Chapter 121: Cha.120 Irada (5)

Qasim looked around at the brutal chaos.

Then he looked toward the sky.

The bird monster was charging straight toward them.

*Think!*

Qasim looked over at Yasmin.

*She’s our strongest, but I don’t think she can fight that thing by herself…*

He looked at Cici and found her completely stunned, unable to process the situation.

“Cici! Take the others and help the people!”

Cici snapped back to reality when she heard the boy’s voice. She looked at the others, and they all rushed forward to fight the monsters.

“Yasmin! You’re with me!”

Qasim shouted without taking his eyes off the bird.

Yasmin covered both of them in her black cloud just as the bird monster collided with the side of the castle, causing a shockwave and sending huge pieces of stone crashing down over the city.

The bird monster was so enormous that the tall castle looked like a wooden stick beside it, even with the massive holes already carved into its side.

It began radiating high-pitched noises as it spread its wings, causing the clouds of dust around it to disperse.

From inside Yasmin’s black cloud, Qasim fired an electric attack at the bird.

It did no damage whatsoever.

It didn’t even paralyze the creature for a second.

But the bird became aware of their presence and immediately charged down at them.

Qasim and Yasmin separated, each dodging in a different direction.

The bird split its gaze between them before deciding to follow the girl.

Yasmin tried to cover the bird with her ability, but it was far too large for her cloud to handle.

She was forced to rely only on her fast reflexes and movements to dodge the monster’s spikes.

Meanwhile, Qasim looked up.

He saw a white light in the shape of a bat leaving one of the castle’s windows and heading somewhere.

His eyes widened as an idea came to him while he stared at the tall castle.

Yasmin, on the other hand, couldn’t find a way to attack such a massive monster. Even her ability couldn’t handle its enormous size.

*I need an opening.*

Yasmin’s mind continued scanning rapidly for any potential opportunity.

She dodged an attack and countered with her own slash, cutting off one of the bird’s head spikes.

But it instantly regenerated.

She used a nearby building to trap the monster inside the debris, limiting its movements.

Then she began unleashing hundreds of slashes across its body.

And in doing so, she found its weakest point.

Yasmin stood on one of the falling houses and covered herself in the black cloud before launching herself toward a weak, short section connecting one of the wings to the bird’s body.

The dagger shone as it cut through the disgusting jelly-like flesh, successfully severing one of the bird’s wings.

The black, jelly-like flesh fell to the ground, turning into an even muddier substance as the bird’s body began shaking violently.

Yasmin covered herself with the cloud again as the bird managed to free itself from the debris.

But instead of flying, it switched to running.

Its small limbs moved rapidly beneath its massive body, making it resemble a centipede.

Yasmin was caught off guard by the bird’s incredible speed.

It raised its head and pierced directly into the black cloud.

Yasmin barely managed to block the attack.

She used her strength to deflect the spike, but to her surprise, another spike suddenly rushed toward her from the side.

She couldn’t dodge it in time.

She blocked the tip with her dagger, but it wasn’t nearly enough to stop the powerful spike.

The impact launched her through the air and sent her crashing beside a nearby house.

The bird raised its wings in satisfaction and stepped closer toward Yasmin.

It was completely focused on the bleeding girl.

So focused that it didn’t notice the snow-white-haired boy falling from the highest point of the castle directly toward its head.

The powerful strike broke the surrounding spikes as Qasim unleashed all the spiritual energy within his spear into one devastating attack.

The bird’s head grew larger like a balloon.

Then it exploded.

Qasim fell from the corpse to the ground beside Yasmin.

He looked at her and raised a small smile.

“Nice destruction.”

Yasmin, bleeding while standing on one knee, didn’t answer.

She simply gave him a small nod.

Qasim then stood up and extended his hand toward her.

“C’mon, there are still more monsters we need to—”

His words suddenly stopped.

Blood filled his mouth.

His eyes widened.

A thin, black spike had pierced him from behind, straight through his heart.

Yasmin’s face exploded with shock.

She immediately pulled him off the spike, but before she could help him, her eyes widened again.

Small monsters were emerging from the bird’s body.

As they emerged, the bird’s head began regenerating.

Then, a powerful strike from its wings sent Yasmin flying into another building.

Qasim fell to the ground.

A small but deadly hole had been carved directly through his heart.

His face became pale.

His breathing grew heavier before slowly fading as blood stopped being pumped through his body.

Blood began dripping from his eyes as he watched Yasmin stand up and scream at the monster before clashing with it again.

He watched her desperately move around, trying to attack.

But every time, she was the one getting hit.

Blood covered her body while the bird only grew stronger, with more monsters continuously emerging from it.

*Is this how I die?*

Qasim’s thoughts were dragged back into the painful hell he had experienced when he first died.

He bit his lips.

*No! I can’t risk dying!*

His eyes narrowed in anger as he remembered his hatred toward the people who had betrayed him, destroyed his home, and forced him into this situation.

Then he remembered Yasmin’s words.

*Destroy the heart…*

He closed his eyes and focused.

He felt his heart stopping.

*Recreate a new heart…*

He focused on life.

He pushed all his emotions together.

He compressed his will to avenge the people who had hurt him.

He compressed his will to meet Doran and Levia again.

He compressed his will to escape this place.

All his emotions began floating through his body as he slowly felt the familiar coldness of death.

*I can see it…*

He opened his eyes.

He finally managed to see what kind of energy he possessed.

That cold feeling.

The same feeling he had been training himself to endure.

He endured it.

He controlled his fear and pushed it aside, focusing instead on his will to live.

He gritted his teeth as the overwhelming emotions flooded through his body.

Then he forced them through his veins until they reached his heart.

His dying heart could no longer beat.

But Qasim forced his will to hold it together.

He forced it to beat again.

He forced his will to merge with his heart, fixing it…

Then improving it.

The heart began beating again.

Slowly.

Then faster.

Qasim’s lungs began breathing again, and an overwhelming power started circulating throughout his body.

An excited smile formed on his face as he forced himself to stand again.

He wiped the blood from around his mouth and raised his head.

He saw Yasmin pushed to her limits, pinned against the ground beneath one of the bird’s wings.

Qasim screamed at the bird.

He could finally feel it.

His power had returned.

He took one step.

Then fell.

His eyes widened as his bones began breaking under an unknown force.

Fear rose inside him as his soul felt as though it were being crushed beneath an unimaginable weight.

And worse than all of it was that unbearable pain.

He raised his eyes and looked at his Egoistical Layer.

The cracked-pattern stars were directly above him.

So close that he felt as if they would crush him at any moment.

We aren’t designed to use multiple powers.

Qasim’s mouth twitched as he remembered Valen’s words.

*N-No…*

Qasim desperately wanted to move.

He wanted to go and kill the monster.

But he couldn’t.

His body, soul, and even his fate were weighing him down.

Like a criminal who had violated the laws, he felt completely paralyzed.

His eyes widened as he saw the bird pressing down on Yasmin’s chest, causing her to scream in pain.

*Move… Move!*

He couldn’t accept this.

He couldn’t accept another person he cared about dying like that.

Because he was weak.

Because he was dumb.

He couldn’t accept it.

In a desperate attempt, he tried to scream at the monster, hoping it would turn its attention toward him instead.

But then…

Something changed.

It was as if time had begun moving slower.

As if silence had taken over the entire world.

A humanoid figure appeared.

His head was completely encased in a crown-like obsidian helmet, with an ornate silver-like cross emblem obscuring his facial features behind dark glass.

He wore a sharp white military coat adorned with black ropes arranged in sun-shaped motifs, with long gloves covering up to his elbows.

He raised a crimson spear with an obsidian blade wrapped around a white core, similar to Yasmin’s dagger.

He swung the spear once.

The bird monster turned into colorful dust.

The figure then turned to stare at the boy.

Qasim remained on the ground, breathing heavily.

He looked at his own reflection in the figure’s dark helmet.

Then a deep voice reached him.

“Don’t ever lower your guard until you see their flesh turn into dust.”

Qasim’s brain couldn’t endure any more pain.

His eyes slowly closed.

And everything faded into darkness.