Chapter 51

It’s not even funny. 

She just realized that if they were around, that would be enough to cheer her up. It’s funny to think that she’s been lonely since when.

It’s not helpful at all. Just being next to them gives her strength out of nowhere? Does that make sense?

But she thought it could be true, so Gia bit her lip. She shouldn’t weaken here. She needs to pull herself together.

Now was not the time to worry about such things. Gia tried to suppress rising emotions and ruthlessly submerge herself in reason.

Whether he paused momentarily or hesitated, Morrison moved again.

A movement so fast that it was difficult to follow with the eyes. If she let her guard down for a moment, it seemed like her life would be in danger.

“Oops.”

Thud.

Thud.

The sound of nails clashing with the blade filled the space, accompanied only by Gia’s gasp.

“Aren’t you too weak now?”

There was no room to respond to Morrison’s words, spoken as if he were taking medicine. However, Gia reluctantly opened her lips, tasting the bitterness.

“I…”

“You just survived with your mouth. Hehehe.”

Laughter and attacking words pierced through. Gia lowered her body and rolled on the ground. She doesn’t know how many times she rolled on the stone floor today.

Thud, thud, thud.

Two spears deeply pierced the ground. Dust floated on the rocky ground, and Gia constantly flew away from it, avoiding it. The more she did, the more vitality seemed to drain from Gia’s body.

“Where did the humans who came with you go?”

If he asked that, she thought she would say, ‘Yes! They’re gone.’ 

Gia, with an incredulous look, narrowly avoided a fierce attack.

Thud.

Whether it was a spear or a fingernail, it deeply embedded itself in the ground, passing through the scattered strands of hair like slow-motion video.

‘Crazy.’

If she hadn’t avoided it, what’s falling now wouldn’t be her hair, but her head. 

Gia, holding her aching chest, breathed heavily after deflecting the attack. Morrison seemed to swing lightly without exerting much force, but the destructive power was just the opposite.

“Heh, huh.”

There seemed to be no opportunity for a counterattack. Damn it. She can’t just keep avoiding like this. Gia was getting tired gradually, as her stamina wasn’t infinite.

Before her stamina ran out, she needed to turn the tables, but she couldn’t see the opportunity. Her chest was burning black with anxiety. There was no sign that the tide was turning in her favor. 

Gia, hurriedly deflecting attacks without being able to stop them, swiped her tongue across her red lips in frustration.

“Oh……. You didn’t ditch it, did you?”

As Morrison chuckled and opened his lifted lips, sharp teeth protruded in various directions.

“Shut up.”

Even though he had helped her against the dragon, Gia felt an inexplicable bitterness. Without bothering to deny it, Morrison’s words left Gia feeling awkward.

“Kiki. Humans.”

Morrison’s contradiction, as if he had never faced humans before, made Gia jump up from her place in restlessness.

“Weren’t you human? Crazy. What happened to your head?”

“Human, I’m, human. Huh? I was human too… Am I still human now?”

Is he crazy? Morrison’s appearance, as if he had split into multiple personalities, made Gia uneasy.

“No. I’m human. Yes, human. Oh, right. Where did the human with the red eyes go?”

Morrison rambled on, pressing the area around his wrist against his throat.

‘Red eyes?’

As far as she knows, the only one with red eyes is Kalion. 

Gia clenched her hands tightly at the eerie feeling. Even if she tried not to think about it, she couldn’t erase the ominous feeling that the red eyes Morrison mentioned might be Kalion.

Why is Morrison looking for Kalion? Among Morrison’s ramblings, there was a statement that Gia couldn’t ignore, and her eyes sharpened at the words.

“He looked sturdy and delicious. I need to catch him quickly. Tear him apart and feed on my blood… Hehehe.”

“What?”

Who is he talking about and what is he planning? The story that reached Gia made her expression turn grim.

“If it fails, I should eat him. How delicious would it be? I should take out his eyeballs and eat them… Hehehehe.”

Gia’s long black tongue, which seemed to come out of nowhere, licked her grotesquely dark red lips.

“How dare you. Who.”

The story of eating Kalion made Gia’s pupils roll once.

‘Who and what?’

Revenge for his father, resentment for being turned into an enhanced human, and condemnation for bringing about the destruction of the world. 

There were countless reasons to kill him, and the desire to kill him had always been there, but it had been a long time since Gia felt so genuinely angry.

Her stomach bubbled and boiled. The only thing that would make her feel better was to separate Morrison’s head from his body.

“Theeuk.”

Gia, who had been avoiding Morrison’s attacks, changed her stance. From defense to offense. Swiftly, as if she had nothing to lose, Gia leaped into Morrison’s arms.

It seemed like the judgment that attacking from a distance would be difficult due to the reach of his long nails was correct, as Morrison stepped back, surprised, when Gia got close and delved inside.

With a toothless sword already in her hand, Gia pulled out the dagger that was at her ankle.

“Iik.”

To push away Gia, who kept getting close, Morrison leaned backward. The sound of sharp teeth clashing echoed as they collided.

Chasing after Gia, who was escaping like a minnow, Morrison vigorously swung his nails.

“I’m going to have to rip you alive before you can get a grip.”

An angry curse popped out of Morrison’s mouth.

“Try it if you can.”

“Eek.”

Gia’s dagger grazed Morrison’s forearm.

Too bad. If it had gone a little deeper, she might have been able to cut it off. Gia, avoiding Morrison’s tough teeth, sank.

Sik-sik.

Perhaps due to being close, Morrison’s hot breath could be felt. Gia, skillfully escaping, was quite provocative. Morrison shifted his weight to one leg and bent the opposite leg.

“Heup.”

In response to Morrison’s momentarily extended thigh, Gia crossed her hands and covered her head.

Thud.

“Oooph.”

Gia’s body was thrown backward as if she had been kicked, despite her efforts to regain her balance. The numbness from her wrist to her elbow, as if every bone had been shattered, paralyzed her nerves.

Rolling.

Gia’s body helplessly rolled on the ground.

“Huuk.”

Gasping for breath as if her lungs were being squeezed, Gia barely managed to exhale. It seemed that if the pain was too intense, not even a sound would come out. Wheezing, Gia struggled to get her knees under her, sitting down.

Gia endured the pain that radiated to her fingertips, breath held. She attempted to raise her hand, but her seemingly shattered arm couldn’t exert any strength and just fell to the ground.

No matter how strong Gia’s regenerative abilities were, it would still take some time to use her arm again.

“Kk, Kkuh… Huh, Hngh.”

What was so enjoyable? Morrison’s laughter echoed above Gia’s forehead. With blood spreading around her mouth, Gia slowly lifted her head.

“You know what?”

Morrison’s mouth split open like it was being torn apart. The more his bulging, protruding cheekbones twitched, the more it felt like he was thoroughly enjoying himself. 

She needed to get up. Even though she knew she had to put strength into her legs and stand, her body didn’t move as she wished.

When she dies, Morrison will probably find and kill Kalion. That must not happen. Kalion is not someone who should die like that. He shouldn’t be treated recklessly.

“Whether you or your father.”

Why is she worried about Kalion in this situation? She’s about to die soon anyway. Why is she more concerned about Kalion than her death?

In the previous world, she wouldn’t even blink an eye if someone died or turned into a zombie. She never felt this painful or sad before.

No, did she ever feel sad? Did she? Gia’s vacant eyes stared at the pointed tip of the window.

She didn’t know if she was sad or not. But one thing was certain. If Kalion died, it would be sad.

The emotions she hadn’t felt before had piled up like layers of ice, forming a solid wall. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel them, but that she had confined them, preventing them from overflowing. To avoid going insane. To continue surviving tomorrow.

But now, that sturdy emotional wall melted away when she met Kalion, turning into a massive wave and crashing down onto Gia.

She could only be struck mercilessly. She might die soon anyway. To worry about that. To immerse herself in such emotions. Although she tried to get up somehow, her body lost control and her strength released on its own.

“Really annoying.”

The tip of the nails aimed at Gia’s smooth forehead.

“Let’s not see each other again.”

With a relieved voice, signaling the end of their murky connection, Morrison’s hand moved mercilessly.

No matter how enhanced Gia had become, receiving that attack head-on meant death.

‘I. Am going. To die.’

Now, that wasn’t all that important. What would happen to this world after she died, and what would happen to Kalion, who belonged to this world, became more crucial.

“Keuk.”

Gia’s eyes, tightly closed in anticipation of the impending pain, widened significantly at Morrison’s groan.

“Kalion… Why…”

“Please get up.”

Kalion’s thick arms grabbed Gia’s slender waist, lifting her.

“Why is everyone…”

She naturally assumed they would have run away. Gia felt like she was dreaming. Perhaps she was already dead, going through the happiness circuit. Even as she blinked her dry eyes, she saw the rest of the members still standing by Gia’s side.

“Quick! Please get up!”

Rockt and the other ten knights desperately tried to block Morrison. Their strength was feeble compared to Morrison’s, but Morrison, taken aback by their relentless charge, stepped back a few paces.

“Why… Did you come to die?”

Seeing these pitiful humans who shouldn’t even stand a chance rushing to save their comrade, Morrison shook his head in disbelief.

“Well then, I’ll kill you.”

“Kkuup.”

Morrison’s merciless fingertip pierced through the stomach of the person in front of him.