Chapter 857 Hunting for Shade (14)
Her decision to stay behind and confront the threat had been instinctive.
She didn\'t know if she would be strong enough to stop these guys, but she had to try.
The fights throughout the mission hadn\'t been simple for her, as she was weaker than her comrades.
Though determination surged through her after seeing what Erik did.
It gave her hope that one day, she could reach the same heights, but to do that, she needed experience.
Though she knew that carrying out this mission was outside the scope of her abilities.
As the guards closed in, she grasped the severity of the predicament into which she had thrown herself into.
With a deep breath, she called upon her power, feeling the familiar heat spread through her veins as her form shifted.
Her skin thickened into scales, shimmering with a metallic hue, while a tail sprouted behind her, lending balance and strength.
Her face elongated into a lizard visage, eyes narrowing into slits.
It was at that moment the guards recognized who she was. The daughter of the Fierce Lioness. The five guards looked at each other, but then they nodded.
The first guard charged, sword raised high. Rebecca\'s instincts kicked in.
Powered by her brain crystal power, she sidestepped the attack, using her tail to sweep the guard\'s legs out from under him.
As he fell, she killed him with a sharp twist of her hand, sending her sword plunging into the man\'s chest.
The other guards looked at each other. They understood they couldn\'t underestimate her.
Victory was short-lived. As she killed the first guard, two more appeared, swords at the ready.
<Shit! >
Rebecca\'s mind raced. The confines of the hallway limited her mobility, but she could use this to her advantage, preventing the guards from encircling her.
She confronted the new challengers directly, deflecting their blows with her sword. Each parry and riposte was executed with precision, and she killed the two adversaries.
However, the guards were well-trained, their formations tight and disciplined, making it hard for Rebecca to find an opening. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
<Fuck! Another one arrived! >
With each passing moment, the fight grew more intense. Rebecca\'s strength allowed her to hold her ground, but the constant onslaught wore on her.
Her scales provided protection against the swords\' edges, yet the sheer number of opponents threatened to overwhelm her.
To fight against five opponents at the same time was challenging enough, but as she defeated each one, another would take its place. Now, she contended with seven opponents.
Just as she killed another guard, two more joined the fray.
The pattern repeated itself, a never-ending cycle of combat that pushed Rebecca to her limits.
<I can\'t keep a defensive stance. They will tire me out. >
It was essential for Rebecca to be strategic and use the resources available in her environment.
Luckily, those guys had weapon-conjuring Brain Crystal Powers, so she wasn\'t scared they could do something that caught her off guard.
But someone with a ranged Brain Crystal Power could come at any time, worse if they had brain crystal rifles.
With remarkable agility, she evaded yet another swipe and used her tail to push a vase off a nearby pedestal, creating a distraction.
As the guards put their hands in front of their faces to avoid shards ending up in their eyes, she lunged, using her enhanced strength to push one guard into another, disrupting their formation.
"Die!" She killed both of them, but there were still other people inside the room.
Even as she fought with all her might, Rebecca couldn\'t help but wonder how long she could keep this up.
<My mana is running dry. >
With each new wave of guards, the possibility of getting out of that room unscathed seemed more and more like a distant dream.
The battle raged on, with Rebecca maneuvering around the guards\' attacks, her dragon-like agility allowing her to dodge with an almost preternatural grace.
But Her breaths came in heavy gasps, and her movements, though still fast, carried a hint of fatigue.
She knew she couldn\'t let it show; any sign of weakness could be exploited by her opponents.
With her back against the wall, literally and metaphorically, Rebecca\'s mind raced for solutions.
The guards were skilled, no doubt, but they lacked the training the band of giants provided and which she underwent for years.
An idea for a daring and potentially game-changing maneuver flooded her thoughts, one that had the potential to shift the entire course of the battle.
As two guards converged on her, Rebecca feigned a stumble, luring them into a false sense of security.
As they closed in, confident of their victory, she unleashed a roar, a sound so deep and primal that it momentarily stunned her attackers.
The intensity of the noise was so overwhelming that the guards started bleeding from their ears.
She seized the moment, spun her tail, whipping out to catch the legs of one guard while she stabbed the other with her tail.
The once clean area was now filled with the lifeless bodies of those who had fallen. The move worked, but not as intended. Not all the guards fell for it.
The sound of additional footsteps reverberated through the hallway, showing that even more guards were making their way towards her.
"Damn!"
With a smirk on their faces, the guards directed their gaze towards her. "What? Out of juice already?"
That was exactly what was happening. She couldn\'t say that, but there was no need, as it was now very clear.
While tapping into her dwindling reserves of strength, Rebecca shifted to a defensive posture.
She fell back gradually, focusing on conserving her energy to confront the guards only if and when the opportunity arose.
The guards, sensing her apparent retreat, pressed forward with renewed vigor, but Rebecca was far from defeated.
She parried, dodged, and struck with the precision of a seasoned warrior, her draconian form giving her an edge that was impossible to ignore.