CHAPTER 194: CHAPTER 194 – A TOWERING DEFENSE

The room on the fiftieth floor of the Tower of Echoes felt like an ancient hall forgotten by time. The high, shadowy ceiling was carved with old runes that glowed faintly, casting long, wavering shadows along the black stone walls. A heavy pressure filled the space, as if the very air weighed down on Sylvia’s lungs with every breath she took.

Before her stood a towering creature, an ancient stone golem nearly five meters tall, standing solidly with a body etched in protective runes. Its dim red eyes glowed faintly, watching Sylvia without emotion. Its massive arms, as thick as stone pillars, hung motionless at its sides, ready to crush anything that dared come near.

Sylvia eyed the creature seriously. She knew this kind of enemy was her weakness. The golem’s nearly perfect defense rendered her poisoned claws useless even though her attacks left only thin scratches on its hardened stone surface. Her nether flames were powerful, but on a soulless creature like this, their effectiveness dropped by more than half.

Only one weapon remained that she could rely on her Abyssal Chains. But even a single chain wasn’t enough to pierce the golem’s defenses. She would have to use her ultimate technique Unification to combine the chains into a single, overwhelming force. The problem was that it required time and intense concentration.

And right now, she was alone, no subordinates, no meat shields.

Tension settled in the brief silence. Sylvia took a deep breath, calming her rising heartbeat, then stepped into a battle stance.

"All right, let’s see who outlasts who," she muttered with a half-smirk.

With measured steps, Sylvia dashed forward, her body like a black shadow darting across the stone floor. She gripped the Abyss Chain tightly in her right hand, pulling hard before launching it at high speed.

Claaang!!

The black chain struck the golem’s body with a loud, echoing clang but left only a thin scratch on its surface. The golem stared back without emotion, then slowly raised one massive arm.

Sylvia leapt back just in time, narrowly dodging the blow.

Boooom!!

The impact shook the room, sending tremors across the floor. Dust and fragments of stone exploded into the air, briefly obscuring her vision. Sylvia shielded her face from the shards, then rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding another thunderous strike nearby.

Kraaash!!

"Brute force, and too hard," Sylvia hissed in frustration.

She darted around again, agilely avoiding the golem’s heavy, lumbering swings. She tried clawing at it a few more times, but the result was the same, only the faint sound of metal on stone.

"Useless," she thought while retreating a few steps. "I need to use Unification soon."

But she would have to stand still to activate it and the golem wouldn’t give her that chance easily.

Quickly shifting tactics, Sylvia summoned nether fire from both hands.

"Nether Flame!!"

With a roar of heat, violet flames flared from her palms, blasting toward the golem.

Fwooosh!! Booom!!

The fire engulfed the golem’s upper body in blazing darkness but it didn’t even flinch. It merely took a step forward, as if the fire was nothing more than a breeze.

Sylvia growled in frustration. Her nether flame was strong, but it meant nothing against a creature like this. She dodged to the side again, just as the golem’s arm smashed down where she had been.

Bam!!

The air trembled from the impact. Cracks formed in the floor, and fragments of stone fell from the ceiling, showering the battlefield.

Then she saw an opening. As the golem raised its arm, its massive body tilted just slightly, exposing a small gap beneath its torso.

"There it is!" Sylvia’s eyes lit up.

But the opening would last only seconds, and she had to move with precision. She launched herself forward again, aiming her chain at the vulnerable spot.

Swiiish!! Clang!!

Unfortunately, the golem reacted swiftly, stepping back and closing the gap just in time. Sylvia leapt away, her frustration mounting.

"Tch, damn it. I need to be faster."

She drew a long breath, retreating further to gain some distance from the golem, which now lumbered forward again. Her eyes scanned for another opening but found none.

"This damn golem is really giving me trouble!" she cursed through gritted teeth.

Unification was her only real option, but she needed several uninterrupted seconds to activate it. She continued circling the room, dodging the golem’s relentless, destructive blows.

Boom!! Kraaak!!

Each strike shook the entire chamber, but Sylvia evaded with her superior speed.

Minutes passed in the exhausting chase. Sweat beaded on her brow, and her breathing grew heavier from the constant motion. The golem may have been slow, but Sylvia’s stamina was slowly being drained from all the dodging.

"I can’t keep this up much longer," she thought, despair creeping in.

Suddenly, she spotted another chance the golem’s foot slipped slightly on the fractured floor, causing its body to lean forward unsteadily.

Without hesitation, Sylvia seized the moment. She jumped back to a safe distance, extended her arms, and began chanting:

"Chain Technique: UNIFICATION!!"

In an instant, the Abyss Chains around her body lit up, fusing into a single massive chain that pulsed with overwhelming power.

But at the same time, the golem began regaining its balance, preparing to strike. Sylvia had only one chance.

She bit her lip, held her breath, and hurled the unified chain straight at the exposed part of the golem’s chest.

WHOOOOOSH!! CRAAAASH!!

The colossal chain smashed into the golem with devastating force, piercing through its stone armor and sending deep cracks throughout its body.

Dust flooded the room as the sound of splintering stone filled the air. The golem began to collapse, its massive form crumbling into chunks across the floor.

Sylvia stood panting, her body drenched in sweat. She stared at the rubble before her with a burning sense of satisfaction.

"Hah... finally done," she muttered, wiping her brow. She let out a tired, satisfied smile before turning toward the staircase now revealed at the far end of the room.

Sylvia knew this journey was far from over, but this small victory gave her the strength to keep moving forward.