Arlyne and Pearl's eager voices filled the air with anticipation, their eyes alight with curiosity as they awaited Eli's response.
"...." Yet, amidst their enthusiasm, Eli remained silent, his gaze fixed upon the scene before him with a mixture of disbelief and horror.
"Do you like it?" Arlyne pressed, her voice tinged with excitement.
"Isn't that awesome?" Pearl chimed in, unable to contain her enthusiasm.
They just repeated the same question again!!
"...."
But Eli could only stare, his mind struggling to comprehend the nightmare unfolding before him.
The once ethereal beauty of Lia now seemed like a cruel mockery of her former self.
The transformation of Lia, the once radiant white-haired beauty, was beyond comprehension. Doubt gnawed at his memories, questioning whether the image he held of her was nothing more than a fleeting illusion.
To put it simply,
In stark contrast to her former self,
Lia's face was a nightmarish visage... bereft of teeth and tongue, smeared with crimson blood that flowed like a macabre river. A grotesque mouth slit marred her features, stretching unnaturally to her ears like the gaping maw of some unholy creature from a children's scary stories.
Her once pristine white hair was now stained with the dark hue of blood, patches torn from her scalp as if someone pulled it..... And amidst the chilling tableau, Pearl's trident stood impaled in the ground, And Lia was... Eli couldn't bring himself to describe what he had seen, the memory of it too raw and painful to put into words.
""Say something!!""
The sudden outburst from both Arlyne and Pearl jolted Eli out of his reverie, their voices cutting through the eerie silence of the scene before them.
Startled, Eli blinked and looked at them with a wry expression before finally responding, "You guys did a good job... I guess?"
"Heheh..."
"hehehe..."
Arlyne's nervous chuckle broke the silence, followed by Pearl's softer laughter, both sounds seeming unnaturally loud in the oppressive stillness of the cave.
Hearing the giggles and observing their strained smiles, Eli couldn't help but notice the subtle signs of fatigue and hunger etched on their features.
Being isolated with him, deprived of sustenance, was clearly taking its toll on their mental faculties, blurring the lines between reality and delusion. While part of him relished the opportunity to corrupt their innocence, he couldn't ignore the risk of losing their uniqueness and cuteness in the process.
Determined to preserve their individuality, he resolved to grant them some respite once he and others departed the dungeon, allowing them precious moments of solitude with their families to rejuvenate their spirits.
Anyhow,
'Thud'
Lia's eyes burned with a fierce killing intent as she locked gazes with Pearl and Arlyne, while David and John directed their gaze toward Eli. With a quiver in his voice, John declared,
"W-We will kill you. You will pay for this... n-next time!"
Before Eli could react, the trio shattered the golden beads in their grasp. A cascade of golden sparks and shimmering particles erupted from the shattered beads, swirling and dancing in the air before converging towards Lia, John, and David as if eager to depart.
Even so, Eli remained steadfast. His resolve was unyielding, he prepared to kill them before escaping. However, before he could make a move, Pearl reached out and clasped his hand, her eyes filled with a mixture of determination and... concern?
"That's... not a true artifact," Pearl uttered softly, her words carrying a weight of warning.
Before anyone could comprehend the full implications of her statement, chaos erupted.
"BOOMM!!"
"BOOMM!!"
"BOOMM!!"
The deafening sound of three consecutive explosions reverberated through the dungeon, the force of the blasts sending flesh and blood splattering in all directions. Reacting swiftly, Eli instinctively shielded himself and the two girls, pulling them close as a protective barrier of sand enveloped them, shielding them from the gruesome aftermath.
As the chaos subsided, Eli's gaze fell upon the shattered remnants of the soul crystals, their once-gleaming surfaces now marred by cracks and fractures.... rendering them useless husks.
"The beads were already overloaded with mana, so when it entered their soul crystals, it burst," Pearl remarked nonchalantly, her demeanour betraying a casual acceptance of the situation.
"It seems the person who sent them didn't want to leave any evidence," Arlyne added, her tone echoing Pearl's carefree attitude.
.net
Eli nodded in agreement before disposing of the broken soul crystals with a dismissive gesture, his thoughts already turning towards their next course of action.
"So, how are we going to leave?" Pearl inquired, her voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty.
"Did my blood help you?" Arlyne questioned, her gaze scanning Eli's skin for any sign of transformation, only to find disappointment in the lack of change.
Shaking his head regretly, Eli sighed, "No, there wasn't any kind of reaction."
A shadow of gloom darkened Arlyne's features, her hopes dashed by the realization that her bloodline had not granted Eli any enhancement.
"But I do have a plan," Eli interjected, a mischievous smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
Though Pearl and Arlyne's spirits lifted at the prospect of a plan, Arlyne couldn't shake the lingering disappointment of her failed blood bond with Eli.
'I mean, if he improved by my blood, that means whenever he uses that power, he will always remember, right?' Arlyne mused with a glimmer of hope, only to have her optimism shattered like fragile glass.
Sensing Arlyne's inner turmoil, Eli offered her a reassuring smile as he gently patted her head, urging them both to prepare for his plan.
It's time....
To Hunt the Overlord... Finally!!