Hina, who was being woken up from her fear, stood on her feet while facing a fearsome enemy she encountered for the first time in her life. She cast her gaze behind the wolf and found Soma was dropped on four as he coughed many blood.
Her stable heart began to tighten, as she saw Soma in that sorry state. She bit her lips as she returned her gaze to focus on the enemy whose attention was on her.
The battle from earlier was etched inside her mind deeply. Soma who buffed his physical body using the Oni Wrath skill is being toyed with one-sidedly. The plan they discussed is to give it their all and try to catch the monster off guard by finishing the wolf swiftly while still not in its full power.
However, their plan was destroyed because the wolf was given it all from the start. The Situation now turned into the worst outcome. Soma who is gravely injured and Hina who is keeping her tough front to the max, facing the enormous monster.
She maintains her focus on her surroundings while gathering some mana in her fingertips ready to unleash her spell anytime to intercept the wolf from attacking her.
In the current party, they had. Hina was aware that she had no high defense against the wolf attack. So she put on the cloak for protection and decided to support Soma from behind. Even though the cloak couldn't protect her whole, at least she could escape death.
The wolf maintains its vigilance while observing the girl who unleashes a fire spell to block his advance in killing Soma. Being a Rank A monster the wolf has a high intelligence. Separating itself from the other lower-ranked monsters.
Rank in the monster was classified into eight categories, belonging from the weakest F to the strongest SS. Rank A monster was the pinnacle of evolution of a monster that retained some intelligence rivaling a human. However, they still couldn't use their intelligence wisely like humans do and sometimes they tend to use their natural-born instinct in facing their enemy.
Above that, the monster capable of surpassing Rank A was included in the category of transcended, for its break from its shell attaining enlightenment, reaching Rank S called the Calamity class. This type of monster, some of them are capable of talking in human language or taking the form of a human with their own distinctive features.
The wolf could feel it after it saw the firewall that blocked his way. The wind in his possession was stirred because of the reaction it possessed. As the fire element had the advantage from wind the wolf was being vigilant toward Hina.
"Grrr".
Both of them began their staring contest, then Hina who had a superior sense regarding Mana for she had a skill Mana manipulation in her hands, noticed the wolf begin to move, gathering some mana to prepare to attack.
"Firewall".
[MP: 510/910]
Again with the same tactics. She intends to trap the wolf inside while burning the swirling wind that acts as a barrier around the wolf. She tried to entrap the wolf to buy her some time for her to approach Soma.
However, the wolf noticed the change in its surroundings, as the temperature began to rise giving off an ominous feeling. Using its strong feet to leap into the air, then using one of its abilities. It kicked the empty air moving its body like it was on the ground and landed a bit far away from the scorched ground.
"That was Air-walk. What a troublesome ability he had. Let's try it again…".
Hina regains her focus while gathering the mana, to unleash another spell.
"Awoooo".
"Ukh!".
The wolf unleashed its fearsome howl that made the atmosphere in the arena shake, sending a wave of oppressed feelings for those who received it. As one of the monsters who hold the position of the ruler. The wolf had the ability of intimidation, as the king of its pact.
Hina, who received the ability head-on with her current strength, felt her chest tighten in submission, because of the oppressed feeling that began to suppress her down trying to make her kneel only using its roar.
She dropped one knee, while struggling to maintain her stance to keep her posture straight, when suddenly a sudden rush of chilling sensation assaulted her back as she instinctively activated the magic she prepared beforehand.
"Firewall".
[MP: 310/910]
The temperature began to spike up around her as the bright light of brilliant flame emerged from the ground, entrapping her in a cage that reached the sky. Because of her immediate casting of the magic. The roof of the cage leaves a gaping hole that can be used as an opening for counterattack.
Hina wiped the cold sweat that soaked her forehead. She clenched her teeth frustrated because of the helplessness she felt. As she began to regain her calm a little, standing up but only to feel something was not right.
A huge shadow began to cast its way toward her, darkened the small world she was in and she turned her gaze upward to find the wolf with its raised mouth, starting to gather mana in its long mouth. The surrounding air also began to get sucked into it. The wolf realized the gap that appeared from her magic and soon took action.
"Shit".
Hina curses at herself, as she recklessly begins to pour all of her remaining mana into creating a huge spell to counter the wolf attack.
[MP: 0/910]
A single flicker ignited, it created a dazzling glow that shone in the darkened small world Hina was in. It keeps dancing and swirling before it condenses into the form of a thick pillar with its sharp triangle tips pointed at the impending danger that is looming above.
Hiina's head began to throb intensely after she used all of the mana in her reservoir. But, she grits her teeth while maintaining her focus to keep the magic manifested, into a huge lance that could pierce the cloud.
[Fire Magic skill proficiency level up]
[Fire Magic Level up 3 > 4]
[Mana Manipulation Skill proficiency up]
[Mana manipulation Level up 3 > 4]
In front of her eyes, a translucent window began to appear, notifying her success in reaching the intermediate mastery of her magic, after training for years under the guidance of her mother. But, she didn't have the energy and attention to care for it because she had something more grave to deal with.
Without her realizing the surrounding Mana around her began to get sucked into the swirling flame lance that was burning majestically trying to defend its caster.
It was one of the characteristics of the intermediate mastery of Mana manipulation, where the user could utilize the surrounding Mana in the atmosphere albeit slightly, to create magic.
The wolf who has already finished with its preparation shifts its mouth downward and then launches its breath.
"Fire lance".
At the same time Hina, who witnessed the coming threat, began to command her spell to advance forward to intercept the incoming attack from the wolf.
On the Slsky a swirling pillar of vortex appeared from the wolf's mouth and it shot downward to eradicate its foe. From the ground, a thick pillar of lance shot upward like a rising dragon that challenged the storm that would eradicate all life on the ground.
The two forces clashed, creating a shockwave of synergy when the pillar of flame began to burn out the vortex that tried to descend to the ground. The pillar of flame's advance stopped as the wolf kept sending a wave of berserk mana from its body and it made the vortex that came out from its mouth go berserk.
Hina who still had control over the spell dropped to her knees as the pressure from the meeting force was too great for her to bear. With the one who control the magic down the pillar of fire began to lose its radiant. It keeps getting pushed back before it disappears, swallowed by the berserk vortex that soon will crash down and obliterate her.
Looking at the incoming vortex that would spell her doom. Hina, not knowing why, feels the world is slowed down as it turns still, she keeps her gaze above seeing the vortex that slowly descends downward.
"Is this the end for me?".
A flash of memories began to replay in her eyes. The memories she spent with her family, and her friends, her grief for the betrayal she received, her closed heart, and then like every movie that always had an end. A single figure of a boy began to occupy her epilogue as the corner of her mouth lifted, and then she opened her mouth.
"Soma, Thank you and I am sorry".
Hina closed her eyes as tears began to travel along her soft cheeks. The threat of death is ready to collect her life. But, in the still world Hina could hear a small whisper that was carried by wind reaching her ears giving her a warm ray of hope in her darkened world.
"..not …yet".