Chapter 144 : Awkward Fellow

That bastard!

It was clear, Milly was starting to dislike that person a little. If she called out her name now, she would probably just play dumb.

Tch…

The lightning from her fingertips struck the Shadowblade Beast. Milly remembered that the last one was afraid of electricity. As long as she kept stunning it with lightning and used her appraisal skill to find its weaknesses, she could whittle it down, even if her attacks were weak. Assuming she had enough electricity to do so.

Before she could release a second bolt, Lisa screamed from behind and tugged on Milly’s skirt.

The Shadowblade Beast, which should have been stunned, seemed unaffected. It roared and slashed through the fog, the wind pressure stinging Milly’s face.

Milly stumbled back, barely dodging the claw. A deep gouge appeared where she had just been standing. If she had been hit, she would have been torn to shreds.

She steadied herself, feeling a warm embrace from behind. Without looking, she knew someone was clutching her skirt tightly, trembling like a leaf in the wind.

“I-I’m sorry…” Lisa’s voice was choked with tears, her warm breath tickling Milly’s neck. “I saw that the monster wasn’t hurt, so I…”

The Shadowblade Beast roared again, lunging at them. Lisa screamed again, pulling Milly to the right, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Milly quickly released another bolt of lightning. It struck, but failed to penetrate the scales or paralyze the beast.

This one was much stronger than the last. She couldn’t even whittle it down, and her abilities were sealed, leaving her with only this weak lightning.

The next bolt exploded near the beast’s eyes. The massive creature moved too fast. In an instant, its poisonous tail blade was in front of Milly. Just as it was about to strike, Milly felt a force pull her sideways.

Close.

The blade grazed her forehead. A little closer, and the poison would have entered her system. Without an antidote, she would have had to ask Lisa for help.

Although she had passively accepted help from someone, asking for it herself… Milly knew that once she did, she would start to rely on her whenever she faced a problem she couldn’t solve. Eventually, she might become dependent.

Then, no matter how much she denied it, her body would unconsciously accept it.

The claw, carrying the scent of blood, interrupted her thoughts. Lisa pulled her back a few more steps, dodging the attack.

Once or twice could be an accident. But three times… no, from the first time Lisa pulled her away, Milly should have realized. That person could have jumped out and killed the beast instantly, but she chose this laborious method.

Was she planning to wait until Milly got used to her protection, then reveal herself, kill the beast like a dog, and say, “Well, Little Milly, saved again. How will you thank your Master?”

Or did she think her acting was flawless and decided to keep it up?

If so, Milly had an idea.

When Lisa pulled her away for the fourth time, Milly broke free from her grip.

“Go hide.”

Before she finished speaking, Milly ran in the opposite direction of the beast, leaving a stunned Lisa behind. She probably hadn’t expected Milly to run out like that. She could only watch as Milly disappeared into the fog, stumbling toward the silhouette of a dead tree.

At the same time, the choice was given to the Shadowblade Beast.

It didn’t disappoint Milly’s “expectations.” The moment she ran, it turned and chased after her into the fog.

The fog was nothing to it. It just needed to smell its prey. The visual obstruction meant nothing.

The roar behind her grew closer. A bolt of lightning tore through the fog, revealing the black figure charging at her.

Damn it… she had run into the fog first, leaving the seemingly defenseless Lisa behind. Shouldn’t the beast have gone for her? Then Milly could have just listened, waited for the beast to be killed, and then gone back to stare into Lisa’s eyes.

“Sister Lisa is amazing! How did you do that?” She had already planned her teasing tone. But the beast ignored the easy prey and came for her. Was it because she was the only one who could fight?

The situation didn’t allow for further thought. The bone blade slashed through the fog, coming straight for her. Milly could only dodge and fire lightning at it.

The lightning flashed, leaving no mark. The beast seemed to realize Milly’s attacks were useless and intensified its assault. It was only a matter of time before it snapped her neck.

After a few rounds, Milly’s stamina was draining. This one was faster than the last, its tail more agile. Every time she dodged a claw, the tail would predict her movement and strike where she was going.

Milly had to use lightning to deflect the tail, each strike barely missing her.

Sensing its prey’s weakness, the beast attacked faster. Milly could barely keep up. Without her breathing technique to slow it down, and with her abilities sealed, she had no counter.

She jumped back to dodge a claw. Before she could charge another bolt to block the tail, it was already in front of her.

Too fast.

No time to dodge. No time to charge.

Was this the end?

Just as the blade was inches from her forehead, it stopped, as if hitting something invisible.

Milly was silent.

She couldn’t see Lisa’s expression through the fog, but she could imagine it.

After they separated, that person must have started preparing this. Milly couldn’t see her movements through the fog, nor could she sense the magic while fighting.

When it was all over, if she asked, that person would just play dumb.

“Oh… what an awkward fellow.”

She could have easily killed the beast, but from the moment they met it, she had used these time-consuming methods. It was like some absurd, awkward form of atonement.

The rest of the fight turned into a farce. Every fatal attack was blocked by an invisible barrier. The beast couldn’t hurt her, and Milly’s weak lightning couldn’t hurt it.

The stalemate continued, but the beast didn’t let up.

It seemed convinced that if it kept attacking, it could break the barrier.

And it seemed it was right.

With a mighty leap, it slammed its tail onto Milly. She felt no pain, but she heard a distinct crack.

The invisible barrier shattered. The Shadowblade Beast let out a triumphant roar, raising its claw to strike Milly’s throat.

But something was faster.

A black tentacle shot out from Milly’s palm, piercing the beast before it could strike.