ushernet Chapter 50 True Darkness? (edited)
Chapter 50 True Darkness? (edited)
As Marionette's left hand clutched Lillian's throat, she stretched her right hand out to the side, summoning a dagger of darkness that ominously stared at the dangling Lillian.
"Was it your plan to get close to me, trapping me in here and possibly ending me?" Marionette's eyes narrowed on Lillian.
'She's getting paranoid!' Lillian grimaced, and with a strained voice, she said:
"H-hold on! W-we got a big misunderstanding here! I didn't have any ulterior motives like that!" (4)
"... Then tell me why you had that eye. Are you in cahoots with the Cult of Jesters?"
Marionette's hand tightened around Lillian's neck, causing her to claw at it unconsciously. (3)
"Look! I just had it! I didn't even mean for it to exit my spacial ring. I wouldn't even have let it out! You have to believe me!" She begged in a stifled voice. (2)
Marionette's brows furrowed.
Lillian began to suffocate under Marionette's increasingly tightening hand. That was until Marionette's grip softened, releasing her from its grasp and causing her to drop to the ground, coughing. (10)
Lillian greedily breathed in the air around her, slowly sitting up and watching Marionette sit back down, staring at her. (10)
"I'll believe you. But that's only because I believe you may know more about this Trial than me." She caused the dark dagger to shatter and dissipate with the surrounding.
Lillian sighed in relief, rubbing her neck as she believed there might be a mark on it, 'I didn't like that feeling...' the feeling she was talking about was how powerless she felt before Marionette's hold. (5)
She felt as powerless as a toddler would be to an adult.
Lillian stared back at Marionette with a determined gaze, 'She's currently an Aspirant like me. I still have a chance to surpass her in strength. But that'll only begin after I complete this Trial...'
***
The two decided to go out in hopes of finding more Catacomb Dwellers.
Lillian glanced around at the darkness around her. She tightly clutched the handle of her lantern. (3)
Marionette glanced back at the radiant lantern and asked:
"You have a useful item. Mind revealing what tier it is?"
Lillian tilted her head, "Oh~? Has it caught your eye?" she smirked. (5)
Marionette removed her gaze from her, facing forward, "Never mind..."
Marionette's steps, unlike Lillian's, were confident. Lillian assumed it was due to Marionette's ability to see through the dark, allowing for sneak attacks to be ineffective against her.
'How convenient...' Lillian sighed, 'In a place as dark as this, being able to see in the dark casually is a need.' (2)
Just as she thought this, Marionette came to an abrupt stop. Lillian tilted her head, leaning in and staring at her face. (6)
"What's up? Did you find one?"
"... I can't see past this point..."
"Eh?"
Marionette's shocking revelation caused her to raise her lantern forward towards the direction they were facing.
The much smaller Catacomb Dwellers surrounded it, helping it up to its feet like they were comrades.
Marionette stroked her chin before looking towards Lillian, who was currently quite tense, "I suppose I can leave the three Catacomb Dwellers beside it to you while I deal with this one?" (2)
"H-huh? You want me to deal with three of those thin—"
Before Lillian could finish her sentence, Marionette dashed off, leaping up and grabbing onto the face of the taller Catacomb Dweller, isolating and dragging it into the darkness away from Lillian.
Lillian stared at what happened with wide eyes before moving it back to the three Catacomb Dwellers, who seemed to have roughly the same reaction as her. (2)
However, it was quite hard to tell due to their inhuman features.
Lillian sighed, raising the Sonata of Revenge towards the three Catacomb Dwellers, "Who shall come first then?" (2)
The three turned to each other before bending their legs and charging towards her at the same time.
Lillian smirked, "All three then? That's not fair!" she yelled, charging at them as well. (2)
She then watched as the one at the forefront bent its knee, leaping into the air and falling down on her with its arms raised over its head.
Lillian gripped the hilt of her rapier, twisting her wrist upwards and stabbed her blade roughly at the centre of its mass.
She felt the vibrations from her strike pass into her hand.
The airborne Catacomb Dweller felt the force of the stab sink into its carapace, launching it back—a deep narrow slit appearing on its exoskeleton.
To Lillian's left and right, the two other Catacomb Dwellers rapidly approached her, swinging their arms.
However, before their eyes, a droplet of water appeared in thin air, expanding into a sphere roughly the size of a baseball before blasting itself into their faces.
Two consecutive thuds resounded as the two water bullets slammed into their faces, knocking them back and causing them to stumble.
The one falling finally fell to the ground, its back harshly crashing against it.
As it placed its arms against the ground, trying to push itself up, Lillian softly placed her right foot against its chest, pushing down on it.
"Woah woah buddy... you shouldn't get up. You might have a concussion there~" Lillian stated, tilting her head to the side as an eerie smile spread across her face. (11)
However, it didn't seem she was strong enough to keep it on the ground with just a foot. Although their limbs were thin, the strength in their muscles was much greater compared to Lillian's.
Feeling its body quickly rising off the ground, Lillian swiped her blade at its eyes, sinking through them and causing a horizontal slash mark through its eyes.
An unnerving screech rang out from its mouth as it thrashed its body about.
As Lillian tried to stay stable on top of the Catacomb Dweller, she couldn't help but feel a shiver coarse through her body due to the screech. (2)
"I don't like that sound." She said with slight irritation. (2)
[You have slain a Savage Wretch, Catacomb Dweller]
Lillian stabbed her blade through its forehead, causing its voice to stop resounding finally and its body to go limp.
Lillian breathed a sigh, turning around and discovering that she couldn't see the other two. (2)
She sighed.
"This tactic again?"