A massive figure over 10 meters tall stood on the ground. The body still had a human shape, but it crouched on all fours like a cat.
The bared fangs and snarling face—yeah, pretty cat-like.
Kid thought to himself, 'What kind of logic turns someone from around 1.7 meters tall into ten times that? The flesh of the Dragon's Descendants is seriously wild stuff.'
"Alright then, the battle begins!" Kid twirled the Claymore in his hand like flowing clouds and charged straight toward the giant Abyssal.
God-Eye Galatea sensed the violent burst of youki from the south. But something felt off—it was just a single youki signature. Had Abyssal One of the South gone crazy?
Definitely not. Luciela was doing just fine. She was just stretching her muscles a bit.
Kid was going head-to-head with Luciela for a reason. If he wanted to treat an Abyssal, he needed access to the part of them that was still human. So first, he had to understand the awakened body. Nothing creepy—just studying structure.
Usually, the stronger the awakened being, the bigger they got. There were exceptions, like Priscilla, who only grew a bit taller after awakening. But overall, size was a solid indicator of power.
The three Abyssals of the south, north, and west were enormous after awakening, standing over 10 meters tall.
Kid noticed Luciela barely had any human parts left. If Ophelia hadn't actively gathered hers into one spot, she wouldn't have died so peacefully.
"This is tricky." Kid blocked two fast strikes with his Claymore, then jumped back to widen the gap.
Luciela didn't chase. She realized Kid, despite having no youki, was stronger than any Claymore she'd ever fought. Her attacks were fast, but they couldn't get through. She had to admit—Kid was tough.
Something wasn't right. Rafaela could sense it. If Kid really wanted to kill her sister, he could've done it already. The way things were going, he clearly had other plans. Could her sister actually be cured? Rafaela had hoped Kid would kill Luciela, then revive her. That was way too naïve.
An Abyssal wasn't that easy to fix, especially when she wasn't cooperating. Judging by that furious expression, she wanted nothing more than to rip Kid apart.
"Luciela, do you really want to stay chained to the beast inside you? Even if you conquer the continent, you'll just be a flesh-eating monster. No one will ever truly serve you. Why not work with me? I can turn you back into a normal human." Kid thought, 'Come on, say yes already.'
But Abyssal One of the South didn't think she was being controlled at all. "What a joke. This is the real me—the fully awakened me. The power I have now can match any enemy."
"…" Kid laughed. "You can't even beat me. Let's make a bet—if you win, Rafaela and I will be your enforcers, help you take over the continent. But if you lose, you let me treat you. Dare to take that bet?"
"…" Luciela hesitated. It was tempting. But she wasn't confident. Kid was too unpredictable. Still, if she won and got both Kid and Rafaela as her lackeys, she'd become the strongest force around.
Could she win, though? Before the fight started, she would've said yes without question. But now… she wasn't so sure.
"What, getting cold feet?" Kid poked. "The mighty Abyssal One of the South afraid? If word gets out, Riful and Isley are gonna laugh their heads off. 'Abyssal One of the South's a coward!' Ha!"
"Fine!" Luciela's pupils shrank as she agreed. "Once I beat you, I'll make you suffer so much you'll beg for death."
"If I lose, do whatever you want." Kid stabbed the Claymore into the ground. "Since it's settled, I should go all out. The Claymore feels good to wield, but I never really trained in swordsmanship. I'm more used to fighting barehanded."
"Giving up your sword? You're asking to die." Luciela felt a flicker of joy but didn't show it. She figured if Kid didn't use a Claymore, he'd never hurt her. After all, every part of her body could become a mouth. As long as an enemy's fist got close, she could bite it to pieces.
The Abyss struck first. This time, she wasn't holding back—for the pride of the Abyss.
"Good!" Kid's feet smashed into the ground. "Burn—Sunlight Ripple!"
As Kid's fist shot toward the massive chest of the Abyss, Rafaela couldn't help but worry. She knew what her sister could do and feared Kid might suffer for it.
"Hahaha!" Luciela's chest suddenly split open. The female torso peeled into two massive jaws. "Let me chew you up!"
Boom—
A hurricane burst out from their point of contact and spread in an instant.
The Abyss's youki vanished??!!
Galatea, still watching from afar, tensed up. She didn't know what was happening down south, but the sudden surge and disappearance of Abyss-level youki wasn't normal. What in the world just happened?
Rafaela shielded her eyes with her arm against the blinding light. She wanted to know too. But when the light faded and the wind died down, about a minute later, she could finally see.
And what she saw was shocking.
Her sister looked like she'd melted in half. Half her body had been completely vaporized. One arm lay on the ground, the wound burnt to solid black. There was no way it would regenerate.
Kid had made sure to show real power—just to shut her up for good.
"How… how is this possible?" Abyssal Ones were insanely resilient. Luciela hadn't died, but she stared at her missing body in shock. She had never seen an attack like that.
That's because in this world, monsters and Claymores mainly relied on physical attacks. About 1 in 1,000 had youki resonance, and maybe 1 in 10,000 had psychic abilities. Most battles were all about stabbing and slicing. No one here had ever seen energy attacks like Ripple Overdrive.
"You lost!" Kid's voice came from behind the Abyss. "Now keep your promise and let me treat you."
Thank goodness. Rafaela smiled. Her sister could be saved.
The Abyssal One of the South didn't have the energy to argue. She wanted to turn back into a human, but the massive wound left her powerless. Her so-called Abyssal-level regeneration meant nothing against this level of burning.
"Aah… ahh!" Luciela collapsed to her knees in pain, weak and shaking.
"Why not try gathering what's left of your human self into one spot? Might help ease the pain." Kid offered the suggestion in a helpful tone.
It was a workable idea. The pain was unbearable. The wound had carbonized—no living cells left, totally out of her control. Hearing Kid's words, she started pulling the human parts of her body together, letting them reappear on her back.
Sure enough, it felt better. From the hips up, she was mostly human again—just like what was left of Ophelia.
"Got you!" Kid saw his chance and struck, knocking Luciela out cold.
Now came the surgery part.