Chapter 250: Seraphine Revenge—2
The scarred creature’s mouth – that vertical slit in its featureless face – split wider in what could only be interpreted as a grin. It remembered her. It remembered the hunt, the terror, the sweet taste of her fear as she fled through the mist. Now she stood before it again, sword drawn, pretending at courage.
Seraphine saw that mockery, that dismissal, and something inside her crystallized into pure, focused intent. You think I’m still that frightened girl who ran from you, she thought, her grip tightening on her katana. You’re about to learn how wrong you are.
She didn’t wait for it to attack first. There would be no testing, no gradual escalation, no giving this creature even a moment’s advantage. She was going to demolish it completely.
"Grandmaster Mana Body Enhancement," she whispered, and power flooded through her system like liquid lightning.
Her muscles tensed, her bones reinforced, her entire physical structure elevated beyond usual human limitations. The air around her shimmered with the sheer force of mana being channeled through her body. The scarred creature’s many eyes widened slightly, its casual stance shifting as it detected the dramatic change in the atmosphere. The prey it remembered, the one who had barely managed to wound it before fleeing, was radiating power that hadn’t existed before.
But Seraphine wasn’t finished. Not even close.
"Rajin Descent!"
The Master-rank skill began its activation sequence, refining lightning gathering around her form. But the creature, sensing danger, didn’t wait for her to complete the technique. It lunged forward with that terrible speed, four claws extended to tear her apart before she could fully power up.
Too slow, Seraphine thought with grim satisfaction.
Her Level Two Lightning Aura erupted around her body and katana simultaneously, purple-white energy crackling with lethal intent. The creature’s claws met her blade in a shower of sparks that lit up the misty air like fireworks. The impact pushed her back slightly – the beast was strong, she’d give it that – but she held her ground, deflecting the attack with practiced ease.
Last time, just deflecting one strike would have shattered my arm, she remembered. Now it barely moves me.
The Rajin Descent completed its activation, and refined lightning threads began crackling around her entire form, creating an intricate web of electrical death. Her already enhanced body received another multiplicative boost, her speed and strength ascending to heights she’d only dreamed of before. The threads weren’t just for show – they would attack anything that got too close, adding another layer of both offense and defense.
The creature came at her again, perhaps hoping to overwhelm her before she could adjust to her new power level.
This time, Seraphine didn’t wait for it to reach her.
Her figure blurred as the enhanced speed from both her techniques combined to grant her movement that the creature couldn’t track. One moment, she was in a defensive stance; the next, she materialized directly in front of the monster, her leg already chambered for a devastating kick.
The creature’s dozens of eyes barely had time to register surprise before her boot connected with its chest at full power. The impact was thunderous, as enhanced muscles and a lightning aura combined to deliver a a force that sent the monster flying backward. It didn’t go far – these creatures were hardy – but the scream of pain that tore from its vertical mouth was deeply satisfying.
That’s right, Seraphine thought viciously. I’m not prey anymore. Now you’re the one who should be afraid.
Around them, Leon moved like a force of nature, casually dismembering any other creatures that tried to interfere. His blade flickered here and there, each movement resulting in another dissolving corpse. He was keeping his promise – this fight was hers alone. The knowledge that he was there, watching her back, gave her the freedom to focus entirely on her vengeance.
The scarred creature scrambled to its feet, but Seraphine was already moving. She activated her movement skill on top of everything else, her speed reaching levels that made her previous desperate flight through the mist seem like a casual stroll.
No mercy, she promised herself. It didn’t show me any.
The creature’s eyes – all of them – widened in what she recognized as terror as she appeared in front of it faster than it could process. It tried to dodge, throwing itself desperately to the side, but Seraphine’s katana was already in motion. With her Level Two Lightning Aura coating the blade, it cut through the creature’s flesh like it wasn’t even there.
One arm separated from the creature’s body, falling to the spongy forest floor with a wet thud.
The monster screamed in agony and terror, scrambling backward on one remaining arm, its regeneration trying desperately to stem the lightning-cauterized wound, but failed in doing so. It looked at her with those dozens of eyes, and for the first time, Seraphine saw fear in them.
She paused for a moment, letting the scene sink in, allowing herself truly feel this reversal of fortune. The creature that had hunted her, that had made her feel like nothing more than meat to be devoured, was now looking at her with the same terror she had once felt.
I’ve come so far, she realized. I’m faster than it, stronger than it. This thing that nearly killed me, that gave me nightmares, that made me doubt my worth as a warrior... It’s nothing to me now.
She glanced at Leon, who had just finished bisecting two more creatures with casual efficiency. The comparison was sobering. I’ve grown strong, but he’s in a different realm entirely. I still have a long way to go. The thought didn’t discourage her – it motivated her. If this were possible, if she could grow from helpless prey to predator, then even greater heights awaited.
But first, revenge.
The creature, despite missing an arm and clearly terrified, charged at her with desperate fury. Its remaining claws swept toward her in a wild arc, panic making its movements sloppy.
Seraphine didn’t even use her sword this time. She dodged by a hair’s breadth, the claws passing so close they disturbed strands of her purple hair. This wasn’t recklessness – this was training. She was using this creature, this demon from her past, to sharpen her instincts further.
I used to dodge frantically, desperately, she thought as she weaved around another attack. Now I can choose precisely how close to let it come.
For the next five minutes, she didn’t attack at all. She dodged, each evasion more precise than the last, sometimes by centimeters, sometimes by millimeters. Occasionally, when the creature left itself particularly open, she would slap it – not with her sword, just her open palm, adding insult to injury. Each slap left a lightning burn on its white flesh, a reminder of how completely their positions had reversed.
This is control, she realized with each successful dodge. This is mastery. Not just having power, but knowing exactly how to use it.
The creature grew increasingly desperate, its attacks becoming wilder and more predictable. It knew it was being toyed with, knew it was completely outmatched, but it couldn’t flee. Not with Leon standing guard, casually eliminating any path of escape by his mere presence.
Finally, they stood at a distance from each other, both breathing hard – though for very different reasons. The creature’s many eyes darted around, looking for escape, for help, for anything. For just a moment, it looked back the way they’d come, perhaps remembering when it had been the hunter.
Then it focused on Seraphine again and charged one final time.
Enough playing, she decided.
The following exchange was brutal in its efficiency. As the creature reached for her with its remaining arms, Seraphine’s katana moved in precise arcs. Another arm fell. Then a leg. Then another leg. In seconds, the creature that had once been her nightmare was on the ground, limbless and helpless, those dozens of eyes staring up at her with a mixture of pain, fear, and perhaps... acceptance?
Seraphine stood over it, her Lightning Aura still crackling around her form, casting strange shadows in the mist. This was the moment she’d imagined countless times – standing victorious over the thing that had nearly killed her.
"In my nightmares, you were invincible," she said quietly to the creature, not knowing if it could understand her but needing to say it anyway. "A monster that would always be stronger, faster, better than me. But nightmares end when you wake up."
She raised her katana one final time, the blade humming with concentrated lightning.
"And I’m finally awake."
The blade descended in a perfect arc, separating the creature’s head from what remained of its body. Purple lightning coursed through both pieces, ensuring no regeneration would occur. The scarred monster that had haunted her dreams dissolved into mist like all the others, leaving nothing behind but Seraphine’s sense of absolute vindication.
She stood there for a moment, breathing hard, not from exertion but from emotion. The weight she hadn’t realized she’d been carrying, the fear that had lived in the back of her mind, dissolved along with the creature’s corpse.
It’s done, she thought, a smile spreading across her face. I faced my demon and destroyed it completely.
"Well fought," Leon said, and somehow those two words meant more than any elaborate praise could have.