Brigan swore inwardly, as he rushed for what he knew was a futile attempt. The attacking monster, on the other hand, resembled a standard grey mouse. Its whiskers were the only thing unique if not including the thing's enormous size.
Bent at a curve near the end, and matching the image of horns, the four whiskers on each side vibrated at a frequency that pulverized concrete.
Eyes reflecting flamed rubies, the short swipe missed Melody. She had zoomed toward Brigan in her fright. One could only say this lady was fortunate because her reactions and the giant mouse's reach played a vital role in her escape.
Melody then jumped on Brigan, locking her arms under his armpits, and her legs around his waist. Forced to receive the unexpected weight, he stumbled back, now resembling a human turtle with the shell in front.
"Honey!!! You almost lost me!!!" She cried, smearing wet tears on his clothes.
Following her weeping, Brigan had to jump back, dodging the giant mouse's horn whiskers. Having failed to kill its target, the monster was now using its strongest killing move, its whiskers.
As the two began a game of bullfighting with the monster charging, trying to hit Melody, plus him dodging at the last moment, Brigan's irritation and patience ran thin.
The reason being Melody.
"Knock it off old hag! I'm a minor!!!" He roared, pushing her head far from his.
While he dodged for life with his movement hampered by Melody's clamp, he was also required to raise his head and stretch his neck to its limit as the insane old woman proceeded to assault him with love kisses.
Or at least try.
"You have become strong!!! Let's make later tonight a... long reunion!!!" She said with excitement and joy.
"Ahhhh!!!" He bellowed as he exerted everything to run away. The monster followed, trying to seize any given opportunity spotted. Whether it was buildings or trees, they dodged it all in the pursuit.
"HELP!!!" He cried.
"Honey!!!" She gleefully shouted.
"HELP!!!" He cried again.
"So manly!!!" She said, rubbing her face into his chest.
"Please!!! Somebody help me!!!" He begged. The chasing monster was a thing of the past. Now in its place was Insane Madam Melody as she tried molesting a minor.
Brigan, on the other hand, had tears rolling down his face. He truly exerted his full power, attempting to pry the insane old woman off. But her strength was absurd, nothing worked.
"Where is that useless mask man when you need him? Seriously Mrs. Melody, please stop!!!" Maybe using a kind voice would allow reason to set in?
"Even now manly, you are still gentle and kind! Honey..." Brigan felt dread on watching Melody's lips enlarge and zoom closer. What did he do to deserve this?
Crack! Boom!
A tree fell, dropping centimeters from their figures. The chasing monster could be seen raging. It had felt ignored the total time. The role that it played in the pursuit was minor. How could it not be furious?
"Your still here? Give up!" Brigan stated firmly. To think that it was raging, he should be angry instead. After all, how would it feel being targeted by an ancient lady?
Bending down, his muscles slightly enlarged upon grabbing his targeted item, shooting bulging veins to the surface of his arms. "Argh!!!" He exclaimed, managing to lift the falling tree off the soil. "C'mere!!!"
With an impressive all-embracing swing, the charging monster met the falling tree.
Bang! The sound of a powerful impact, followed by a whimper, entered the area into an eerie silence.
Boom!
The tree once again hit the ground surface. However, the section of the earlier collision was splintered and shredded in wood shards.
Afterward, the monster proceeded to show the same results as the previous one. With dazzling flakes, the brilliant glow danced up before it flew toward Brigan.
Once it settled down, Melody dislodged herself from him. "Are you a Blessed Creation?" She asked softly, closing her eyes with light tears forming at the corners.
"Mrs. Melody..." He was at a lost on how to respond.
Shaking her head lightly from side to side, she gave out a sad smile. "I knew. I knew it was too good to be true, but I still wished heartfully that those days could return. Here, I don't need it anymore."
His mouth parted slightly in amazement. "How..." He said trailing off. When he first came to the village, Elber had said Blessed Creations were things only in legends.
And yet, wasn't Melody a Blessed Creation also?
Upon inspecting her hand, an opened violet Geno Art Box shone faintly. "This is an Ordinary grade Geno Art called Voice Heal. With it, you can heal minor injuries using the vibration in your voice to stimulating the body's ability to self-heal. It works for both the user and others."
She then looked at it in reminisce. "In the past, Honey would always ask for those fake goods, harming himself each time. Every failed attempt would bring despair, then a determination on succeeding the next try. His promise to me was to have a strength that could protect a Blessed Creation. But how can a False Demi be that strong? Even so, I silently endured, waiting and healing him until his body accepted it or he perished."
It was a sad story. From other people's view, she sang while happily watching him suffer. But for her, those songs were healing him to survive another attempt. He sighed before focusing his eyes on her more clearly.
Watching the old woman become more depressed the further she spoke, Brigan decided to change the subject. "Wait, what are the Geno Art grades?"
Pausing at the break of her mood, she patiently explained. "I only know four that exist. From least to greatest is Ordinary, Extraordinary, Heroic, and Blessed. Of the four, I have seen the first two."
With the help of Melody, Brigan absorbed the Geno Art, bringing his durability to higher lengths. He even considered himself similar to tank classes in virtual reality games.
Brigan Heartforce
Race: Human
God Title: None
Genotype: Ordinary
Genophase: 1.02%
Geno Art: Voice Heal (Ordinary)
Feeling stronger, Brigan escorted Melody home before continuing his search. Since Elber had shown him kindness, he would return it by protecting the village he loved. Once the invasions deceased and ended permanently, he would consider the debt paid.