NOVPUB
Chapter 414: 414
The bear-armed brute charged again, fists raised high to crush her. This time, Yuki didn’t dodge. She lunged forward, catching his descending arm with her clawed hands. The impact cracked the ground beneath her feet, but she held firm, muscles bulging as she forced the beast’s arm to bend backward.
With a savage snarl, she wrenched the arm at an unnatural angle, bone splintering and muscle tearing with a sickening squelch. The brute roared in agony, but before he could pull away, Yuki sank her claws into his throat and tore it open. Blood gushed in torrents, spraying her face as the hulking figure collapsed, choking on his own life force.
The wolf-headed warrior saw his chance, leaping toward her exposed back. Yuki twisted with inhuman speed, catching him mid-air by his snout. His jaws snapped and snarled, but she grinned through bloodied teeth as she pulled.
Snap! His lower jaw tore free in a fountain of gore, leaving his tongue lolling grotesquely from his shattered maw. She slammed his twitching body into the ground, caving in his skull with a stomp that sent tremors through the colosseum.
The crowd screamed in ecstasy and horror, the chant of "Björn!" replaced by gasps and cries of disbelief.
The serpentine warrior hissed and lunged, his venom-tipped claws aiming for her exposed neck. Yuki didn’t flinch. She caught his wrist mid-strike, squeezing until the bones crumbled beneath her grip. He shrieked, but his cries were cut short as she drove her knee into his gut, forcing him to double over.
"Did you think I’d let you bite me again?" she growled, gripping his head with both hands. She twisted sharply, and his neck snapped with a sickening crack, his head lolling lifelessly as she tossed his corpse aside like garbage. 𝔫𝖔𝖛𝖕𝖚𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
The remaining warriors hesitated, their bloodlust waning as the reality of Yuki’s ferocity sank in. But the red mist in the air wouldn’t allow retreat. It fed their frenzy, driving them forward despite the carnage around them.
The feathered woman took to the skies, her wings beating furiously as she circled above. Arrows of golden light rained down, each one faster and deadlier than the last. Yuki snarled, dodging with supernatural agility, but one arrow grazed her shoulder, searing her flesh with holy fire.
Yuki growled, a plume of smoke rising from the wound. Her lips twisted into a wicked smile. "You think the air will save you?"
Her muscles coiled, and she launched herself upward, a streak of black and crimson against the pale sky. The winged warrior had no time to react before Yuki’s claws tore through her wings, shredding feathers and flesh alike. She screamed, plummeting to the ground in a tangle of blood and broken bones.
Yuki landed beside her with feline grace, crouching over the writhing figure. The winged woman whimpered, trying to crawl away, but Yuki grabbed her by the hair, yanking her head back to expose her throat.
"No running," Yuki hissed before sinking her fangs into the woman’s neck, ripping out her jugular with a spray of crimson that painted the sand.
The reptilian warrior and two remaining Björn charged together, their movements coordinated in a last-ditch effort to overpower her. Yuki laughed, a guttural, bone-chilling sound, and met them head-on.
She ducked under the reptilian’s claws, driving her fist into his stomach so hard it pierced his scaled hide. Her hand emerged from his back, clutching his twitching spine, and she yanked it free in a spray of gore.
The next warrior, a hulking figure with rhino-like features, swung a spiked club at her. She caught it mid-swing, splinters of bone and wood embedding in her palm. With a growl, she ripped the weapon from his grip and drove it into his chest, the jagged spikes tearing through his ribcage and puncturing his heart. He fell to his knees, gurgling blood, before collapsing.
The final warrior—a lithe figure with feline features—hesitated, her predatory eyes flicking between Yuki and the carnage surrounding her. Yuki grinned, her face and body drenched in blood.
"Go on," Yuki taunted, her voice a sultry growl. "Run. Or try your luck."
The feline warrior snarled and lunged, claws extended. Yuki sidestepped effortlessly, catching her mid-air and slamming her into the ground with bone-shattering force. The warrior writhed, but Yuki placed a clawed foot on her throat, pinning her in place.
"Not good enough," Yuki said, her tone almost playful. Then she pressed down, her claws slicing through flesh and bone, until the warrior’s head was severed from her body.
Yuki straightened, her chest heaving, her body trembling with adrenaline and raw power. The arena was silent now, the crowd stunned into speechlessness. Blood pooled at her feet, the bodies of her enemies scattered like broken dolls around her.
She turned to the crowd, her crimson eyes burning.
"Is this all you’ve got?" she roared, her voice echoing like thunder.
The silence shattered as the crowd erupted into a chaotic cacophony of cheers, screams, and cries of terror. Finn watched from his high perch, his expression unreadable, but there was a glint in his eye—a mixture of awe, expectation and pride.
Yuki stood amidst the carnage, her breath ragged, her body battered and bruised. The remnants of the Björn warriors lay scattered around her, a gruesome testament to the brutal fight. The dark whisper, now a constant hum in her mind, was a chilling reminder of the darkness she had embraced.
Throughout the fight, a single figure had remained somewhat aloof, a silent observer in the chaos. He was a Björn warrior with striking lion-like features. A thick mane of tawny hair framed his face, and his eyes, a piercing amber, held an unnerving intelligence. While the other Björn had thrown themselves into the frenzied battle, this warrior had moved with a calculated precision, dispatching his opponents with swift, efficient strikes. He hadn’t joined the initial fray against Yuki, instead focusing on eliminating threats closer to him, as if clearing the stage for a more personal confrontation.
He had watched Yuki’s descent into savagery with an almost detached curiosity, his amber eyes following her every move. When she finally brought down the last of the initial wave of Björn, he saw his opening. As Yuki stood panting, momentarily vulnerable, he moved.
He didn’t charge with a roar or a display of brute force. He moved with a predator’s grace, a blur of motion too fast for the eye to easily follow. He appeared beside Yuki as if he had teleported, his hand a blur as it lashed out, claws extended.
Yuki, still reeling from the previous fight, barely had time to react. The lion-Björn’s claws raked across her side, reopening the wound she had sustained earlier and deepening it. A searing pain shot through her, and she stumbled back, clutching her bleeding flank.
He didn’t pursue his initial attack, instead taking a step back, his amber eyes fixed on Yuki. He exuded an aura of quiet confidence, a predator toying with its prey.
The crowd, sensing the shift in the fight, erupted in a fresh wave of excitement. This was the true test, the clash of two powerful forces.
Yuki took a look at her final opponent, recognizing that this was Finn’s assistant and the other protagonist of their plan. Even though he himself knows nothing of it but Yuki knows if she made any mistake at this moment her life would be lost.
Yuki straightened, her claws flexing despite the agony tearing through her side. Blood trickled down her body, staining the sand beneath her feet. Her crimson eyes locked onto the lion-Björn, and for the first time, she felt a spark of hesitation. This wasn’t a frenzied brawler or a reckless brute; this was a hunter, deliberate and deadly.
The crowd roared in anticipation, the cacophony pounding against her skull. The dark whisper in her mind grew louder, a seductive murmur coaxing her to let go, to abandon restraint and embrace her true nature. Her lips curled into a bloodied grin as she gave in.
"Fine," she hissed, her voice carrying a guttural resonance. "If you want the demon, you’ll get her."
Her body convulsed, and a surge of dark energy exploded from her core, forcing the lion-Björn to take a cautious step back. Her back arched as jagged, black horns erupted from her skull, curling upward like a crown of malevolence. Her skin darkened, cracks of fiery red spreading across her body like molten veins. From her shoulder blades, enormous, leathery wings tore free, unfurling with a deafening snap.
The air around her grew heavy with oppressive heat, the ground beneath her feet sizzling as the sand turned to glass. Her claws elongated, her fangs sharpened, and her eyes glowed with an infernal light. When she finally stood tall, the crowd fell silent, stunned by the transformation.
The lion-Björn’s amber eyes narrowed, his calm demeanor unshaken. He allowed himself a small, feral smile. "Finally," he said, his voice deep and resonant. "A worthy opponent."
