CHAPTER 182: WHEN DESPAIR PEAKS

The boss charged at Luna. Both Lilith and Gideon reacted quickly. Before the boss could reach Luna, they both attacked at the same time.

But the orc spun once in its place countering both their attacks with its hammer. Both skidded back.

The boss didn’t waste time. It lunged toward Luna. She tried to leap back but alas. The boss was too quick and caught up to her in less than a blink.

Smack!

It backhandedly slapped her. Though the move seemed casual it was packed with intense power. She was sent flying. She slammed into the wall and then slid down.

Gideon’s veins bulged. Luna was not just a party member but also his responsibility. Burning with fury, he stormed toward the boss with a fiery fist. But the boss just casually swung its hammer.

Bam!

Gideon was thrown flying. He crashed into the ground making a crater. The boss then turned its head toward Lilith. She was the last one besides Gideon. And the most notorious one. Lilith was returning from serious injuries again and again due to her healing magic.

The boss rushed toward Lilith. So did she. When both got close suddenly Lilith brought down gravity impulse. The orc’s speed decreased. Lilith hurled both hands forward and two huge wind blades flew toward the boss.

The orc just waved its hand and brushed off both the blades. But Lilith was already there. She slammed her right fist buzzing with lightning at its chin. She had leaped off the ground before throwing the punch. She was sure that it would work. Maybe it would not injure it badly but it should be enough to buy some time for everyone to flee.

But....

She was wrong.

The boss simply caught her fist and the lightning puffed off. The orc then whirled her body like a rope and threw her away.

Lilith slammed into a cave wall and then thudded to the ground. Blood oozing out from her lips and head.

The boss then turned toward Gideon. It knew this time, Lilith was done for.

But just when it was about to stride, Lilith’s mocking voice rang out.

"Where do you think you are going dumb ass? You think I am done? I’ll flatten your face, though I doubt even death could fix something that ugly."

The boss stopped. The air changed. Drastic like malice enveloped it fully. It slowly turned toward Lilith again. And then started walking toward her.

Everyone who was still conscious could feel it. Till now it has only been injuring everyone to capture. No one knew why....

But this time.....

It was going for the kill.

Ronald tried to push himself up with everything he had but his body thudded back on the ground kicking up dust. His limbs were tied. "Is she nuts?!"

"No. No. No." Luna screamed under her breath. She had only been with this party for a short while. But the bondage had grown stronger. She stared at Lilith with her helpless eyes. She wanted to help but despair embraced her.

From the crater, Gideon pulled his body out with much difficulty. "I can’t let her die. I won’t let anyone die." His jaw tightened. He stood back up gritting his teeth. It felt like pushing a mountain while it’s pinning down someone. His left hand was still clutching his chest. His right hand flared up. The heat grew slowly. He was using every bit of strength he had left.

And the boss! It was already there. Just a few metres away from Lilith. It raised its hammer high, wanting to squash Lilith with one final strike. It was about to bring it down but just then Gideon’s raging voice echoed.

"Bas***d! Die." he had already lunged at the boss clenching his right fist, flames blazing fiercely on it.

But the boss didn’t even turn its head. It simply hurled its hammer in the direction Gideon was charging from without even looking. And it clashed with Gideon’s fist.

Boom! The shockwave threw debris and dust into the air. The boss only skidded a little at his side. But Gideon was sent flying again. He crashed again creating a crater.

And this time.. He didn’t move...not anymore..

The boss marched toward Lilith, savoring the thought of killing her for the taunt she had thrown at it.

"F**k. I can’t even move my limbs. Am I going to die this pathetically?!" Even while facing death from this close, she didn’t feel afraid. All that she felt was regret. "I had so many things I wanted to try. Grow stronger. Fight alongside my parents. But it seems. It ends here."

The orc was already there. It raised its massive hammer in the air.

Khekhekhe! It laughed. As if it could feel Lilith’s despair. It brought down the hammer with all its force. It didn’t need to use that much strength but it wanted to not just finish its prey, but squash her, punish her for her taunt earlier.

The hammer was storming toward Lilith’s head, ripping the air apart with its speed. The pressure alone pressed against her chest like a mountain.

Except for Lilith, only Ronald and Luna were conscious.

"You bast**d! Don’t you dare." Ronald roared with every vein straining.

Luna’s lips trembled. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears spilling down her cheeks in an unbroken stream.

"I can’t watch... I can’t..."

Everyone knew what would happen in the next heartbeat. No one wanted to see it, but no one could stop it.

But just when the despair was at its peak, the monster was at its fiercest and the hammer was just about to hit......

Baaaam!

The hammer flew to the side, smashing into a wall with enough force to shatter stone. The orc’s massive body hurtled in the opposite direction, crashing into the ground with a bone-shaking thud.

Ronald’s eyes widened.

Luna, who had shut her eyes to avoid seeing Lilith’s end, felt the air shift. The sound was wrong—too loud, too sudden. Her lashes fluttered, and slowly, she forced her eyes open.

And Lilith who had already accepted her fate, now frozen in place, still stared toward the gate... toward the source of the fireball that had sent the boss flying. The same boss they had all failed to even wound.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Footsteps echoed through the dust-filled silence.

A figure emerged — black cloak flowing around a grey tunic, a mask hiding his face.

The monsters who were still alive stood frozen. The boss was dumped in a crater. Lilith’s mouth was agape.

And Luna and Ronald?!

A name came out from both their mouths at the same time.

"Aiden?!"