Chapter 51: Carnage

I ran through the thick forest using all my speed, my feet barely touching the ground. I felt my heart pounding a thousand times a minute, pumping a mix of desperation and fury. My only goal was the village of the damned lizards. When I reached the top of a hill overlooking the village, I crouched down, activating my [Lunar Senses]. The world turned gray, but auras of life stood out in the darkness. I saw the Sealakels, but my eyes were fixed on one point: Lira. Her aura was weak, flickering, and my system started flashing messages in my field of view like crazy: [Fear / Panic / Pain / Humiliation]. The vision distorted; my rage was so great I could barely maintain the skill. I saw that damn lizard on top of her. Lira was being held down by a female lizard while another was violating her without mercy. Lira’s face was burned into my heart with fire, her face distorted by pain, tears streaming down her cheeks. I could see her mouth babbling for mercy. A scream of rage tore from my throat. Without a second thought, I summoned a luminous arrow, drew it taut, and fired it with all my strength. The arrow shot like a bolt of lightning, crossing the distance and lodging itself in the Sealakel’s head, killing it instantly. The scream had alerted the entire village. A hundred Sealakels charged toward me. There was no time to lose. I launched myself into battle. I wanted to activate the most powerful skill the Moon Goddess had given me, [Sanctuary of Life]. I could see that Lira’s health was dropping; it would reach zero in a matter of seconds. If I could get close, I might be able to save her, but first I had to reach Lira. The blood and adrenaline kept me from thinking clearly. The sanctuary formed a silvery aura around me, but I could see it wasn’t yet strong enough to cover Lira’s body with the skill. I ran against the horde of lizards. A Sealakel lunged at me with its sharp claws. I hit it in the chest, breaking its sternum and killing it instantly, but next to it another Sealakel extended its spear and pierced my arm. Pain shot through my arm, but I didn’t stop. Another attacked me from the other side; my peripheral vision showed me dozens of them about to surround me. I carved a path, ignoring the blows and cuts, feeling my body breaking. The agony was unbearable, but the memory of Lira’s face drove me forward. I reached her, my body covered in wounds. I knelt beside her, activating the sanctuary. I took her hand. There was no pulse. I picked her body up from the ground; her face showed an expression of relief, a faint smile. I remembered how her eyes had looked at me in her last moment across the battlefield. I fell to my knees, hugging her lifeless body, my tears falling onto her face. I felt empty; I had failed her. All the strength left my body, the world stopped, and inside my head, a hum that seemed to be destroying my mind resonated again and again. A sharp pain pulled me from my despair. The Sealakel Matriarch, with her blue skin and sharp tail, had impaled me completely. She lifted me, holding me in front of her with her tail. She wanted to see the pain on my face; the damn bitch wanted to make me suffer. But I also wanted her agony to be as great as mine. She reached out to lift my head, which hung limp, but to her surprise, my eyes opened, full of life... and a fury that burned everything in its path. With a roar that made the earth tremble, I hit the Matriarch with all the strength my shattered body could summon. The impact sent her flying dozens of meters. She let go of me, and I fell to the ground. The second battle had begun. The Sealakels, who had been brave their whole lives, charged at me, but this time, I had nothing to lose. The fury had made me fearless. The [Sanctuary of Life], which had not been able to save Lira, was now healing me instantly. I took hits, my body broke, but in an instant, it was completely restored. The massacre was unleashed. There was no room for mercy. Every blow I struck, every Sealakel I killed, was for Lira. My vision was a red blur. I didn’t care about anything, I didn’t feel pain, only the rage that drove me. All around me, bodies fell, mutilated, dismembered. Every Sealakel in the village charged at me, and I tore them apart one by one. In the end, the carnage was total. The smell of blood filled the air. The last Sealakels tried to flee, but the Matriarch, trembling for the first time in her life, ordered them to keep attacking. I killed them all. The system didn’t stop ringing, reminding me of every single one I killed, with dozens of messages of deaths, level-ups, and more and more experience. But all of that only served to remind me that this was all for Lira’s death, that kind girl who had rescued me in my worst moment, her beautiful smile that had now vanished because of these damned beasts. The massacre had leveled me up 10 times, reaching level 35. My strength recovered drastically, and my fury was still at its peak. I looked at the Matriarch, lifting her by the neck. I had cornered her. She struggled to break free, but my strength was overwhelming. My red eyes, now darker than blood, stared at her. I held her with one hand. She had enjoyed Lira’s agony. She had used her power to break those I loved. I would do the same. She pleaded for her life, but I didn’t listen. My mind was empty of empathy. There was no pity in me, only a cold desire for revenge. If she wanted to see pain, I would give her all the pain in the world, a pain she could never forget, even if she wanted to. Her terror was my sustenance, and I would make sure that every minute of her suffering was an offering for Lira’s sacrifice.