*Chapter 16: Clash with the Monstrosity*
The colossal monster stood motionless, glaring at Kagami. But in the blink of an eye, a burst of anger consumed the creature, and it lunged ferociously at him, launching a relentless assault with it's countless limbs.
Kagami found himself on the backfoot, narrowly evading the increasingly powerful and swift attacks from the monstrous foe. Striking his own face in frustration, he grumbled, "Dammit, these bad habits will be the end of me," all while continuing to evade the monster's blows as best he could. (While taking the rest like a Champ!)
Meanwhile, on the other side of the dire situation, Astaria was attempting to re-establish her connection with "Him." She utilized Charlotte as a power source, to extend her reach. She made numerous attempts, but they all proved fruitless and meaningless.
In that place full of emptiness where she floated, Astaria decided to address "Him." She whimsically called out, "Mr. Him, you can show yourself, you know? There's no shame in taking a long time in the toilet, you know? You don't need to be shy; you can talk to me." Her words were bizarre, as an idiot she continued to ramble, addressing the void with a stream of random stuff that came to her mind.
As time passed, and Kagami took an increasingly brutal beating while passive aggressively complaining about everything, from his luck to the monster not taking it easy on him, to his party members being useless in his time of need. Charlotte had had enough, She couldn't stand idly by while Kagami faced certain doom. She confronted Astaria, demanding, "Hey, he's going to die! What are you going to do about it?"
Astaria turned to Charlotte, her voice feigning purity and a divine aura, as she said, "I trust Kagami-san with it. I'm fairly certain he doesn't want us to draw the monster's attention away from him." Her act was “flawless”, and just like that she continued to spout “divine” nonsense.
Charlotte saw through her own cowardice and realized that she was no different from Astaria, allowing fear and instincts to dictate her actions while letting someone else bear the brunt of the burden and take the beating for it. Unable to tolerate this any longer, she withdrew her hand from Astaria's back and charged toward the monster. (While Astaria cried her eyes out, begging her to not leave.)
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While she bit her lips until they bled, Charlotte's thoughts became clearer. She summoned two lightning swords into her hands and leaped at the monster, attempting a decisive strike. Kagami watched intently, murmuring, "Oh, that seems promising." However, in a split second, Charlotte found herself stuck on the wall, much like Kagami before her, as one of the monster's colossal limbs struck her aside.
Both Kagami and Astaria looked on in disappointment. Kagami, though feeling a bit of respect for Charlotte, couldn't help but shout at her, "You suck! Give me back my hype!"
Undeterred, Charlotte defiantly retorted, "Shut up, ya fucking cockroach! Just shut up and watch my awesome move!" As the monster approached her, Kagami tried to catch his breath.
Charlotte made another daring charge, this time summoning a massive hammer as she jumped high in the air and aimed for the finishing blow. Yet again, she was sent flying, as if she were a mere fly buzzing around.
In the midst of Kagami's frustrated expression and disappointment, Charlotte was subjected to more blows, and she was throw around few more times. Unlike Kagami, however, it appeared she wouldn't survive to see another day. The relentless barrage was taking a toll on her.
The monster's voice echoed, [You aren't like Him, are you? Then I bet you will taste great], followed by maniacal laughter.
As the pace of the brutal assault overwhelmed the battered Charlotte, time seemed to slow. Her mind revisited the regrets of her past and those she'd carry into the Afterlife if she dies here.
She believed her end was imminent and it was all her fault it ended up like this. With the beast's grasping hands just inches from her, Charlotte tried to quietly apologize to Kagami and Astaria, but before she could do that she was snatched away, leaving nothing but a vast cloud of dust and the shattered bones of countless dead creatures and beasts in her place.
As the dust settled, the monster scanned its surroundings, only to find Kagami carrying Charlotte over his shoulder. Confused, Charlotte looked at the ominous remains of what could have been her grim fate. Her instincts kicked in again, surging with fear and realization. Just as her fear threatened to overtake her and cloud her mind, Kagami slapped her Ass and said, "A 'thank you' would be nice."
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As always, Thank you for reading!!!