Chapter 82: Kugula

I could feel the tension between Evangeline and me. Our eyes locked, and we stared at each other challengingly. At that moment, the world around us fell silent; the sound of the wind, the chirping of birds, even the gentle lapping of the lake's waves seemed to fade into the background. It was as if only the two of us existed, and the world revolved around us.

As we waited to see who would make the first move, Evangeline suddenly lunged forward. Her movements were so swift that it was hard to grasp how her graceful body adapted to such power. Her sword descended upon me like a storm. I quickly defended with my Kaizer power, deflecting her blade and stepping back. Evangeline wasn't hiding her power; this was a moment that revealed her true warrior spirit.

"Good start," I muttered, gripping my sword tightly.

"I haven't even begun," she replied, her voice firm and calm. There was a glint in her eyes, waiting for my challenge.

Suddenly, I watched in astonishment as Evangeline's body transformed and grew. A pair of antlers resembling those of a stag sprouted from her head, and her skin developed into a pinkish hue. At that moment, two types of shock overwhelmed me. Evangeline was a half-beast, half-human hybrid. Her mother was likely a beastman.

Beastmen lived on the continent closest to us in the south, but they were banned from entering this continent.

"So, this is the special power you've been hiding?" I said.

But what I still didn't understand was why Evangeline could transform into both a cat and the stag-like Kugula she had become. After all, beastmen could only transform into animals closely related to their own kind. How could someone transform into two different animals simultaneously? I didn't know, but now was not the time for that. I needed to defeat Evangeline.

The Kugula stag she had transformed into was a rare, That's world-specific species. Its fur was pink, and while it differed from other stags in many ways, the most significant difference was its resistance to magic.

I looked back at Evangeline and saw that she had finished her transformation. She was nearly 2.5 meters tall, but her curved body had become even more pronounced. The Kugula stag form was undoubtedly incredibly alluring, but this was not the time to think about that. I quickly activated my dark element, but there was a major problem. The sun was overhead, and my shadow was very small.

To slow down Evangeline, I reinforced the [Darkness Fireball] spell as much as possible and hurled it towards her.

As the [Darkness Fireball] spell glistened under the sunlight, it approached her. In the blink of an eye, the dark energy combined with the wizard's flames struck Evangeline. However, it didn't have the effect I expected. The flames extinguished as soon as they touched her pink fur; her resistance to magic had rendered the attack nearly ineffective.

"You're not even affected…" I whispered, gritting my teeth. Evangeline continued advancing towards me, her steps growing faster with each passing second.

I activated my [Body of Darkness] ability, and my body was enveloped in a dark armor. As I grew about five centimeters taller, reaching a height of 2 meters, I saw a look of surprise in Evangeline's eyes, but she didn't slow down. I raised my arms as Evangeline charged at me like a bull, preparing all my strength for the impending clash.

Evangeline's advancing steps shook the ground, with each step causing the earth to tremble. The antlers on her head were strong enough to pierce through my dark armor, but I wasn't going to let that happen. I took a deep breath and prepared myself. Just as Evangeline was about to hit me, I planted my feet firmly on the ground and thrust my arms forward with all my strength.

There was a tremendous noise when her antlers struck my armor. Our combined powers created waves of energy around us. Evangeline's antlers had lodged into my armor, but they hadn't fully pierced through.

Evangeline, with a moment of surprise, pulled back and attacked again with a newfound determination in her eyes. This time, instead of using her antlers, she quickly retreated and tried to knock me down with her massive body. Her speed and strength were impressive, but my dark armor was strong enough to withstand her blows.

To deflect the strike she threw at me, I swiftly rolled to the side and, seizing a moment of vulnerability, struck at her exposed side. My dark-covered sword slashed under her massive body. When my sword touched her tough hide, it opened to a deep wound, and Evangeline roared in pain. However, this only enraged her further. She was now entirely consumed by fury.

In this fight, relying solely on my strength wouldn't be enough; intelligence and strategy would also be required. Evangeline's greatest strength was also her biggest weakness. Her massive size and raw power left her lacking in speed and agility. Therefore, I needed to develop a strategy to slow her down.

I gripped my sword again, focusing on Evangeline's legs. The only way to bring her massive body to the ground was to immobilize her. Lowering my sword, I attacked her legs with a quick maneuver. This time, my sword cut through her tough skin, leaving a deep gash. Evangeline cried out in pain as one of her legs trembled and weakened. This would significantly reduce her strength.

But the fight was far from over. I could see the determination and rage in Evangeline's eyes. She was injured, but still fighting. Suddenly, I felt a shiver run down my back, and looking down, I noticed a rapidly spinning air orb spell in Evangeline's hand. Its small size made it seem even more dangerous.

I quickly pulled back, and as I did, I saw the orb transform into a massive tornado hurtling towards me. I immediately activated my [Dark exploitation] ability and began to absorb the spell, disregarding the destruction caused by the tornado among the flying grass and flowers.

After a while, I had dispelled the tornado, panting as I surveyed the scene of ruined grass and enormous waves in the nearby lake.

With the opening created by the moment, I didn't realize Evangeline was behind me until she punched my back. When her fist struck, I felt a wave of a power to pass through my body. Although much of the impact was blocked by my dark armor, the force still made me stagger a few steps forward. The pain resonating in my back reminded me not to underestimate her strength.

I quickly recovered and assumed my fighting stance.

"Impressive," I said, suppressing the pain, "but it's time to end this fight."

In an instant, my leap onto Evangeline caused the ground to crack and small fissures to appear. I grabbed her antlers, bringing her head down, and attempted to disable her with a powerful knee strike.

When my knee struck Evangeline's face, a strong impact sound echoed, and a cloud of dust rose around us. It was as if two titans were battling rather than two people. Evangeline used the power from her antlers to push me away and immediately crouched down. It seemed she was determined to end the fight with a last attack.

At that moment, I realized I needed to make the move that would determine the outcome of the battle. I gathered the last reserves of energy from my dark armor and clasped my hands together, focusing on my magical power. As Evangeline prepared to attack again, I quickly opened my hands and unleashed the [Darkness Fireball] spell.

The dark energy stirred the air around us as it advanced towards Evangeline.

Despite Evangeline's continued advance, the [Darkness Fireball] spell I launched was now more potent because of the remaining magical energy I had infused into it. The spell struck Evangeline's body, affecting and swirling around her for several seconds. The sound it made upon hitting her was like the explosion of a bomb from my old world.

As the spell began to dissipate and Evangeline started to recover, I had already leaped and gathered all my strength into a flying punch with my right hand. When my punch landed on Evangeline's chest, the force of my entire body concentrated at that point. The impact sent Evangeline flying backward, cracking the ground beneath her feet and spreading debris around.

She fell to the ground quickly, lying motionless amid the dust clouds.

Breathless, I had emerged victorious. Evangeline's massive form lying on the ground indicated she was too weak to continue fighting. However, the cost of this victory was high. My dark armor was cracked, and I felt deep pain throughout my body. Evangeline's body began to shrink and return to its original, smaller form, revealing the familiar sweet and petite Evangeline.

As I approached her, expecting a look of disappointment or anger, I saw a cracked smile on her face.

"I think I'm in love with you..."

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