Chapter 21: Core of the Dead

Celeste turned sharply to Natsumi. “Natsumi, handle those zombies! Alex and I will take the Corpse Giant!”

Natsumi nodded, her earlier fear giving way to determination. She stepped forward, gripping Muramasa tightly as she faced the advancing undead.

Alex moved beside Celeste. “What’s the plan?” he asked.

“We need to find the core,” Celeste said firmly. “That’s our goal. We’ll tear it apart until we expose it.”

Without hesitation, they charged. Alex sprinted ahead, channeling energy through Onimaru as he drove the blade deep into the demon’s left leg. The moment the sword pierced flesh, its demon-repelling power activated, expanding in a burst of violent energy. The barrier detonated outward, blasting apart the undead fused to the leg. The shockwave sent corpses flying in all directions as the Corpse Giant let out an earth-shaking roar and collapsed to one knee.

Celeste seized the opening, sprinting up the demon’s leg and leaping high, her twin blades ready to strike. But as she neared its torso, the monster jerked violently, throwing her off balance. She plummeted toward the ground until Alex dashed in from the side and caught her mid-fall.

He looked at her with concern. “You okay?”

Celeste smiled faintly, her breath unsteady. “Thank you for the catch.”

Alex set her down gently and gave a reassuring nod. “Don’t mention it.”

The two stood side by side, readying themselves for the next assault.

Celeste glanced toward the monster again. “We need to take out its eye. Usually, the core will either be in its head or somewhere in its torso.”

Alex nodded. “Just leave it to me. Run forward, and I’ll do the rest.”

He thought to himself, This updraft spell is coming in handy so soon.

Celeste charged forward, Excalibur and Masamune glowing in her hands as she built up their energy. Alex waited until she reached the creature’s leg, then activated Updraft. A powerful gust erupted beneath her, launching her high into the air.

As the Corpse Giant looked up, Celeste descended like a comet, driving both Excalibur and Masamune straight into its single, glaring eye. Holy fire erupted from Excalibur’s blade, searing through the eye and igniting the corpses along its head.

The demon screamed, thrashing in agony. Celeste tried to leap back but was snatched midair by its massive hand. The creature flailed wildly, slapping at its burning face with the other hand as flames consumed its head.

Then it tried to slam Celeste against the nearby wall, but before it could, Natsumi’s voice rang out. “Celeste!”

Natsumi leapt forward, Muramasa glowing faintly as she swung down with all her strength, slicing clean through the Corpse Giant’s fingers. The severed digits fell to the ground in a spray of black blood as Celeste fell free from its grasp.

Natsumi caught her by the waist mid-fall and jumped away just as the Corpse Giant’s fingerless hand crashed down upon them, barely missing them.

Right as the hand slammed down, Alex was already there beside it. He reached out, placing his hand on the mangled, blood-soaked surface, and activated his spell, Icy Hand of Death. Instantly, frost began to spread across the demon’s arm, crawling up its fingerless stump. The black blood seeping from the wounds solidified, freezing mid-flow, while the puddle of tar-like blood beneath it turned into solid ice.

When the Corpse Giant tried to yank its arm back, it found itself trapped, the frozen mass anchoring it to the ground. It roared in fury and pulled harder, the sound of cracking ice echoing through the cavern. With a violent heave, it tore its own arm free at the elbow, leaving the frozen hand fused to the ground below.

Alex then ran back toward Natsumi and Celeste as they regrouped. “Hand me Muramasa for a second,” he said.

Natsumi hesitated, then handed him the cursed blade. She watched as Alex gripped it firmly, channeling his energy into the weapon. Muramasa’s edge pulsed with a dark glow as he swung it through the air, once, twice, then in rapid succession. Each slash unleashed a crescent of black energy that tore through the air and ripped into the Corpse Giant’s torso. Dozens of cuts opened across its body, spraying tar-like blood.

Alex’s strikes grew faster and stronger, the slashes crisscrossing until the demon’s left arm was severed, then its head, leaving only a mangled torso and one remaining leg. Natsumi stood in awe, watching closely, studying how Alex’s mana flowed into the katana and how he controlled it.

When the assault finally ceased, Alex tossed Muramasa back to her. “Here you go.”

Natsumi caught it, still wide-eyed.

Alex then sprinted forward, gripping Onimaru tightly. He aimed for the Corpse Giant’s torso, ready to drive the katana deep and find its core. But just as he closed the distance, one of the severed arms twitched, and a thick, tar-like tentacle erupted from the wound, slamming into him with tremendous force.

Alex was hurled backward, rolling across the ground before coming to a stop. He groaned and looked up just in time to see several more black tendrils shoot out from the creature’s severed limbs. They latched onto the severed parts, dragging the dismembered arms, head, and pieces of its body back together.

The Corpse Giant’s mangled form began to reassemble, the wet sounds of fusing flesh echoing through the cavern as it slowly reformed itself once more.

Moments later, the Corpse Giant fully reformed, looming over them once again. Celeste spoke sharply, “This isn’t going to work. We need to get rid of it in one go.” She turned to Natsumi. “Natsumi, you’re going to have to help with this one. Keep your mind under control and focus, or this could go bad for all of us.”

Natsumi nodded quickly. “All right, I’ll try my best.”

Alex glanced between them. “Let’s take out the legs first. Once it’s down, Natsumi, try to cut open its chest so we can see if the core’s inside.”

Natsumi gave a determined nod and tightened her grip on Muramasa. She focused on Alex, recalling how he unleashed those black magical blades earlier. Closing her eyes for a moment, she steadied her breathing, then opened them with resolve, trying to mimic his movements and channel her mana just as he had.

Celeste looked at them both. “Are you ready?” she called.

Alex nodded. “Yes, let’s do this.”

Together, they charged forward, Celeste and Alex moving in perfect unison, side by side. The Corpse Giant’s hand came crashing down toward them, but they split apart at the last moment, leaping to opposite sides as the massive palm struck the ground.

They continued their sprint, closing in fast. Alex jumped first, driving Onimaru deep into its left leg. The katana detonated with demonic energy, bursting the limb apart just as it did before. Celeste followed immediately after, plunging Excalibur and Masamune into its right leg. Holy fire erupted, consuming its corrupted flesh as the entire limb burned away. She leapt clear as the giant’s body began to collapse.

“Now, Natsumi! Do it now!” Alex and Celeste shouted in unison.

Natsumi focused, remembering exactly how Alex had done it. "Please let this work" she whispered.

She then swung Muramasa down in a vertical arc, and a massive wave of dark energy burst forth, an immense magical blade that sliced clean through the Corpse Giant’s torso, splitting it in half.

As the two halves fell apart, a glowing red core was revealed inside its chest, slowly falling. Black tentacles lashed out, trying desperately to pull the body back together.

Alex gritted his teeth. “No, you don’t. Come on, Celeste, let’s go!”

He activated Updraft once again, the burst of wind launching both of them high into the air. They flew toward the exposed core like missiles, their blades ready to strike.

In a flash, Alex and Celeste struck, their swords crossing in unison as they slashed through the air, carving multiple deep cuts into the glowing red core.

Then Alex and Celeste landed and turned to look, hoping it was over. The Corpse Giant’s red core flickered, its glow fading until it turned to solid stone and fell lifelessly to the ground. A moment later, the giant’s body began to lose form, its tar-like flesh liquefying, collapsing into a massive puddle that spread across the cavern floor. The corpses once bound together by its dark magic fell apart, scattering across the ground in a motionless heap.

Natsumi then cheered, “Yay! We did it, we did it!” as Alex and Celeste turned and looked at her smiling face.

“Good job, Natsumi. You did a great job,” Alex said, smiling as she darted toward them.

Then Alex added, “Now let’s get out of here before any more demons like that appear in front of us.”

“Yes. Let’s not stick around this place any longer,” Celeste said as the three of them headed toward the stairs, working their way out of the underground cavern.