Storm clouds gathered overhead.
The night sky, already devoid of stars, grew darker still, thick bolts of lightning snaking across the roiling clouds like celestial serpents. In ancient times, people must have seen thunder as the wrath of the gods—for such power commands both awe and dread.
Below the storm lay the mountain, hiding that unknown, dreadful creature within, as if even the heavens were rejecting its presence on Earth.
"Quite the spectacle," Baobhan Sith remarked.
With a little grin, she polished a bright red apple against her sleeve before taking a bite, her sharp teeth sinking in easily, letting sweet juice slide over her tongue.
"Senpai, where did that apple come from?"
"Oh, I just grabbed it from their house when I was looking for the kids. Servants don't need food, but we can still enjoy the taste." She eyed the apple, her gaze lingering as she continued thoughtfully, "Oddly enough, though, ever since becoming Baobhan Sith, the color red makes me hungrier. I never used to care much for apples…"
While Baobhan Sith enjoyed her snack, the lightning above reached its zenith.
BOOM!
In that instant, the darkened world was illuminated, white thunder streaking down from the sky and splitting the mountain.
The light faded, the storm's rage subsided, and darkness returned once more.
Tossing aside the half-eaten apple, Baobhan Sith's gray eyes filled with sudden focus.
High above, a massive, shadowy figure emerged within the crackling storm, bathed in lightning.
It was a creature of pure monstrosity. Its colossal body gleamed under layers of white-scaled armor. A long neck supported three heads—a lion, a wolf, and a snake—each crowned by clusters of horns that resembled a jagged crown. It bore leathery wings like a bat and had hooved feet like a goat's.
Well, that's… quite the chimera.
"ROAAAAR—!"
As if sensing her disdain, the three-headed beast unleashed a deafening roar. The sound waves alone shattered nearby lightning into dust and sent rocks scattering.
A flood of cursed energy surged forth like a tidal wave. Just being near the beast's rotting aura caused trees to wither and decay at an alarming rate.
With its birth thus proclaimed, the beast fixed its six blood-red eyes upon Baobhan Sith below.
Its very gaze felt like a curse. The instant those eyes settled on her, Baobhan Sith felt her skin prickle with unease.
Then, with a flick of its wings, the three-headed demon god shattered the sound barrier, appearing before her in a heartbeat. Its claws, larger than her entire frame, struck down like a meteor, sending her hurtling back across the field.
The sheer force of its blow carved deep trenches into the earth.
But its attack didn't end there.
Dark cursed energy gathered at the monster's chest, surging up its neck and seeping out between its scales as a corrosive, molten fire. The intense heat distorted the very air.
The next second, it released that fire in a blinding torrent.
A blaze that could blot out the heavens burst forth, a harbinger of pure destruction.
It was a conflagration that could incinerate all creation, a cursed inferno to kill all life.
Human beings might respond to such a display of power with something close to numbness—as if there wasn't even room for despair.
Nothing could withstand this.
—Or so it thought.
Countless slashes, invisible to the eye, tore through the light, as if millions of strikes had fallen all at once.
In that instant, as if time itself had stretched, the beam was shredded into neat, glowing fragments.
In the starless night, the scattered fragments of the monster's cursed fire blazed in the sky like a sea of stars.
The three-headed beast stood there, motionless, shock flashing in its blood-red eyes.
The next moment, countless fine lines appeared across its massive body. Black and purple blood seeped from the cracks.
Then, belatedly, came the sound of its flesh tearing.
Splat!
A chunk of flesh fell to the ground, immediately ground beneath a crimson heel.
"Pathetic. Tasteless. Such a disappointment. After hearing you had magic energy comparable to a top-tier Servant, I expected so much more. But this?" She ground her heel harder into the bloody pulp. "Trash. Scum. Vermin."
After a moment, she let out a long-suffering sigh, her mind wandering back to the rescued children. "Guess I'd better go check on the brats… I mean, a Fairy Knight Tristan should probably be a better role model, right?"
Turning on her heel, she began to walk away. After all, everyone that needed killing was dead, and neither Fenhua Yu nor Baobhan Sith had much patience for babysitting.
Yet, just as she took her second step, a noise behind her made her pause.
"…No way."
Turning back, she found the three-headed beast alive, somehow restored.
"High-speed regeneration? No, I'm sure it was dead before. Is this… resurrection? You've got such a rare ability?"
Baobhan Sith's brows lifted in surprise, but that did little to change the outcome in her mind.
"Struggle all you like—you're still just an insect. Even if you can revive, I'll just stomp you down again."
The massive beast flew at her with renewed fury, yet she only extended a single, slender finger.
She didn't even acknowledge its impending blow. Just as its attack was about to connect, a slash appeared out of thin air, slicing down the creature's shoulder and across its side, nearly cleaving it in two and sending it hurtling into a nearby cliff.
But this time, as her slash connected, Baobhan Sith's expression grew more serious.
"This feeling…"
"ROAAAAR—!"
The three-headed beast freed itself from the cliffside. Her attack had barely damaged it—its scales bore only superficial wounds, no worse than a few scratches.
"…Immunity to slashing? And…?"
With a quick twist of her body, she dodged its claws, drawing her fist back as she ducked low. With a simple, unadorned punch, she struck.
The ground cracked, spiderweb fissures spreading around them as a shockwave blasted outward.
Despite their difference in size, the beast froze, its muscles locked from the impact. Seeing her chance, Baobhan Sith pivoted, driving her left fist into the monster's abdomen, sending a surge of energy that tore through its body and burst out its back.
The beast went flying.
"Don't think for a second that Archers can't melee, you pea-brained brute," she scoffed.
After all, how often did you see an Archer who trained in Bājíquán?
"Still…"
Her playful grin faded, and she flexed her hand, considering. "Not only did it gain resistance to slashes, but its speed and strength increased too… Interesting."
As she turned her gaze back to the beast that was once again struggling to its feet, a wicked smile crossed her lips. Blood-red magic surged forth from her small frame, pulsing with intensity.
"Now that's something worth grinding into pulp."
"ROAAAAR—!"
"Yes, yes! Scream louder! Shred! Rip! Crush! Grind yourself to dust, and entertain me with that decaying soul of yours!"
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T/N: Bro summoned a stronger Mahoraga