MTLNOVEL Chapter 7: Resolve
Slam!
The attack caught my side and sent me tumbling, slamming into the ground with a grunt.
I coughed, pain exploding in my ribs as my vision blurred.
The Loox advanced again, now with full bloodlust. It had gotten a taste of my scent.
I quickly scrambled to my feet just in time to duck another swipe—but the shockwave of the claw's swing alone cracked the wall behind me.
Holy shit!
Was this monster roided up or something?!
It swiftly launched another attack, threatening to cleave my face with its sharp claws.
I lowered my posture and dodged again, quickly following it up with a counter-attack with a slash to its leg. I managed to chip away a bit of its flesh.
Shit...
My expression became grim.
It was becoming extremely clear...
This fight... I was barely staying alive with my dodges. Moreover, I quickly realised how I was too slow and far too weak to kill this monster!
My attacks weren't doing anything!
I felt my mind race.
Wasn't this supposed to be Undertale?! Humans are meant to be stronger—weren't they?
But this...
Was this some kind of sick joke! I can barely even leave a scratch!
Another blow came, too fast for me to react—this one almost took my arm off as I had crossed them to block the attack.
I tumbled on the ground from the force of the swing.
With a bloodthirsty expression, the monster continued its onslaught as it lunged forward.
The monster howled, raising both its claws to finish me off.
I knew I couldn't dodge.
I felt the world slow down...
Was I going to die?
But what I thought didn't happen.
Something else did.
Thud.
I blinked.
"Frisk!?"
Without me realising, she had shoved me with everything she had, allowing me to narrowly escape the attack.
However, my eyes constricted.
The blow that was meant for me slammed into her instead.
Boom!
The attack sent her crashing into the wall with a sickening impact. Her body slid down slowly, her back scraping against the cold surface as she collapsed onto the ground
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes shrunk into needles.
Everything had stopped.
The world, the monster, even my heartbeat—frozen in a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity.
Frisk wasn't moving.
For a moment… I couldn't process it. The monster. The pain. The fear.
Seeing Frisk in such a state, my thoughts were in disarray.
All I could see was her.
Why…?
How did this happen?
Emotions I had never felt. No, never felt to such a degree, suddenly surged up all at once.
It was like my soul was being torn open and every buried instinct was crawling out, screaming for blood and vengeance.
Rage, fury, grief, sadness, guilt...
All these emotions told me one thing...
But at that sole desire, it suddenly struck me.
My eyes glinted with clarity.
Emotions...
That's right.
In the story… monsters were made of magic.
And humans?
Humans possessed something monsters didn't.
A soul capable of manifesting intent...
I weakly recovered myself back to my feet.
I looked down at the bloodied rock shard still in my hand. I had unknowingly gripped it too hard, it's uneven edges sinking into my flesh as my blood leaked out, dripping onto the ground.
Intent.
The intent to kill...
That's what LV really meant – "Level of Violence."
The will to harm.
That's what made humans so dangerous in this world.
I'd been holding back this whole time—because deep down, I hadn't really tried to kill it.
I hadn't want it enough.
But... right now.
Right now was different.
In all my life, I had never wanted to slaughter something with every fibre of my being like this creature in front of me...
Realising my true desire, suddenly, a deep and abyssal hunger for violence bloomed in my chest.
I raised the shard, and something changed.
It felt weightless in my hand. Like it had become an extension of my soul.
A ripple of darkness spread from my palm into the shard, coating it in an ominous and shadowy aura.
My soul. My intent. The very essence of my will to destroy.
The color of my soul... was black.
It was the embodiment of my obsession and my resolve to kill.
The Loox charged once more, its body shrieking with glee.
But this time—
I didn't flinch.
I raised the shard above my head.
Then, I stepped forward and swung.
One strike.
One perfect and clean, soul-infused strike.
The resistance I'd felt earlier had disappeared, and the shard cleaved through the Loox's body like it was air, splitting the monster perfectly into two even parts.
I let out a long breath as the creature began crumbling into dust. And soon, it was completely gone, dispersing with the passing wind.
Silence.
My chest rose with each inhale, feeling the sharp pain in my ribs.
I...
Killed it...
But my thoughts didn't linger on it for long.
The grip on my hand loosened and I dropped the blood-soaked rock.
Turning, I saw Frisk's body and stumbled toward her whilst holding the side of my chest.
Undoubtedly, a few of my ribs were likely broken...
"Frisk…?" I walked to her side.
Her expression was weak, blood trailing down the corners of her lips.
She looked at me, and smiled weakly.
I felt some relief. She doesn't look like she's fatally wounded and should be able to recover with a few days of rest. Of course, Toriel would be able to help.
Well, my confidence came from the fact that she was on 4/20 HP after I was close to her and looked at her stats. With game logic, unless it hits zero, she should be fine.
Kneeling down, I reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face, careful not to hurt her.
"Don't do that again, okay? Making me worry like that," I reprimanded her softly. However, Frisk didn't seem to be listening, a foolish smile blooming on her face.
"Don't wanna~"
The corners of my mouth twitched slightly, but I just gave a light sigh as I sat next to her, pressing my back against the wall.
Soon after, I felt her head lean against my shoulder. I glanced at her and had a faint smile.
She had already fallen asleep.