Reincarnated as the Villainess's Unlucky Bodyguard-Chapter 178: The Abyss Stares Back

Liria moved without hesitation, without mercy.

The weight of her blade felt natural, inevitable, unstoppable.

Her body surged forward, cutting through the battlefield like a shadow given form, her black flames coiling around her like a living storm. She was faster. Stronger. Deadlier.

And she knew it.

Daena barely managed to summon a shield of violet energy before Liria’s blade crashed against it with a force that sent shockwaves rippling through the ground.

The impact alone forced Daena back several feet, her boots dragging deep trenches into the earth.

Liria didn’t give her time to recover.

She twisted, her sword burning with abyssal fire, and swung for Enara next.

Enara, who had barely steadied herself after the last exchange. Enara, whose eyes were still desperate, searching for what? Recognition? Remorse?

Liria gave her neither.

Her strike came fast and brutal. Enara barely managed to block in time, but the sheer force of the blow ripped her weapon from her grasp, sending it clattering uselessly to the side.

A second later, Liria’s foot slammed into her stomach.

A crack.

Enara’s breath hitched as she was sent hurtling backward, crashing into a tree with enough force to splinter bark.

She crumpled to the ground, gasping, stunned.

Liria landed soundlessly in front of her, blade raised for the killing blow but Daena was already there.

A surge of dark energy collided with Liria’s side, throwing her off balance, just enough for Daena to grab Enara and yank her back.

Ananara, who had been watching from the side, stunned into uncharacteristic silence, finally snapped into action.

"Oh, hell no," he muttered. "We are NOT dying like this."

His leaves flared, golden energy pulsing from his core, and in an instant, he launched himself between them, slamming his vines into the ground to create a barrier of jagged rock.

Liria, who had recovered from Daena’s attack, tilted her head at the display.

A slow, mocking smirk curled her lips.

"You’re in my way."

And then, with one effortless swing, her flames devoured the barrier in seconds.

Ananara’s eyes widened. "Oh, that’s some bull—"

Black fire erupted toward him.

He barely vaulted backward, landing beside Daena and Enara as the flames scorched the earth where he had stood.

Daena pulled Enara up, her expression tight. "We’re leaving. Now."

Enara’s head snapped toward her. "We can’t just—"

"She’s going to kill us," Daena said, voice flat, certain. "I don’t know what’s happened to her, but this isn’t a fight we win."

Enara looked back at Liria, still standing in the sea of black fire, her mismatched eyes unreadable, her blade lowered but not in hesitation.

In confidence.

As if she knew they had no chance.

Enara’s hands clenched. Her heart ached.

Not from pain.

Not from fear.

From loss.

"Go," Daena ordered. "Now."

Ananara didn’t hesitate. With a burst of energy, he wrapped his vines around them, and the ground beneath them trembled.

Liria’s eyes narrowed.

She took a step forward and then the earth swallowed them whole.

The world snapped back to stillness.

Liria stared at the empty space where they had been, her flames flickering, casting long shadows across the scorched battlefield.

A moment passed.

Then, slowly, her lips curled into a small, amused smirk.

They ran.

Smart.

But they wouldn’t be able to run forever.

Liria exhaled slowly, the heat of her flames simmering in the air around her. The acrid scent of scorched earth lingered, mingling with the distant scent of Enara’s magic, fading as they retreated into the distance.

Cowards.

Her grip on her sword remained steady, unwavering. The echoes of their battle still pulsed through her veins, each strike, each desperate attempt to stop her, only confirming what she already knew.

They were weak.

They had always been weak.

And she had outgrown them.

The power thrumming inside her was undeniable, an abyssal force that felt as natural as breathing. Every part of her had changed, molded, sharpened into something more. Something greater.

They had looked at her like she was a monster.

She smirked.

They weren’t wrong.

The abyss welcomed her like an old friend, its whispers a comforting lull, singing in the space between her thoughts. It didn’t scold her. It didn’t tell her she had gone too far.

It embraced her.

Because it knew the truth.

This was who she was always meant to be.

Her gaze flickered toward the horizon where they had vanished.

She could chase them. End them now.

Finish what she started.

But the Dark Sovereign’s voice echoed in the back of her mind, smooth and knowing.

"Not yet."

Liria tilted her head.

"Let them run, child. Let them taste their own powerlessness."

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A chuckle curled in her throat. She understood.

It was far more satisfying to let them live in fear.

To let them realize that the Liria they knew was gone.

That she had never belonged to them to begin with.

The thought sent a slow, electric thrill through her chest.

She turned away from the battlefield, the black flames at her feet receding into the shadows as she walked.

The Dark Sovereign would be pleased.

And so would she.

Meanwhile, miles away—

The moment they reappeared, Enara collapsed to her knees.

The world spun, the scent of scorched air still clinging to her skin, her body aching in ways she had never felt before.

She clutched her side, breath ragged, sweat trickling down her spine.

Her heart pounded so violently it felt like it might burst.

Liria had almost killed her.

If Daena hadn’t intervened. If Ananara hadn’t reacted as fast as he did.

She would be dead.

And yet…

And yet, the pain in her chest wasn’t just from fear.

It was from the way Liria had looked at her.

Like she was nothing.

Like she was a stranger.

Daena was pacing, her expression unreadable, her fingers twitching like she was resisting the urge to punch something. "We need a plan," she said, her voice tense. "She’s not just stronger—she’s something else now."

"She’s… not the same," Enara murmured.

Daena scoffed. "No shit."

Ananara, for once, was silent.

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The massive pineapple—now towering, his once-small leafy top stretching high like a mane—wasn’t cracking jokes. His golden eyes were dark, calculating.

"She was toying with us," he said finally. "She could’ve killed us in seconds, but she didn’t."

"Why?" Enara asked, her throat dry.

Daena exhaled. "Because she wants us to know that she let us live."

A heavy silence settled between them.

The wind howled through the trees, mocking.

Liria had been their friend. Their comrade.

Now?

Now, she was the thing hunting them.

And none of them knew how to stop her.

Enara clenched her fists.

They had to get her back.

Even if it meant facing the abyss itself.

The silence stretched between them like a noose, suffocating, unrelenting.

Enara’s hands curled into fists at her sides, nails biting into her palms. The pain was sharp, grounding, a necessary reminder that she was still here. That she was still alive. Unlike the girl who had nearly killed her without hesitation.

Unlike Liria.

She wanted to be angry. She should be angry.

Instead, all she felt was a deep, gnawing ache in her chest.

"Let’s go over this again," Daena said, finally breaking the silence. Her tone was measured, but there was a hard edge beneath it—barely restrained fury.

Enara looked up at her. "Go over what? That Liria just tried to murder us?"

Daena’s jaw tensed. "That wasn’t Liria."

Enara let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Sure looked like her."

Ananara shifted beside them, his massive form unusually still. "She’s stronger than we anticipated," he admitted. "Much stronger."

"That wasn’t just strength," Daena muttered, her expression darkening. "She was fighting differently."

Enara frowned, but she knew exactly what Daena meant. Liria had always been fast, sharp, a fighter. But this? This was something else entirely.

There had been no hesitation in her strikes. No sign of restraint.

She had fought to kill.

And she had enjoyed it.

The thought made Enara’s stomach turn.

"So what do we do?" she asked, her voice quieter now. "Because if she’s really gone…"

"She’s not." Daena’s answer was immediate, certain.

Enara narrowed her eyes. "You don’t know that."

Daena met her gaze with a look so fierce it left no room for argument. "I know she’s not."

Ananara sighed, rolling his golden eyes. "As much as I love the optimism, she did try to turn you both into decorative corpses."

Enara exhaled sharply. "Right. So let’s assume for a moment that she isn’t completely lost. That still doesn’t change the fact that she’s with the Dark Sovereign now."

The name alone sent a chill through the air.

The Dark Sovereign.

The very thought of her made Enara’s skin crawl.

Three years ago, they had failed to stop her from being freed.

And now Liria stood at her side.

Willingly.

No.

Not willingly.

That wasn’t Liria.

It couldn’t be.

Enara shook her head, forcing the thought away. "We need to figure out our next move."

Daena sighed, running a hand through her hair. "We’ll need to get stronger. Smarter. If we’re going to face her again, we can’t hold back."

Enara’s chest tightened. "You’re talking about fighting her."

Daena didn’t flinch. "If it comes to that? Yes."

Enara swallowed hard. The idea of hurting Liria, of having to stop her, was almost unbearable.

But today had proven one thing.

Liria was no longer the same girl she had grown up with.

And Enara wasn’t sure if she could ever bring her back.

But she had to try.