Hellbound Heart

Chapter 393  Light and Darkness - Part 11

In an instant, Alicia vanished from her spot, moving almost like a whisper of lightning. She reappeared beside the monstrous centipede, her twin blades slashing downward with white-hot light that cut through the thick fog and the creature's legs. Following Zeke's advice with precision, each strike was swift and devastating, severing the beast's limbs with ruthless efficiency.

The monster shrieked, its massive body convulsing as it lost its balance. But Alicia continued her relentless assault, understanding now why Zeke had told her to focus on its legs—they were the creature's most vulnerable part. Despite this, the legs were tough as stone, and Alicia had to exert all her strength to sever each limb.

As she fought, Alicia realized just how formidable these creatures were. The monsters of this world were truly on a completely different level. They truly needed to be destroyed! But if this was full of these monsters… if this world bred creatures like these, would the battle against them ever end?

Alicia let out a yell as she attacked another limb, a bright silvery light bursting from her blade upon contact. She gritted her teeth when her blade met resistance midway. She immediately let go, leaving it embedded in the creature's limb, and used her other blade to slash from the opposite side.

Releasing both blades, Alicia moved away quickly. Lights began to gather between her palms, and as she stretched her arm forward, a beam of light shot forth, striking just below where her blades were lodged. Her magic pushed against the limb, and finally, it fell.

Alicia moved again, fast as lightning, to catch her blades before the massive body of the creature toppled to the ground like a mountain. The noise of its fall was deafening, the ground shaking violently under its weight.

The once imposing creature was now a writhing mass of wounded flesh, its legs reduced to stumps. As it lay defeated, Alicia hovered above it, her blades still glowing with residual energy.

Panting hard, Alicia turned to look at Zeke. There he was, now standing, his eyes filled with pride and a soft smile playing on his lips. He gazed at her as if she were a divine entity, worthy of worship. The intensity of his admiration made her heart swell to the point where she feared it might burst.

"Perfect execution," he said. "Incredible, as always."

Alicia bit her lip, half in disbelief. Being praised by Ezekiel was truly something extraordinary, and she knew she would never get used to it, no matter how often he did it. His words made her feel truly amazing—so much so that she couldn't even find the right words to describe it. A part of her wanted to ask him to tone down his praises before they inflated her confidence too much. She knew how dangerous overconfidence could be, and Ezekiel's compliments were the most powerful confidence boosters she'd ever known.

Her twin blades retracted to their normal length, their glow fading as she caught her breath. "All thanks to your tip," she replied, unable to suppress the beaming smile spreading across her face.

The battles they fought were incredible in how they lifted her spirits. They made her momentarily forget everything—the lingering sadness and hurt of leaving their son and the fear of possibly being separated from Ezekiel again.

Each battle they finished left her feeling stronger. She was truly thankful for this, as it felt like she was being prepared for something greater. She was gathering strength so that when the time came, she would be able to withstand anything once more.

"No… it's thanks to your own strength, skill, and power, Alicia," Zeke said, his eyes gleaming in the dim surroundings. "You are strong. Don't ever forget that."

Alicia bit the inside of her lip, his words hitting her deeply. The years she had spent feeling powerless had made her forget that she, too, was strong.

Zeke reached out and pulled her into a gentle embrace. "Mn… I'm strong," Alicia whispered, pressing her head against his chest. "I will never forget that again."

He kissed the crown of her head. "As you should, my goddess," he whispered softly. Before Alicia could respond, a strange, loud sound echoed through the air.

Alicia pulled back slightly, her senses sharpening as she tried to pinpoint the source of the strange noise. The air around them was still heavy with the aftermath of their battle, but there was an unsettling tension that hadn't been there moments before. The sound was unlike anything she had heard before.

She glanced around and realized they were already hovering far from the monstrous centipede she had just taken down. Her eyes widened as she saw a greenish smoke seeping from the creature's body. And then, without warning, it exploded, a massive burst of smoke engulfing the entire area where they had been standing only moments ago.

"It… exploded itself?" Alicia asked in disbelief.

"Yes," Zeke replied calmly. "Several massive monsters do that when they're dying."

"So, what's inside that monster's body is that greenish stuff?"

"Those are lethal poisons," Zeke explained. "If you had wounded its body, you'd be hit by those toxins."

"That's why you told me to aim at nothing but its legs!"

Zeke nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me that?" she asked.

"I knew you'd listen to me."

Somehow, that left Alicia speechless. "Are you serious? What if I had accidentally wounded its body?"

A small, meaningful smile tugged at the corner of Zeke's lips as his fingers lazily played with the silver strands of her hair. "Do you think I'd let anything dangerous touch even a strand of your hair?" he asked, his voice filled with quiet confidence.

Alicia could only bite back a smile as she gazed dreamily at him. "You should consider toning down your awesomeness, my husband. You're making everything, even battlefields, feel like paradise. And that's not a good thing because I might not want to leave this dangerous place," she said, half-serious and half-joking.

"I will try," he replied as he entwined their fingers together. "Now, ready to keep going?"

Alicia nodded, and with that, they continued their journey toward their final battle.