D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Chapter 2183 A Decision Made is Still Heavy

Kat ---

The initial phase of potentially traumatizing her girlfriend involved selecting a suitable location. While Kat was certain she wouldn't harbor any resentment towards Lily for severing her throat, especially if it were a necessity, Kat wasn't as confident about her ability to continue flying during or immediately after the act. It was still going to be painful, and Kat was uncertain how focused she would be on the pain itself, or perhaps on controlling her reactions. The latter seemed improbable, however.

Consequently, she found a spot that she hoped would offer sufficient safety for the time being. They didn't have an abundance of time to both locate and secure an area, and Kat had an idea. Descending near one of the explosion elementals, she flared her aura, pacifying the creature. Maintaining that steady presence, Kat drew closer until they were positioned beside a remarkably thick and heavy boulder. It might have been solid iron or something similar; it remained impressively intact, situated near the crater's base but not so close to the elemental that Kat feared an accidental detonation, at least while her aura held.

Kat paused for a moment, seated, before shaking her head and rising again. Sitting felt inappropriate, so she remained standing. Kat considered placing Lily down, but that felt wrong. Instead, she chose to wait for her girlfriend to initiate the movement herself, allowing Lily to decide when to proceed, when to begin. Perhaps, in a slightly passive-aggressive manner, she focused on the growing burning sensation and how much of her neck it now encompassed. Currently, it had reached her shoulders, while the upper portion still had some distance to go before reaching her chin. After all, the axe strike had landed slightly below the halfway mark.

Lily remained silent, her mood darkening considerably, but she didn't delay too long in leaping from Kat's hands. Not a single word, spoken or mental, of complaint escaped her, yet her reluctance was so palpable that Kat was sure any observer would notice. Lily yearned to object, to shout and scream, but she compelled herself to persevere, concentrating solely on the immediate task and not on what would follow.

One step followed another, a turn, the summoning of her shadow hands, and then...

Two shadowy claws surged towards Kat, yet they abruptly halted. Merely a centimeter from her neck, they stopped, as if impeded by an unseen barrier or an invisible force. They writhed and stretched, each shadowy finger clenching tightly, seemingly grasping for something just out of reach. Yet, the rock wasn't particularly large. Kat was quite certain she could lean over and lightly tap Lily's nose with her tail, especially if she took a half-step toward her girlfriend. Nevertheless, the shadows appeared incapable of reaching.

"You don't have to do this," Kat reiterated, projecting as much love and concern as she could towards Lily.

"I doubt you truly believe that, and I certainly don't. I will never obstruct your path to greater strength, and I comprehend how this will aid you... but it's causing you significant pain. Far more than it will inflict upon me. You don't need to go through with this," Kat stated firmly, meeting her girlfriend's gaze.

Perhaps Kat might have been more inclined to believe Lily if not for the shadow hands that remained fixed in place. However, as if sensing Kat's skepticism, they shifted. Lily pressed forward, and the shadows sank into Kat's throat. Merely the tips, barely grazing the skin. Kat felt a slight pinch before the shadows seemed to dissipate. Kat scanned her surroundings, searching for any sort of light-based attack that might have disrupted Lily's shadows, but found nothing.

"Lily... you're just repeating yourself, and I don't believe you need to push further into this," Kat stated resolutely. Lily shook her head once more, determined to accomplish something here, determined to make a move. Kat contemplated allowing her aura's influence to envelop Lily instead of just the explosion elemental, but she refrained. Kat was uncertain if it would prove beneficial in the long run. It was better not to interfere.

Naturally, as the seconds elapsed and the burning sensation intensified, Kat decided that perhaps it was best to be direct. "I For-" Kat began, but two shadow hands shot out, clamping over her mouth. Kat didn't react as they moved with astonishing speed and sufficient force to draw blood from her cheeks.

Lily immediately recoiled upon realizing what she had done, the shadows retracting. The faint trails of blood now leaking from Kat's face caused Lily to curl inward. Kat rolled her eyes and swiftly wiped away the blood. The minor nicks healed instantly, and the blood was already dripping off. A small gesture, and it was completely gone.

Kat extended feelings of love and acceptance towards her girlfriend.

"Lily, I'm basically asking you to slit my throat. Granted, it's for a good cause, but if I were worried about you causing me a little discomfort while attempting to reach that point, I wouldn't make a very good girlfriend. If it would ease your mind, I could roughly tear away parts of my own throat? It wouldn't be a clean job, and I doubt I'd get everything, but I could probably halt the burning for a bit," Kat stated.

A flicker of sadness crossed Kat's eyes before she suppressed it. Kat was unsure how to proceed. Lily seemed to desire this, or at least believed she needed it, and Kat had no clarity on whether supporting her was the right course of action. Kat wasn't concerned about the physical pain; it wouldn't significantly harm her. But Lily? This could be profoundly traumatizing for her. Honestly, Kat suspected Lily might already be teetering on that edge.

In fact, Kat wasn't convinced it was strictly necessary in the way Lily seemed to think. It could be useful, certainly, but perhaps not essential. There were numerous methods Kat could employ herself if such an issue arose later. The challenge with 'fixing' her throat was the inability to remove everything unaided, especially around the bone structures, before her regeneration kicked in. She required assistance. And well... perhaps it would be necessary at another time.

Nevertheless, Kat found it difficult to refuse anything, even if it meant self-inflicted torment. However, the burning sensation was becoming problematic, and she desperately wished to prevent it from spreading lower. Thus, she conjured two fans and let her kimono dissipate.

Kat responded as she brought her fans to slice across her body. She carved away everything a few centimeters above her breasts, extending up to roughly midway on her neck. Lily let out a yowl as this occurred, while Kat simply waited. Solid masses of flesh and muscle detached and fell to the ground as she continued to bleed for a period.

Lily let out a hiss at the sight, shadows coiling around her and swirling like an agitated spinning top. Meanwhile, Kat observed her muscles and flesh rejoining. It was a rapid process, despite this being arguably one of the more severe injuries she had sustained. She hadn't lost such a large amount of skin simultaneously in recent memory. Then again, she hadn't exactly been avoiding the situation either.

Kat was also pleased to find the burn had vanished. While she still felt pain as her muscles knitted back together and skin regrew over the damaged area in a thick, continuous layer, it was a distinctly different kind of discomfort. Once that was complete, Kat tilted her head... and then made another incision. This time, she targeted the skin around her chin and whatever she could reach at the back. Lily reacted just as negatively, and Kat found it slightly vexing that she couldn't quite remove all the necessary skin from the back.

A burning anger surged within Lily, only to be suppressed by other, darker emotions... yet she fanned that flame. She attempted to incinerate the sadness and pain, even fleetingly, to enable a lash-out. Dozens of shadowy hands extended towards Kat, each roughly tearing into her flesh and muscles, picking away at her skin and clearing out... most of what was needed. Kat could hear Lily retching faintly in the background... but the hands persisted.