Catgirls And Dungeons (Yuri)-Chapter 159: My solid resolve
"Tch. How annoying," I mutter, my lips curling into a scowl. "This pathetic level of deception? This cheap illusion? You think you can corrupt me with something like this? Please. You need to do better than that!"
The doppelganger's eyes widen in shock, her bloody mouth twitching into a broken grimace.
Before she can say anything, I close my eyes.
I draw a deep breath, steadying the roaring pulse inside me, grounding myself.
And then, I speak.
"Yes, I am useless. I know that.
"I am weaker than a twelve-year-old girl. I know that too.
"But fate? Destiny? Future?"
I open my eyes again, glaring straight into hers, my voice sharp and unyielding.
"They are all bullshit. Like hell I'm going to believe in any of it!"
The fake Felicia trembles slightly, her facade starting to crack.
"And even if such a fate you speak of is real… even if it could possibly happen someday… so what?" freeweɓnovel.cѳm
I take a step forward, my voice growing sharper, stronger.
"After all, Morvena defied her fate.
"She fought against her demon.
"She clawed her way back from centuries of agony, from the soul-searing torture of the sealing swords.
"She endured the unendurable… and still found her way back to hope."
I keep walking, the weight in my chest burning hotter, steadier.
"Meanwhile, Alter defied hers too.
"She overcame the demonic curse that tried to consume her.
"She rose from her ruin to become a ruler of her kingdom, to protect Morvena, to shield a world that wanted to break her."
"And Eris…" I continue, my heart squeezing tightly. "Eris never gave up either.
"She refused to believe her father was dead.
"She marches forward into the most dangerous dungeons of this world, chasing only a flickering, fragile hope in a sea of despair."
I stop just a few steps away from my doppelganger now, staring her down.
"So if they can do it…
Then why the hell can't I?!" my voice roars out.
"I refuse to believe in fate!
"I can defy it too! No, I will defy it! I will get stronger! I will stay beside my loved ones and protect them! I will not let anyone die!"
"Except you!" My hand shoots up, trembling but furious, pointing directly at the corrupted version of myself. "You need to die!"
"Now…." I growls, then shout. "GET OUT OF MY FUCKING FACE!"
With a savage motion, I swat her hand aside, rejecting her, rejecting the weakness she represents, rejecting the future she tried to chain me to.
BOOM!
The illusion shatters.
A ripple of force tears through the darkness.
The false Felicia lets out a silent, broken scream as her body disintegrates into ash, swallowed by the void.
…
"HA! Haaa!!"
I grin wide, gritting my teeth hard, adrenaline still buzzing violently through me.
"Very good. Very good," I pant, chest heaving. "I can resist mental corruption now… all on my own."
However—
Fuck.
My stamina and physical strength are still absolute shit.
And so…
The world begins to tilt.
My vision sways, the ground buckling under me as dizziness crashes like a brutal wave over my senses.
My knees wobble.
Fatigue finally catches up, dragging me down like heavy chains fastened tight around my ankles.
I stagger forward, barely able to keep moving.
Fuck. Do not faint.
I keep telling myself that. Again and again.
Move. Move. Move—
But consciousness keeps slipping.
Fading.
Blurring.
And then, through the thick, swirling mist, I see it.
A silhouette, moving steadily toward me, a shadow outlined by the gloom, breaking through the veil of darkness.
Wait—
I narrow my eyes, blinking against the haze. This girl is tall, and holding a long spear. And as she comes into my view, I can see her more clearly.
Tan skin, tall, athletic body, catgirl…
Wait… Is that…?
My heart jolts.
My entire chest seizes up, breath caught in my throat.
ERIS???
For a single, desperate second, my soul leaps.
For a single, precious heartbeat, I believe.
Eris! It is really Eris!
She has found me!
She has come for me!
However—
Reality crashes down like a guillotine.
Ah, fuck. Of course not!
Honestly… what the hell was I thinking?!
This is just another illusion, another trick of the demonic mist. There is no way Eris could have crossed the barrier. There is no way she would be here!
Right!
This is not Eris.
This is just another cruel hallucination.
And thus, I try to resist it. I try to lift my leg, to step back, to defy this temptation—
But my body gives out.
My balance shatters completely.
I stumble forward, tripping over something—maybe a rock, maybe just sheer exhaustion—and topple, headfirst, toward the ground.
Shit—! If I fall here, I will be drowned in corrupted liquid!
I'm panicking.
But then—
"Hup!"
Strong arms catch me before I hit the ground.
"Felicia? Felicia! Are you alright?!"
The voice is familiar. Muffled, but achingly familiar.
Eris' voice.
And her arms—so warm, so solid—wrap tightly around my waist.
"Don't worry," she whispers, pulling me closer. "I'm here. I will get you out."
I struggle weakly.
I know this is not real.
I know this is an illusion.
I know I should fight it.
But—
Fuck.
This illusion is devastatingly detailed.
The feeling of her soft, perfect boobies cushioning my head—
The incredible warmth radiating from her body—
The gentle, protective pressure of her arms cradling me—
It feels too good.
Too real.
Too heartbreakingly comforting.
Damn it all…
After all that cool talk, after telling myself I would defy fate and endure anything…
After standing firm even when shown the most disturbing, mind-breaking futures…
Am I really going to lose here?
Here??
Because of Eris' boobs? Of her soft, jiggling, amazing boobs?
Fuck!
FUCKKK!!!
In the end, am I really going to give in because of something so simple, so dumb?
…
Unfortunately… haiyaaaa….
I can't believe it…
But, well, this is the weakness that finally does me in.
Ashamed, furious, but helpless, I let myself sink further.
My head rests deeper against her chest.
Her scent, her warmth, her embrace wrap around me like a heavy, soothing blanket.
And just like that—
My consciousness fades completely.
And I fall, silently, into the deep, endless darkness.
