The creature's colossal red eye seemed to float, detached, within its enormous ice-bound form, drifting from one person to the next. It lingered on each of them: Yuki, standing firm, fists clenched with focused determination; Tatsuya, slipping on his gauntlet and securing it with a satisfying click; Kiyara, twirling her axe idly as her bear ears flicked in irritation; and Korrin and Sylas, stationed at either side of Kiyara, ready to guard her if necessary.
"That thing sure doesn't look like any machine I've seen," Tatsuya muttered, his gaze fixed on the creature. "So… the question is…" He tilted his head toward Kiyara with a curious look.
"Don't mock me." Her voice was sharp, and she stepped forward, her boots sinking into the lake's edge as she glared at the creature.
Just then, the multicolored energy rippling across the lake began streaming toward the creature's core. The power gathered at the base of its towering form, slowly brightening as it spiraled toward the red eye, bathing the entire lake in blinding, rainbow-colored light. Everyone squinted as the glow intensified.
I know that move, Tatsuya thought, his mind racing as he reached down, forcing the ground to rise around him in a protective mound of sand. He barely finished when a massive ruby beam shot from the creature's eye, surging toward them with the force of a raging storm. It struck where they stood like a bolt of red lightning.
Yuki, Kiyara, Korrin, and Sylas moved in sync, their vision briefly flashing black and blue as they dodged aside, muscles guided by Viranokta's instinctive foresight. Tatsuya raised his hand, manipulating the sand into a sphere and instantly melting it into glass with fire magic. His glass shield deflected most of the beam's energy, sending a part of it ricocheting back at the creature and striking its icy body with a satisfying explosion of steam and hissing cracks.
But Tatsuya's shield shattered. He dropped to his knees, smoke rising from his singed skin as he coughed, his hair frizzy and his breathing labored.
"I forgot… about energy transmission," he mumbled between coughs, blinking against the sudden rush of blood to his head. "Anime lied to me…"
Meanwhile, the creature turned away from the village, letting water rush up to repair its damaged side. Ice fragments broken from its shell began to pulse with residual energy, glowing as they propelled through the lake like torpedoes. Tatsuya looked up, eyes widening at the sight.
"There's more?" Kiyara's eyes narrowed as Nyren gathered around her pupils, sharpening her sight to reveal the energy trails beneath the lake's surface. The Nyren around her eyes surged into her core and then pooled along her axe in glowing waves. She swung it in one sharp arc, generating a powerful air wave that disintegrated the ice projectiles before they could reach him.
"Master…" Yuki sprinted toward Tatsuya, her expression worried as she scooped him up and dashed toward the village to shelter behind a large, weathered house.
Korrin's voice was a low murmur as he assessed the situation, his grip tight on his spear. "How are we supposed to stop that thing, boss? It's out of our league…"
Sylas nodded, his face pale, as he wiped sweat from his brow. Seeing their hesitation, Kiyara marched over and, without a word, snatched Sylas's spear from his hands.
"If you're not planning to fight, you won't be needing this," she said, her voice steel-edged. Before he could respond, she cranked her arm back and hurled the spear at the regenerating creature, coating it with Nyren in midair. The spear hit with a flash, fracturing the creature's entire left side, forcing the water around it to disperse before it could refreeze.
"GRAAAAHHHH!" The creature screeched, the sound like grinding ice mixed with clanging bells. Windows throughout the village shattered in a domino of splintering glass, and villagers running for shelter clapped their hands over their ears in agony. Demi-human scouts riding giant brown birds struggled to maintain control of their mounts, which squawked in panic before throwing them off and fleeing into the distance.
What… have I done? Kiyara thought, her eyes widening as her ears caught the sickening crack of scouts falling hard onto the ground. Her face went pale, and her hands went limp, her grip on her axe faltering as she dropped to her knees, body frozen in shock.
Sylas and Korrin rushed to her, their voices gentle but firm. "It wasn't your fault," Sylas said, grimacing as blood trickled from his ear. "You didn't know it would react like that."
Korrin laid a hand on her shoulder. "He's right. You saved lives by stopping it before it reached the village."
Their words reached her, bringing her back, and Kiyara slowly stood, her hands still trembling as she gripped her axe with renewed resolve. She shot a fierce look at the lake, her voice a choked whisper. "Thank you…" She stepped forward, anger flashing in her eyes as she glared at the creature, raising her axe.
"You're dead, you hear me?" Her voice strained, hoarse with emotion as her bloodshot eyes fixed on the creature. "YOU AND YOUR CREATOR ARE GOING TO DIE BY MY AXE!"
Behind the brown house, Yuki crouched down, cradling Tatsuya in her arms, focused intently on his injuries. She flinched as another loud crack echoed from the scouts hitting the ground. She pushed the sound aside, her gaze softening as she watched Tatsuya's face, determined.
I can't think about anything else now, she thought. Right now, the only thing that matters is… Master.
She took a steadying breath, then activated their blood bond, her consciousness diving deep into his mind. Colors and symbols swirled around her, memories flashing by in fragmented scenes. But something felt different this time—symbols flickered red, and images of Tatsuya's memories flashed and disappeared.
In an instant, she was inside his consciousness. She stood on cool, liquid-like ground as she looked at the figure crouched before her, hugging his knees. A familiar sense of recognition stirred.
"This… this is how he looked before…" Her voice was low, startled as she took in his appearance.
Tatsuya glanced up, his expression blank. This wasn't the confident, orange-eyed figure she'd come to rely on. Before her was a thin, middle-aged man with plain features, his black eyes hollow, dressed in a nondescript gray suit and tie.
No hesitation, she thought, and slowly, she took a step forward, the liquid beneath her rippling.
"You shouldn't be here," Tatsuya muttered, his voice flat as he looked away. "You should be out there, helping everyone else… not wasting time on a weakling like me." A tear fell, tracing a line down his cheek as his gaze dropped.
"No!" Her voice rang out, pulling his attention back to her. "You're not weak! You saved me when I was trapped in the past. And you gave me this strength, this form. I fight because of you." She extended her hand, their bond reflected in the gray hue of her skin.
Tatsuya trembled, his fists clenched as the space around them began to tremble and distort with his self-doubt. But Yuki held her ground, her voice firm but gentle. "You think I knew how to fight when I first got this form? No, I didn't. I relied on your memories to make it through. I still do."
With each step closer, her words rippled through the shifting ground. "And I'm not letting your insecurities waste your potential." She stopped just before him, meeting his eyes with resolve. "So stop doubting yourself and wake up, Tatsuya!"
Without waiting, she swung her tail, delivering a swift smack across his face. The shock broke the mental space apart, sending them both hurtling back to reality.
The ice spikes within Stoneglow Basin began glowing a bright, ghostly blue, their light visible from the village. Frozen figures were trapped within each one—men, women, even children frozen mid-movement. From the tips of each spike, beams of Nyren wrapped in mana shot into the air, arcing toward the creature and slamming into it with the force of a thunderclap.
The creature pulsed with a bright red aura, intricate magical symbols swirling across its icy surface. In response, the water surrounding it rose, coiling into massive tentacles before solidifying, each one towering as high as a castle wall.
"We can't even reach it…" Korrin muttered through gritted teeth as one of the colossal ice tentacles swung toward the village, its sheer size throwing buildings into shadow. "What are we supposed to do?"
Kiyara's hands shook as she watched, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "It can't end like this…"
A crimson beam slashed through the air, striking the tentacle and cleaving it clean in half. It fell back into the lake, sending waves rippling outward.
Kiyara, Sylas, and Korrin turned to see Tatsuya standing on the sand, his eyes a fierce silver-gray, his arm outstretched as blood dripped from his fingers. With Yuki by his side, he gave a smirk.
"Sorry to steal your move," he called, locking eyes with the creature. "But red attacks are my specialty."