With a simple wave of Samael's hand, the spear he had handed to Vanitas sliced through the air, crackling with lightning.
A blue flash streaked across the bright daytime sky, passing over the treetops and shattering the silence of the forest infested with Nightmare Creatures. When it struck a distant point, the impact exploded like thunder that swallowed everything around it—loud, brutal, almost like an announcement.
I'm here.
After the deafening blast, countless creatures surged toward the point where the spear had landed.
— Run! — Samael shouted, already sprinting down the mountainside.
He didn't know the average speed of an Awakened, but at that moment his body felt lighter, faster... almost as if he could outrun a speeding car.
The three Awakened raced downhill, crossing the slope until they reached the foot of the mountain. The moment they entered the dense forest, they came face to face with the creatures.
They were standing still.
Waiting.
"…Did they learn from the first time?" Samael thought in disbelief. His plan had fallen apart in seconds.
There were only three Nightmare Creatures.
They resembled white metallic spiders: two smaller ones and a larger one standing in the center.
— Don't use your Aspect, — Samael ordered.
The next instant, arrows sliced through the air.
Beside him, Vanitas summoned a blue spear into his hand.
Samael called forth his sword, Folly, and kicked off the ground.
In the blink of an eye, he was already in front of one of the smaller spiders.
His sword collided with one of the creature's razor-sharp legs.
The impact hurled him backward.
"About the level of a Fallen Demon..." he judged.
Before he could recover, another leg came crashing toward his head.
He dodged at the last possible moment.
But there was no pause.
One strike after another rained down like a storm, too fast to allow a counterattack—or even a single breath.
"Damn it."
On top of defending himself, Samael also had to keep track of the battlefield.
The larger spider remained perfectly still.
Watching.
That bothered him the most.
And there were still Vanitas and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth attacked from a distance with precise, relentless essence arrows.
Vanitas, however, seemed much weaker without his Aspect.
He relied on it too heavily.
If the central creature joined the battle...
It would be over.
Taking advantage of an opening created by one of Elizabeth's bursts of essence, Samael pushed off the ground and retreated half a step.
At the same instant, he summoned the Ascended Spear, caught it in his left hand, and charged once more.
Just before colliding with the creature, he hurled the spear with all his strength.
It failed to pierce the spider.
But it distracted it for one precious instant.
That was its mistake.
Folly carved a shallow slash across its shell.
— I'm ambidextrous, you idiot, — Samael muttered as he immediately tried to reposition himself.
But there was no time.
Two legs struck at him simultaneously.
He blocked one.
The other tore a deep gash into his side, just beneath his ribs.
Samael leaped backward, breathing heavily as his eyes swept across the battlefield.
Vanitas was clearly struggling.
Elizabeth maintained the pressure but couldn't finish the fight.
And the central creature...
It was still just watching.
That was the worst part.
It was as though it were studying them.
Samael's instincts screamed.
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
Cold sweat ran down his back.
"One... three... five... seven... nine... sixteen..."
Counting was pointless.
There were too many threats.
Too many angles.
Too many variables.
It was impossible.
(Liu) — One Day Earlier
— Take a deep breath.
Cyrene spoke calmly while watching Liu sit with her eyes closed.
— Draw your essence from your diaphragm... then spread it throughout your body. But try to feel all of it at the same time.
Liu's essence was cold.
Abnormally cold, like ice flowing beneath her skin.
Her face was tense, her brow furrowed with concentration.
She tried.
She inhaled.
Then slowly exhaled.
Her essence spread throughout her entire body, unstable and difficult to control.
— You failed again... — Cyrene said, though there was a faint smile in her voice. — But it lasted longer this time. Good job.
She sat nearby, quietly watching a small butterfly she had found.
A gentle young woman.
Almost fragile—at least at first glance.
Liu had exhausted her essence after so many attempts and looked around.
She saw Bel training under Enkidu, who maintained his usual calm, carefree demeanor.
Malenia was a short distance away, busy doing something no one bothered to understand.
And Acheron had just returned alone, sitting farther back while watching the training with obvious boredom.
"Where's Sam?" Liu wondered.
He had gone with Acheron.
— I'll be back, — Liu said to Cyrene as she stood.
— Where are you going? — Cyrene asked.
But Liu didn't answer.
She walked straight toward Acheron, who remained seated, looking thoroughly bored.
— Where is he? — Liu asked in her usual cold voice.
This was America.
— He went for a walk, — Acheron replied, stretching lazily.
— Where?
— No idea.
Acheron yawned.
— But he said he'd be back soon.
— And since I'm such a wonderful teacher, I'm waiting.
Liu immediately turned away, visibly annoyed by Acheron's careless attitude.
— Where are you going? — Cyrene called after her.
— To get some fresh air.
— I'm out of essence.
Without another word, Liu continued walking away.
Bel silently followed her, abandoning his training.
— How intriguing... — Enkidu murmured with a smile as he watched his "disciple" abandon everything just to follow a woman.
— Are you going after him? — Bel asked, looking at Liu's blindfolded face.
— No, — she answered firmly.
Bel stopped.
— Then why are you worried? You clearly want to.
— You don't understand, — Liu said without slowing her pace.
— He didn't ask for my help.
— And that's his right.
— I can't force my will on him.
— That wouldn't be friendship.
Bel frowned.
— That doesn't make any sense.
Liu stopped beside a broken slab of concrete and sat down.
— Maybe you'd understand...
— If you'd been excluded as a child...
— If you'd lost someone important at a young age...
— And spent your life surrounded by lies and loneliness.
Her voice became quieter.
— And then, after all that...
— You found a golden sun who never shuts up...
— Who's unbelievably stubborn...
— But carried you unconscious through hell itself...
— Risking his own life...
— Warming the cold you've always felt...
— And after all that...
— He still puts himself in danger, risking the chance that he'll never shine in the sky again...
Silence.
Bel stood frozen.
His heart skipped a beat.
He quickly looked away, his face turning red as he stared up at the sky...
As if that could somehow save him from his own thoughts.