Chapter 95: Sky flame Strike

Chapter 92

CLANG!

Katherine’s sword collided with the scythe, and the impact sent a numbing sensation through her arm. Before she could recover, the Webfiend Lord thrust its spear toward her chest, forcing her to twist sideways to avoid a direct hit. However, one of its elongated hands struck her ribs before she could escape completely.

CRACK!

"Ugh!"

A cry of pain escaped Katherine’s mouth as the impact sent her spinning through the air. She forced herself to stabilize with Sky Walk, planting her feet against an invisible foothold before launching herself back toward the monster with her sword raised.

Her blade descended in a furious arc, but the Webfiend Lord raised its spear to meet the attack.

BOOM!

Their weapons collided, and a powerful shockwave tore through the surrounding ground. Katherine gritted her teeth and pushed forward, trying to force the monster backward through sheer determination, but the difference in their strength was simply too great.

The Webfiend Lord narrowed its countless eyes, twisted its wrist to redirect the force of her attack, and swept its scythe across her body.

Katherine’s pupils contracted as she tried to evade the incoming blade, but her reaction was too slow.

SLASH!

The scythe tore through the armor covering her side, leaving a deep wound beneath it.

"Ahhh!"

A sharp cry ripped from Katherine’s throat as blood sprayed into the air, staining her armor and scattering across the ground below. She stumbled backward, instinctively pressing one hand against her injured side as a wave of pain washed over her.

For a moment, her vision blurred, and the battlefield seemed to tilt around her. The pain was so intense that she struggled to gather her thoughts, but before she could regain her composure, the Webfiend Lord was already upon her.

Its silvery spear shot forward.

Katherine raised her sword with both hands, catching the weapon just before it could pierce her chest.

CLANG!

The impact drove her backward. Her arms trembled violently, and she felt something crack within her shoulder as she struggled to withstand the force. Even maintaining her grip on the sword had become difficult.

Before she could recover, the monster’s elongated hands attacked from both sides.

Katherine twisted, allowing one to pass close to her face, but the other struck her abdomen.

BOOM!

"Kh...!"

She coughed violently as the impact hurled her through the air. Her body crashed against the ground, and she rolled several times before finally managing to stop herself.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her vision swam as she tried to focus on the monster. Every breath sent another wave of pain through her chest, while her broken hand throbbed so fiercely that she could barely feel her fingers.

Nevertheless, Katherine forced herself to rise.

She planted one foot against the air, pushed herself upright, and raised her sword once more.

The Webfiend Lord watched her with its countless eyes. It showed no signs of rushing or tiring, continuing its assault as though it had all the time in the world to dismantle the stubborn human woman who refused to fall.

Katherine’s sword flashed again as she launched herself forward, emerald flames surging around her blade while she unleashed another powerful strike.

The Webfiend Lord blocked it effortlessly before sweeping its scythe downward.

Katherine raised her sword to defend herself.

BOOOOOOM!

The impact drove her toward the ground. She barely managed to redirect herself with Sky Walk before the force could smash her into the earth, but the effort left her exposed to another attack.

The monster thrust its spear forward.

Katherine twisted at the last moment, narrowly avoiding a direct strike to her heart. However, the spear’s tip tore through her armor and pierced her shoulder.

"AAAAH!"

Her scream echoed across the battlefield as the weapon withdrew, leaving blood pouring from the wound. Katherine staggered, nearly losing her balance in the air as she struggled to keep herself upright.

Her breathing had become increasingly ragged, and her entire body trembled from exhaustion. The emerald flames surrounding her sword had begun to weaken, their once-brilliant glow fading as her strength dwindled.

Her mana was running dangerously low, her stamina was nearly exhausted, and her injuries were accumulating faster than she could endure them.

Yet she still refused to give up.

Clenching her teeth, Katherine forced her battered body forward again.

Another clash followed, then another explosion, accompanied by yet another scream of pain that she desperately tried to suppress. The battle continued for five more minutes, filled with relentless attacks, desperate evasions, and increasingly desperate attempts to strike back.

Throughout those five minutes, Katherine’s battered body was pushed closer and closer to its breaking point. She continued fighting despite her injuries, refusing to surrender even when every movement brought fresh pain and her strength was almost completely spent.

By the end of it, she could barely stand.

Her armor was badly damaged, her blonde hair was matted with blood, and her emerald eyes had lost much of their former brilliance. She struggled to maintain her position in the air, relying on what little strength remained in her body to keep herself from falling.

The Webfiend Lord, on the other hand, remained standing.

Its aura continued to press down on the battlefield, heavy and suffocating, as it regarded the human woman before it. Its countless eyes slowly narrowed while it assessed the opponent who had forced it to fight for so long.

She had certainly been more troublesome than it had expected.

For a while, she had even managed to make the battle somewhat interesting.

But that was over now.

The human girl was one attack away from death, and the Webfiend Lord was ready to deliver the final blow.

A silvery spear formed in its hand as webstrings twisted together at astonishing speed, producing a weapon whose pointed tip gleamed with a cold, metallic light.

The dungeon boss raised the spear and fixed its countless eyes on Katherine, a faint trace of satisfaction appearing in their cold glow. The human who had dared to challenge it had finally reached her limit.

Now, it was time to end things.

The spear launched forward.

It crossed the distance between them in an instant, its sharp tip aimed directly at Katherine’s skull. The attack was fast, precise, and deadly, intended to pierce her head and end her life before she could even realize what had happened.

But that wasn’t what happened.

At the very last moment, Katherine’s closed eyes snapped open, her emerald gaze sharpening as she twisted her body and wrapped one leg around the air as though pulling on an invisible rope.

Then she swung.

Her body rotated with a sudden burst of momentum, allowing her to slip out of the spear’s trajectory by the narrowest possible margin.

The weapon passed her.

The Webfiend Lord had committed almost all its force to the attack, fully expecting the spear to strike its target, but it had missed. For a fraction of a second, the monster’s body was left open, giving Katherine the opportunity she had been desperately waiting for.

She appeared directly above it.

Katherine hovered high in the air, supported by an invisible foothold, and her movements became eerily calm. The technique she assumed was almost identical to the stance she had used earlier to slay the last of the two Level 16 Webfiends.

Only this time, there was no room for hesitation or a second attempt.

She had one chance, and she intended to use it.

Katherine slowly exhaled, releasing flames from one side of her mouth and a chilling current of wind from the other. The two forces intertwined around her body, spiraling toward her sword as she prepared to unleash everything she had left.

Her emerald eyes shone with a cold light.

Despite the pain wracking her body, she reached for the hilt of her sword with her broken hand and forced her fingers to close around it. The pain was grueling, and her damaged hand trembled violently as she felt the broken bones shifting beneath her skin.

But her gaze didn’t waver.

Her other hand settled firmly on the sword’s hilt, securing her grip as she remained suspended above the Webfiend Lord. Swirling wind and emerald flames surrounded her battered body, gathering around the blade as she prepared to unleash her strongest attack.

Then she spoke.

"Skyflame Strike."

Her voice was faint, yet steady.

The next instant, the battlefield erupted.

BOOOOOOM!

Flames and wind engulfed Katherine alongside her blade. Emerald fire expanded around her, while the wind compressed into a roaring current that seemed to tear the very air apart. Her figure disappeared within the brilliance, leaving behind a surge of power that made the surrounding atmosphere tremble.

Then she moved.

Katherine launched herself downward, and the sky seemed to split beneath the roaring flames and raging wind trailing behind her. Her speed was extraordinary, turning her entire figure into a streak of emerald light descending from above.

The Webfiend Lord’s countless eyes widened.

For the first time since its arrival, something resembling genuine fear appeared in their cold depths.

It tried to react, raising its scythe and attempting to summon its webstrings to form a defense, but it was already too late.

Katherine had reached it.

Her sword descended.

SHIIIIING!

The blade passed through the Webfiend Lord’s neck.

For an instant, everything seemed to fall silent. The emerald flames continued burning, and the wind continued roaring, but the monster’s body had already lost its head.

The Webfiend Lord’s severed head separated from its neck, its countless eyes remaining wide open as it fell through the air. The cold light within them flickered before the head finally struck the ground.

A second later, the headless body collapsed.

BOOM!

The impact shook the ground as Katherine landed a short distance away. Her feet touched an invisible foothold before she gently lowered herself toward the battlefield.

For one brief moment, she remained standing, her sword hanging loosely in her hand. Her blonde hair drifted around her bloodied face, and the emerald flames surrounding her blade gradually faded.

She had done it.

She had finally killed the dungeon boss.

However, the thought had barely formed in her mind when her legs gave way, forcing her to collapse onto one knee.

"Kh... cough! Cough!"

Katherine began coughing violently, blood spilling from her mouth and dripping onto the ground beneath her.