It was a female... a human female. Lycaon couldn't believe his eyes. A human could fling him into the distance? He shook his head. A human couldn't overwhelm him.
Still, he looked at her, not letting Yeji out of sight.
Yeji ignored the chaos around her and kept walking towards Lycaon. Unlike the rest, there was no trace of fear on her face. Noticing her confidence, Lycaon couldn't help but chuckle as he raised his hand toward her.
No matter how powerful someone was. They were as good as dead if they couldn't move.
"Humans never learn," he taunted, letting his aura flow out.
As it happened to YuWon, Lycaon's aura moved around Yeji, wrapping around her. But as his aura reached her, it couldn't get close to her. At first, Lycaon was confused until he noticed the blood swirling around her.
The blood of the fallen centaurs had become one with Yeji, forming into armor around her. The blood armor protected her, and Lycaon's aura couldn't penetrate it.
"Impressive..." Lycaon's eyes narrowed.
It wasn't the first time someone had evaded his attack. But it had been a while since something like it happened.
Meanwhile, the awakeners and centaurs stopped fighting, instead focusing on the battle between Yeji and Lycaon.
Soo-Ah was smiling like she had won the lottery, unable to take her eyes off her goddess. Gina and Anna were shocked when they saw Yeji's strength.
It was like the time Yeji lost control of herself. When that happened, she gained immense strength but lost her rationality. But it didn't happen this time. She didn't lose her marbles, just gained strength.
"What's going on with her?" Gina asked, but no one had any answer.
Even Anna didn't have any clue about it. But then it hit her. The blood swirling around Yeji, following her every whim, could only mean one thing.
"It's not her!"
***
Meanwhile, Lycaon lunged at Yeji. But she sidestepped effortlessly. As Lycaon moved past her, the blood around her shifted, forming sharp edges along her arms and legs. It was her turn to attack him.
She swiped her bloody claws at him. But Lycaon didn't care. Until he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He stumbled back, realizing that she had managed to cut him, even if just slightly.
It was the first time someone had gotten past his [Invulnerability] and he was surprised. But he couldn't wait for long. The human before him was dangerous, and taking her down was the only thing on his mind.
He charged at her again, but Yeji was faster. She spun, slashing him with her claws again. Lycaon dodged some of her attacks, but each time he took a hit, he felt something strange. His wounds... they weren't closing up.
Lycaon's eyes widened in shock. Not only did Yeji penetrate his defenses, but she was messing with his regeneration.
His heart couldn't take the continuous reversal in flow and, slowly, he lost consciousness. All the while, Yeji stood over him, watching as the light in his eyes dimmed.
Lycaon's breaths came in ragged gasps. The blood continued to hold him down, draining his life force. He tried to summon the last of his strength and force his aura to stabilize the blood flow, but it was useless.
As his vision blurred, Lycaon looked up at Yeji, not with anger or desperation, but with admiration and respect. At last, he understood why the centaurs chose her for the ritual.
"You... you're... stronger than I thought..."
Yeji didn't respond. She just watched as the last traces of life faded from his eyes. Only when he died did she turn away.
"...the king is dead."
"Retreat!"
Chaos erupted among the werewolves as they fled the scene. If someone could defeat Lycaon, then they could annihilate everyone in sight. The centaurs wanted to chase after them, but they couldn't offend their savior and turned to Yeji first.
But something was off with Yeji. She hadn't moved at all after killing Lycaon. It appeared like she was in a trance. Just when things looked calm, it happened.
Yeji lost her mind.
As the centaurs kneeled and praised her for defeating the cursed king, she approached an elder who looked up, expecting a blessing. Instead, he got his throat ripped out.
Yeji laughed as the centaur convulsed on the ground. Everyone else could only watch in horror.
But Soo-Ah and Min-Joon had the biggest smile on their faces. They had done it. They had forced Sekhmet's divine incarnation into Yeji's body. Now, their goddess could rule over the earth.
"That's enough!" YuWon yelled, leaning on Gina's shoulder.
Yeji turned to YuWon, only to laugh at his face. "A mortal... thinks he can order me around?"
A flash of crimson passed before her eyes as she lunged towards YuWon.
"I am Sekhmet! The Goddess of destruction and healing—!" she yelled but was interrupted by YuWon.
"No, you're just an out-of-control slave."
With a snap of his fingers, he forced Sekhmet to her knees. Since it was Sekhmet and not Yeji, YuWon didn't hold back and let her experience the full brunt of the slave brand's power.
Sekhmet stared at YuWon with murder in her eyes. She struggled to free herself from the slave brand, but the more she tried, the more painful it got for her.
Soo-Ah and Min-Joon couldn't witness their goddess in such a state. They moved to attack YuWon, only to be stopped by Gina and Anna. Soo-Ah summoned her skeletons for aid, and Min-Joon was about to go berserk.
But then the joint force of centaurs and awakeners rushed at them. The skeletons stood no chance against an enraged horde. Neither did Min-Joon as they got pinned to the ground and forced to watch their goddess kneel before YuWon.