The Scream of A Thousand Libraries Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Beta Test (II).

Read chapter 48 of The Scream of A Thousand Libraries by Susangja on NovelPedia.

POV: NOAH WILLIAMS. Still unsure about the woman's defeat, I remained there without moving for a few seconds, keeping my eyes on her motionless body on the floor. The thick smoke filling the second floor still made it hard to see; gray particles danced in the air, illuminated by thin beams of light filtering through the destroyed ceiling. The smell was a heavy mix of rust, burnt leather, and smoke. My heart beat out of rhythm, as if trying to match the vibration still emanating from the runes of the Babel Tower, now slowly dissipating behind me. Every breath brought a bitter taste of dust and blood. I kept my attention on the fallen woman in front of me, her disheveled hair stuck to her pale, damp skin. The purplish veins that once pulsed with shining energy now seemed to dissolve under her skin, disappearing slowly. Still, something about her unsettled me. The way her chest rose and fell in irregular intervals, the faint tremor in her fingers, the stiffness of her body. ‘Don’t trust the stillness.’ Miguel's voice echoed in my head, a piece of advice he’d repeated on dozens of missions. With some effort, I reached the side holster and pulled my pistol. The cold metal contrasted with the warmth still radiating from my hands. I took a deep breath and aimed at the body. The barrel shimmered for a moment, reflecting the bluish glow of residual energy still floating in the air. I stepped forward twice, steady, the sound of my boots sinking into the debris. My finger slid over the trigger. “If you're still conscious, it's best not to try anything,” I murmured, more to myself than her. But before I could complete the motion, something cut through the air behind me. A high, fast, and metallic sound. Then, a sharp pain shot through my wrist. A thin and incredibly strong chain whipped through the air and struck my hand, snapping the pistol from my grip. The blow was so precise the weapon clattered to the ground, ricocheting and vanishing under a pile of rubble. “Damn it…” I hissed, twisting around immediately. I saw the golden glow of the chains again. They rose from the ground, materialized spirals of energy tearing through burnt concrete. At the center, the woman, now standing, breathing with difficulty. Her body trembled, those veins pulsed once more, but her gaze stayed... with that vacant look now taken over by unbridled fury. The runes that before seemed unstable now spun around her in choppy circles, filling the air with a feverish yellow light. The sound of chains dragging across the floor echoed through the hall, a constant scraping that made my teeth clench. Without my pistol, the fight was far more complicated. I could feel fatigue weighing down my muscles. The energy of the Babel Tower still coursed through me, but the earlier effort was taking its toll. My body burned, and the energy flow flickered in chaotic spasms. Still, I couldn't retreat. I forced my focus, adjusting the energy flow within my palm. The runes began to form on the ground again, slowly but with steady rhythm. The woman charged, chains whipping the air around her. I reacted out of instinct, channeled energy, and projected the translation field in front of me. The symbol of the Babel Tower reappeared, weakened, but it still worked. The chains smashed against the translucent shield, scattering golden sparks everywhere. The force of the blow pushed me back a few steps. The friction between our magics thundered, and the heat spiked instantly. Each of her strikes seemed to hit harder than the last. “You don’t understand what you’re doing!” I shouted, hoping for a glimmer of consciousness in her. “This energy will destroy you!” No answer. Just another crack of energy, the chains returned, multiplied, slicing the air in erratic moves. I dodged the first strike by instinct, rolling on the floor. The second grazed my arm, opening a shallow cut. I felt the hot blood trickle, but I pressed on. I turned and channeled energy into my free hand; I fired a short sequence