Haruka watched the impact site closely as the massive cloud of dirt and snow raised by the explosion began to settle. As the dust cleared, she managed to make out something that sent a chill down her spine.
The imposing silhouette of the ape… was still standing in the middle of the crater, as if nothing had happened.
For an instant, Haruka's mind filled with possibilities. Too many.
She began to see that creature as something she couldn't defeat.
"Comet" consumed too much ether…
She could still keep fighting, but… was there any point? She seriously considered the possibility of retreating—returning to the inn, grabbing the others, and escaping. Abandoning the place.
The people at the inn would be left to their fate… but if she couldn't even guarantee her own survival, how could she protect anyone else?
But that decision never came to pass.
The ape took a couple of steps… and then dropped to its knees.
A thick stream of blood burst from its mouth, followed by more that began to flow from its ears and nose. Though its exterior remained intact, its interior hadn't withstood the impact.
Seeing the amount of blood, Haruka understood immediately.
Its organs are destroyed…
Even so, she didn't lower her guard.
It was still too soon to relax.
Then she sensed it.
The ether inside the ape began to behave strangely. Chaotically. Violently.
It flowed without control, as if it were boiling inside its body.
And in that instant, Haruka understood.
"I have to stop it at all costs!"
Without hesitation, she unleashed another barrage of icicles, trying to prevent what was about to happen.
But it was already too late.
The ape's fur began to turn a bright crimson. A reddish vapor rose from its body, distorting the air around it. The heat it emitted started melting the nearby ice.
The icicles struck…
But it was useless.
The ape let out a deafening roar that made the air tremble. The shockwave was so intense that the nearest ice pillars cracked and shattered into fragments.
The anomaly had entered a berserker state.
Haruka frowned. She had rarely seen something like this. It was a desperate technique, an extreme measure. In that state, ether was forced to circulate at ten times its normal speed, pushing the body beyond all its limits.
The result was devastating.
The heat generated caused the ether to literally boil inside. Its body temperature rose to absurd levels, damaging tissues from within. The reddish vapor emanating from the ape was nothing more than its own blood evaporating.
And the worst part was that it was already severely injured.
Entering that state under normal conditions was already dangerous… doing it with its organs destroyed could only mean one thing:
It was suicide.
The anomaly knew it.
And even so… it wanted to drag her down with it.
With another roar, the ape charged at Haruka.
Its way of moving had changed completely. Before, it walked upright, with almost human-like movements. Now it ran on all fours, like an unleashed beast, completely ignoring any obstacles. The ice pillars were nothing more than nuisances it smashed through with its own body, not caring about the damage.
Another consequence of the berserker state.
The brain also suffered severe damage, drastically reducing its ability to reason. In that state, many anomalies lost the ability to distinguish between allies and enemies… only destruction remained.
Like before, Haruka tried to gain distance with a backward jump.
But the moment she landed, something shot toward her at incredible speed.
There was no time.
She swung her fan with force, releasing a burst of wind that slightly altered the projectile's trajectory. It wasn't enough to avoid the impact entirely, but it did keep it from hitting her head-on.
Even so, the impact was brutal.
Haruka was sent flying and crashed to the ground, stunned.
As her vision focused, she understood what had happened.
What the ape had thrown at her… was another anomaly.
It had used it as an improvised projectile.
She tried to get up, but had no chance.
By the time she reacted, the ape was already above her, raising its massive arm to crush her.
Haruka rolled to the side at the last instant. The blow struck the ground with devastating force, fracturing it and launching her into the air like a rag doll.
Her body hit the snow and rolled several times before coming to a stop.
"It's useless…" she muttered, gasping. "I can't keep up with it. My eyes can see it… but my body doesn't react in time."
She forced herself to stand, unsteady.
"If I stay on the defensive… I'll fall before the berserker state destroys it."
She gripped her fan tightly.
"There's only one option left."
She snapped the fan shut, channeling all the ether she had left into it. The energy began to gather.
The ape charged at her again.
The distance between them vanished in an instant.
And just before the impact—
"Winter's Edge!"
The ape leapt toward her.
At the moment its strike was about to land, a blinding flash erupted between them. On pure instinct, the creature shut its eyes.
A second later, its body kept moving forward, rolling across the snow as it stained it red with the blood pouring out uncontrollably.
When it tried to rise… it understood.
It was missing an arm.
The cut had been clean.
A roar of fury tore through the air as it turned its head toward its opponent.
There stood Haruka.
On her feet. Unharmed.
In her hands, she held an aikuchi, a guardless katana. Like her fan, it was made of crystal. The blade was almost transparent, so pure that, if not for the blood running along its edge, it would be nearly indistinguishable from the air itself.
Winter's Edge.
Her ultimate technique. Her trump card.
It was her own version of the berserker state… but refined. Controlled.
A movement that abandoned all elegance in favor of absolute annihilation.
By unsheathing that crystal katana, Haruka gave up everything: defense, ranged attacks, even her ability to manipulate ice. Everything she was disappeared… and in its place, her power condensed into a single thing:
A perfect, unstoppable blade.
Haruka exhaled slowly. For the first time since the fight had begun, she felt relief.
It had been a risky gamble. It was the first time she had used that technique in a real battle. There had been a chance the activation might fail…
And if that had happened, that last blow would have destroyed her.
"Even so… I didn't expect this result," she murmured, looking at the blade.
She had intended to inflict a deep cut.
But not that.
The ape's arm had been completely severed without the slightest resistance. It had been like cutting butter with a red-hot knife.
Her eyes sharpened.
With renewed confidence, she lifted her gaze toward the anomaly, which writhed in fury.
Even though the berserker state had drastically reduced its intelligence, it still retained a certain combat instinct. It seemed to understand that charging at her with its fists would be a mistake.
Instead of attacking head-on, it changed direction.
It ran toward its scimitar, still deeply embedded in the ice.
With its remaining arm, it grabbed it… and with a brutal pull, shattered the pillar that trapped it.
* * *
In the distance, Mochi watched without blinking. Her hands, which had been pressed tightly against her chest from a suffocating fear, had relaxed… though her knuckles were still white.
The worry that had been choking her from the very beginning had faded, leaving behind something far more intense.
Admiration.
Seeing Haruka there—tiny before that colossal anomaly, holding that crystal blade with unshakable elegance—was like watching a legend come to life. Like a hero straight out of a story.
"Haruka, you can do it!"
Unable to contain herself, Mochi raised her voice to cheer her on.
"Finish it, Haruka-san!"
Miyu joined in as well, raising her voice alongside hers.
* * *
Haruka and the anomaly clashed in a fierce exchange of blows.
The difference in strength between them was overwhelming, so Haruka avoided facing it head-on. Instead of blocking, she deflected each attack with pinpoint precision, exploiting even the smallest angles.
The ape's berserker state, paradoxically, worked in her favor.
It had completely lost any trace of technique. There was no longer any swordsmanship in its movements—only raw strength. It swung its scimitar back and forth with simple, predictable attacks.
And that… was exactly what Haruka needed.
As the fight progressed, her mastery of Winter's Edge became more evident. Each movement grew smoother, more assured. Her confidence increased… and with it, the precision of her strikes.
At first, the fight seemed stalled.
But with every passing second, the balance began to shift.
The berserker state was consuming the ape from within, while on the outside its body accumulated more and more wounds. Small cuts, but constant. Lethal when taken together.
Then, with a deafening roar, the ape raised its scimitar above its head and brought it down in a full-force vertical slash.
"It's full of openings… now or never!"
Haruka didn't block.
She didn't dodge right away.
She waited.
At the last instant, she took a slight step to the side. The blade of the scimitar passed mere centimeters from her body.
And then she struck.
She spun on herself, channeling all the momentum into an upward slash.
The crystal katana cut through the ape's shoulder without resistance.
The second arm was sent flying through the air.
The scimitar fell, spinning wildly before crashing into the ground, staining the snow red.
"This is your end."
Without giving it time to react, Haruka advanced.
One cut.
Then another.
And another.
Each strike was clean. Precise. Final.
The anomaly, unable to remain standing, collapsed to the ground with a crash that shook the surroundings. Its massive body slammed down, sending snow and dust into the air.
Its breathing became erratic.
Heavy.
Until, finally… it stopped.
Silence returned.
Haruka remained standing before the motionless body.
She had won.
Exhaustion hit her all at once.
That technique placed a brutal strain on her body—not to mention the immense ether consumption. Even so, she endured it. She hid any sign of weakness and raised her gaze, assessing her surroundings.
Most of the hypnotized anomalies had already submerged into the lake. Only a few remained, slowly advancing toward their fate.
But the real problem wasn't there.
In the distance, several B-rank anomalies watched in silence.
They had been waiting.
Like scavengers, they had lingered for the outcome of the battle. If the victor ended up wounded or weakened… they would strike.
Haruka looked straight at them.
Without a word, she gripped her weapon once more, adopting a firm, defiant stance.
It was an invitation.
Or a warning.
The message was clear.
After a few tense seconds, the anomalies began to retreat, one by one, until they disappeared among the trees of the forest.
Haruka let out a restrained breath.
At last, her body allowed itself to relax.
The crystal katana gave off a faint glow, shrinking little by little until it returned to its original form—the fan resting once again in her hand.
She lifted her gaze.
The first rays of dawn began to filter over the horizon, tinting the landscape with a soft light. At the same time, the lake lost its reddish hue, as if the night itself were fading away along with the threat.
Everything was slowly… returning to normal.