Sylas came to a halt before the large crowd gathered outside the village, his chest heaving. "And...we're here!" he declared, his voice carrying over the din of frightened murmurs. Hunters had established a crude perimeter around the group, a square space roughly fifty meters across, keeping watch as villagers huddled close for safety.
He carefully handed the bunny woman into the arms of a boar-eared demi-human with graying hair and a wide, muscular frame. The hunter shifted uncomfortably as the woman flinched at his imposing appearance.
"Did you see that flash of light? I swear it came from near an exfil site," the boar-eared man said in a gruff tone.
The bunny woman averted her gaze, her voice barely above a whisper. "W-well...I hope my family wasn't there."
The hunter's shoulders sagged at her words, his expression softening. He gently set her down, a pang of guilt flickering across his face. It's always the fangs... he thought grimly, touching his tusk self-consciously.
The bunny woman limped toward Sylas, her eyes suddenly lighting up as she spotted a figure in the distance. She pointed, exclaiming, "That's him! The man with the bushy tail I saw earlier!"
Sylas turned, his brow furrowing as he saw Korrin approaching. His friend's condition made his stomach twist. Korrin's cloak was singed and torn, his usually sharp eyes glassy and unfocused. His teeth chattered as he stumbled forward, dragging his feet across the soil.
What the hell happened? Sylas thought, jogging over to him. He grabbed Korrin by the shoulders, shaking him lightly. "How did you lose your weapon? And why do you look like that?"
Korrin shoved Sylas off, his breaths uneven as his eyes darted wildly. "T-T-There's no beating that thing...it just regenerates and adapts..." His voice broke, rising in pitch. "It even shot a fucking mana beam!"
The desperation in his tone silenced the crowd. Villagers turned toward him, fear and confusion etched into their faces. Sylas, his jaw tightening, gestured to the perimeter guards. "Get them into the forest. Now."
The hunters nodded, swiftly herding the villagers toward the primordial woods. As the crowd moved away, Sylas spun back to Korrin, grabbing his arm and pulling him close. Their faces were inches apart.
"And what the hell does that mean, Korrin?" Sylas snapped, his voice sharp. "How is that relevant to the destruction of our home?"
Korrin turned away, covering his face with his hand. His shoulders trembled as tears streaked down his dirt-streaked face. "It killed so many..." His voice was barely audible. "Women...children... If I'd been paying attention..."
His legs buckled, and he fell to all fours, his fingers clawing at the dirt. Guilt and self-loathing poured out of him in choked sobs.
Sylas's eyes widened, a wave of sympathy washing over him. He knelt down, meeting Korrin's broken gaze. "You know what..." Sylas started, then cut himself off mid-sentence. His hand moved swiftly, striking Korrin across the face with a resounding slap.
Korrin reeled back, clutching his stinging cheek. Why the hell did he—? But before he could finish the thought, Sylas's words hit him like a hammer.
"I don't care how you feel. That thing in the lake doesn't care how you feel. And crying here sure as hell won't fix anything. So stand the fuck up and follow me," Sylas commanded, his tone unyielding.
The words pierced through Korrin's haze, dragging a memory from the depths of his mind. Captain...he used to say things like that, Korrin thought, his lips twitching into a faint, bitter smile. That damned cat...
Still cradling his cheek, Korrin looked up at Sylas, who now stood tall, his fur coat fluttering in the wind. "That was the worst motivational speech I've ever heard," Korrin muttered, his voice shaking with the hint of a chuckle. "But it's also the best thing I've heard all damn day."
He reached up, clasping Sylas's hand. With a firm pull, Sylas hauled him to his feet. Together, they turned toward the smoldering remains of Vythrak Village—the burning buildings, the scattered ice chunks, the turbulent waters of the lake. Without a word, they broke into a sprint, Nyren flaring around them as they descended the hill. Their eyes burned with purpose. I know what to do, each thought in unison.
---
On the ice monster, Tatsuya and Yuki dashed across the translucent surface, their reflections shimmering beneath them like ghostly doubles. The creature's two massive eyes tracked their every move, casting a faint red glow across its jagged body. Thick veins of Nyren and mana pulsed within the tentacles, creating an eerie network of glowing lines.
Tatsuya's thoughts raced. The veins—if they're pumping Nyren like that, then this thing is alive, at least to some extent. Cutting through those veins might do more damage than just hacking at the ice...
He sent the thought through their blood bond, and Yuki's sharp reply came almost instantly. Sounds better than our last plan. But we're running on hopes and dreams here.
Tatsuya sighed inwardly, his lips twitching with irritation. Just shut up and slice. That's an order.
A reluctant Yes, master echoed in his mind before Yuki withdrew from their connection. Tatsuya focused on the tentacle in front of him, transitioning from a sprint to a slide as he swung his scythe in a wide arc. The weapon burst into black and purple flames mid-swing, cutting through the base of the tentacle with a searing hiss. Nyren seeped from the severed veins, the flames preventing any chance of regeneration.
"Looks like my Soul Tapestry is a natural enemy to Nyren...and anything flammable," Tatsuya muttered with a smirk as he moved to finish the job.
But a loud crack from behind sent goosebumps racing up his arms. He spun around, his stomach lurching at the sight before him.
A massive ice pillar jutted from the creature's body, pulsing with Nyren and mana. Embedded within it was the figure of a woman, her torso and face carved from translucent ice. Her glowing red eyes and writhing tentacle hair locked onto him with an unsettling intensity.
Before Tatsuya could react, jagged stakes of ice erupted from the pillar, piercing his arms, legs, and torso. His scythe clattered to the ground, dissolving into a pool of blood at his feet. Pain wracked his body as the stakes twisted, mini-spikes forming along their lengths to dig deeper into his flesh.
He thought bitterly, blood bubbling at the corners of his mouth, How is it this strong?
---
Back in his chambers, Lord Caelum sat with his head in his hands, blue eyes darting as he watched through the ice monster's vision. His silver prosthetic fingers tapped against his temple as he murmured to himself.
"It's remarkable that Cynthia's defensive tactics have adapted so quickly," he muttered. "But these opponents...are proving troublesome."
The chamber door creaked open, and a woman clad in sleek white armor entered. Her helmet's opaque visor obscured her face as she addressed him.
"Lord Caelum, Cynthia's reserves are depleting rapidly. We must replenish her energy soon," she advised.
Caelum grimaced, rising to his feet. He turned to the sword mounted beside his bed, its steel glinting ominously in the dim light. "So be it. But I've already wasted too much energy weaponizing her."
---
Back on the battlefield, Yuki's katana flashed through the air, slicing down mini ice tentacles that sprouted in her path. The Nyren-coated blade left trails of flickering flames with every swing. But as a wave of pain surged through the blood bond, Yuki faltered. Her hand flew to her head, her breaths ragged.
Master...what's happening to him? she thought, panic lacing her words.
The ground shook beneath her feet, a distant explosion illuminating the horizon in red, blue, and orange hues. Her lips twitched into a wry smile as she steadied herself, gripping her katana tightly.
"Stupid master," she whispered, her voice fond and exasperated. "Making me worry like that."
Without hesitation, Yuki charged forward, her blade cutting a blazing path toward the ice tentacle ahead.