The Gbahali tossed its useless limb to the ground, crashing the limb beneath its face. Its red eyes flicked over to Lyra and Sami.
For once it was hesitant to make a move, as if it now realized it had underestimated the duo.
Lyra noticed this and turned toward Sami. "Listen, bookworm, if you start feeling tired or your body in pain, stop using spells and run."
"No! I refuse to allow you to take on the monster by yourself!", he replied, his tone slightly harsh.
Lyra paused for a second, her eyebrow raised. "Overusing spells can lead to mana exhaustion, which can cause you to pass out, or even worse, die!"
Sami's gaze narrowed, his lips turned upwards as he did his best to calm his racing heart. "No matter what, we will both survive! Even if I have to risk my life using up my mana!"
The ring glowed in response to his vow, though he ignored the flashing, instead focusing his gaze on the Gbahali.
His earlier fear faded, replaced by determination.
Lyra's face settled into determination. "It's time to get serious, bookworm. I want to end this monster's pitiful existence by killing my brother!"
Lyra's eyes radiated intense focus as she turned and walked menacingly towards the Gbahali, a sword appearing in her hand.
Sami's eyes widened. 'No wonder she is so determined to fight,'
A gentle light emanated from the blade, brightening the dark forest.
The Gbahali looked at the duo, its eyes blazing with fury as it let out a frustrated roar that echoed through the darkened woods.
Lyra didn't flinch; instead, letting out a huge breath, she drew back her arm before sending the golden sword in her hand flying towards the Gbahali.
The Gbahali leaned side, barely dodging the flying sword. The edge of the blade briefly scratched against its scales, sending sparks into the air.
With a frustrated snarl, the Gbahali advanced towards Lyra, extending its obsidian claws from its remaining hand.
Lyra, unbothered by the beast growing closer, pulled her arm back, clenching her fist, her green eyes gazing into the creature's red eyes.
A wet, tearing sound punctuated the Gbahali as it stopped its charge at Lyra. The pain caused it to stumble as the sword plunged through its shoulder from behind.
She changed the direction of the sword by moving her arm.
The Gbahali roared in pain as the sword disappeared.
Moving quickly, Lyra summoned a new sword to her hand, rushing at the now-distracted monster.
Jumping high into the air and bringing the sword down in a wide slash towards the creature's neck.
The creature didn't react as the sword bounced harmlessly off its scales, sending more sparks up into the dark night sky.
The creature tried to swipe at her in mid-air, but its attack slammed into a barrier.
Sami had pictured protecting Lyra, a shimmering shield materializing around her just as it had around himself earlier.
Lyra landed safely on the ground, raising the sword up, readying it for another attack. "How long can you keep the shield up?" Lyra asked, her eyes fixed on the monster, her sword raised defensively.
He paused to consider before replying, "Um, I could hold it longer. I don't really feel any strain until the Gbahali attacks it."
"Got it. When you're getting tired, let me know," Lyra commanded, taking off again towards the monster in a near blur as she went to attack.
Sami quickly summoned another shield, doing his best to enclose the particles around Lyra. Sweat trickled down his face while he did his best to track her speed.
The Gbahali spun around, his tail whipping around aimed at her face.
Lyra ignored the creature's attacks, allowing the shield to take the brunt of the attacks. Instead, she focused on delivering strike after strike.
Sami's head pounded at blocking the heavy attack, but he focused on keeping the shield active.
Lyra went purely on the offense, each strike of her sword bounced harmlessly off its hard scales. The sound of metal clashing continued, sparks flying into the night sky with every failed attack.
The Gbahali also tried attacking, but like Lyra's blows, each of its strikes bounced off the invisible shield.
The Gbahali then attempted a kick at Lyra, which she swiftly dodged.
Her speed was slightly faster than the monster's, but the monster was stronger. Sami's shielding acted like the Gbahali's scales, blocking attacks and helping her not take any damage.
The Gbahali slashed with his claws.
Lyra intercepted the attack, her arms straining as the Gbahali slowly overpowered her.
She broke the stalemate first, jumping back near Sami, sweat pouring down her face as slowly worked to catch her breath.
Sami took this time to drop the shield and catch his breath. His head was slightly pounding from blocking so many attacks.
The Gbahali looked worried, unsure how to kill what it had once thought was easy prey.
"Sigh, I hate using this," Lyra muttered to herself as she let the sword in her hand disappear. "O Earth Spirits Here My Cries! From the Depths of the Earth, Arise War Hammer!"
A massive iron war hammer appeared in Lyra's hand.
Sami looked at the shining hammer with intrigue.
It had a handle made of gold that lit up the dark forest with the head of the hammer a shining green color.
"So you can summon hammers too?" Sami questioned, his eyes sparkling at the sight. Watching as Lyra quickly took a couple of practice swings.
■ Spell Copied → Manifest Armament: Grants user the to summon the weapon. The strength and durability is based on how much magic the user puts into each weapon.
He ignored the menu that popped, focusing on Lyra.
Yeah, I can," she clarified, though her voice was slightly strained, resting the hammer on her shoulder. "I'm not a fan of using this spell. It takes way too much energy, plus the weapon is really heavy,"
"Wow, there is so much you can do with magic!" Sami burst out, full of excitement.
Lyra sighed, shaking her head as she moved closer to the creature again. "Just keep your shields up, please. I need the extra defense."
Sami raised his hand to prepare the invisible barrier once again. "Yes, ma'am," he mumbled.
Lyra moved slightly slower with the war hammer, but was still faster than Sami's eyes. In less than a second she appeared in front of the Gbahali.
The monster didn't have time to dodge as the hammer slammed into the side of its head, sending it tumbling backward. The Gbahali slowly rose to its feet, blood dripping down its face.
The creature roared in defiance as Lyra slowly stalked towards it.
The Gbahali ran towards Lyra, trying to catch her by surprise.
Lyra appeared right next to it, hitting the creature in the middle of its back.
The Gbahali fell to the ground, its breath coming out in a wheeze that suggested bruised ribs. It was stunned by Lyra's strength.
"That was for my friends, you ugly fucking son of a bitch," Lyra spat, her red hair matted to her face as sweat continued to fall to the ground.
Lyra approached the creature, intending to finish it.
The Gbahali surprised Lyra by kicking her with full force, sending her ten feet away into the forest.
You could hear trees breaking as her body collided with them.
Sami felt a crack in the barrier from the impact, but he couldn't reinforce it since Lyra was out of his range.
Sami bent over and clutched his head in pain. "Lyra!" he screamed nervously, hoping his shield would stop her from taking any injuries.
A throbbing headache pulsed as if a drum were pounding in his head.
After a couple of seconds, the pain started to go away, allowing Sami to stand up straight.
That's when he finally noticed that the Gbahali was getting closer. Sami stumbled backwards, doing his best not to freak out as the Gbahali stalked towards him.
The Gbahali's red eyes stayed fixed on Sami, its fur dyed red with blood, as it slowly marched closer.
"Oh shit, oh shit," Sami muttered to himself. "Think, okay. I'm not strong like Lyra, so maybe I should try to tire him out."
He tried to remember the spell Lyra used to summon the swords, but decided against it, not wanting to waste any extra energy.
The Gbahali, tired of waiting, started running up toward Sami, claws reaching out as if trying to slash at him.
Sami clapped his hands together, summoning a shield that deflected the attack. He felt a small headache forming before it quickly disappeared as he let the shield go.
Sami tried to read the next attack as the monster raised its claws.
Sadly, the Gbahali moved too fast for him to block.
"Phantom Veil!" Sami chanted, his form flickering, allowing the attack to go harmlessly through his body.
■ Phantom Veil Ended → 8s Cooldown