章 62: Chapter Sixty Two

Jean and stared in fear as the hammar wielding child vanished, when a flash blitzed past them before they could even blink.

*Boom*

Several dozen feet behind them, the hallway exploded in showers of rocks as Alice crumbled from the impact.

"Hahahahahahahaha!!!" The moment Mai—no, Grorubas—laughed, it felt as if the ruins themselves trembled in dread. A terrifying aura spilled out of her, suffocating and malevolent. Jean, Bekhan, and the four adventurers behind them instinctively froze, each one acutely aware that a single misstep could mean their end. The ghost's possession had awakened something far more dangerous than any of them had prepared for.

Mai tilted her head, the black cracks on her face pulsing faintly. "I can feel it. This body, this power. It's intoxicating. Tell me, little insects... how long do you think you'll last?"

Jean's grip on his katana tightened. He exchanged a glance with Bekhan, but even without words, they both knew—neither of them could afford to engage her. Mai was already devastatingly powerful before. Now? A single misstep could reduce them to nothing more than a mist of blood and bone.

Alice rushed forward, her expression unreadable. "Let my master go," she demanded, her voice steady despite the weight pressing on them all. The scaled carapaces on her arms gleamed under the flickering light of Bekhan's enchantment. "You have no idea who you've possessed."

Grorubas chuckled darkly, taking a slow step forward. The sound of her foot meeting stone reverberated unnaturally, as if the air itself screamed in pain. "Oh, I know exactly who this child is. And that's what makes this so much more fun. Her strength... is unlike anything I've ever known." She raised a hand, flexing her fingers. Even the air around her seemed to warp with raw, unbridled energy.

Alice's aura shifted subtly, her entire stance tightening. "If you think you can control my mater's power, you're dumber than you look. She'll kill you just as easily as she'll kill us."

Grorubas grinned wider. "Oh, but that's the beauty of it. I am in control. And I will show you—"

Once again, she disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, Mai—or what Grorubas had become—reappeared inches from Jean, her hammer swinging in a devastating arc. The swordsman barely managed to react, throwing himself backward with everything he had, his body screaming in pain from the strain, even as his instincts screamed and begged for him to move even faster. The hammer slammed into the ground where he had been standing, obliterating the stone floor and sending shockwaves rippling through the corridor.

Jean was hurled across the room, crashing into the far wall with a sickening crack. He crumpled to the ground, coughing blood, his katana lying several feet away. Bekhan immediately raised a barrier of light, the glowing shield barely holding against the residual energy from the attack.

"Jean!" Bekhan barked, but he couldn't afford to turn. Mai—no, Grorubas—was already moving, her hammer swinging toward him now.

Alice intercepted the blow mid-swing, her scaled arms locking with the hammer. The force of the impact was overwhelming, sending her skidding backward even as she absorbed the brunt of the strike. The ground beneath her feet cracked and splintered, but she held firm, refusing to falter.

Grorubas raised an eyebrow, a flicker of amusement crossing her features. "You're stronger than the others. Interesting. Let's see how long that lasts."

Alice didn't respond. She spun, her scaled fist aiming for Grorubas' chest, but the ghost-possessed Mai caught her wrist with ease. The sheer disparity in strength was undeniable. Alice's carapace creaked under the pressure of Grorubas' grip before she was flung across the corridor, crashing into Bekhan's barrier and shattering it.

"You can't touch me," Grorubas said, her voice filled with arrogance. "None of you can."

Bekhan scrambled to his feet, his hands glowing as he prepared another incantation. But before he could complete it, Grorubas vanished again. She reappeared behind him, one hand gripping his shoulder. The light in his hands flickered and died as he let out a strangled gasp, her aura suffocating him.

"You're the mage," she said, her tone mocking. "I wonder... what happens when I squeeze?"

"Release my master at once!" Alice roared, charging forward with renewed fury. Her fists collided with Grorubas' side, but the impact didn't even make her flinch. The ghost merely glanced at her, unimpressed.

And then, with a casual flick of her wrist, Grorubas hurled Bekhan at Alice. Both of them went tumbling into the rubble, groaning in pain.

Jean, barely able to stand, grabbed his katana and forced himself forward. He knew it was hopeless. He knew he was outclassed in every conceivable way. But he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"Stop," he rasped, his voice barely audible over the ringing in his ears. "Mai... fight it. You're stronger than this. You have to be."

Grorubas turned to him, her expression unreadable for a moment. And then, she smiled. "You think she's still in here? How naive."

Alice lunged forward, her scaled arms catching the swing of Mai's hammer mid-air. The clash echoed like a monstrous roar, the aura around Alice expanding in waves of blackened energy. Her feet skidded against the cracked floor, but she didn't falter. Her teeth clenched as she met the unnatural strength of the possessed child head-on.

"You will not harm her," Alice growled, her voice colder than ice, as if daring Grorubas to test her resolve.

Grorubas tilted Mai's head, her lips curling into a mocking smile. "Harm her? My dear, I am her now. You should worry about yourselves."

Jean and Bekhan moved in tandem, their years of experience as a duo evident in their synchronized movements. Bekhan whispered a series of incantations under his breath, each word laced with power as Jean's katana began to glow once more, an ethereal silver light engulfing the blade. The swordsman darted forward, his weapon aimed at the figure wearing Mai's face.

"Jean, wait—!" Alice's warning came too late.

Grorubas flicked a finger toward him, the black cracks on her face shifting as if alive. A burst of raw energy exploded from her finger, catching Jean mid-stride and sending him hurtling into the wall with a deafening crash. His katana clattered to the floor, its glow fading as he slumped to his knees, coughing violently.

Bekhan didn't waste a moment. His hands moved in intricate patterns as he summoned a barrier of light around Alice and himself. "That thing's feeding on her strength," he said through gritted teeth. "Physical attacks won't work—it's amplifying her already monstrous power!"

Alice flexed her carapaced arms, the dark aura around her intensifying. "This is your last warning, release master this instant."

Grorubas tilted her head again, intrigued. "Or what failure?"

Alice didn't answer. Instead, she charged, her fists glowing with Bekhan's enchantments. Her first strike connected, the scaled fist crashing into Grorubas' midsection. The blow sent ripples through the air, but the possessed girl only laughed, her body not even flinching as if the hit had merely amused her.

"You think you can outmatch me?" Grorubas sneered. "Your power pales in comparison to what I now control."

But Alice didn't stop. A second blow, then a third, each strike faster and more forceful than the last. Black cracks began to spiderweb across the floor, the sheer intensity of their clash threatening to bring the corridor down around them. Grorubas' mocking laughter continued as Alice's relentless assault only slightly pushed her feet back.

Jean gasped for air as he watched from the sidelines, every nerve in his body screaming for him to stay down. Yet his eyes remained locked on the battle unfolding before him. Alice's fists moved like a storm, her strikes landing with earth-shaking force, yet the creature possessing Mai barely seemed fazed. Each hit was like a mosquito bite against a mountain.

"Is that all you've got?" Grorubas taunted, her grin widening with sadistic delight. She let out a mocking laugh, the sound carrying an unnatural edge that sent shivers down everyone's spines. "This is hardly a fight. It's a massacre waiting to happen."

Behind them, one of the adventurers—a man wielding twin axes—gathered his courage. He darted forward with a desperate battle cry, the jagged edges of his weapons gleaming in Bekhan's fading enchantments.

"Stay back!" Jean rasped, but the man didn't listen.

With a speed that shouldn't have been possible, Grorubas turned her head, her gaze locking onto the oncoming adventurer. "Oh, how cute." Her hand moved lazily, almost as if she were swatting a fly, but the result was catastrophic.

*CRACK.*

The adventurer's torso twisted unnaturally as Grorubas' hammer caught him mid-leap. His body was flung like a ragdoll, crashing into a nearby wall with enough force to embed him into the stone. His axes clattered to the ground, lifeless hands releasing them as blood trickled down the shattered rock.

Another of the adventurers—a mage—raised her staff, desperate incantations spilling from her lips. A torrent of fire erupted from her weapon, roaring down the corridor like a feral beast. For a brief moment, it seemed as though the flames might engulf Grorubas entirely.

The ghost merely tilted her head again, the cracks on her face glowing brighter. With a wave of her hand, the fire dissipated as if snuffed out by an invisible wind. The mage froze, her face a mask of disbelief as Grorubas appeared before her in an instant.

"You should've run," the ghost whispered mockingly, her hand gripping the mage's head.

The mage's screams were short-lived. Grorubas crushed her skull with a sickening crunch, her body crumpling to the floor like a discarded doll.

Bekhan's barrier shimmered and cracked as he struggled to maintain it, sweat pouring down his face. "We can't win this!" he yelled, desperation thick in his voice.

Jean forced himself to stand, wobbling as he retrieved his katana. "We don't have a choice," he growled, his voice hoarse.

Another adventurer, this one armed with a spear, tried to attack from Grorubas' blind spot. His movements were precise, his aim true. But as the tip of his weapon neared its target, Grorubas caught the spear mid-thrust with her bare hand.

"Really?" she said, her tone almost bored.

With a flick of her wrist, the spear snapped in two. Her hammer followed, a blur of deadly motion, and the spearman's chest caved in with a thunderous *boom.* His body folded in half before flying into a collapsing pillar.

Alice roared, her aura intensifying as she launched another flurry of attacks, each strike faster, harder, more desperate. Grorubas' grin didn't falter. If anything, it grew wider. She grabbed Alice mid-strike, her fingers tightening around one scaled arm with an audible *crack.*

"Let me show you what real strength looks like," Grorubas hissed.

With a brutal swing of her hammer, she sent Alice careening into the last remaining adventurer—a young woman wielding a bow. The archer didn't even have time to scream before the combined impact reduced her to a spray of crimson mist.

Jean's vision blurred with rage and pain as he watched his comrades fall one by one. His knuckles turned white as he gripped his katana, its blade shaking in his trembling hands. Bekhan's barrier shattered completely, leaving him defenseless as Grorubas turned her attention to him.

"Now, mage," she cooed, her voice dripping with malice. "Shall we see how long you can last without your little tricks?"

Before she could move, Alice rose from the rubble, blood streaming from her mouth and wounds. Her eyes burned with determination, her battered body refusing to give in. "You'll... not... soil my master any longer," she snarled, every word a struggle.

Grorubas laughed, the sound echoing through the ruins. "And who's going to stop me? You?"

Alice lunged again, her speed fueled by desperation. Her fists collided with Grorubas' hammer, sparks flying as the two forces clashed. But it was clear she was losing. He was just toying with her, playing with his new found strength. Her strength was waning, her movements slowing.

Bang

Grorubas shot backwards, her feet dragging trenches from the impact. A fist sized marble pushed against her chest for a few moments.

She slid to a stop, and the marble dropped to the ground with an audible *boom* cratering it. "Who!!..."

Tiny pink orbs shone in the darkness as Yui came into view, her pink eyes blazing in unrestrained rage. Her hammers appeared in her hands. "Get out of my sister." She growled.

Grorubas smirked. "Make Me."