"Sister, be careful!" Arshiyana shouted.
The giant ape had Velika trapped in its fist. The pressure caused her sword to slip from her hand and fall to the ground.
Snehwal, Lily, and Liora all watched the scene from a distance. Snehwal thought to himself, "This is the one who wanted to kill me."
Angrily, Snehwal took a step forward, but Lily grabbed his hand and pulled him back, making him sit beside her.
"Wait… hold on, this game is going to be long."
Lily and Liora's eyes were fixed on the battle ahead. Snehwal secretly looked at Lily and thought,
"Lily, you want to fight this demon for me… I will soon become so powerful that you will never need to fight again."
Suddenly, Lily signaled Snehwal with her eyes, as if asking, "What happened?"
Uneasily, Snehwal said, "Nothing."
In front of them, Velika was lying badly on the ground, and the giant ape was fighting Arshiyana. Arshiyana was striking quickly with her sword, but she was unable to inflict any significant damage.
Then Arshiyana, with all her strength, wounded the giant ape and forced it to flee.
She swiftly lifted her sister into her arms.
At that very moment, Lily recognized the opportunity. She took slow, deliberate steps and, floating about two feet above the ground, reached the two sisters. Flames of anger blazed in her eyes as she said —
"You two sisters are now worthy of death!"
At that moment, the direction of the wind suddenly changed, as if the energy of the entire forest had stirred in response to her rage.
But Snehwal immediately stopped her, his voice a mix of seriousness and compassion —
"Do not take their lives."
The compassion in Snehwal's eyes melted Lily's anger. Touching the pendant around her neck, she drew out her staff and cast a spell of hypnosis on the two sisters.
Under the power of the spell, both sisters stood still like puppets, and without any will of their own, they spoke in unison —
"As you command, my lord."
Snehwal was astonished at the sight.
Then Lily turned her gaze in the direction from which the giant ape had fled, and with cold determination said —
"Let's go; its lair must be nearby."
All five of them moved in the same direction. After walking some distance, they reached the mouth of a cave — from the outside, it looked ruined and terrifying, as if it carried the remnants of some ancient calamity.
Snehwal turned back and cast a glance at his two guardians. Seeing their composed stance and alert eyes, a faint satisfaction crossed his face. He muttered to himself, "Good… I'll use them as human shields if needed."
Lily touched her talisman, held it tightly, and drew her sword. Without making a sound, she stepped through the entrance of the cave, her every footstep radiating caution and resolve.
Seeing this, Liora also unsheathed her sword and followed behind Snehwal. Inside, the darkness was deep and echoing; with every step, the air carried the scent of something ancient — a mix of decay and forgotten tales. Scattered across the floor were the bones of humans and animals. When Snehwal's foot accidentally landed on one, he froze and screamed in fright,
"What is this?!"
Lily immediately placed a finger over her lips, signaling him to stay silent.
"Shhh…" she hissed quietly.
At that very moment, from somewhere deep within the cave, a faint sound arose — the giant ape's ears twitched sharply, as if some unseen signal had just awakened it from its slumber.
At that very moment, Lily had already understood everything. She immediately said,
"The giant ape has become alert!"
From inside, heavy thud-thud footsteps began echoing — as if some colossal beast had awakened from its slumber, trembling with rage, and was now charging toward them.
Without a second thought, Lily grabbed Snehwal's hand and dashed toward the exit.
Snehwal, startled and confused, ran after her.
Liora and the others quickly followed, rushing outside.
Once they were out, Snehwal caught his breath and asked,
"That sound inside… whose was it?"
Liora gripped her sword tightly and said,
"He's coming…"
Snehwal clenched his fists, determination hardening his face.
"We're ready."
With a swift motion, Lily unsheathed her sword — the gleaming blade reflected light onto the mouth of the cave.
Then suddenly, with a deafening roar, the giant ape burst out of the cave —
its eyes blazed like fire, and its breath rose like steam into the air.
In the very next instant, it let out another furious roar and lunged straight at Snehwal —
as if ready to devour its prey in one swift strike.