Vyn's vision swam, the world blurring at the edges.
He dimly registered a figure before him – a stark contrast to the monstrousity looming over him. Her appearance was ethereal, clad in flowing white that seemed to shimmer in the battlefield's dust. But this delicate beauty was a facade. An aura emanated from her, sharp and potent, like a blade honed from moonlight that could cleave through the thickest darkness.
Was she a god or something? A hallucination conjured by his fading consciousness? In that desperate moment, the line between reality and fantasy blurred.
A soft voice, like the tinkling of wind chimes, pierced through the haze. The girl knelt beside him, her gaze holding a depth that seemed to pierce his very soul.
"True strength," she murmured, her voice laced with an undercurrent of steel, "lies not just in brute force, but in the wisdom to choose your battles."
Her eyes, the color of a stormy sky, flickered with a hint of disapproval. "You possess courage, that much is clear. But courage without reason is foolishness. Did you truly believe you could overcome that monster with your current abilities?"
Vyn flinched, a wave of shame washing over him. He stammered, trying to form a defense, but the words wouldn't come. He was a warrior, raised on tales of valor and glory, and her words stung with a bitter truth.
"As expected."
The girl sighed, a hint of disappointment tinging her voice. But then, a change flickered across her face. Her eyes, alight with a sudden intensity, locked onto the monstrous beast.
"This aura," she muttered, a low growl forming in her throat. "It's far too strong for a mere D-rank creature."
The monster roared in response, the very air vibrating with its challenge. Her own aura flared in response, a blazing counterpoint to the creature's darkness.
Without a second thought, the girl launched herself towards the beast.
"Stay back!"
She called over her shoulder, her voice leaving no room for argument.
Vyn gritted his teeth, a surge of anger warring with the embers of gratitude flickering within him. This girl, this stranger, had appeared out of nowhere, judged him, then rushed headlong into danger. It felt patronizing, a blatant display of her perceived superiority.
This world, he thought bitterly, was a hierarchy carved in power. The strong reveled in belittling the weak, using pronouncements of weakness as currency to fuel their own egos.
'Why?' he fumed silently. 'Couldn't she have just fought the creature without those disdainful remarks?'
Didn't she realize they were likely the same age? The injustice of it all burned in his gut.
Vyn gritted his teeth, frustration burning in his gut. Not only had this infuriating young girl saved his life, but she'd mocked him for his weakness. It wasn't his fault he was born this way! His anger simmered, a tempest brewing beneath the surface. He silently cursed the cruel fate dealt to him, the unseen hand of the gods twisting his life into this powerless existence.
Lost in his swirling emotions, Vyn barely registered the girl's movements. With a flick of her wrist and a quiet incantation, she unleashed a spell, the words rolling off her tongue like a chilling melody.
"Glacier's Embrace!"
The air crackled with power as the temperature plummeted. A colossal wave of ice surged forward, a tide of shimmering blue that froze everything in its path. The monstrous beast, charging at her with ferocious intent, was instantly robbed of its momentum. Its terrifying aura, once potent and domineering, faltered against the overwhelming power of the spell.
A symphony of cracking and sizzling filled the air as the ice climbed, engulfing the creature in a crystalline tomb.
Vyn watched, mesmerized, from a distance of over a hundred meters. Even here, he could feel the tendrils of the spell's frigid power reaching out, threatening to freeze him solid. Instinctively, he stumbled back, putting further distance between himself and the encroaching cold.
The sheer potency of the attack stunned him. It had to be at least an A-rank spell! How was it possible for someone who looked no older than him to wield such immense power? She stood close to the pinnacle of this world's magic, while he remained mired in his own incopetence.
'This world truly is a cruel place,'
He thought bitterly. It was an injustice he couldn't comprehend. If strength was solely a product of effort, he would be among the most powerful. What more did he have to do? Was this the only path left, to surrender to death and hope for a better fate in the next life? The more he contemplated it, the more appealing that option became.
The girl, her face emotionless, studied the frozen monster. A sudden wrinkle marred her brow.
"Hmm, something's amiss,"
She murmured, a hint of unease creeping into her voice. Despite its icy encasement, a faint echo of the creature's aura lingered. Initially weak, it began to strengthen at an alarming rate, as if some unseen force was reanimating the beast.
The rekindled aura erupted from within the ice, a surge of power that shattered the crystalline shell. With a deafening crack, the fragments rained down as the monster surged free. Its body convulsed, then underwent a shocking transformation. The two heads fused into one, a single ferocious appearance with eyes that burned with renewed malice. Two horns sprouted from its skull, adding to its menacing look.
The creature's once fleshy hide hardened and darkened, taking on an inky black hue. Razor-sharp claws emerged from its fingertips, and bone spikes erupted from its back, a macabre crown of pain. It wasted no time, unleashing a pillar of fire that scorched the air, the color a deep, menacing red. The sheer force behind it dwarfed the previous attack.
Reacting with lightning speed, the girl leaped backward, creating a buffer zone. Her hands danced, weaving another spell. Walls of ice materialized from the ground, a series of overlapping defences rising to meet the fiery onslaught. The attack slammed into the ice, shattering layer after layer with a thunderous roar. Its momentum was relentless, pushing through several barriers before finally dissipating.
"Tsk. This is more troublesome than anticipated," she muttered, a hint of annoyance flickering across her face. This wasn't as easy as she'd thought. The beast had undergone a metamorphosis, its power surging to a level that rivaled her own. This fight would demand everything she had, every ounce of her strength, if she hoped to emerge victorious.
Vyn stood frozen, a silent observer on the edge of the battlefield. As a seasoned warrior, he'd seen his fair share of oddities on this battlefield, but nothing prepared him for this. The ground still rumbled from the monster's earlier rampage, a chilling reminder of its raw power.
A horrifying realization dawned on him. That huge monster, moments ago teetering on the brink of defeat, had not only revived... it had transformed. Its form, which moments ago seemed vulnerable to the attacks of the seemingly A-rank girl, now radiated an unimaginable strength. He doubted even her strenght could match this nightmarish evolution.
Vyn's mind raced. Should he remain a spectator, glued to this strange sight? Or should he summon all his might and flee for the exit? He winced at the memory of the monster's monstrous speed when it had chased him before. Escape seemed a fool's dream.
Just as despair threatened to consume him, a voice, chillingly calm, sliced through his mind. It felt like an intrusion, a disembodied entity burrowing into his very thoughts. A shiver crawled down his spine, sending a jolt of icy fear through him.
[System has detected a new fragment, Host integration will commence]