WebNovels

Chapter 10 - 10. A Hard Fight

Zeha could only stand frozen, watching the fierce battle between the grandma

and the giant. At a glance, it looked like they were evenly matched, but in

truth, the grandma was being pushed into a corner. None of her attacks had

managed to inflict any real damage on the giant.

To make matters worse, her mana was almost depleted. All she could do now

was dodge, over and over again.

Even in the midst of that desperate fight, she still found time to shout instructions to Zeha. Before doing so, she pulled out a sword and threw it toward him.

"Get out of here and find another way out That's the only thing you can do right now!"

Zeha's eyes widened the moment he saw it, it was the White Sword she had shown him earlier in the underground chamber.

"Hurry up!" the grandma yelled.

Zeha caught the sword. He didn't feel any strange sensation from it, unsurprising, since he had no magic, but for some reason, it felt oddly familiar, almost like it was part of him. After a brief moment of hesitation, he steadied his resolve.

"Alright!" he shouted, turning on his heel and running as far as he could.

The giant, seeing Zeha trying to escape, growled in fury.

[You think running will save you…?] It swung its massive axe at him, but the blow stopped short. Chains had wrapped tightly around its arm, conjured from two glowing magic circles behind the grandma.

"Eternal Chain Prison," she said, her voice firm.

The giant's eyes widened as it realized it couldn't break free, no matter how hard it tried. The chains were unyielding, even after several attempts to slice through them.

"I'll give everything I have here," the grandma declared, summoning twenty multi-colored magic circles that hovered in the air behind her.

[Grrr…! Wretched human…!]

"Let's end this."

_

_

Meanwhile, Zeha ran blindly through the twisting darkness of the cave, unsure where it would lead. Thanks to the faint flame the grandma had conjured earlier, he could see just enough to avoid smashing into the walls, though the light was weak.

His breaths came in ragged gasps. He had no idea how long he'd been running. The cave had no branches, only one path leading deeper inside.

[Kiiiyaaaak!]

A massive spider appeared out of nowhere, slamming into him with enough force to send him flying. He tumbled across the ground until his back crashed against the wall.

"Kh—! Kuaahk!" Pain exploded down his spine, his chest tightened, making it

hard to breathe.

This spider was smaller than the one the grandma had fought earlier, but that didn't mean it would be easy to kill.

Three of them stood before him, their very presence making his skin crawl. One lunged, and Zeha barely managed to dodge before counterattacking.

He swung the White Sword, slicing through one of its legs. The creature's shriek echoed sharply through the cave.

"Kh… This is harder than I thought…!" Zeha gritted his teeth. Cutting off just one leg had already drained so much of his strength.

As he avoided another strike, he frantically recalled the grandma's lessons.

"Oh! Mana Sword!" He remembered the training, how to infuse a blade with mana. He hesitated for a split second, unsure if the technique would work here, then decided to risk it.

Pointing his sword forward, he focused. Blue aura flared and slowly wrapped around the blade.

[Kiyaak!]

He slashed at a charging spider. It took three strikes to kill it, the first two cutting at its legs, the third aimed for its neck. When that failed to sever it completely, he drove the sword into its eyes. His attacks were stronger now, but still not strong enough.

[Kiyaaaaak!]

One of the remaining spiders let out an ear-piercing screech, and the ground began to tremble. Zeha felt it, something terrifying was rushing toward him at incredible speed.

Before he could react, dozens of spiders swarmed in from all sides. They attacked in unison. Zeha was overwhelmed. Even with the Mana Sword, his strength wasn't enough to take them all down.

His body was already slashed in several places, blood dripping freely. He ignored the pain and kept fighting. Fighting, and keep fighting.

Even when his leg was pierced, he swung his sword.

Even when his energy was nearly spent, he refused to fall.

Even when his arms were cut and stabbed, he forced them to move.

Even when every inch of his body screamed in agony, when his throat felt crushed and his heart felt like it would burst, he fought on.

He cut, sliced, stabbed again and again, until the very last drop of strength left his body.

The smell of blood clung thick in the air, dozens of spider corpses scattered across the floor. Zeha collapsed to the ground, lying in a pool of fresh blood.

No matter how battered he was, he had survived.

But there was no time to rest, not even for a second. He had to find a way out. Forcing himself to his feet, he limped forward, using the sword's sheath as a crutch.

The pain was unbearable, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. Still, he pressed on, step after agonizing step. The cave grew darker, the air hotter and heavier, yet Zeha refused to stop.

In the silence, a faint light shimmered at the far end of the tunnel. His eyes widened. In that moment, he knew, it was the way out.

Relief washed over his face. Where despair had been swallowing him whole, now hope shone bright. He quickened his pace. He wanted to run, but his leg wouldn't allow it. The small light grew larger, brighter, until it became blinding.

When his eyes adjusted, he realized it wasn't the forest or any familiar place waiting for him. Instead, the walls of the cavern were lined with towering blue crystals, each nearly two meters tall, glowing softly.

Zeha had no idea what they were, but they were clearly extraordinary.

Among them sat a single white orb, about the size of a handball, resting on a natural pedestal formed by the crystals. It glowed faintly, almost inviting him to touch it.

"What is this?" Zeha whispered, stepping closer. Fear prickled at his skin, but curiosity won out. He reached out and placed his hand on it. For a while, nothing happened.

Zeha chuckled softly. "Sigh… I thought it was some kind of magic artifact."

Suddenly, the orb flared with brilliant light.

"Ow! Too bright! My eyes!" Zeha cried, trying to pull his hand back. But it wouldn't move, it was stuck, as if the orb was holding him in place.

Something foreign, some kind of energy was flowing into and out of his body. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free. After what felt like a full minute, the blinding light began to fade until it vanished completely.

Finally, his hand came free. He instinctively checked his palm. "Nothing strange…"

(Master… Master…)

A woman's voice suddenly echoed in his head, making Zeha jolt in surprise. He looked around frantically.

(Master. Is that you?)

"Huh?" His eyes snapped back to the orb, shock written all over his face. "You can talk...?!"

(Yes, Master. I am Litch, the final legacy of the Great God.)

Zeha furrowed his brow. "What… are you talking about?"

(Master, it's an honor to finally meet you.)

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