Chapter 1232 (2/2)

The two images smashed into each other with a metaphysical crunch. For several long seconds, they strained, Alana’s fire burning the oncoming waves of blood. Yet slowly, Alana began to tremble. She would not be able to hold out against this image for long-

Bang.

The noise was small in the violent clash between the two images, surrounded by the spreading fires in the houses below, but Alana smiled joyfully. A small bullet spun upward and pierced without resistance into the side of the gargantuan monster of blood.

For a second, nothing happened. But then Alana felt the images that were attacking her falter. Her golden fire gushed forward and overwhelmed the distracted image. The bloodbeast’s side began to bulge outward like someone was driving their first directly out the side of the bloodbeast’s stomach from within. The bloodbeast roared in fury, shaking the surrounding area with its volume. Alana ignored the noise and patted Wivanya’s side; at the agreed-upon signal, Wivanya’s wings began to glow white.

With a single flap of her vast wings, frost and snow raced across the exposed surface of the bloodbeast where its image had been burned away by golden fire. With the majority of its image distracted by the sudden frost and dealing with the troublesome bullet attempting to extinguish its life, Alana raised her spear above her head once more.

Solar Flare. Sun Strike.

The heavy image of the flaming spear crashed downward, shattering the stuttering blood limbs that had stopped her previously. The bulge in the bloodbeast’s side grew larger as the whole of its body continued to darken, as though the blood that built the monster was rapidly rotting.

Perhaps sensing its fate, the bloodbeast turned its wrathful gaze on Alana as she slammed her spear into its shoulder. Despite its earlier power, the image within the bloodbeast began to flag; it had been struck from too many angles. The bulge in the bloodbeast’s side finally exploded outward, sending hundreds of basketball-sized globes of rotten blood across the neighborhood below it. The blood fell on the fires and sizzled ominously.

Yet it seemed that the bloodbeast was finished. Its mouth opened and a figure wrapped in a crimson cloak stepped cleanly out of the collapsing beast’s head. Although Alana couldn’t see the face of the individual inside the cloak, she felt his sharp gaze on her. Then the figure turned away, leaping off of the bloodbeast and attempting to flee.

The bloodbeast was collapsing sideways like a carnival tent with the central pole removed. But Alana twitched her hips and Wivanya carried them in quick pursuit. Do you really think you can escape after you’ve done all this? Holy Judgment.

Time stuttered strangely, the figure in the red cloak stretching out in a leap off of the bloodbeast’s shoulder to a roof below. It was like a polaroid photo that was slowly spat out, immortalizing the moment. As Alana’s eyes narrowed, the contrast of this frozen world was turned sharply up. The shadows became pitch black and every source of light became blinding. There was a dull sound of impact against vulnerable flesh as the Holy Judgment landed and then the world was in motion again.

When the figure in the cloak hit the roof, he stumbled and crashed to the ground almost immediately. But he quickly rolled and got back to his feet, holding his shoulder. Alana released a breath and swayed as almost all of her remaining Stamina and Mana was drained by using that Skill. But she then tightened her knees on Wivanya and continued to pursue.

Infuriatingly, the cloaked figure continued to accelerate toward the edge of the roof and adroitly hopped to drop down into the alley below. Still cursing, the waiting Hank flipped open the cylinder of his revolver and pressed another bullet into one of the grooves with such slippery grace that even chasing Alana was impressed. Then he spun the cylinder before flicking it back into place.

As the cloaked figure landed on the ground of the ash and smoke-filled alley, his gaze whipped around and locked onto Hank. As Hank straightened his arm and aimed his revolver, the cloaked figure conjured a fist of blood and smashed the nearby wall, sending splinters in every direction. The building groaned ominously, already weakened by the greedy flames. But instead of running into the opening to escape, the hand of blood seized a young woman who was likely hiding within the house and pulled her out to block his body.

Eyes smoking with fury, Alana leapt off of Wivanya’s back and shot down from above toward the cloaked figure’s back.

With the young woman in his way, Hank could only twist his mouth and remove his finger from the trigger of his revolver. With a spare moment, the cloaked figure melted and the red blood sluiced down through a drainage grate along the wall of the alley.

At Alana’s insistence by message, Hank hurried forward though the thick black smoke and swept the young woman off of her feet. Without slowing, he hurried toward the edge of the alley, the young woman coughing weakly against his chest from the lack of oxygen in the air. Although it was much harder to die of asphyxiation in a post-System world, it wasn’t impossible if you weren’t a high Level.

Alana, more burning spear than human, smashed into the part of the alley near the grate and forced her way to the sewer below. The weakened house gratefully collapsed around her, sealing the entrance that she had used almost immediately. But when Alana looked around, she found almost a dozen smaller bloodbeasts crouching in wait for her. They wore shapes like birds and insects and wolves, but as Alana scanned the surrounding area, the cloaked figure had already slithered away.

Golden fire wreathed Alana’s limbs as she raised her spear. Do you really think you can escape so easily?