first place—just a physical manifestation of Obyron's deepest fear.
The term unkillable here meant a being Obyron thought was unkillable. Which, by all means, had a limit—it was his imagination. Therefore, the term unkillable here held little weight.
If Lycrane could somehow use powers that surpassed Obyron's understanding and ultimately defeat the monster, then perhaps it could work.
However, for that to happen, she would need to unleash her true abilities—which, at the moment, were not available.
…
The SSS-Rank Swordsaint, Misendere Lycrane, would undeniably have no trouble overcoming such a low-rank monster. Yet, therein lay the issue: this Lycrane wasn't the invincible SSS-Rank Swordsaint she was supposed to be. Most of her powers were sealed away by a certain powerful entity. The cavern they were in was the domain of that very entity. This place was known as the Labyrinth of Lycus, and it was ruled by that being.
After sealing her abilities, this entity imposed a peculiar condition. To unlock her powers, she needed to bring someone with a rare affinity for a specific type of sorcery—someone like Obyron.
That was the real reason why she had come here with Obyron and avoided revealing any information about her motives, as she herself did not know what that powerful entity might want with him. That's why leaving him in the dark felt like the best choice.
Of course, if she was pushed to the brink, she could forcefully break part of the seal—unlocking a third of her strength. But if she did, the entity would notice, and its wrath would fall upon her. That was a risk Lycrane wasn't willing to take unless absolutely necessary.
Therefore, she wanted to try a different approach. If the situation called for it, she might consider taking the plunge and breaking the seal inside her.
With that decision firmly settled in her mind, she grinned slightly and muttered as she dodged and parried the strikes from the nightmarish monster, "So beheading doesn't work, huh? Let's see if you have a core. That's what monsters like you have, right? Which is it? Your heart, maybe?"
Just as she said that, she stopped in her tracks and waited for all the tentacles and roots to come at her.
Grotesque roots jutted out, sending splinters everywhere as they aimed for Lycrane's legs, while slimy tentacles reached for her hands and upper body, trying to detain and kill her.
Lycrane wasted no time dodging the attacks and started running toward the main body of the monster. Jumping, crouching, all while parrying the tentacles—every movement of the SSS-Rank Swordsaint, Misendere Lycrane, was flawless, resembling a graceful dance. With her sword finally finding the point that favoured her most, Lycrane cleaved down, ripping apart the chest of the headless giant infant as flesh and gore splashed out.
Just as Lycrane was about to thrust her sword forward to pierce its heart, there was a violent motion as countless snakes with human heads stitched onto them started to slither out, seemingly soaked in blood-red stomach juice. The expressions on those faces were ones of fear and confusion. Most were contorted in pain.
Seeing that, Lycrane did not flinch. With steady determination etched into her face, she thrust the sword into the heart and jumped back, narrowly avoiding a disgusting-looking snake with a human face that was slowly slithering toward her.
Though Lycrane had little hope of that actually working, she stepped back a few steps and looked at the monster with keen interest.
But she had to be disappointed.
Because right at that moment, more roots started to burst out from the ground around her, encasing her in a prison of greenish-yellow tendrils.
Lycrane frowned. "Really? You think this can stop me? Foolish." She spun as cracks started to form on the sturdy roots before abruptly breaking and falling apart altogether.
Lycrane didn't stop and continued to parry each and every attack ceaselessly.
…
After some time, Lycrane began to drop small beads of sweat and breathe heavily, showing signs of exhaustion.
Even though she was an SSS-Rank talent, her mana core had been significantly limited in use because of the seal. Thus, even the SSS-Rank Swordsaint was tired.
Frustration boiling up inside, Lycrane gnashed her molars.
I have no other choice.
Time was running short, and the so-called choice she thought she had never existed. Simply put, Obyron was losing too much blood. If this continued, she might put his life in danger. Therefore, she needed to decide quickly.
Not finding any other way, Lycrane sighed dejectedly and stood up.
With a scornful gaze, she addressed the monster with her index finger and said, "You who have life, who can walk, talk, or move—there is an ending. It is unavoidable, an inevitability, a fate bestowed upon all. Accept it, and reach for the warm embrace of God, so that you might find peace after your end."
Suddenly, darkness rippled behind Lycrane, slowly and tentatively taking form in the indistinct outline of a large human skull with a wooden cross piercing its forehead!