Blood, pieces of flesh, and bones flew apart, burning in scarlet flames, cruel to the enemies and gentle to the allies.
The knights that should have sat on their white horses and pierced the enemies with their long lances now lay on the ground, or rather parts of their bodies, burned as if they had been in hell for days.
In the center of this bloody feast, which no one could avoid, stood one person in crimson armor and with a blazing axe.
She was breathing heavily, and her entire body was covered in blood as red streams of energy swirled around her from the glowing amulet on her neck.
Her main victim, was a massive knight with two hammers each weighing more than a man. He was a formidable opponent, at least when he had a head on his shoulders.
"Agh...!" Sara spat out a clot of blood, as everything in front of her eyes blurred. All she saw was the ground she was approaching.
Tap.
Someone caught her, keeping her from falling.
Sara slowly raised her head and saw Ethan's exhausted look, but he couldn't afford to rest when there was someone more in need.
"Good job." Ethan said calmly, cradling Sara's head against his. Even her hair was completely soaked in the blood that was now dripping down Ethan's palm, in dark trickles.
"I... I killed them all..." Sara whispered, shaking violently like a lost child in this terrible world, "All of them are dead... Even the horses... And it was me who did it!!!! I'm a monster like them!!!"
"Shh. You're not a monster." Ethan said softly, slowly patting Sara's head, "You're our savior. If it wasn't for your efforts many of us would have died, but everyone survived, now thanks to you each of us will see the next day. You are our hero."
For Sara, those words were the last frontier, for she had actually managed to save the others by going through and making this hell.
Sara buried her head into Ethan's chest, where tears, clear as crystals, streamed from her eyes. Her sobs were completely muffled and no one could hear it but Ethan.
'History will repeat itself...' Ethan inwardly muttered, looking around, 'Only under completely different circumstances...'
Most of the traps had been activated. and the once perfectly mowed lawn around the academy was now covered in holes like the aftermath of an artillery bombardment.
Turrets were broken as well as one of the two mirrors and the amber sphere that cracked after use.
Cora had used all the charges of her fire sphere, losing her most valuable item as well as many others. Everyone contributed to this victory, as well as each lost something.
'The fourth and fifth waves were very easy, but the sixth... the second special wave, it's a living hell.' Ethan pondered with a complicated expression.
There were still a few more waves ahead, as well as the final wave. Their preparations had to be perfect, they had to use everything they had.
After ten minutes, everyone saw the messages as the time given for the sixth wave came to an end.
[You were able to defeat all monsters, including all Champions and Commanders!]
[Points are being counted... For 300 common monsters, you'll get 900 points! Five Champions Monsters will earn you 1000 points! Two Commanders will earn you 1100 Points! A total of 3000 Points!]
[You've killed all monsters, so after the third wave, you can choose a unique reward!]
[Princesses, please make your choice!]
At the same moment, three crystals appeared beside Alisa and Nitra. There were only three of them, but they were blue since each one was equal to one thousand points.
Then, three cards flashed in front of Alisa and Nitra.
The left one had four unusual turrets drawn on it, with a core in the form of an amber crystal, very similar to the one that made the sphere with the destructive laser.
The center card had a massive chest with a creepy eye and long, sharp teeth growing in random directions.
On the right were three knights in black armor and massive swords with sharp blades.
Alisa and Nitra shared a glance, then they looked toward Ethan.
He cast a light gaze at them and leaned over to Sara, who was slowly coming to her senses.
"You need to rest, and I still have some tasks to do. However, don't forget you're a hero." Ethan whispered, as his words entered Sara's mind, staying there for a long time.
Step. Step. Step.
Ethan stopped next to Nitra and Alisa, glaring at the rewards on offer.
"Let's get the turrets!" Nitra suggested, "There's a whole four of them, and it looks like they'll also shoot lasers like a sphere! Even if they have one use too, that's at least four shots!"
"Maybe it's better to take the knights?" Alisa muttered while staring at the right card, "They look strong and will be able to protect our men. Isn't our main goal to minimize casualties?"
"You're both right." Ethan pronounced, "And frankly, I'd agree with Nitra if the next wave was the final one, but we have three more waves ahead of us for which we can get points."
Then, Ethan turned to Abominable Tree, "The rewards are different, but they're the same type. The first is attacking, the second depends on resources, and the third is for defense/support."
"I don't know what this chest does, or rather mimic, but the chances of it being an enemy are minimal. After all, the rules say it's a reward, and the rules are unshakable."
"Even if that chest looks creepy... chests always contain something valuable, don't they?" Nitra suggested with a thoughtful look.
Ethan nodded, "Yeah, that's the idea. Let's go, stop wasting time."
Alisa and Nitra exchanged glances, then pressed the center card.
At the same moment, a massive chest appeared in front of them, with an eye and crooked teeth, just like the one in the picture. However, there was something they hadn't expected.
"Damn... Did we buy a chest or a whole house?" Ethan tilted his head gazing at the huge chest almost two meters high.
Mimic glared at Alisa and Nitra, then he took short leaps towards the monsters.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
A long tongue curled around the monster corpses like a whip, throwing them right into Mimic's wide-open jaw.
Everyone, with dazed expressions, watched this amazing scene, not knowing what the purpose of their special reward was.
When Mimic had eaten thirty common monsters, he stopped, and his eye shone brightly with a golden glow.
Then, a beam of light came out of Mimic's eye, falling to the ground where several objects appeared.
They were three harpoons, two sets of iron armor, one silver ring, and a black bracelet. Mimic licked his teeth and headed for the next monsters, not going to stop there.
Ethan smirked, "Well, well, I wanted to get out quality over quantity, but it looks like we'll just have a mountain of different items now."