He drew it back, and before he could release it, the sound of loud laughter echoed from beside them.
Haruki's face lit up when he recognized the owner of those laughs; he turned toward the sound without hesitation and a relieved, happy smile rose on his face. He shouted, hope shining from him.
"Yami!"
The arthropod creature turned its attention to the direction the sound had come from, whispering in annoyance as white foam slipped from between its fangs.
The shadows were pushed away from Yamka's form as she approached them in steady steps, a smile still adorning her face despite her disheveled state.
The surge of energy remained strong in her; her orange hair was tousled and entangled with bits of branches and leaves, while the front strands fell across her face, casting a shadow over it. Fresh scratches reddened both of her bare arms.
Her fingers ran through her hair, lifting the strands from her green eyes that shone with a mix of excitement and a thirst for battle. She bent to pick up her axe and raised it, resting it on her shoulder, then said with sarcasm and arrogance.
"Did you think you could kill me simply by throwing me through the air? How foolish you are , I will not die before I get the revenge I deserve!"
The creature's fangs spread apart, releasing a deep, thunderous roar that burst forth with power at Yamka's bold and defiant declaration. That roar served as a public acceptance of the challenge.
Both of them charged toward each other. The creature widened its jaws with the intent to inflict a deadly bite, but Yamka blocked its attack by placing the wooden handle of her axe between its fangs, preventing them from closing.
Each of them pushed against the other, trying to drive the opponent back and gain the upper hand in the fight.
The creature managed to overpower Yamka, forcing her backward as the dirt beneath her feet was displaced by her struggle to hold her ground.
Her back slammed against one of the tree trunks as the creature closed in on her more and more, until she could feel its breath against her skin. Yet even under all that pressure, she still refused to yield.
Noroi's eyes narrowed when Yamka slammed into the tree trunk, and his mind began racing in circles trying to find a way to intervene. But no sooner had his foot moved half a step on the grass than Yamka whipped her head toward him with a fighting look and her teeth clenched together.
She shouted at him, saying.
"This is my fight! Don't stick your nose in!"
Noroi froze where he stood at her commanding tone, his lips folding into an annoyed frown. He raised his hand to press the button on the metal wristpiece so the sword slid back inside, then crossed his arms over his chest.
Haruki looked at him with wide eyes and panic written on his face; his lips parted as he said, worried and confused by Noroi's actions.
"What are you doing? We have to step in and help her."
Noroi shrugged indifferently and, in a cold tone, said.
"She wants to die alone , so be it."
Haruki's jaw dropped at Noroi's announcement of withdrawal, and he turned his gaze back toward Yamka. It didn't take him long to realize he had no chance of intervening between them, so his final decision was to raise his hands in surrender and obey Yamka's request to leave the fight to her alone.
Meanwhile the girl was still struggling against the creature; a heat surged through her veins that drove her to push harder, and with that force she managed to shove the creature back by the length of her arm.
Her teeth were clenched and a vein on her forehead bulged as she took a step forward. She unclenched her teeth and spoke in a strained tone.
"Listen to my words, you insect! Your end will be at my hands!"
Haruki stood to Noroi's left side, watching the events unfold as if he were watching one of the fantasy action movies he used to enjoy with Hiroshi and Fuji , but now, he was witnessing it with his own eyes.
Yamka took another heavy step forward, creating some space between herself and the creature and the tree, allowing her to move more freely.
As soon as she managed to advance for the third time, she withdrew to the right side and quickly pulled her axe out from between the creature's fangs.
Once she was free to move, both of her hands instinctively wrapped around the wooden part of her axe, raising it above her head, her eyes gleaming with a dark glow before her axe came crashing down swiftly…
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Thank you for reading! If this moment touched you even a little , please consider adding it to your library.💐