Chapter 434: Barghest
Just as Arkhan was about to take out his weapon, Melusine suddenly cried out urgently beside him.
"Barghest! Is that you?! Barghest!"
Arkhan turned to Melusine in haste, looking at her anxious face in surprise.
"Are you saying this giant dog is Barghest?"
"That's Barghest's original appearance!" Melusine nodded vigorously.
Only then did Arkhan remember that the fairy knight Barghest, who had replaced Gawain, seemed to be the legendary black dog in English folklore.
"Barghest doesn't seem right..." Melusine said, her face filled with obvious concern as she looked at the black dog's blood-red eyes devoid of any rationality. "Members of their kind often lose control of their emotions and go into fits of madness, but Barghest in this state... she's even scarier than when she's at her craziest."
"It looks like the Lion King's Gift is at work..." Arkhan remarked, his eyes fixed on the massive black dog without blinking.
"But... why?" Melusine furrowed her brow in confusion. "Barghest has always resisted the power of the Gift, even going so far as to confine herself to the Wailing Wall to avoid triggering it. So why now..."
"I don't know, but I'm sure Merlin has something to do with it." Arkhan stated solemnly.
He was certain that anything like this happening was definitely connected to Merlin.
"Merlin..." Melusine gritted her teeth tightly, a hint of hatred in her eyes.
Suddenly, a wave of scorching heat surged toward them like a cannonball from below.
Arkhan and Melusine both leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding a black-red fireball with intense heat.
Arkhan sighed as he looked down at Barghest in her black dog form, her mouth wide open.
"Looks like she doesn't even remember you anymore, Melusine."
Melusine bit her lip, her expression darkening slightly as she watched Barghest looking at her with crazed, ferocious red eyes.
Arkhan sighed quietly in his heart and was about to unleash Judgment of Shamash in Might of An-Utu's form when he heard Melusine's soft voice beside him.
"Please... let me handle this, okay?"
Upon hearing that, Arkhan hesitated for a moment.
"Are you sure? After all, She's... your friend..."
He didn't want to burden this lonely little girl with such a heavy responsibility. In the endless years of the past, this friendship was probably one of the few things that could bring her solace and warmth.
"Which is why... I have to do it myself..."
Melusine took a deep breath, magical energy radiance flowing on her armored arms. With a determined gaze, she stared at Barghest.
"I want to... personally end Barghest's suffering!"
Feeling Melusine's firm determination, Arkhan fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Then I'll leave her to you."
He immediately stepped back, leaving Barghest to Melusine.
Melusine gazed at the menacing black dog below, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, there was no trace of hesitation.
*Hum—*
As magical energy converged, a dazzling blade of light shot out from the bottom of her arm armor. In the next second, Melusine's petite figure streaked like a comet toward Barghest on the hill.
*ROOOAAAAAARRR—!*
Barghest roared to the sky, her eyes filled with utter madness. Flames surged between her ferocious jaws, launching toward the incoming streak of light like cannonballs.
*Whoosh!*
A howling gale, laden with scorching heat, rushed forth.
As Melusine's eyes reflected the incoming fireball, calm as a still pond, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
*Swish!*
*BOOM!*
Like a red-hot knife through butter, the fireball was instantly split in two, unleashing a surge of energy that exploded in midair, filling the sky with a dazzling blaze.
A streak of blue light shot out from the flames, like a shooting star, directly hitting Barghest between her eyes.
*BOOM!*
Amidst the terrifying sound of an explosion, Barghest, engulfed in black-red flames, was suppressed by an immense force, crashing onto the ground, and stirring up a whirlwind of sand and stones.
At Barghest's brow, Melusine, clad in azure armor, looked at her red eyes brimming with madness.
"Barghest! It's me, Melusine! Can you hear me?! I've come to save you!" Melusine shouted in a somewhat desperate tone.
At the mention of Melusine's name, Barghest, who had been struggling violently, suddenly calmed down a bit. Her eyes, previously devoid of focus, seemed to find a focal point as they locked onto the petite figure.
Seeing this, Melusine felt a surge of hope.
Could there really be a chance?
But in the next moment, the madness and hatred in Barghest's eyes intensified.
Black-red flames surged around her body, mercilessly scorching everything as if intent on incinerating the entire world.
Seeing this, Arkhan instinctively took a step forward but hesitated for a moment before stepping back.
Melusine gritted her teeth as she was enveloped in black-red flames.
Despite being shielded by her magical armor, the excruciating heat still brought her unbearable agony. The air around her felt thick like flowing magma, each breath searing her throat.
Apart from this terrifying heat, there was a constant onslaught of negative emotions washing over her like a tide, threatening to overwhelm her.
Melusine tried her best to hold onto her inner sanity, resisting being ensnared by these negative emotions, or else she would become a wild beast consumed by madness.
The dual torment of body and mind inflicted immense pain upon her, yet she persisted, refusing to retreat even a single step.
"I see... this is the pain you've been burying deep inside all this time?"
Melusine stared into the black dog's crazed crimson eyes. Amidst the blur, she seemed to see the familiar figure unleashing a furious howl of despair, tears like blood streaming down her face.
This pitch-black, blood-red flame was not just Barghest's anger but also her blood-soaked accusation against the world!
She was furious because, in this vast world, there wasn't a single land where her people could live peacefully without being hunted to extinction.
She was in agony because, for the sake of her clan's survival, she had to sell herself to a demon, drenching her hands in blood just for a glimmer of hope.
She harbored hatred because her friends had died at the hands of the enemy, and she could only seek vengeance through such a pitiful means.
For so long, Barghest had borne immense hardships, the hope for her clan's continuation, the madness deep within her bloodline tormenting her, rarely able to find true peace. She could only overcome these hardships with a firm will, like pressing down a spring with her hands, forcefully suppressing them.
But this time, the deaths of her friends, Tristan and Melusine, were the final straw, and the spring she had kept down for so long suddenly leaped to its highest point.
The madness she had suppressed countless times erupted completely, accompanied by all the accumulated negative emotions, turning into an overwhelming blaze.
Known as Barghest, even though she was covered in wounds, the only thing that flowed from them and the corners of her eyes was molten iron-like fire. She had long dried up all her blood and tears, replaced by nothing but endless flames of fury filling her hated and ugly body.
Even if this wretched world was destroyed, if her soul and body were burned to ashes, her flame would never be extinguished.
All of this was a side of Barghest that she never showed to anyone.
Only at this moment, as Melusine dared to come close despite the risk of being incinerated, could she truly understand Barghest's suppressed pain and turmoil.
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