Read Novel Full Chapter 1112: Never Yield
Chapter 1112: Never Yield
Raika released a blood-curdling scream.
Blood rushed freely from her nose in thick streams as the woman forced her body to go above and beyond its limits. But she didn’t stop. She wouldn’t stop. If she had to tear herself apart to crush her enemies, so be it.
Yet, she couldn’t finish what she started.
Just as Raika felt his leg beginning to give out...
"You’re out of time."
Quinlan’s voice rumbled above her, cold and merciless.
The winds howled louder for the final time before slamming them downward.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
They hit the ground like a meteor.
The ground convulsed, splitting open as a crater tore into existence. Earth and stone exploded outward in a storm of debris. The shockwave rippled for miles, rattling the trees, sending flocks of animals scattering in blind panic.
At the center of it, Raika bore the brunt.
She crashed back-first into the earth with Quinlan’s heel still planted mercilessly into her gut. The sheer force caved the ground beneath her body, cratering deeper, burying her in the dirt.
A ragged gasp tore from her throat. Then blood. A spray of crimson shot past her lips as her body convulsed from the brutal impact.
Her eyes, usually sharp and feral, went glassy for a moment, dazed under the magnitude of pain that thundered through her chest and stomach. Her ribs screamed, her organs burned, her body howled in protest.
But Quinlan didn’t move his foot.
He pressed down harder, eyes cold, making sure the agony branded itself into her very nerves.
"Do you admit defeat, Raika the Brutalizer?"
The word defeat rang in her ears. Over and over. A poisonous echo meant to carve shame into her.
But instead of having their intended effect, her eyes snapped open. They weren’t glassy anymore. They blazed with fury and bloodlust. Blood streamed freely from her nose, her mouth, and even the corners of her eyes, but she didn’t care. She refused to care.
"NEVER!"
Her roar split the crater, shaking loose dust and stone.
Quinlan’s eyes widened for a moment. He hadn’t expected her to rise from that blow, let alone snarl in defiance. For an instant, genuine respect glinted in his gaze.
But it died quickly, smothered by sadistic cruelty.
"Then I must burn the lesson into you."
His heel pressed down again, this time cloaked in fire. Flames erupted outward, racing across her skin, branding her flesh. Her stomach blistered instantly, skin searing black. 𝑅ἁＮòBƐş
But even now, Raika didn’t scream in pain.
Her jaw clenched, her teeth grinding together until blood ran between them. Her face twisted, but she gave him nothing.
Her buffed hands that were still blazing with the savage energy of [Brutalize] shot up. Fingers grabbed onto his feet, pushing, straining, defying. Her biceps bulged, veins tearing open as blood streaked her arms.
The struggle was monstrous. Fire ate her alive, muscles smoked and split beneath the heat, but still she fought with all her being.
Until finally her palms blackened, charred to ruin, and her strength gave out. Her grip slackened, her eyes fluttered, and darkness claimed her.
Quinlan released a long breath. His gaze lingered on her ruined hands, then her scorched body, then her unconscious face.
"What an amazing woman."
Quinlan slowly withdrew his heel from Raika’s scorched stomach, letting the flames dissipate into the air in wisps of smoke. Her chest rose and fell in ragged gasps, her body trembling in defeat, but her defiance had already burned itself into his mind.
He flexed his ankle and felt it; a sharp pang of pain rushed straight into his brain. She had come so close. So close to shattering his leg, to flipping the battle on its head. If she had managed to break his leg, the entire fight would have looked very different. She wouldn’t have slammed into the ground like that. Instead, she would have been on her feet, ready to strike a crippled opponent.
’This woman... she almost managed to turn the tides despite the odds stacked against her.’
Quinlan crouched, lowering himself to her level. He studied her battered, bloodied form. Her hands were ruined, her body charred, yet even in unconsciousness, she radiated ferocity. She had fought with everything, pushed her body beyond its limits, and nearly tipped the scales against him.
Granted, he could’ve decided to play with her in the skies instead of kicking her into the ground, which then would’ve made turning the tide almost impossible, but even still. He was thoroughly impressed.
And then, suddenly, came a gasp.
Raika’s body jolted, and she sucked air back into her lungs. She blinked rapidly with a vision that was swimming, before her gaze fixed on him. He wasn’t pressing down on her anymore. His feet were no longer blazing with scorching fire. Instead, he was crouched next to her prone form.
He had spared her.
Normally, she would have risen instantly. She would’ve spit blood in his direction, cursed him, demanded another round. Defeat was her oldest companion; it never broke her.
But this time...
Her body trembled. She slammed her fist into the ground. Once. Twice. Again. Tears welled unbidden at the edges of her burning eyes.
Quinlan frowned and reached for his healing potion. He’d burned her too much; his kick had driven into her organs.
"Pathetic! Pathetic! Pathetic!"
The venom in her voice froze his hand in place.
Raika’s fists shook against the dirt as her words tore out ragged, each one filled with venom for herself.
"Black Fang beats me as easily as breathing! Orianna beats me with no effort! Vex beats me despite being barely older! Enemies invade our home, and they kill Orianna in front of me, then beat me! And now even the nameless nobody who couldn’t raise a fist to me mere months ago beats me!"
Her face twisted, turning ugly and raw. Blood, tears, ash, and rage smeared into one broken mask.
"So... Fucking... PATHETIC!"
Her scream ripped through the night, echoing in the crater.
Not once did she glance at her burned skin. Not once did she acknowledge her broken body. Pain meant nothing to Raika.
What shredded her from the inside out was the crushing weight of constant failure.