Read Novel Full Chapter 210: Keep Trying Again & Again
Chapter 210: Keep Trying Again & Again
Diane blinked as she straightened her posture. Her body screamed in protest, heavy and hollow, as if all her Sanguine Veins had been drained dry along with her will.
Every breath felt borrowed, every thought sluggish, and for a brief, dangerous moment, she wondered how easy it would be to simply lie down and sleep forever in this place.
Seamus’ arms around her were warm and steady, but still, she hesitated.
"I’m not the fake that died on the floor," he said quietly, reading her doubt without effort. "I’m not that easy to kill. You know that."
Diane let out a weak chuckle. "I know. But you could still be another illusion. Just like Maria. Was she real? I don’t know anymore. I’m tired, Seamus."
He leaned closer, his voice low and firm as if sealing the cracks in her mind. "This place feeds on negativity. Regret, guilt, fear, trauma. It drags out memories you buried and sharpens them until they break you. That’s how it works."
His lips curved into a familiar smile. "But I won’t let it end like this."
That smile, the slight dimple at his cheek, was unmistakably real. Still, Mark Latros’ words clawed at the back of her thoughts as Diane tightened her grip on Seamus’ hand.
"That thing," she whispered, "is it really Mark Latros? Or just another layer of his tricks?"
Seamus didn’t answer verbally. He only nodded.
That was enough.
"I’ll fight him," Diane said, her voice steadier than she felt. "Stay behind me. Support me when you need to."
Seamus’ eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure?"
"I don’t want to be a burden anymore," she replied, shaking her head. "Not to you. Not to anyone."
With his help, she stood. Her scythe slid back into her grasp, familiar and heavy, grounding her.
Diane closed her eyes, breathing slowly, listening not to the chaos around her but to the weapon in her hands.
Bone Ripper pulsed, it was alive, guiding her through any enemies. She just rarely listens.
"Just this once more," she murmured, "I’ll rely on you."
She moved then started to move. Veins burst from the walls like living tendrils, lunging from every angle, but Diane spun forward in a fluid arc, her scythe carving a full circle around her body.
Bone met flesh, and the tendrils collapsed instantly, severed and twitching before dissolving into nothing.
The sphere laughed, the sound wet and mocking. "Interesting. But still useless. You can’t hurt me. Not even a scratch."
Diane didn’t answer. She danced between the incoming blasts of compressed wind, each one ripping past her like a bullet, tearing chunks from the floor and walls.
Pain flared where grazes struck her skin, but she didn’t stop.
"You talk too much, Latros," she snapped, swinging again. "So what if I can’t hurt you? I’ll cut you down anyway."
Eyes bloomed across the sphere’s surface, dozens of them opening at once. Their gaze locked onto her, freezing her body mid-step.
The world changes. She was now in Velstath Castle. Isolde stood before her, hands soaked in fresh blood of innocence, issuing commands without looking at Diane at all.
She knew it was fake but she couldn’t do anything at all.
Suddenly, a sharp tap struck her back and the reality in front of her shattered like glass.
Diane staggered forward as the illusion collapsed, the Red Zone snapping back into place. Seamus stood behind her, his hand still raised.
"I absorbed it," he said calmly. "now, move, Diane. End this."
Her grip tightened on Bone Ripper.
This time, she didn’t hesitate. Diane moved again before the last echo of Seamus’ words faded.
Her feet scraped against the wet meat floor as she lunged forward, Bone Ripper slicing in a tight arc aimed straight at the sphere’s core.
The blade met resistance, not flesh and not bone, but something elastic and violently alive. The impact sent a tremor through her arms so strong her fingers nearly gave out.
The sphere convulsed, then laughed.
Veins burst outward in a spiral, not attacking directly this time but weaving together, hardening into rotating plates that formed a shifting shell around its body.
"You adapt fast," the voice echoed, layered and distorted. "But you are still predictable."
The floor beneath her feet collapsed without warning. Diane twisted mid-fall and drove Bone Ripper into a wall of sinew, arresting her descent as acidic fluid splashed up her legs and burned through her trousers.
Pain flared hot and sharp, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself back onto solid ground.
She barely had time to breathe before Mark used the air again to attack her.
Compressed wind detonated around her in rapid succession, not one strike but dozens, each explosion tearing into her skin and slamming her body across the chamber like a rag doll.
She hit the far wall hard enough to crack it, her ribs screaming as she slid down, leaving a smear of blood in her wake.
Her vision swam. Her legs refused to respond.
For a moment, the temptation to stop was overwhelming.
"Fuck!" She clenched her hands in frustration.
Maybe Mark was right. Maybe this was her limit. She would never be able to evolve.
But Seamus running toward her was enough to pull her back from the edge.
"Diane, you can do this," he said.
She didn’t know why, but something about him felt different. In her head, Seamus was always the type to step in, to fight anyone who dared hurt the people he cared about.
Yet now, instead of taking over, he stayed where he was, watching her, trusting her.
"I don’t understand you..."
"You said you needed to evolve," he replied calmly. "This is how."
He gripped her hand, firm and steady.
Diane inhaled sharply. He was right. Her body trembled as she forced herself upright again. Blood slid from her chin and splashed onto the floor, thick and slow.
So she would try again. And if she failed, she would try again after that.
The sphere drifted closer, tearing itself free from the wall.
"Look at you," Mark spoke softly. "Still struggling, still pushing forward. You were born ordinary, Diane. No matter how long you swing that weapon, nothing will change."
Her grip tightened around Bone Ripper. Pain ran through her arms, her chest, her legs. Breathing felt heavy. Every movement hurts.
"I know, but I’m not stopping." She lifted the scythe again. "Trying is the only thing I have."