The Last Monarch : Unlimited Regeneration-Chapter 101: You’re One of Them.

Alvaric was already back on the surface. He walked toward Lyrith, who had been standing still all this time. She hadn't moved at all, yet her body was covered in blood.

Seeing that, Alvaric quickened his steps. But when he was about to pat her shoulder, he stopped.

Lyrith's eyes were sharp—piercing. She was truly furious. Dark aura burst wildly from her body.

"I'm sorry," Lyrith said softly.

Alvaric didn't understand why Lyrith had to apologize. She hadn't done anything wrong. Just as he was about to respond.

The sand trembled. The signs of the Giant Sandworm's emergence appeared once again. Alvaric instantly took a stance, ready for battle. Both of his weapons were already drawn. The sky darkened at once, but in the same moment, Alvaric was forced two steps back.

The pressure from Lyrith's aura pushed him. As he watched that black energy flare even more violently from her body, Alvaric swallowed hard. A terrible premonition crept into his mind.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Lyrith ignored his words. She raised her left hand. At that exact moment, the Giant Sandworm burst out, mouth wide open, ready to attack.

Its jaws were only inches away, but Lyrith didn't move. Seeing that, Alvaric dashed forward, trying to pull her away from the attack.

But as he reached for her, Lyrith turned her head. Her sharp eyes were filled with tears streaming down her cheeks. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Her expression was sorrowful. "He's my friend," she whispered.

Alvaric froze after hearing that and seeing her expression. He completely forgot what he was about to do. Two seconds passed before he realized it—but by then, the Giant Sandworm's massive mouth was already about to swallow her whole.

Alvaric stretched out his arm. "LOOK OUT!" he shouted.

BOOOM!

A powerful explosion erupted. Sand flew everywhere. Instinctively, he turned his head away and covered his face with his arm.

When the dust began to settle, Alvaric slowly lifted his gaze—and his eyes widened. His throat went dry.

The Giant Sandworm's mouth, which was supposed to devour Lyrith, was stopped—held back by a massive black hand that shielded her body.

"What the…"

Lyrith moved her hand slightly. A second later, something appeared above them—a massive black sphere.

BAAM!

The black sphere crashed into the Sandworm's head, slamming it back into the ground. The creature opened its mouth and gathered magical energy again, preparing another blast.

But before it could release it, Lyrith pointed her finger toward it. A surge of dark magic erupted from her hand. Both attacks fired simultaneously.

BOOOOM!

A massive explosion followed. Alvaric crossed his arms, trying to endure the shockwave. His body was hurled backward. His arms, legs, and part of his torso were torn apart by the blast—but he was still alive.

BOOM!

Another explosion followed, smaller but strong enough to send him staggering again. He nearly fell as the secondary blast hit.

The dust and sand began to fall back down moments later, but the sounds of battle still echoed. Alvaric looked up—and his eyes widened once more. Lyrith floated high in the air. He swallowed hard as a colossal black sword—nearly the size of a mountain—appeared in the sky above her.

When Lyrith moved her finger, the black sword fell. The Giant Sandworm tried to burrow back into the sand, but dozens of black, spectral hands formed from Lyrith's magic and restrained its body. It couldn't move an inch.

BAAM!

The black sword struck. The Sandworm's body was impaled, and its blood sprayed everywhere. Some of it splashed onto Alvaric, melting parts of his body, though he quickly regenerated. He didn't care about his injuries—his eyes were locked on Lyrith.

Her gaze was terrifying. The power she unleashed was beyond what Alvaric had ever imagined.

"What kind of power is this…?" he muttered.

He could only shake his head. He felt that Lyrith was no longer a being on the same level as him. The difference in power between them was like heaven and earth. After everything he had gone through—the battles, the near-deaths, the evolutions, and the new skills—

Alvaric realized he wasn't even ten percent as strong as Lyrith. Remembering what he had seen before—whether it was a dream or a glimpse of the past—he recalled how Lyrith had once been defeated.

And that made him wonder, "Just how strong was that being…?"

**

Alvaric thought it was finally over, but then, the Giant Sandworm's body began to glow. Something was breaking from within. A tremendous explosion of energy followed.

BAAM!

Alvaric crossed his arms again, enduring the force. When he looked back, the Sandworm had changed. Its body was twice as large, covered in sharper spikes, its eyes burning red, and the air itself felt heavier.

"What's happening…?" Alvaric muttered.

The Sandworm opened its mouth again, firing another magic blast, but this time much faster. The attack shot straight toward Lyrith. She blocked it, though poison and corrosion burned her arms. Yet, her wounds quickly healed.

The creature kept attacking relentlessly, but Lyrith raised her left hand again. A weapon materialized in her grasp, a big scythe.

"You've been controlled by them… I'm sorry," she said with a sorrowful face.

The Sandworm unleashed an even stronger blast, but with a single swing of her scythe, Lyrith split the attack in half, erasing it completely.

In an instant, she vanished and reappeared in front of the Sandworm.

Without hesitation, she swung upward. The slash from Bloodveil Reaper cut the creature clean in half.

Blood exploded once more. The corrosive slime spread everywhere. With that one Move, the Giant Sandworm's entire body vanished, devoured by the void. Not a single trace remained. A monster that powerful… was defeated without resistance.

Lyrith turned around. Tears fell from her eyes, but when she looked at Alvaric, her expression suddenly changed. Her gaze was filled with hatred.

"You're one of them…" she whispered.

Alvaric barely had time to open his mouth when Lyrith appeared before him. The distance between them vanished in an instant. Her scythe had already been swung.

Alvaric froze. His body refused to move.

"Damn it."

That was all he could say.