Cornered Beast (I)

"Now you finally realize what happens when you go against me, yes?"

Kama's face, radiant as fireworks, watched as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon shattered into fragments, dissolving into specks of light particles, with Nidhogg suffering the same fate.

She clearly wore a pleased expression, her earlier anger provoked by Arkhan now somewhat calmed down.

Kama looked at his back with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Oh, by the way, I suddenly remembered, that black dragon seems to have quite a special relationship with you. Watching your beloved die before your eyes must be quite unbearable. But no worries, I'll take care of it soon—"

Before she could finish her sentence, however, Kama felt a strange surge of magical energy in front of her.

A rift in space, as dark as an abyss, suddenly appeared before her. From it emerged Arkhan's figure, who had been several meters away just moments ago, wielding a greatsword ablaze with crimson flames, his eyes as cold and indifferent as the abyss, radiating a murderous intent.

Feeling overwhelmed by his overwhelming aura, Kama instinctively took a step back. But in the next moment, as she realized what she had done, embarrassment flooded her for her earlier actions.

"You dare?!"

*Swish—!*

She raised her arm, seemingly made of dark red crystal, and despite its slender appearance, it firmly caught the blade of the greatsword, rendering it immobile as if encased in iron.

"Hmph, are you angry? Too bad, in front of me, your anger won't bring you any advantage." Kama looked at Arkhan mockingly.

She had made up her mind; she wouldn't let this sharp-tongued man die easily. She would make him fall into the abyss of 'corrupted love' to become her slave forever!

Arkhan still looked at her with cold eyes, as if staring at a corpse.

A sudden strange fluctuation quickly pulled Kama back from her fantasies and felt something was wrong. Lowering her gaze slightly, she saw a golden glow emanating from the burning sword.

*BOOOM!*

The raging flames, as if pent-up for ages, erupted in an instant, distorting the surrounding space with extreme heat.

"AAAAAHHHHHH—!!!"

At such close range, Kama couldn't dodge in time and was engulfed by the flames as her piercing screams echoed through the sky.

This was Arkhan's carefully planned attack.

After so many years of battles, he wouldn't make such a fatal mistake on the battlefield due to emotional issues. Besides, he knew well that Nidhogg wasn't truly dead; she had only returned to her original world.

He just wanted to bait and trick Kama, and unexpectedly, his bait proved even more effective than he had anticipated!

For so many years, this was the first time he had seen someone dare to directly block Shamash with their bare hands. Just for this alone, he was willing to call this god of love the strongest yet the dumbest.

She really had quite a good grip.

The blazing flames engulfed Kama's entire body, the intense pain contorting her beautiful face. Despite Cleaver of Shamash not being fully unleashed into the Might of An-Utu form, the power of its flame was still overwhelming. Even Karna, the son of the sun god with strong fire resistance, might not withstand its burning.

"Can we win?"

Mordred stared tensely into the raging flames, where Kama was. She tightly gripped the hilt of Clarent, her hand betraying the urgency and tension in her heart.

The attack she had just unleashed was already her strongest, yet it still couldn't make any impact on the Beast at all.

Now, the only hope to turn the tide of battle lay with Arkhan.

The onlookers, whether it was mages or homunculi, pondered similarly on the distant hillside. The fate of the world rested on the shoulders of King Arthur.

After more than ten minutes, the flames gradually subsided, and Kama's figure emerged before everyone. Traces of flame still flickered over her body, and one of her demonic horns had vanished into thin air. Her once lush black hair, resembling thick vines, had dwindled, lending her a somewhat pathetic appearance.

However, those were not the focal point.

Almost immediately, all eyes turned to Kama's right hand. The crystalline structures that once adorned her arm were gone, replaced by charred remnants hanging limply, resembling a withered branch.

In terms of outward appearance, the loss was clearly significant as Kama's crippled arm was Arkhan's greatest gain from his previous attack. He could clearly sense her weakened aura, a powerful blow even for a Beast.

Had Kama not been so stubborn as to take Cleaver of Shamash head-on, she might not have paid such a devastating price.

"Now this look suits you..." Arkhan sneered, amusement dancing in his eyes. "At least it's easier on the eyes than before."

Hearing his mock, Kama gritted her teeth like a cornered tiger, glaring fiercely at him, her eyes ablaze with fury, as if she wanted to tear him apart.

Arkhan couldn't be bothered with further banter. He raised Cleaver of Shamash once more, advancing without giving Kama a chance to recover.

Realizing the terror behind his greatsword, Kama dared not confront it directly, especially in her heavily injured state. Despite her inner resentment and rage, she had no choice but to retreat temporarily, avoiding the impending attack.

"Running away? Not in my watch!"

*Rattle—!*

A gleam flashed in Arkhan's eyes as twelve golden spears with chains trailed behind him, swirling like dragons, charging toward Kama.

"Don't push your luck!" Kama exclaimed, a mix of panic and anger.

She had noticed the peculiarities of these chains when she saw them binding Assassin of Black in Sighisoara. Though her magical energy reserves were higher than ordinary Servants, it didn't mean she could ignore these chains!

Raising her hand once more, Kama conjured several light whips that intertwined with the golden chains, creating a chaotic sound of collisions.

*Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!* *Clang!* *Cling!* 

But before she could breathe a sigh of relief, another small, deep red orb appeared in Arkhan's hand.

"Get over here!"

Gravity shifted, space collapsed, and near the deep red orb, a small black hole formed, emitting terrifying suction force, like a powerful arm grabbing Kama tightly, causing her speed to instantly decrease.

"Damn you!" Kama's eyes flashed with a hint of madness. "You forced me to do this!"

On her other undamaged arm, a dark red flame flickered to life. Though seemingly unremarkable, anyone could clearly feel the tremendous power of destruction contained within those flames.

It was the power to destroy even the universe itself.