Selena, who was on the other side of the abomination, heard Amon’s scream echo through the square.
She turned her head—only to see Jareth’s limp body lying on the cold stone ground. A massive hole gaped in his chest, blood spreading around him.
For a moment, everything slowed. The noise faded. The world went silent.
Then she saw the tentacle that had pierced him now curling around his body, trying to drag him toward the main mass to devour him, to merge him with itself.
Selena didn’t hesitate.
She vanished in a flash of silver light.
A silver arc split through the air,
Slash!
The tentacle was severed in one clean cut. The sliced piece dropped with a wet thud. The coil around Jareth’s body loosened and fell away.
Selena’s red eyes fell on Amon’s battered figure leaning against a broken wall. His breathing was heavy and uneven. A short distance away lay Jareth’s lifeless body.
Her jaw clenched. Her grip on her sword tightened until her knuckles turned white. Mana flared around her in a violent pulse.
Sadness, anger, pain, and despair, everything twisted together in her chest. First Vixra, now Jareth. Two of her closest friends... gone.
Her killing intent burst outward like a storm.
Amon’s condition wasn’t much better. He was barely conscious, covered in blood. His body was broken, and even the high-grade potion he drank could only heal minor wounds. The deep injuries weren’t healing at all.
Selena didn’t care about anything else anymore. She kicked off the ground with all her strength, the cobblestones cracking beneath her feet.
Her sword swung in a blinding arc, cutting down everything that came her way.
Silver light streaked across the battlefield. Every swing tore through the monster’s limbs.
"I’ll kill you, bitch!" she screamed, her voice full of rage. Her red eyes blazed with fury as they met the monster’s glowing crimson gaze.
The burgundy-haired woman atop the abomination just smiled wider, madness twisting her face.
"Hehehe... come! We’ll be together soon! Come into Mother’s arms~" she said in a voice filled with insane delight.
Selena gritted her teeth, fury burning hotter than ever.
Amon watched the scene through half-open eyes. His vision was hazy, but he could see Selena fighting with everything she had, throwing herself into danger. She wasn’t thinking about surviving, only killing the monster.
Amon tried to move, but his body refused to respond.
He exhaled slowly, his thoughts slipping.
He wasn’t really afraid of dying. After all, he had already died once before. Only to be reborn in this world.
He always believed that people were reborn after death—with new names, new faces, new lives. Leaving everything from before behind, even their memories.
His mother from his past life was deeply religious. She had always said death wasn’t the end. And maybe she was right.
He was proof of it.
He had died once and yet here he was. Alive again.
Maybe today he would die again. And maybe, just like before, he would be reborn somewhere else with new parents, new people, a new life. Maybe without memories this time.
He exhaled once more, feeling his consciousness start to fade.
But then—
’Wait... that thing is devouring souls.’
Amon’s eyes twitched open.
’If I die here, it’ll eat my soul. That means... I won’t get reborn again. Shit... this isn’t right!’
He clenched his jaw, forcing his fading mind to stay awake.
’Move, you bastard! Move! If you’re going to die... die after killing that thing!’
He tried to move his hand, but it trembled weakly. Still, he managed to grip the hilt of his sword. His other hand reached for his hatchet.
"Aaaarghhh!" he growled, forcing his body to rise.
Pain exploded through him, but he didn’t care.
"Fuck it! I’m not dying before I kill you, bitch!" he spat, glaring at the creature.
The shadow beneath him darkened, growing thicker and more alive.
’I’ll kill you ’ Amon thought, his heartbeat pounding louder in his ears.
A grin slowly formed on his bloodied face.
He knew he was strange, something wasn’t right with his mind.
Because right now, even after losing so much... he wasn’t sad.
He wasn’t afraid.
He wasn’t even angry.
His mind was clearer than ever, filled with only one thought.
Kill the creature and win the fight.
That was it.
And just that thought alone made his blood rush with excitement.
His grin turned into a twisted smile.
He took his first trembling step. The pain in his body started to fade.
Then another step.
And then he started to run.
His unsteady steps became faster and steadier.
The ground cracked under his boots as he charged straight toward the monster.
The abomination screeched, sending a dozen tentacles whipping toward him.
Amon raised his sword and hatchet.
Two black lines cut through the darkness as he swung.
Slash! Slash!
The tentacles were chopped down, black flesh spraying across the ground. The sound of tearing meat was like music to Amon’s ears.
He moved faster, his speed growing with every second. Pain disappeared, replaced by raw thrill.
"Hehehe..." he laughed lowly, his voice cracking.
"This is fun~"
His grin was wide, but the way he laughed sent chills down anyone’s spine.
A huge, thick tentacle shot toward him, dripping with black tar-like ooze.
Amon crouched and kicked off the ground, jumping over it and landing on the creature’s limb.
The shadow beneath him rippled like liquid and wrapped around his legs. It surged with him, amplifying his movements.
His speed increased drastically. He dashed across the monster’s limbs, slicing everything in his path.
Every swing, every step faster, sharper, more vicious.
He was getting closer to the main body.
Across the battlefield, Selena noticed his approach. She was near the monster’s upper part, trying to reach the woman’s head, but the creature never gave her an opening.
The abomination screamed and sent dozens of tentacles toward Amon.
Selena’s eyes narrowed.
She blinked and vanished.
Slashhh!
In a single horizontal flash, silver light sliced through all the tentacles at once.
She landed a few meters away, panting slightly.
"Amon! Move! Cut her head off! I’ll cover you!" she shouted.
Amon’s grin widened.
He pushed his legs harder, the shadows beneath his feet rippling like waves.
"On it," he muttered under his breath, eyes locked on the monster’s head.
Then with one final burst of speed he dashed forward, ready to strike.