Chapter 560: The trophy

"What in the god's name is that?!" Crone exclaimed looking at the humungous shadow that appeared in the distance. 

Following its bellowing cry, the fierce, savage mercenary that even didn't hesitate to attack Aiden back then, felt fear for the first time since quite some time ago. His legs turned weak, the strength left the strong warrior. His knees gave in and buckled, throwing their owner down on the ground. 

Even the mere act of retaining his grip on the handle of his weapon was proving to be an increasingly difficult challenge. 

"H-how could this be?!" He couldn't understand his own feelings. A single ferocious hungry battle cry from the beast was all it took to disarm him? It was ridiculous, yet it was the truth.

Even his partner in crime, Jai was shivering under the monstrous entity's presence. Yet, unlike Crone, he managed to withstand the fear-inducing effect, albeit not without showing its wear on him. 

Heavy beads of sweat glistened all over the uncovered parts of his body, whilst his attire was almost instantly becoming drenched. Still, Jai stood still, his stance was showing the readiness, the eagerness to fight. For you see, unlike Crone, Jai had a strong emotion helping him withstand the assault. 

His fierce, determined gaze focused on the back of the battle-crazed blonde amazon, his Muse, the target of his affection. 

"I will not… I cannot!" He muttered with gritted teeth. Reaffirming his grip over the handle of his greatsword, his weapon of choice, he gathered all his strength to slowly fight back against this pressure. With a great deal of effort, Jai slowly lifted his right leg and forced it forward.

He felt as if he was trying to push against a thick heavy layer of energy. The space around them was thick, borderline tangible. Slowly, his legs traversed this cursed medium, inching further away, slowly closing the distance towards the frontline where his heart was pushing him. 

He wanted, no… he NEEDED to be beside her, he HAD to help her, PROTECT her. No way, he would fail to match the expectations he himself set as a measure of his own worthiness.

"Even if just a bit, even for just blocking an attack… I need to be there at her side…" He muttered his own mantra, ignoring everything else he kept on pushing forward. His efforts paid off, Jai was steady, albeit incredibly slowly was snailing closer…

…

"A worthy foe!" Naybeah exclaimed with squinted eyes, focusing her attention on the giant insectoid creature ahead of her. "This would make a great trophy for my beloved!"

She was elated, excited at the prospect of offering the severed head as a tribute to her chosen mate, as per tradition demanded. Although she have already decided on his beloved, the one with who she have shared a kiss already, in truth she was still missing the offering, the tribute that she would need to present once they got back to their home. 

Customs would have demanded that both warriors needed to prove their worth. An amazon would be needed to present a fitting trophy of a worthy prey to show her strength. As for the mate, he would have to go through a different trial, a challenge if you will…

Naybeah wasn't worried about Aiden completing it when the time came, after all, she was quite aware of his incredible might. 

No, the only thing that she missed was a fitting trophy, which as 'luck' would have it, have just appeared in front of her.

Though her stamina was dwindling, the strange unknown power that she felt revitalizing her tired limbs and sore muscles, relieving them of the painful spasms and cramps, was a welcome gift.

She wasn't sure what happened, but despite being under the effects of the famous 'double-edged sword', her inborn ability, the [Berserk] skill, she somehow retained the clarity of her mind. Normally, the scarlet veil of blood would descend and cloud her mind would make her unable to differentiate between friend or foe, which was why she tried to avoid triggering it whenever she could, this time her vision was clear.

Yet, despite that, she could feel the overflowing strength brimming inside her. 

In the end, she wasn't going to complain or waste the precious seconds debating where did this power come from. The trophy was marching towards her, and she wasn't going to miss this chance to grab hold of the future she wanted for herself.

"Let's dance…" A wide, borderline crazed grin appeared on her face. She raised her ax over her head, as she locked gaze with the towering creature that slowly, menacingly approached and whilst hollering into the sky, she pooled a great deal of her might into a frontal, vertical swing and struck against the sandy dune they fought on in the next instant.

*BOOM!*

A powerful explosion shook the ground, kicking off a great deal of sand into the surrounding air, and sending tremors all around the battlefield.

Yet, this wasn't all. The incredible power Naybeah had suddenly released, didn't just cave the ground in front of them but have opened several cracks, that swiftly grew into fissures as they charged towards the swarms of creatures as well as the boss-like bug.

The ground giving into the brutal assault of the amazon opened up and in the span of a few fleeting seconds, swallowed up most of the remaining insectoid monsters. 

As for the boss bug, it quickly reacted, and instantly charged forward, jumping up in the air and using its sudden momentum to fly over the pesky Bareskins and land behind them, escaping the calamity.

The group watched with shock as to how the battle have suddenly shifted. The previously endless-looking swarm was gone, vanished, swallowed up by the ground. The landscape ahead of them, made a great transformation, turning the dread barren desert into a literal canyon. 

Though they were shocked beyond belief, the current situation didn't afford them the luxury of debating the matter. A single strike from their fierce warrior has shifted the battle, giving them that sliver of light, that minuscule hope they were missing. 

Maybe, just maybe if they work together they could survive this ordeal!

Quickly, as if the previous heavy pressure was never even there to begin with, the group turned around and began to fix their positions. Lily and Galina were about to take a few steps back, allowing the twin sisters, Aina and Eina as well as the awoken Crone and Jai to take the front lines when suddenly a shout came from behind them.

"Stop! This one is mine, and mine alone! Do not interfere in this fight!" 

Following the voice a cold air closed in on them from behind, forcing them to turn and look at the eerie-looking grin of their blonde amazon once again...

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AN: Hey there Readers!

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