Chapter 183: The Life Energy Within Lydia
Lydia’s small copy continued floating in front of Liam.
Her body had begun to change.
Small fragments of her surface became transparent, while a faint violet light coursed through her interior.
Liam remained motionless.
"Lydia?"
The copy trembled.
[Lydia: Liam...]
Liam extended his hands.
"I’m here."
He tried to approach her, but a current of energy forced him back.
Pix appeared beside him.
"Liam, wait."
"I can’t leave her there!"
"I know, but we still don’t know what’s happening."
Liam looked at the small slime.
The dimensional creature continued standing with its arms extended.
All the energy in the valley seemed to be flowing toward Lydia.
But something had changed.
The creature was no longer absorbing it.
The energy was entering the copy’s body directly.
Pix’s eyes widened.
"Liam..."
"What?"
"The creature isn’t absorbing the energy."
Liam frowned.
"Then what’s happening?"
"The copy is absorbing it."
Liam fell silent.
Pix slowly nodded.
The creature roared, completely enraged.
Its body began to tremble as it tried to reclaim the energy it was losing.
Liam immediately understood.
"It’s stealing the energy from it."
"Not exactly."
Pix pointed toward Lydia.
"The energy is entering her, but it’s not disappearing."
"Then?"
"It’s changing."
Liam looked at the copy again.
Her small body continued to glow.
The violet energy flowed through her interior like tiny rivers of light.
"Lydia..."
The copy moved.
[Lydia: I don’t know what’s happening to me.]
Liam gritted his teeth.
"Pix, do something."
"I’m trying to analyze her."
"And?"
"It’s difficult."
Pix closed her eyes and remained silent for several seconds.
Finally, she opened them wide.
"Liam."
"What?"
"I don’t think she’s consuming that energy."
Liam frowned.
"What’s the difference?"
Pix pointed at the copy’s body.
"When Lydia consumes something, her body processes it as matter. That’s why she can learn abilities from the things she consumes."
"Yeah."
"But this is different."
The small slime absorbed another stream of violet energy.
Her body expanded slightly.
Then it returned to its original size.
"She’s storing it."
Liam’s eyes widened.
"Storing it?"
"Yes."
Pix carefully observed Lydia.
"It’s as if her body is learning a new way to use energy."
Liam felt a shiver run down his spine.
’A new way to consume?’
Before he could ask, the creature attacked.
Its enormous claws slammed into the ground.
A wave of energy swept through the valley.
Jordan stepped in front of the group.
"Watch out!"
The attack passed over them, but the ground began to split apart.
"We have to move!"
Everyone began retreating.
Carol helped Emily back to her feet.
Chloe maintained her connection with Ray to share energy.
Nora summoned several shadows.
"Liam!"
Liam looked toward the center of the valley.
The creature was advancing toward Lydia.
"No!"
He ran.
The dimensional force tried to stop him again.
But this time, Liam pushed himself harder and managed to advance several yards.
The creature raised a claw.
Liam fired.
The bullet struck it directly.
The creature staggered backward.
"Stay away from her!"
The creature roared.
Liam felt the force of the sound throughout his entire body.
But he didn’t back down.
Lydia’s small copy floated behind him.
[Lydia: Liam...]
"Don’t worry, sweetheart."
Liam raised his pistol again.
"I’m here."
◇◆◇
The battle continued.
Jordan kept the creature occupied while Carol and Emily attacked from the sides.
Zayn appeared and disappeared around the monster, striking it while searching for a weak point.
Nora used her shadows to distract it, though they didn’t seem to be very effective.
Ray altered the density of the rocks to make its movements more difficult.
Chloe remained in the center, distributing energy among the members of the group.
But the monster continued recovering.
Every time it was hit, it absorbed energy from the ground.
Liam looked at the transparent plants.
There were fewer and fewer of them.
’It’s draining the entire dimension.’
Pix appeared beside him.
"Liam."
"What?"
"We have to separate it from the connection."
Liam looked at the ring structure.
"Can you do it?"
"Not by myself."
"What do you need?"
"There’s a source of energy inside the structure."
Pix pointed toward the center.
"If we destroy that connection, the creature will stop receiving energy."
Liam looked at the monster, then at Carol, and finally at Emily.
"Then we’ll do the same thing as before."
Carol smiled.
"Another gemstone bullet?"
Liam pulled one out.
"But this time, we’ll be more careful."
Carol took the bullet, and the gemstone began spreading across her arm.
Emily stepped closer.
"Ready?"
Carol took a deep breath.
"Let’s go."
Electricity began coursing through her body.
Then it flowed into the gemstone arm, causing the material to glow intensely.
Liam pointed toward the structure.
"Carol, hit the rings."
"Got it."
The creature realized what they were trying to do and began charging toward them.
Jordan stepped in front of it.
"You won’t get past me!"
The monster struck hard.
Jordan took the full impact.
"Ah!"
He was sent flying.
But he managed to get back up.
"Now!"
Carol ran.
Emily maintained the electrical discharge.
Carol jumped.
Her arm shone like a star.
She struck one of the rings.
BOOOOOOM.
The ring shattered, and violet energy exploded toward the sky.
The creature roared.
Its body began losing stability.
"It worked!"
But then another ring began spinning.
Pix shouted:
"There’s still one left!"
Carol landed on the ground, and her arm slowly returned to normal.
Emily was breathing heavily. She was using too much electricity.
"I can’t maintain that level of power anymore."
Liam looked at the structure.
’We need another attack.’
Then he heard a small sound behind him.
Plop.
Lydia’s copy had emerged from the pouch.
"Lydia..."
The small slime slowly approached.
Her body still had that violet glow.
Liam crouched down.
"What are you doing?"
[Lydia: I can help, honey.]
"Sorry but no..."
[Lydia: Liam.]
"We don’t know what might happen to you."
[Lydia: But I know what I can do.]
Liam remained silent as the small slime approached the last ring.
Then she began absorbing the energy surrounding it.
Pix’s eyes widened.
"Liam..."
"What?"
"Let her."
Liam looked at her.
"Are you sure?"
Pix nodded.
"I think she knows what she’s doing."
The small copy began absorbing energy.
The last ring started losing its glow.
The creature roared and charged toward her.
Liam raised his pistol.
"Don’t you dare get near her!"
He fired.
The bullet struck the monster’s leg.
Chuck appeared from the side, throwing his special knives.
"I’ve got it!"
Jordan took advantage of the distraction and rammed into it.
Carol and Emily attacked again.
Nora sent her shadows forward.
Zayn began moving around the creature.
Everyone was trying to buy time.
Meanwhile, Lydia continued absorbing energy.
Her small body began to grow.
For a moment, Liam thought she was going to lose control.
But then the light disappeared.
The last ring shattered, and the dimensional connection collapsed.
The creature fell to its knees.
Its crystal armor began to crack.
Pix smiled.
"We did it."
But Liam wasn’t looking at the creature.
He was looking at Lydia.
The small copy floated in the air.
Her body had returned to its normal size.
Although now, small violet lines ran across her surface.
Liam took her into his hands.
"Are you okay?"
[Lydia: I’m tired.]
Liam let out a sigh of relief.
"Then rest, sweetheart. You did well."
The small slime settled comfortably between his hands.
But before he could put her away, the creature slowly raised its head.
Its violet eyes were fixed on Lydia.
"Life..."
Liam stood up.
"Why do you keep saying that?"
The creature tried to stand.
"Life..."
Pix watched it, and her expression changed.
"Liam..."
"What?"
"I think I understand now why it wanted her."
Liam looked at Pix.
"Why?"
Pix pointed at Lydia.
"Because it didn’t just detect energy."
Liam froze.
"Then what did it detect?"
Pix took several seconds to answer.
"Life."
The creature looked at Lydia again, and this time it said something different.
"Two..."
Liam felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Two what?"
But the creature was already losing its form.
The energy keeping it connected to this world was disappearing.
Before it vanished completely, it looked at Lydia one last time.
"Two lives..."
Liam’s eyes widened, and the creature disappeared.
The valley fell completely silent.
Liam slowly looked at the small copy he was holding in his hands.
’How could it know?’