On the war-torn edge of the battlefield, where the clash of steel and magic never seemed to end, the girl and the enormous beast continued their ferocious exchange. Each blow, each maneuver, felt eternal—a stark testament to the unyielding spirit and tenacity of both adversaries.
Their appearances were brutal, marked by the harshness of prolonged battle. The girl, her form a tapestry of wounds, staggered with evident fatigue. Despite the toll the beast's savage attacks had taken on her, she summoned the remnants of her strength to cast ice spells. Weaker now, the spells still carried the chill of desperation.
The beast itself was a grotesque sight, its body riddled with gaping wounds and dark bruises, more akin to the aftermath of violent explosions than mere ice magic. It howled—a primal, pain-filled sound—as it attacked with wild, barbaric fury, as if madness had seized its very essence.
Clearly, the monster was on its last leg, throwing itself into the battle with frantic, desperate energy. Sensing its vulnerability, the girl intensified her assault, channeling every ounce of her power into a final, decisive blow.
"Die, you stupid monster!" she yelled, her voice laced with both exhaustion and determination. With a flick of her wrist, she conjured a massive ice spear and hurled it towards the beast's left chest—the location she had deduced to be the core of the creature, its Achilles' heel, fiercely guarded since the battle's onset.
"Pow!"
The spear cut through the air with lethal precision, but in a breathtaking display of reflexes, the beast caught the projectile mere inches from its vital spot, gripping it with its monstrous hands. Not to be outdone, the girl channeled her intent into the spear, causing it to explode with a resonant bang.
The explosion was cataclysmic, severing the monster's hand from its arm and eliciting a scream of agony that echoed across the battlefield. Stumbling back, the beast tried to put distance between itself and its relentless foe.
But the girl, with a warrior's instinct, gave it no quarter. Conjuring another ice spell, she charged forward. As she closed the gap, she thrust forward with her spear. In a desperate counter, the monster regenerated its lost limb, transforming it into a long, deadly spike that lashed out towards her.
"Shit!"
She cursed under her breath, dodging with all her might. Yet the monster's spike grazed her abdomen, weakening her attack, which now only managed to inflict a shallow wound on the beast's chest.
The girl staggered back, her hand pressed against her abdomen where fresh blood trickled down. The monster, unfazed by the feeble ice spear lodged in its chest, advanced menacingly toward her. She collapsed to the ground, clutching her wounded side, her mana depleted, her strength drained, and her energy spent. In that moment, she felt utterly helpless, as if she had already lost the battle to the relentless monster.
Meanwhile, Vyn's attention had been fixated on the unfolding scene, realizing that if the girl were to perish at the monster's hands, his own demise would surely follow. Desperation surged within him, prompting a desperate plea to the supposed omnipotent entity known as the System.
"System, or whatever you call yourself! If you're as powerful as you claim, then do something! Obliterate that bloody monster!"
Vyn's voice crackled with frustration and fear, his expletives punctuating the air like fiery sparks.
But alas, as expected, there was no response. The grand promises of the System now seemed like nothing more than a cruel joke. It appeared that Vyn had been duped into placing his faith in a worthless entity at this critical juncture.
With no other recourse, he realized his only chance at survival lay in fleeing to the exit, no matter how slim that chance may be.
Just as despair threatened to engulf him entirely, the System's voice echoed in his mind once more, a glimmer of hope amidst the darkness.
[Host possesses the special ability, 'Boundless Light,' coveted by the gods.]
"Oh, not this nonsense again!"
Vyn scoffed inwardly at the System's proclamation. The notion that his strength could somehow manifest through the so called Boundless Light seemed ridiculous, to say the least.
[Host can command the Boundless Light to act according to your will.]
"Ha! Cowardly thing!"
Vyn couldn't help but sneer at the System's feeble reassurance. Command the Boundless Light? What utter rubbish!
In this world, there existed a formidable empire, a powerful light energy known as the Celestial Light, whose devout followers worshipped a god called the Celestial. They were imbued with incredible power by their deity, but Vyn harbored no such reverence. In fact, he held a deep-seated resentment toward all existing gods, whom he blamed for his cruel fate.
"Boundless Light, my arse! What a load of rubbish!" Vyn muttered under his breath, his disdain for the concept palpable. He refused to bow to any god, even if it meant defying fate itself.
He had never encountered anything like this before. Was the System referring to the Celestial Light worshipped by those people? And if so, how in the world would he be able to wield the light if he wasn't a believer and instead resented it?
"Seriously? Now the System is spouting this nonsense?" Vyn thought, his disappointment evident.
"As expected, what was I even expecting of this stupid System that had spewed rubbish constantly ever since it came into existence?" Vyn mused, shaking his head.
[Host can manifest his strength and the Boundless Light will act according to your will]
The System's words echoed in his mind, as if taunting him with its enigmatic promises.
Vyn couldn't help but wonder if the system had mastered the art of mockery. Was this stupid System hell-bent on making his life a mystery? Who was responsible for this System, anyway?
As he pondered, a thought nagged at him. What if he actually tried what the system had told him? He wouldn't be surprised if the system burst into laughter if he failed. But then again, today had been filled with so many strange occurrences that defied logic. Maybe he was losing his mind, or perhaps someone was playing tricks on him.
"If that's the case, might as well give it a shot," he muttered to himself, resignation coloring his tone.
Just as the monster closed in on the injured girl, her helpless gaze fixed on the approaching doom, Vyn acted. With a determined expression, he raised his finger and pointed it at the gaping wound on the monster's chest, conjuring an image of the so-called Boundless Light.
[Host has created a new skill: Finger Of Light LV1]
Whizz!
A sharp sound was heard after the system's announcement. A blinding white light erupted from his fingertip, a searing beam that tore through the air with a sonic crack.
The monster, caught completely off guard, didn't even flinch. The light slammed into its chest, already weakened by the girl's earlier attack. It ripped through flesh and bone like a divine spear, shattering the creature's core before exiting in a brilliant burst from its back.
[Host has slain a mutated Twinhorn Behemoth]
The system voice announced the unexpected.