Apocalypse with my SSS Harem Beauties-Chapter 144: A Help

The realization came too late. Their shock delayed them for a crucial second. They had believed the rooftop was safe and the frontline would hold the monster in place, but the creature had proven far more intelligent than they expected.

It ignored the strongest fighters, launched itself across the battlefield, and struck directly at the weakest segment. It had chosen its target with calculation.

"Run!" Ethan shouted, already pivoting to run in another direction.

Samantha reacted first. She dashed sideways. Hana and Tobias, however, were still frozen by the violent landing and the sudden proximity of the burning figure behind them. That hesitation cost them precious moments.

The monster lunged at them.

Its blazing body blurred forward, targeting Hana. Whether it recognized her as the healer or simply sensed her weakness did not matter. Its killing intent locked onto her like a predator selecting prey.

"Shit!" Ethan cursed and spun back, but he had created too much distance during his first movement. He would not reach her in time.

Samantha acted without thinking. She stepped in front of Hana and raised her bow. Ether gathered instantly along the string.

Twip. Twip. Twip.

Dozens of Ether arrows formed and fired in rapid succession within seconds.

The barrage struck the monster’s chest, shoulders, and face. The impacts forced it to stagger, its flames rippling with each hit. Its forward momentum slowed but the monster did not stop.

In a blink, it closed the remaining distance. A fiery arm swept sideways.

Crack1 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

The strike hit Samantha’s bow arm and pain shot through her shoulder and wrist. The bow slipped from her grip as blood welled from her torn skin.

The monster groaned, raised its blazing hand high, and aimed directly for her head.

However, before the attack fell, a shadow dropped from above.

A figure descended at high speed and landed behind the monster.

Lilian folded her black wings and then attacked in the next second.

Her palm slammed against the side of the monster’s head with explosive force. The impact spun the burning body sideways and launched it several meters across the rooftop before it crashed and rolled through broken concrete.

It did not collapse completely and pushed itself up again, flames flickering unevenly.

Samantha looked at Lilian, breathing hard. "Thank you."

Lilian only nodded once. She did not waste words. Her gaze shifted briefly toward Tobias, whose eyes were wide with disbelief as he stared at the pair of black wings behind her back.

As a member of Michael’s group, he had never seen her true nature. Watching someone descend from the sky and strike a flaming monster barehanded was not something easily accepted.

Lilian sighed lightly. She would leave this explanation to Myles.

"That thing isn’t dead," she said calmly.

"Right! Kill it!" Ethan shouted, raising his twin pistols again.

BANG.

BANG.

BANG.

Ether bullets slammed into the monster as it struggled to rise. Cracks spread across the burning armor covering its body.

The flames around it burned smaller than before. It had consumed enormous energy to propel itself across the battlefield. The leap had cost it a lot.

It had expected an easy kill and had not expected Lilian.

Tobias snapped out of his shock and opened fire as well, adding suppressive shots to keep the monster pinned.

Behind them, Hana pressed her glowing hands against Samantha’s injured arm, channeling healing energy. Samantha’s flesh began knitting together.

Lilian frowned slightly as she watched the monster force itself upright again. She did not like stepping into this battle. The more she moved, the more attention she attracted to herself. Wings, strength beyond human limits, the way she struck without fear of flame or impact, none of that fit within the understanding of ordinary awakened fighters.

She preferred to stay unseen. But she could not allow Myles’ companions to die here. If they die because she chose to hide, the weight would crush him.

He had only just begun to steady himself after everything. If despair swallowed him again, he might not rise a second time. That outcome was unacceptable.

Her eyes narrowed as she studied the creature more carefully.

This monster was strong, far stronger than something that should have naturally formed in this broken zone.

The energy burning inside it felt deliberately enhanced. Someone had planted that power into it. The flames did not just feel wild or chaotic.

And she could sense something else. A presence still watching from somewhere.

"Should I capture it first?" she thought. "If I bind it, I might trace the source of that implanted power."

The monster’s danger did not concern her much. Even in its current state, it was manageable. What mattered was the one behind it.

But Tobias stood only a few meters away, still shaken, still staring at her. She could not unleash too much of her strength with him here.

Lilian shifted her gaze to Ethan and Samantha.

"Handle it until the others arrive," she said calmly.

Samantha opened her mouth, ready to protest that they were not strong enough to face it alone, but the words died in her throat.

She understood. Lilian was restraining herself for a reason.

Besides, they only needed to stall. The frontline would arrive soon.

"It’s done. Thanks," Samantha said to Hana as the last of the torn flesh on her arm knitted together.

Hana’s healing was efficient and clean, she was capable of restoring her mobility within seconds.

Samantha grip her palms. There was still pain there, but it was manageable.

She picked up her bow again. Ether flowed through her again.

She immediately used the Resonant Afterimage skill of her bow.

A faint hum vibrated behind her. A circular distortion formed in the air, like a transparent portal layered with rippling light.

From within it, dozens of arrows materialized. They were echoes of every projectile she had fired moments ago.

They launched forward all at once. The sky above the rooftop was filled with streaks of Ether.

The monster, still regaining balance, lifted an arm to shield its face as the arrows rained down again, striking the cracks already forming in its burning armor.

Flames burst outward with each impact, fragments of hardened fire breaking away from its surface as the suppressive barrage forced it back another step.

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