Vina’s Resolution

“Celia, don’t be afraid. Face the enemy’s attack head-on!”

Dogsius’s voice rang out. Hearing this, Celia looked down at her own chest.

“What?”

“Relax. I’m here, nothing will go wrong!”

Dogsius affirmed. This message was also relayed to Serea. Upon hearing it, Serea recalled something—that was…

Dogsius seemed to be a parasitic monster…

Realizing this, Serea’s heart settled. She dashed toward Addis in a few swift steps, while Betimia was already unleashing her Soul-Stealing Sacrifice.

In an instant, Celia felt a piercing spiritual force lock onto her. Against such an attack, no armor and no physical body could shield her, as this was an assault that struck directly at the soul!

“Die!”

Addis roared, and after using this skill, Betimia collapsed instantly, while that surge of spiritual force violently surged into Celia’s body.

It succeeded. She was as good as dead!

However…

“Awoo.”

A strange sound echoed in her mind—it was unmistakably Dogsius’s voice, and as soon as the spiritual force Betimia released entered Celia’s body, it vanished, as if something had devoured it.

Devoured… It was devoured…

“Hm?”

Seeing that Celia was unharmed—not even slightly affected—Addis was dumbfounded.

She’d commanded Betimia to unleash her strongest strike, one that could even severely wound herself in her current state.

Why was this young girl completely unscathed?

Addis couldn’t figure it out, and no one gave her the answer. What’s more, Serea had already charged up to her.

She grabbed the ring!

“No!”

Seeing her soul’s vessel taken in someone else’s hand, Addis sensed a threat.

A curse of death swept over Serea. Although she wasn’t affected by the power’s corruption, the damage was still tangible. Yet, this damage was not enough to stop Serea.

She forcefully tried to snatch it. Seeing this, Addis tightened her grip, but as she did, Serea swung her knife down at Addis’s arm.

As long as she could seize the ring, nothing else mattered!

When Serea raised the dagger, Addis was immobilized by vines and Blood Spring.

As a result, she could only lift her hand and grasp Serea’s knife-wielding hand.

At level 32, Addis’s strength attribute prevented Serea from pushing the blade down any further.

Faster—cut it off!

The veins on Serea’s arm bulged, showing the immense force she was exerting.

But it was no use against Addis.

Revitalize!

The vines wound around Addis’s arm once again, but were instantly withered by the curse of death.

Thus, the vines could only restrain her and could not go further.

The bone ring could not be seized for the moment, and no one else could get close, because the dense power of death around Addis would force any melee combatant to keep away.

Misfortune never comes alone.

As Serea continued to exert her strength, she felt a wave of weakness rise inside—both her blood power and darkness power were nearly depleted—soon, she would have to exit Blood Frenzy.

When that happened, as a mere level nineteen, let alone seizing the bone ring, she might not even be able to protect herself.

Boom!

Clark fell to the ground. Without the Blood Spring’s energy, he was nothing but a pile of broken stones.

“Master… Cl… Clark did his best…”

The voice faded, and Clark was forced to turn into a bloodstone, vanishing within the magic circle.

A dead end. Blood Frenzy was about to end, and the opportunity Celia had created was slipping away.

At this time, Little White was still dashing to retrieve an arrow—he had previously shot down a Skeleton Cavalry, and as long as he obtained its arrows, he would be able to help the queen!

He sprinted madly!

But now, the holy light enveloping Celia began to dim; she couldn’t hold out for much longer…

“Hahaha, you’ve exhausted your strength? What a pity!”

Addis clung tightly to Serea’s hand.

She could feel the other’s strength draining away little by little. Once she broke free, everyone would die!

In that moment of crisis, Vina gritted her teeth. The queen needed help now more than ever. With this thought, she made a bold move.

“You have no chance—go to…”

Before she managed to say ‘die’, a cold flash came speeding in.

It was Vina!

“Queen, I’ll help you!”

Letting the curse of death strike her, Vina’s body grew pitch black from the corruption.

The curse gnawed at her, and as a level sixteen, she had no way to resist.

“Get back!”

“No, I have to go all in!”

Vina said as she clutched her dagger and pressed forward.

Against such a powerful death curse, her body decayed almost instantly, yet even then, she rushed up to Addis.

“Vina!”

“Vina!”

“Vina!”

Everyone called out in anxiety. Vina, straining against her body’s collapse, slashed down with her dagger.

If she could cut off Addis’s arm and seize the bone ring, everything would be over.

As for why she did this…

Guilt, inferiority…

Vina felt she had always burdened her queen, again and again making her risk everything for her.

This was not what a retainer wished to see. So even if it cost her life, she wanted her actions to shout out—

She could help the queen! She was not a burden!

The blade was almost there—everything was about to end!

“Ahhh, damn you worms! You dare to do this to me? Trying to seal me again? If I die, you’re all coming with me!”

Even before Vina could slash down, Addis’s body went limp. To protect itself, her soul retreated once more into the bone ring.

With no more resistance, Serea forcefully ripped off the bone ring. As she did, the charging skeleton abomination collapsed into a pile of bones.

The skeletons all around immediately went still, falling into another deep slumber.

But as she removed the bone ring, a voice echoed in Serea’s mind.

“You are actually a descendant of the Bloodstorm!”

The female voice from the bone ring was both furious and shocked.

She had wanted to seize Serea’s body to initiate the resurrection ritual again, but as Serea was a Bloodstorm descendant, she could not be possessed—so Addis failed.

“Despicable worm! Don’t think you’re out of my reach. You may be a Bloodstorm descendant, but she isn’t!”

As she finished speaking, a cloud of blue mist burst out of the bone ring—it was Addis’s soul, a lich’s soul!

Though unable to control the power of death, at this moment Serea had no way to deal with the soul either.

She could only watch helplessly as the soul surged into Vina’s body.

“Ugh—ah!”

Vina’s decaying body groaned in agony. Death’s power was wiping out her life sign by sign.

With Addis’s soul invading, Vina’s own soul would soon be eradicated.

Absolutely not!

Watching Vina’s life about to be snuffed out, Serea anxiously asked,

“System, I want to save Vina—right now, immediately!”

[System: …]

“Is there a way?”

[System: There is.]

“Then tell me!”

[System: The curse of death has eroded Vina; even if the curse is dispelled, her failing body cannot be saved. Although this process cannot be reversed with the host’s current power, the host has another method: you can preserve Vina’s consciousness, allowing her to move and think independently in her present body—a state equivalent to being ‘alive’.]

“To preserve her current consciousness and allow autonomous action—how?”

[System: Detected death energy. Absorbing the death crystal…]

[System: Detected extremely pure death energy. The host can now unlock the Death Altar hero unit—’Undead Queen’—and open the basic building ‘Death Altar’. Unlock now?]

(To be continued…)

————-= Clacky’s Corner ————-=

Dogsius is really the MVP, it can cook, clean, forge, make jewels, now he also protek…

Side note, Vina finally useful for once…

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep