Chapter 341 [Event] [Dolphian Kingdom Under Ruins] [27] Victor And Selene VS Kara
"We won't let you take the Horn!" Victor's voice thundered across the corridor as he wielded his greatsword with a ferocity. The blade arced through the air, aimed squarely at Kara, who stood defiantly in its path.
"You may be aware, but your efforts are futile," Kara retorted, a sly smirk playing upon her lips as she effortlessly deflected Victor's mighty blow with a casual motion of her arms. "The Horn is already in our possession, and your little friend below will meet his end. Eheheeh."
"...!" Victor's breath caught in his throat, his mind racing as he sought a way to counter Kara's words and her upcoming attack. Before he could react, sticky strands of web materialized, ensnaring his arms and immobilizing his weapon. Seizing the opportunity, Kara commanded her venomous appendages to strike, only to find her plans thwarted by the sudden intervention of Selene.
"Tepes Blood Art. Shield." With a swift incantation, Selene conjured forth a shield of Tepes's Blood, a shimmering barrier of blood that repelled Kara's toxic arms. Moving with grace, she dashed to Victor's side, her rapier flashing in the dim light as she attempted to sever the webbing that bound him.
"It's unbelievably resilient!" Victor grunted in frustration, his muscles straining against the unyielding grip of the webs, now laced with deadly poisons.
Even Selene, wielding a blade forged by the finest craftsmen of Sancta Vedelia, found herself taken aback by the webbing's durability. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she tapped into her bloodline, channeling her innate mana into a precise thrust of her rapier. With a deft stroke, she severed the bonds that held Victor captive, causing the webs to dissipate into nothingness.
"Look out!" Victor's warning shattered the tense silence as he lunged forward, pushing Selene to the ground and narrowly evading a barrage of deadly appendages aimed in her direction.
"..."
Selene found herself captivated by the intensity in Victor's gaze, the world around them fading into insignificance as she focused solely on his rugged yet alluring features.
With a boldness born of the moment, she reached out, her hand gently encircling the back of Victor's neck, drawing him closer as he stared at her in stunned disbelief. Though his voice rose in protest, Selene paid it no heed, closing the distance between them in a sudden and unexpected kiss.
Victor's eyes widened in astonishment, his cheeks flushing with warmth as he struggled to comprehend the sudden turn of events. Part of him instinctively wanted to pull away, but Selene's determination held him in place, her lips lingering against his for a few precious moments before she finally withdrew, releasing him from her grasp.
As soon as he was free, Victor sprang into action, rolling away with Selene by his side to evade another onslaught of webbing hurtling towards them.
"You seem to be underestimating us," Kara said, her voice laced with an unrestrained fury as she faced them, whose once composed expression now twisted into one of anger. Her mana and Prana responding to her emotions started ragging violently around her.
Victor surged to his feet, his grip firm as he helped Selene rise from the ground, his fingers intertwined with hers as they faced Kara with prudence etched across their features.
Kara exuded a dangerous strength, unlike any opponent Victor had encountered before. Doubt crept into his mind, casting a shadow over his confidence. Could he and Selene truly stand against such a powerful opponent?
In that moment of uncertainty, a familiar figure flashed through Victor's thoughts—Amael. Despite their differences, Victor had found in Amael a friend, perhaps even a rival. Amael's boldness and decisiveness served as a source of inspiration, reminding Victor that he could do better.
A faint grin tugged at Victor's lips as he summoned his greatsword back to his side. "Let's go, Selene," he said.
Selene nodded in agreement, though a trace of reluctance lingered as she released Victor's hand, vanishing from sight in the blink of an eye.
Then, with a deafening roar, a surge of mana tore through the air, aimed with precision at Kara. She managed to evade the onslaught at the last moment, but a furrow formed on her brow as she registered the sudden increase in Selene's speed.
"Don't lose focus!" Victor's voice rang out, infused with a hint of triumph.
In a desperate bid to save her, Victor leaped forward, scooping Selene into his arms and carrying her away from the impending beam.
-BOOOOM!
The deafening explosion that followed left Victor reeling, his heart pounding with fear and concern as he gazed upon Selene's pale and wounded form. "S-Selene?!"
Blood flowed freely from her wound, her complexion drained and sickly as she struggled to remain conscious.
Shaken by Selene's unresponsiveness, Victor's heart pounded with a mixture of fear and desperation. With trembling hands, he gently laid her down in a safe spot before steeling himself to face Kara once more.
'I hope you could accept yourself and fight like a genuine Raven, Victor, because this is who you are.'
In the depths of his mind, Connor's words reverberated. Fueled by a surge of anger, Victor's vision tinged red with primal fury.
-BOOOOOOOM!
A resounding boom filled the air as a towering pillar of crimson blood erupted from the ground, soaring toward the heavens. Droplets of blood danced around Victor's pale face as he stared at Kara.
As Kara beheld Victor's transformation, she felt a chill run down her spine at the predatory gleam in his crimson eyes, now adorned with sharp, vertical pupils.
'He's awakened his Bloodline so easily?' Kara marveled, her disbelief mingled with apprehension.
"Raven Blood Art." Without hesitation, Victor extended his hand. A massive crimson mana circle materialized before Kara, pulsating with raw power.
"W-What?!"
In an instant, razor-sharp blood vines surged forth from the circle, slicing through Kara's defenses with ruthless precision. Despite her attempts to repel them with a blast of Prana, the tendrils of blood continued to attack, tearing through her protections with ease.
Before she could react, Victor appeared behind her in a blur of motion, his foot connecting with a devastating blow that sent Kara hurtling through the air. In a desperate bid to defend herself, Kara's instincts took over, her legs lashing out to impale Victor's arms with vicious accuracy, drawing blood in the process.
But Victor remained eerily composed even as the potent poison surged through his veins, his body seemingly immune to its effects. Kara's disbelief mirrored his own stoic demeanor as she grappled with the realization that her deadliest weapon had been rendered impotent in the face of Victor's newfound abilities.
"He's... an Anti-Poison," Kara muttered incredulously, struggling to reconcile Victor's seemingly impossible resilience with her own understanding of blood manipulation.
"If Poison doesn't work then I will tear your body apart!!"
Her form blazed with the intensity of dense Prana as she hurtled toward him with unstoppable momentum.
Despite the blinding speed of her assault, Victor's instincts kicked in, his blood cells acting as a protective barrier against Kara's onslaught. With a combination of preternatural reflexes and instinctive defense mechanisms, he intercepted each of her attacks, his movements fluid and precise even in the midst of chaos.
The clash between them unleashed a powerful wave of destruction, the sheer force of their exchanges tearing through everything in their vicinity. The once formidable walls of Dolphis Castle crumbled under the weight of their power, reduced to rubble by the ferocity of their combat.