CHAPTER 87: MUTATION DOPPLESHADE

Nalira’s hazel-brown eyes widened instantly as she saw something sharp, like a sickle, swiftly piercing Zerawulf’s body. A strange blackish-purple liquid was sprayed directly in front of Nalira, and in just a few seconds, Zerawulf was killed.

"Oh, no... it...it must be..."

Nalira walked backward slowly, and the figure of the attacker finally revealed itself, which turned out to be a Doppleshade. That horrible creature then threw Zerawulf’s lifeless body to the ground and smiled, revealing a row of sharp teeth that were ready to tear both of their bodies apart.

"Holy crap, b-but why..." Shaan’s face paled instantly. "Why is the Doppleshade attacking another dark creature?"

In just a few seconds, the Doppleshade’s pale body turned purple-black, the same color as the fluid oozing from Zerawulf’s body. Not only that, the creature’s body also doubled in size from its normal size, allowing Shaan to see the veins along its arms.

[Oh, damn. It turns out... it turns out Doppleshade also has mutated after killing the mutated Zerawulf.]

"Nalira, get away from there!" Shaan shouted in panic. "We have to—" Before Shaan could finish his sentence, the Doppleshade instantly launched an attack toward Nalira. She managed to block the blow, but the attack was far stronger than usual, sending her flying backward with great force.

"Ugh, damn it." Nalira slowly stood up. "This creature is very strong. "Nalira. Hang in there. I will help you."

Shaan commanded Robin Hood to use his Explosive Quiver skill on Doppleshade. However, even though Robin Hood’s arrows exploded right on Doppleshade’s body, the explosion had very little impact and did not cause any damage. For some reason, the explosion only caused a very small effect and had no significant impact at all.

[Oh crap, this... this can’t be] Robin Hood widened his eyes. [How is it possible that my attack did not affect it?]

Doppleshade slowly turned his head toward Robin Hood and showed a wide smile. Without hesitation, Doppleshade immediately dashed toward Robin Hood, launching a brutal attack that left Robin Hood with severe injuries.

"Oh, no... this can’t be..." Shaan’s entire body trembled as he watched Doppleshade easily incapacitate Robin Hood. "Damn it! I’ll make sure I kill this creature."

[Aspira Ignis ability successfully activated.]

[Remaining Aspira Ignis power effect: 69 percent]

Shaan started attacking Doppleshade nonstop, but the results were far from what he expected. Even though Shaan had activated his Aspira Ignis power, it seemed like it was still far from enough to defeat this creature.

[Remaining Aspira Ignis power: 48 percent]

"Argh, damn it! Damn it!" Shaan swung his sword with rage boiling inside him. "Why... why can’t I eliminate this damn creature!"

Sadly, Doppleshade immediately launched a counterattack, and one of his dual swords slipped to the ground. Doppleshade’s shadow immediately choked Shaan’s neck, rendering him completely unable to move.

"Argh, damn it. I... I can’t breathe at all."

[Remaining Aspira Ignis power effect: 45 percent]

[Remaining Aspira Ignis power effect: 38 percent]

"This is bad, the Aspira Ignis power effect is decreasing very quickly." Shaan tried to break free from the creature’s grip. "I have to escape from this creature’s grip."

With all his strength, Shaan tried to swing a counterattack, but it was in vain. The creature’s grip grew stronger, making it increasingly difficult for Shaan to breathe, and his consciousness slowly began to fade.

"Damn it! What should I do? I can’t—"

"Slash"

The sword strike immediately severed the doppleshade’s arm, allowing Shaan to break free from the creature’s deadly grip. Within seconds, the creature’s agonized screams echoed loudly, causing it to vanish into thin air. "Goodness, that was close." Shaan took a deep breath. "I thought I was going to die just now."

"Shaan, are you okay?" Nalira asked, wiping the blood from her lips.

"Yes, thank you, Nalira," Shaan spoke hoarsely. "Without your help, I might have—"

"Keep your voice down, Shaan." Nalira drew her sword, preparing to attack the Doppleshade. "We have to chase it. This creature is wounded, and this could be our chance to finish it off."

"No. That’s not a good idea, Nalira." Shaan shook his head. "This Doppleshade has regeneration abilities far faster than a regular Doppleshade, and we won’t have time to kill it. I’m certain of it."

"...So, what should we do?"

"Run away. That’s one of the options we have."

"...."

"Nalira, trust me, this is our only chance to escape," Shaan said, trying to convince Nalira of his words. "This creature isn’t our opponent, and we need to stay as far away from it as possible because forcing ourselves to face it is the same as suicide."

Nalira fell silent for a moment. "Alright, I understand."

"Now we need to get out of here as quickly as possible."

Without hesitation, they quickly left the terrifying creature and ran up the stairs as fast as they could, trying to escape as far as possible from the doppleshade’s pursuit. However, the doppleshade didn’t let them go easily and quickly chased after them up the stairs with extremely swift movements.

[Oh, crap. That terrifying creature has caught up with us, Shaan,] said Robin Hood in a panic. [We need to stop this creature’s movement as soon as possible before it catches up to us.)

’What Robin Hood said is right. We need to do something before this terrifying creature catches up to us.’ Shaan glanced back, seeing Doppleshade running up the stairs quickly. ’This is bad, what should we...’

Shaan’s eyes caught sight of a large tree leaning slightly, not far from where the Doppleshade was. Perhaps just one strike would cause the tree to fall to the ground.

"Yes, I’m sure this idea will work."

"Nalira, can you still use your fire magic?"

Nalira nodded quickly. "Yes, I can. Why?"

Shaan’s steps halted for a moment. "Good, I have an idea. Wait for my signal then."

"Shaan? I’m completely—"

"Robin Hood, use the explosive quiver toward that tree. Now!"

[I get it, Shaan.]

Robin’s arrow flew swiftly, passing through the Doppleshade and embedding itself in the tree. Within seconds, a loud explosion toppled the tree, blocking the Doppleshade’s path.

"Good, thankfully it was just in time." Shaan sighed deeply. "Nalira, now use your fire skill and burn all the dry grass near the tree’s position."

"All right, Shaan." Nalira nodded her head. "Satan, use Flame Burst and burn everything quickly."

[I will do as you command, little princess.]

Satan burst out his flame, and in seconds, the fire spread quickly to the dry grass, forming a wall of fire. Good, at least that can delay the doppleshade for a while.

"Nalira, come on. We need to hurry up the stairs and meet with Chelsie and the messenger. They must worry about us."