CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER TITLE AT THE END

Lira’s POV

The scene was truly devastating. I didn’t know what had happened here, but it was certain there had been a great battle and a unilateral annihilation. I activated my second skill, [Archer’s Eyes]. With it, I could see millimeter-precise details even from long distances. I began to scan the carnage on this battlefield.

I found traces of the leader’s luminous arrows. Although there were no actual arrows since they disappear, the wounds on these corpses were similar to those on the goblins killed by the chief during our raid. The wounds seemed to be completely cauterized, as if a thumb-sized fireball had cleanly passed through them. It was even stranger that all the dead were scattered around the battlefield. Although I wasn’t an expert on the subject, this distribution showed very strange things—broken bones and fatal arrow wounds didn’t make sense. But we’re talking about our beloved Hero; he is truly powerful.

Despite that, what worried me immensely was that there were over fifty corpses, and even though it didn’t look like anyone had fled, there was no trace of him. I checked the entire battlefield, and still found no clues. My heart sank, a premonition invaded me. I didn’t know why or how, but something was very wrong; my whole body screamed at me to run away.

Despite my instincts, I continued searching in the direction of the goblin village, hoping to find a clue. As I entered the village again, I saw that the entire ground was disturbed. It looked like the place had recently been demolished to its foundations. I wondered if this was the result of our leader’s fight against that gigantic stone golem; I couldn’t think of anyone more powerful than him who could cause this kind of damage. I looked for more signs of a recent battle but found nothing. The place was empty and silent, and with all the destruction, it didn’t seem like I could find anything useful here.

As I wondered what to do next or where to go, a shadow moved. I was ambushed. Three Sealakels came out of nowhere. Two of them tried to surround me while the third stared at me intently. They were Sealakel scouts. They seemed surprised to see me, perhaps they didn’t expect anyone to be here, and that’s why they didn’t try to kill me instantly. They wanted to capture me for interrogation.

I reacted instantly and tried to run, but I wasn’t prepared for what came next. Just as I had my [Agility Lvl 2] skill, they had one of their own. With a flicker, they used [Flash], moving dozens of meters in a single beat, appearing right in front of me.

The Sealakel extended its hands to try and catch me. It let its guard down for a second; that was all I needed. I pulled a small knife from my waist and plunged it with all my strength into its eye. I used our leader’s technique, twisting the knife to cause the most damage possible. The Sealakel began to writhe violently before falling dead. I tried to run, but the knife was stuck inside the Sealakel’s eye. As I struggled to pull it out, the other two Sealakels arrived. They screamed in fury upon seeing their companion dead.

Both of them lunged at me. I let go of the knife and jumped back to try and gain some distance, but they disappeared again. I felt as if I had been hit with a bat in the stomach. All the air left my body, causing me to fall to my knees without a shred of strength.

One of the lizards gestured to the other. "Good, you have some fun for a while, I’ll check the perimeter! She’s yours for a bit!"

The Sealakel in front of me roared with rage and grabbed me. The lizard began to twist my arms, making me scream in pain.

Crack...!

My arms couldn’t take it and they broke. The pain was unbearable, but I didn’t scream. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. I thought that would be it and they would kill me directly, but the lizard started hitting me again and again until my vision turned black and I passed out. The last thing I remember was the sound of my bones breaking and the sadistic laughter of those monsters.

...

I woke up from the cold. I was in a hut, and my body ached everywhere. In front of me, a female Sealakel, her skin an intense blue and covered in scales, was watching me. She took out her long forked tongue and licked my cheek. Her stench made me nauseous, but I didn’t have the strength to even say anything.

"Did you kill my husband?" she asked.

"Yes, she killed him, Matriarch."

The two Sealakels who had ambushed me were there, visibly nervous, stammering as they spoke. I couldn’t understand them, but it was clear that the female lizard in front of me was really important. The female Sealakel roared with fury, her grip on my neck tightened. Her gaze swept over my whole body before she yelled at the male lizard.

"Why did you bring her to the brink of death?"

"We punished her a little before giving her to you, Matriarch."

The male lizard knelt, babbling something, but before he could say anything more, the female lizard used her tail to impale him, piercing through his chest. The Sealakel fell lifeless in a single blow.

"How dare you decide something for me!" the Matriarch shouted at the corpse, while the remaining Sealakel knelt, begging for mercy. I didn’t know it at the time, but the Sealakel I had killed was her "new toy," and the woman in front of me was the Matriarch, the most powerful being in the entire village.

My torture continued, this time at the hands of the Matriarch. The Sealakel who was still alive crawled forward while the Matriarch yelled more things at him that I didn’t understand. I began to pray to any god who would listen, but my prayers were in vain as I felt the female lizard bend my body, exposing my private parts to the lizard. I could feel something hard and slippery slowly making its way inside me...

Suddenly, it stopped. An arrow pierced the head of the Sealakel who was touching me, killing him instantly. The Matriarch paused, confused.

I opened my eyes, which had been closed from the pain. In the distance, I saw Jax; his face was that of a demon, his eyes completely red with fury. He roared at the sky, a war cry that made the earth tremble, and charged against the entire Sealakel village.

You came for me... I thought, with one last smile on my face. I knew you wouldn’t abandon me. Forgive me for not staying pure, I really wanted to find the right moment to give myself to you...

And then, everything turned to darkness.

Chapter 50: The Death of Lira