The second female lead Dual Cultivates

The chimera made good use of Maria’s distraction to get a headstart but it did not help. The veins around them were just too thin to be used to get to the center and Maria felt her knees about to give out due to the echoed pain she felt.

It hurt, hurt bad and Maria felt her body push itself unconsciously back on her feet. Her chains made a clumsy attack on the chimera which was easily dodged by the female. The follow-up attacks were not any better in quality and strength.

Maria’s head felt light and empty as she attacked. It made it very difficult to time or power her attacks up but it did make Maria capable of hitting some of the attacks on Rocci.

However, despite it all, it was not enough for Maria to be able to push the female back and the chains were beginning to drain Maria of her power. The heat was only a matter of time now and Maria hated to think of the consequences it would bring.

“Be careful with that weapon. It can kill someone” Rucci complained even as she maneuvered herself out of harm’s way and it was odd how Maria was not hitting her. Wasn’t Maria’s reflexes too slow?

They felt sluggish and uncoordinated. Like a puppet dancing on someone’s string. Maria knew she was making an effort to attack but her arms did not move in the same way she wanted them to.

“Give. Me. Back. My. Control” it was a dual struggle to fight with the chimera and try to get her body back at the same time. It left Maria in a position of vulnerability and Maria did mind it.

She wanted the control of her body back and she could feel the disapproval all around her. The cave, the node, the very essence of this place did not want her to be independent of its control.

[Karin’s extension is not free from us. You will fight for us] Maria gritted her teeth as the pressure and thoughts sank into her being. They tried to crush her will but she could not allow it.

She would not allow it.

“I am not her extension. I am my one person and I will protect you as such” Maria’s voice was strong and confident and her magic shined brightly. She was no one’s extension but here of her own free will.

Everything that was happening, everything that will happen, was her own choice and no one else’s. Even if this was destiny or something as mundane as a path, Maria would follow it as long as she wanted to.

“I will help you because I want to. Not because Lady Karin trusted me or something. So allow me back my control” Maria would like to believe that her words were the reason she got her control back but she was not as optimistic.

The chimera had tried to climb up a thickened vein in the time Maria had been fighting to get her freedom and the snapped vein did hurt.

“Now even this one” Rucci muttered as she looked around for a thicker vein and Marai knew she had to stop her before she did something stupid. Maria could feel the presence inside the node and it did not look happy.

Maria had no idea what a node was and why it helped such importance to the demonic war but she knew everything inside her was telling her to hurry up and stop this destruction. This palace should not fall at any cost.

[We shall trust you this once] the pressure around Maria decreased and she finally felt like her own self.

And as soon as Maria could use her powers, she decided to take a shot at Rucci with her chains. Her low was aimed at Rucci’s body and never managed to touch the ground even when the chimera jumped out of the way.

Having her body fight under her own will was a liberating experience for Maria and she cherished it a lot. It made it easy for Maria to be able to aim her chains.

And somehow, the control of those chains came easier to her. She knew how and where to aim to avoid damage and Maria knew it was because she had tried to struggle against the control. It taught her something she would never have learned otherwise.

“You are so persistent. Why don’t you just knock yourself out now? Don’t those chains hurt you as well?” the chimera asked and Maria had to wonder how she knew. Someone must have told her which meant that her information network was solid.

But there was also a chance that the nobility had been the one to share it with Rocci and it was a big possibility. The nobility did not know the real extent of what these chains did but the old families like Clement and such did know the chains had a backlash as well.

“They do? I was not aware of that” Maria taunted back in an attempt to get the chimera to second-guess herself. She did not like to be at a disadvantage in knowledge was often a big factor in a victory.

Never mind that Maria could feel the heat starting to build up inside her at a much slower rate than normal. It had to be because of the node’s help and Maria felt grateful.

“Fuck those fools and their wrong information. You are such an annoyance since I can’t kill you or the master would have my head. I don’t see what he sees in a spoilt brat like you who can’t even appreciate their great self” the chimera complained.

“Master? Great self?” Maria asked, feeling like she had heard those words before. Was it their contractor? The one who had called them here in the world from the lower realm?

“You don’t even know him? Master’s the greatest and the kindest person I’ve known. He saved us when we were a fated to die. Master is someone bigger than fate itself and-” the lady never managed to finish since the floor beneath her feet gave a painful throb and broke the female’s balance.

And since Rocci was closer to the edge of the magma pool, the motion was enough to push her into the pool and that was her likely end.

It must be a painful way for someone to die and Maria felt herself diverting her eyes away from such a death. She felt sorry for the girl who had so much more to give but she also felt relieved to be rid of such a nuisance.

But Maria still had a problem and that was to reach the center aisle of the cave.