The moment Elena finished speaking, we moved.
There was no time to argue, no time to panic. An S-rank monster wave didn't announce itself politely. It erased everything in its path, and the only mercy it offered was how fast it ended things.
We rang the alarm bell at the center of the village. Its sound echoed through the trees, sharp and heavy, cutting through the quiet mountain air. Doors opened one by one. Faces appeared. Confused. Sleepy. Afraid.
About twenty people gathered in the open space near the old well. Men, women, children. Survivors who had already lost too much to lose anything else.
Elena climbed onto the roof of one of the houses. Even now, with death approaching, people naturally looked toward her. Not just because of her beauty, but because she radiated something rare in this world.
Resolve.
"Listen to me," she said, her voice calm but firm. "We have a serious situation."
The murmuring slowly faded.
"A monster wave has been detected," she continued. "This time, it's different."
Some people sighed. Others nodded. Waves had come before. Painful, dangerous, but survivable.
Then she said the words that froze them.
"Louis, Nadia, Alice, and Iris have entered a B-rank dungeon."
The crowd stirred. Worry replaced indifference.
"And the wave that's coming," Elena paused, her fingers tightening against the roof tiles, "is S-rank."
The village went silent.
No screaming. No crying. Just pure, suffocating shock.
Only Awakened could feel it clearly, but everyone sensed something was wrong. The air itself felt heavier. Mana, dense and oppressive, pressed down like an invisible hand closing around our throats.
S-rank meant annihilation.
Elena took a breath and continued.
"Those who wish to stay and fight, prepare your weapons and take positions," she said. "Those who want to live, leave now. We will not stop you."
Her eyes moved across the crowd.
"For the children and mothers, evacuation is mandatory. Head deep into the forest and move north. After escaping the wave, search for Louis's group. They should still be inside the dungeon."
No one moved.
Fear rooted them in place.
I watched their faces. These weren't soldiers. They were farmers, scavengers, people who had barely learned to survive. Asking them to fight an S-rank wave was the same as asking them to die screaming.
A long minute passed.
No one stepped forward.
I exhaled slowly. I couldn't blame them.
Even Elena, strong as she was, had to know this was hopeless.
I stepped closer to her and spoke quietly so only she could hear me.
"You don't have to stay," I said. "If you leave now, you might survive. If Louis clears the dungeon and comes out A-rank, he'll protect you. He likes you. You know that."
For a brief moment, I thought she wouldn't respond.
Then she turned.
Her eyes were cold, darker than I'd ever seen them.
"I would rather die," she said, "than stay alive beside Louis."
The words surprised me.
She continued, her voice steady, controlled.
"Louis is like the curse itself. He shines brightly, draws people to him, and drags destruction wherever he goes. If I stay with him, I'll die eventually. Not today. Not tomorrow. But one day."
She looked around the village.
"This place is my home. The only one I have left. If it's going to end, then I'll end with it."
Her gaze met mine.
"And I'd rather die fighting beside you than running away."
I felt something tighten in my chest.
I understood her.
Perfectly.
"Then it's settled," I said. "You're the first person I ever chose to die with."
She blinked, then smiled faintly, probably thinking I was joking.
I wasn't.
The evacuation began soon after. Mothers clutched their children. Old men leaned on sticks. People cried quietly as they passed us, thanking us for staying, apologizing for leaving.
I didn't respond.
I just watched as they disappeared into the forest, swallowed by trees and shadows.
When the last of them vanished, the village felt empty.
Too empty.
The ground began to tremble.
At the edge of the forest, shapes emerged. Goblins. Wolves. Orcs. Creatures twisted by mana, moving as one unstoppable tide.
And behind them—
A dragon.
It towered over the forest, its scales dark and jagged, its wings stretching wide enough to blot out the sky. Just its presence distorted the air around it.
An S-rank existence.
The difference between A-rank and S-rank was absolute. Like comparing a blade to a mountain. A B-rank like us wasn't even worth noticing.
I tightened my grip on my dagger.
"So this is how it ends," I muttered.
Elena stood beside me, her staff planted firmly into the ground. She didn't tremble. She didn't hesitate.
"Elena," I said. "When the dragon attacks, create a wind platform. I'll go for its eyes."
She nodded without question.
The monsters surged forward.
"Elena, now!"
The wind responded instantly. A platform formed beneath my feet and launched me upward with violent force. My vision blurred as I accelerated, the dragon growing larger with every heartbeat.
I aimed for the eye.
For a fraction of a second, I thought I might succeed.
Then the dragon moved.
Its claw struck me mid-air, casually, like swatting a fly.
Pain exploded through my body.
I crashed through the roof of a house, wood splintering around me. My body slammed into the ground, and blood filled my mouth. My vision blurred, the world spinning violently.
"One hit," I coughed. "And I'm already done."
I tried to stand.
Failed.
"Elena!" I shouted.
She raised her staff, mana surging violently around her.
Hyper Fireball.
A massive sphere of flame tore through the air and struck the dragon directly.
The explosion shook the village.
When the smoke cleared, the dragon was untouched.
Not a scratch.
Elena collapsed to her knees, completely drained.
The dragon inhaled.
Mana gathered in its throat.
I looked at Elena. She looked at me.
We both knew.
"This is it," I said quietly. "I hope it's quick."
"I hope it's not vomit," I added.
She laughed.
A real laugh.
For the first time since I'd known her, she smiled without restraint. Not cold. Not distant. Just… human.
"You always joke at the worst times," she said.
"I prefer dying laughing," I replied. "Regret hurts more."
She nodded slowly.
"I agree."
The dragon's mouth opened.
And then—
Everything stopped.
The fire froze mid-air. The dragon froze. The monsters froze.
The world turned gray.
Time itself had stopped.
"What…?" I whispered.
"Hello~"
We turned our heads at the same time.
A woman stood before us.
Her presence alone bent reality. Golden hair flowing like sunlight, eyes shining brighter than mana itself. She didn't just look beautiful.
She looked absolute.
A goddess had arrived