As the day wore on, the battle between Ima and Natali against the Horned Serpent horde grew fiercer. Although the two had taken out many enemies, the Horned Serpent's numbers never seemed to diminish. Every time one died, two more seemed to emerge from the dark shadows, haunting them with deadly attacks. Natali's strength began to fade, while Ima continued to fire with her holy sniper, though her movements were getting slower.
Natali let out a deep breath, standing beside Ima who was busy firing at the approaching Horned Serpent. 'Ima, I may have reached my limit...' Natali said weakly, her breath coming in short gasps, and her face covered in sweat. She closed her eyes for a moment, feeling her energy draining away.
Ima, who continued to fire her explode bullets at the Horned Serpent, didn't look over. 'Take a break, Natali. I'll distract her for a while. We can't afford to lose you,' she replied quickly as she aimed her shot at one of the approaching Horned Serpents. A huge explosion echoed, burning the creature's body to ashes.
With quick movements, Ima moved forward, trying to draw the enemy's attention away from Natali. Meanwhile, Natali tried to recover her strength, but her dark magic was draining her even more. Shivering with exhaustion, she summoned all her remaining strength, using **Fire Darkness** magic to burn away the Horned Serpents surrounding her. The huge explosion destroyed the surrounding enemies, but Natali's body began to weaken, unable to withstand the effects of her destructive magic.
Natali coughed, blood coming out of her mouth. 'I... can't go on much longer,' she muttered, her voice trembling, her body almost falling over. Ima, who saw the situation from a distance, felt the urge of fear in her, but she held herself back.
'I'll distract them even longer. Hang in there!' Ima shouted, then moved swiftly between the Horned Serpents, firing her explosion shots at them. While the Horned Serpent was attracted to Ima, Natali fell to her knees, her coughing got worse, and the blood coming out of her mouth made the ground around her wet.
Ima kept moving, jumping high into the air to get a better view of the battlefield. But what she saw broke her heart - chaos everywhere. It wasn't just her and Natali who were being pushed back; the entire army was in critical condition. Ima lost focus for a moment, and that's when a Horned Serpent leapt at her, about to pounce. Ima managed to dodge, but not fast enough. The monster's bite slammed into her leg, cutting her left leg apart.
Ima's scream was deafening as she fell to the ground, blood rushing from her wound. Excruciating pain flooded her body, but she persevered, firing at the approaching Horned Serpent despite her blurred vision and weakened body. As he fired, his heart knew he was fighting for his remaining life.
However, the Horned Serpents were getting more and more numerous, and Ima began to feel the pressure. With blood continuing to flow, her consciousness began to fade. In desperation, she gave up, sensing that her time might be near.
Suddenly, however, the Horned Serpent in front of her burst into flames. A confused Ima realised that the fire magic that destroyed the enemy came from Natali. Even though she was dying, Natali did not give up. Tears streamed down Natali's cheeks as she exerted her last strength, using **Black Hole** magic to swallow the Horned Serpent near Ima whole.
Ima shouted, 'Natali! Don't force yourself!' But Ima's voice was swallowed up by Natali's screams of magic power.
However, the next sight shattered Ima. A huge Horned Serpent leapt from behind Natali, about to bite her. Natali turned her head, and although she realised that she would not be able to escape, she just smiled with tears falling.
'This is enough,' she whispered softly, before the Horned Serpent's massive fangs crushed her body. In an instant, Natali was dead on the spot.
Screams of grief and anger erupted from Ima. 'NATALI!' Ima shouted in a voice that echoed throughout the battlefield. Anger, sadness, and despair welled up within her, and she attacked the remaining Horned Serpents blindly. Ima fired relentlessly, each bullet exploding with full force, destroying the Horned Serpents around her. But the number of enemies was too much, and Ima began to lose control.
The remaining Horned Serpents began to rapidly close in on her. Ima continued to fire, despite knowing that her death was imminent. She thought about one thing: the hope that the other members could survive and survive this fight.
In the end, Ima ran out of steam. With her body covered in wounds and blood, the last Horned Serpent pounced on her. Ima, no longer able to move, accepted her fate. She closed her eyes, letting the darkness swallow her.
And just like that, Ima fell, her body destroyed by the Horned Serpent, following Natali who had left first.