BUILDING MY OWN EMPIRE - My Journey from Nothing to Overwhelming Power-Chapter 41 – Monster Facing Monster.

Under the metallic, shining moonlight, which appeared like a polished shield hung in the sky,

Intertwined flashes of hatred and fear were reflected in Princess Monali’s eyes.

Her breath was ragged, her chest heaving violently, as she whispered in a voice barely audible:

"That shackle... it won’t stop him for long."

Beside her, Suman stood frozen like a dry tree trunk.

He was but a simple woodcutter... but his blood was the blood of the Forgotten Moon people.

Only once or twice in his life had he heard of that entity.

The monster with which mothers frighten their children at night.

The name that legends sing of and boast of claiming to face.

The mad dream that youths pursue, only to be buried with them.

The Nightmare of the Forgotten Moon.

But its true name...

"Radian... the Life-Sucking Tentacles."

Suman whispered, his voice trembling involuntarily, his eyes fixed on the massive shadow before him.

And for the first time... he saw the tentacles.

In the eyes of others, they were nothing but strange extensions of the monster’s body.

But in Suman’s eyes...

they were the death sentence itself.

He could see the horror that befell anyone those tentacles wrapped around, as everything that made them alive was sucked out.

High in the sky..

The insects did not wait for anyone and rose high once again.. then..

And they merged into independent waves, like long black spears swimming in the sky..

The insects began to gather again.

Then they attacked.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

Consecutive strikes, as if the sky itself were raining destruction.

Dozens, even hundreds of collisions rained down upon the shackled monster’s body.

And each time, the numbers of insects decreased, shattered, evaporated.

And yet...

Radian did not budge.

Its body seemed like a fortress forged of steel and fire, impenetrable.

Then.

The insects stopped.

Mighty winds...

blew from the right side.

And a sound...

A single scream...

Unparalleled since the start of the night.

It was the loudest sound to descend upon the area since the beginning of the night..

ZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Everyone’s hearts constricted, and their eyes turned toward the source of the sound,

While they cursed the ill luck that seemed to be piling up around them..

"What now, for hell’s sake?!"

one of the fighters shouted.

The trees at the edge of the right forest began to fall...

One after another...

Like dominoes that lost their balance.

Then suddenly.

It stopped.

DOOOOOM!

The sound of a massive leap, and a violent explosion that split the forest.

A giant black mass launched from between the trees, pierced the air,

Then slammed into the ground, forming a new crater... merging with the first one.

From the heart of the destruction...

Another entity appeared.

A body of bark and intertwined roots, encasing a massive muscular mass, exceeding ten meters in height.

Its head was that of a giant deer, topped with antlers spanning seven meters, and above them other antlers, as if they were silent nests for the largest birds in the world.

And when the monster stood erect.

Its belly was revealed.

A wide circular hole, and in its center...

A glowing green light, shining like a beacon..

ZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

The new monster screamed.

Suddenly.

The remaining insects began to gather around it.

Circling, surging, then settling atop its giant antlers.

More than a thousand insects...

Froze.

Petrified.

Like black rocks stuck to the antlers.

Then.

The antlers began to swell.

Their tips blackened, as if burned from within.

Beneath its feet, Radian was writhing more violently, trying to break its shackles.

At that moment

Monali vomited blood again.

Heavy minutes passed.

The Root Monster absorbed the power of more than three thousand insects.

Then it stood...

Alone...

before Radian.

It raised its long arm made of tree roots.

It curled...

Intertwined...

Until it became a massive fist.

Then.

It struck down with all its weight.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A strike sufficient to bring down all four walls at once.

Everyone watched the scene, with eyes wide and hearts tightened.

Despite the horror...

Hope seeped in.

"I don’t understand what’s happening... but it’s definitely in our favor!"

Logan shouted.

Everyone knew the truth:

Both monsters... are a disaster.

Impossible to overcome..

And the fall of one of them... is a divine blessing.

The moon began to tilt, and the red color in the sky intensified.

While the Root Monster’s strikes were showing a final effect on the dark monster..

Suddenly ...

BOOOOOM ...

One of the dark monster’s limbs was shattered..

"Haah!"

someone shouted with enthusiasm.

At that same moment...

Monali vomited blood and fell unconscious.

Only for a moment...

Then her consciousness returned.

At that same instant ....

Five pillars of light surrounded Radian.

One of them... shattered.

The monster surged, exploiting the gap, but the chains returned to bind it.

And from above it.

BOOOOOM!

Another powerful strike..

During thirty minutes.

Three other limbs were shattered.

The sun began to loom behind the horizon.

Monali was semi-conscious.

Her body exhausted...

like a hungry orphan for years.

Finally.

The last light stake shattered.

And Radian was freed.

And it stood...

with only four limbs.

Its body reeling, but it... was not broken...

Nevertheless

The Root Monster retreated a step.

A terrifying weight settled over the hearts.

Suddenly.

The tentacles moved.

Extended...

Swayed...

Then advanced.

The Root Monster struck them, but they continued.

They turned...

Surrounded it.

Then.. quickly

It jumped and struck Radian.

The latter retreated, but its tentacles remained binding its opponent.

Radian continued to be hit .. then .. at

the fifth strike.

The tentacles glowed with a faint light.

And the Root Monster fell to its knees.

Its antlers began to shrink.

In return.

A new limb grew for Radian.

"It’s... absorbing its energy."

Suman muttered. Then

He turned toward Monali .. she was in no condition to speak .. his eyes searched for Lois and Jo .. then he remembered what happened ...

His eyes narrowed with sadness again .. he looked toward the Rock Leader .. and asked: "What do we do now?"

The Leader looked toward him .. his eyes sinking deep into thought.. and he answered with a heavy voice:

"Nothing... there is no safe place from these disasters."

Suddenly ...

ZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA ..

The Root Monster returned to scream.

Suddenly ... a massive noise roared ...

Waves of insects appeared from five directions, from the heart of the surrounding forest.

Thousands of insects... headed toward the Root Monster ...

ZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Then it absorbed them.

From afar .. the Rock soldier leader muttered ..

"Both monsters .. possess the same characteristics .. but"

After regaining its activity ... the Root Monster raised its fists and struck again..

Its strike was severe again .. and in one go ..

The limb that had just grown for the dark monster Radian was shattered...

The dark monster opened its jaws and screamed ...

A shockwave struck the Root Monster again ...

Hundreds of insects surrounding it were pushed away ..

From the side, the dark monster raised one of its intact limbs .. then extended it long ...

And delivered its flash strike again ...

And in an instant ..

Radian pierced its opponent’s body, splitting it in two.

ZZAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The Root Monster screamed in terrible pain ...

More than two thousand insects surrounded it again ...

Then surged toward its belly and merged with the green light ...

As soon as they were absorbed ...

The roots surrounding its body returned to cling together and reconnect the two halves of its split body..

At the same time ..

The dark monster’s tentacles were still surrounding the Root Monster’s body and sucking its energy..

Then a new limb grew for the monster Radian.

The Root Monster reconnected its body .. then the Darkness Monster re-grew all its limbs ..

And in a decisive moment .. both stood with all their strength..

The Root Monster raised its fists and struck with both hands violently ..

Every strike echoing like thunder and shattering a limb in an instant ..

As for the Dark Monster, it launched its eight limbs and began striking the body of the monster and the insects surrounding it violently, toppling hundreds consecutively.

They exchanged strikes dozens of times ...

The surrounding area became barren, filled with gaps and craters ..

And hundreds of meters away.. no one felt any kind of safety ..

Rather, a single question.. occupied them ..

and one of the soldiers muttered it ...

"How will we face .. whichever of them is the winner?"

But ....

The answer .. came quickly ..

And unexpectedly ....

In a moment ..

The dark monster was without limbs ..

While ... the Root Monster ..

was lying on the ground ....

And all its insects had been annihilated ..

Suddenly ...

Thousands of new tentacles .. launched again from the body of the dark monster Radian..

They surrounded the Root Monster’s antlers .. then ..

They began to suck its energy ..

The monster’s screams followed .. but they were worthless ..

Its feet were paralyzed .. and its voice began to disappear ...

After a while ..

The dark monster Radian stood .. with four limbs ...

But ....

The surprise .. filled everyone’s faces ..

Horror fell upon them without permission ...

Their eyes witnessed what was no longer bearable ...

Before them .. the Root Monster stood up again ..

Then ..

It took the side of the Darkness Monster ...

And the two monsters moved slowly toward everyone..