BXBX NOVEL Chapter 58: Corpse Golem
In an instant, the scattered corpses littered around the cave began to twitch and shift, drawn together by a dark and twisted magic. The bodies fused, their limbs intertwining in a sickening display of necromancy, forming one massive, grotesque organism.
The Corpse Golem, a monstrous fusion of countless bodies, rose before Lucy just in time to block her punch. Its distorted, rotting face twisted in a gruesome imitation of a smile, as if mocking her attempt. The sheer force of the golem\'s counterattack sent Lucy hurtling backward, her body crashing into the cave wall with a bone-jarring impact.
But Lucy was no ordinary warrior. She quickly regained her balance, landing on her feet with a determined glare fixed on the abomination before her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, but her resolve remained unshaken, her anger only deepening as she stared down the monstrous creation.
Bork, seeing her momentary setback, felt a surge of twisted triumph. His fear evaporated, replaced by cruel amusement. He threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing off the cavern walls. "Disciple of the Celestial Academy!" he taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "Rejoice! You\'ve managed to force me to unveil my greatest creation—this magnificent Corpse Golem!"
Lucy\'s fists clenched at her sides, her nails digging into her palms. Her eyes, dark with rage, bore into Bork as if she could set him aflame with a glance. "You demon," she spat, her voice low and venomous, each word laced with an unyielding hatred.
Bork\'s grin widened, his teeth glinting in the dim light of the cave. He reveled in her anger, mistaking it for helplessness. "Now that my Corpse Golem is here," he sneered, his voice brimming with arrogance, "it\'s time for you to die!"
With a vicious gesture, Bork commanded the creature. "Corpse Golem, kill her!"
The golem lumbered forward, its massive, decaying form advancing on Lucy with a grotesque mix of speed and power. The countless bodies that composed it writhed and shifted, their lifeless eyes staring out in silent torment.
Lucy\'s heart pounded in her chest as she watched the creature approach. Her disgust was palpable, her fury boiling over. Yet, even in her rage, there was a flicker of determination, a spark of defiance that refused to be extinguished by fear or despair.
Her voice, steady despite the storm of emotions raging within her, cut through the air like a blade. "You think this abomination can defeat me?" she growled, her tone a promise of what was to come. "I will not let you desecrate these souls any longer."
Bork\'s confidence faltered for just a moment as he caught the unwavering resolve in her eyes, but he quickly buried his doubt beneath his twisted smile. "Let\'s see how long that bravado lasts when you\'re crushed beneath my creation!" he jeered, but the unease in his voice was undeniable.
Lucy\'s response was a roar of defiance, a primal scream that echoed through the cavern, reverberating off the cold, stone walls. Her eyes locked onto the monstrous golem as it charged toward her, its grotesque form lumbering with terrifying momentum.
As the creature closed in, Lucy tightened her stance, her muscles coiling with energy. She pulled back her fist, her knuckles whitening with the force she was about to unleash.
"Let me release you from your misery," Lucy murmured, her voice a solemn vow to the tormented souls trapped within the golem\'s twisted body. Her words were not just a promise; they were a declaration of her resolve.
With a fierce cry, Lucy unleashed her punch, her fist driving into the very core of the Corpse Golem with the force of a thunderclap. The impact reverberated through the creature, and for a brief moment, there was silence.
Bork\'s laughter shattered the stillness, his voice filled with cruel amusement. "Do you think a mere punch can harm it?" he jeered, his tone dripping with mockery as he watched the scene unfold.
But Lucy\'s expression didn\'t falter. Her face remained as cold and unyielding as stone. "My punch is not just a mere punch," she replied, her voice as icy as her gaze. "It\'s a way to free them."
Her words were a cold blade of truth, slicing through Bork\'s arrogance. As her fist remained embedded in the golem, Lucy whispered a single word with the weight of finality, "Eruption."
In an instant, the Corpse Golem began to tremble, a low rumble emanating from deep within its grotesque form. Bork\'s smirk faltered as he sensed the shift, his eyes widening in disbelief. "What... what did you do?" he stammered, the confidence draining from his voice.
The answer came in the form of a violent explosion, a fiery blast that erupted from the golem\'s core, tearing the creature apart from within.
The force of the eruption was akin to a volcanic blast, obliterating the golem in a blinding flash of light and heat. The bodies that had once made up the monstrosity were incinerated, their twisted forms reduced to nothing but ash.
The cavern was filled with the crackling of flames as the remnants of the golem were consumed by the fire. As the dust settled, Lucy stood amidst the devastation, her chest rising and falling with the exertion of the battle.
Bork, now visibly trembling, could only watch in horror as the souls trapped within the corpses were finally released, their ethereal forms drifting upward and fading into the ether. The anger that had fueled Lucy began to ebb away, replaced by a quiet satisfaction.
A small, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she watched the last of the souls disappear. "Rest in peace," she whispered, her voice soft but resolute.
Bork, however, stood paralyzed by disbelief, his confidence shattered along with his monstrous creation. "How... how can this be?" he stammered, his voice trembling with a mix of shock and despair. "My precious Corpse Golem... destroyed!"
Lucy\'s eyes, cold and unyielding, locked onto Bork as she took a deliberate step forward. "Now," she declared, her voice edged with finality, "it\'s time for you to die."
Bork\'s eyes widened in sheer terror. The calm, lethal certainty in Lucy\'s voice left no room for doubt—his end was near.
"No, it cannot be! No, it can\'t be!" he screamed, his voice rising to a frantic pitch as panic took hold. His once-commanding presence was reduced to that of a cornered animal, desperate and wild-eyed.
Driven by a mix of fear and madness, Bork\'s thoughts raced. If he were to die, he would not go quietly. His mind seized on one last, desperate act. "If I must die," he hissed, his voice turning venomous, "I won\'t go alone!"
With a crazed scream, Bork triggered a self-destructive spell, his body beginning to glow with a malevolent energy. The eerie light pulsed and grew, casting twisted shadows across the walls of the cave.
As the spell took hold, the remaining corpses scattered throughout the cavern were drawn toward him, as if by some dark gravitational force. The corpses fused with his own flesh in a grotesque, nightmarish transformation. Limbs, bones, and decaying flesh melded into Bork\'s body, twisting and reshaping him into a new, even more horrifying version of the Corpse Golem.