The Scream of A Thousand Libraries Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Noah's Investigations (VI).

Read chapter 44 of The Scream of A Thousand Libraries by Susangja on NovelPedia.

POV: NOAH WILLIAMS. Something changed. It was as if the temperature dropped suddenly. The air around me turned heavy. I felt the hairs on my arms stand up, and an invisible pressure took over the place. Before I could dial the call, my body reacted. I turned my head and saw her. An energetic explosion shot in my direction, cracking the concrete around me. Only by instinct, there wasn’t time to think, I leaped forward and shifted to the right to avoid the shock wave of the blast. The body that had been collapsed, the eyes, which were once half-open and lifeless, now shone with a vivid purple, a supernatural violet that reflected darkness like glass blades. Her tousled hair fell in waves, moving as if it had a life of its own. The body now standing revealed itself as a girl, who just seconds before lay unmoving, and now began to move. Her fingers trembled first, then her arms, until she suddenly raised her arms as if pulled by strings. And in her hands… fire. Complete daggers, shaped in bluish flames, danced as extensions of her own body. “Freedom’s Fire!” I yelled, the sound echoing strong. My body lunged forward, just as she threw an energetic sphere she had just created from her fists. Flames erupted around my hands, hot and vibrant, enveloping me entirely. The heat fortified not just my fists, but my whole body. When I looked back at her, the transformation was complete. The young woman seemed like someone else, completely changed. Her movements were fast, yet strangely chaotic, like someone who’d spent too long locked away, imitating erratic gestures, laughing randomly to herself. “Consume, consume, consume… I need to consume…” Her speech was odd… It seemed flat, cold, lacking any inflection. She advanced, her flaming dagger slicing through the air, and I dodged to the side. I raised my guard and deflected her strike with my forearm, wrapped in flames There was no shortage of strength in her attacks, but there was no discipline. The impact exploded into sparks, causing the nearby tombstones to tremble. She noticed and, after gaining some distance, tried to throw flames between us. But I didn’t let her create space. I followed, directing my own flames into the environment. She struck sloppily, believing that raw energy and fire would be enough to beat me. With caution, I blocked or dodged her attacks whenever possible. Her energy was monstrous, flowing like an uncontrolled river, her spells maxed out in power. Each movement left a trail of destruction, burned bricks, cracked ground, flames clinging to walls. I felt the pressure of her magic like a tide pushing at my body. But despite the strength, her stance was loose, too unstructured. There was no technique, just blind aggression. That gave me an advantage. Even so, it wasn’t easy. She roared: “CONSUME, CONSUME” She swung her daggers in weird ways, dancing without rhythm, lost in her own mind. She created blades of fire and tried to pierce me, sometimes succeeding, making and wielding new blades more frequently and impulsively. Every time I disarmed her blows, she’d make another blade of fire and return to attack. Then I noticed the buildup. The energy around her began to condense, sucking the air nearby. Her eyes shone even brighter, and a sphere formed between her hands, growing fast, pulsing like a balloon about to burst. “Dammit…” She hurled the sphere. The size and intensity were alarming. The magic sliced the air like a cannonball. I braced myself, planted my feet, raised my hands, and conjured a wall of flames before me. The sphere struck with full force, and the explosion was deafening. The impact shook the entire corridor, smoke swept through the area, several tombstones lost their ornaments, and the dust clouded everything. My knees nearly buckled, but I held the defense. My spell absorbed most of the blow, until the energy finally subsided. The ground was scorched, fragmented by stone and marble. In the smoke, I drew a deep breath. This was my chance. I moved sw