They stood back-to-back again, feeling all the pain from bleeding and with no chance of winning.
The monsters charged at them at full speed.
Lucian pushed the synchronization too far. The system alerted him to be careful, but he didn't listen.
All the power he needed flooded his body, and his stats went up beyond normal levels with a 150% synchronization rate.
It all became very clear. The clock seemed to slow down, but he could see every move, every attack, and every opening that came from them.
"I'm going to lead us to victory now." Lucian smirks.
"Glacielle! Make a clone!"
She got it right away. Ice clones appeared all around them, perfect copies that moved just like her real body.
The monsters didn't know which one was real.
The Thunder Behemoth swung huge fists that were charged with electricity. Lucian barely avoided the attack and managed to cut the Behemoth's leg with his frost-enhanced sword.
The ice spread out, making it move more slowly.
The Venom Hydra attacked using all seven of its heads. Glacielle's clones ran away, which confused it, and the real one drove her fans through three of its necks.
The hydra screamed and thrashed around.
They fought like crazed warriors possessed by desperation and like those who understood they were facing death but refused to surrender.
Lucian's ice lance struck true, piercing the eye of the Storm Griffin first. The Venom Hydra followed, succumbing to a powerful blast that froze it solid.
They inflicted significant damage on the Ice Golem, shattering its core. Eight more drakes fell in a fierce and brutal struggle, but it still wasn't enough.
The Thunder Behemoth's lightning got past their defenses. The huge electrical discharge broke apart ice structures and sent Lucian flying.
The Flame Colossus breathed fire, which made a cloud of steam that blocked their view. Four groups attacked at the same time in a planned way.
Lucian tried to block, but he was too slow. A massive claw caught him across the back, slamming him into the canyon wall.
He felt his ribs break and something in his spine move the wrong way.
[CRITICAL DAMAGE! Master HP: 15%]
[SYSTEM ALERT: FATAL DAMAGE THRESHOLD APPROACHING]
He slid down the wall, leaving a trail of blood. His sword fell from his limp hands.
Glacielle shouted his name. "LUCIAN...!!!"
She tried to get to him, but the Ice Golem grabbed her with huge frozen hands. It squeezed, and her bikini armor broke into pieces.
[Glacielle HP: 20%]
[SYNCHRONIZATION BROKEN - DAMAGE SHARING EXCEEDED LIMITS]
Lucian's body lost all of its strength at once. He's just a guy without synchronization now.
A guy who had only been in two fights in his whole life.
"Fuck... I can't believe it... this fantasy world is going to have a max difficulty..."
And now... he couldn't even get up.
"Seems like... I didn't... get any privilege to be like those OP main characters, huh...?"
Glacielle fought against the golem's grip, trying to get away. Her fans had been pushed away. A cut above her eye made blood run down her face.
Despite all of that, they had ultimately lost.
Corvus flew down on his wyvern and landed smoothly. He slowly walked toward them, enjoying his win.
He shook his head and said, "What a fucking disappointment... bet the readers were expecting more, you know?"
"And I also really thought the chosen one of the prophecy would do more than be a weakling! More fighting... more drama... and more... fun."
He looked down at Lucian from above, as if he felt sorry for him. "But at least... you got my little piece of respect."
"You worked hard in this world, I'll give you that... but hard work doesn't mean anything against better resources and strategy."
Corvus raised his hand and told the monsters to kill them all. "First, kill the warrior..."
"Then, make the master watch... That seems like a fittingly sad thing to do, am I right?" Corvus smiled sinisterly.
The Ice Golem tightened its grip, causing Glacielle to gasp in pain. "AAGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Lucian struggled to move, desperate to intervene or do anything at all. "STOOOPPP...!!!" Yet, his body refused to respond.
There had been too much harm. Too much blood had already been shed.
He was going to witness Glacielle's death. He was going to lose.
He screamed, full of anger, "No...!!! GLACIELLEEEE!!!"
His vision was getting blurry, and he was losing consciousness at the edges. "N-No... It couldn't... end like this..."
"Was it really over... two days into my second life just like this...?"
Then his system started to respond to his last desperation.
But it was not the same.
The blue windows that are usually happy were there, but there was something else behind them. An older and stronger presence was overlaid on the system's normal personality.
[EMERGENCY PROTOCOL INITIATED]
Instead of blue, the text was red.
[ANALYSIS: Master survival probability 0.3%]
[PROPHECY FULFILLMENT CANNOT FAIL AT PRELIMINARY STAGE]
[AUTHORIZED INTERVENTION: ONE-TIME EMERGENCY SUMMON PROTOCOL]
Corvus stopped and raised his eyebrows. "Oh...? The system is breaking its own rules?"
"This is... getting INTERESTING!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
The windows kept popping up, and the text was moving too quickly for Lucian to read.
[Master Lucian Luxfall, your trial has shown that you are worthy]
[Bond with First Warrior has reached the point of resonance]
[You have shown that you are willing to die for your warriors]
[You have the right to get help in an emergency]
[Emergency permission given: ONE Summon Orb]
[WARNING: This is an offer that can only be used once. The prophecy only allows one intervention.]
[Use it wisely. This is the only thing that can save you from this day on]
A golden ball appeared in Lucian's bloody hand. It wasn't like the usual summon orbs.
This orb radiated a spectrum of colors that defied description. It felt substantial, not due to its weight, but because it carried profound significance.
The system's voice echoed in his mind, devoid of its usual playful tone. It conveyed an old, unwavering certainty.
[This summon is guaranteed SSS-rank]
[The system will choose based on what you NEED, not what you WANT]
[Trust in fate. Trust in the gacha.]
Lucian turned to Glacielle. She was barely aware of what was going on, but her eyes met his.
She nodded very slightly.
"Have... faith..."
Corvus was now laughing. "GO AHEAD...! Call another bikini bimbo!"
"I'll just add her to my list of failures!"
His monsters closed in, ready to end this.
Lucian held on to the emergency summon orb. His hand was shaking because blood was making his fingers slippery.
He could hardly lift his arm.
But he did it with the last strength he had.
One last chance to roll the dice. One last pull on the gacha.
"Please," he whispered to whatever power had granted him this second chance.
"I need someone who can save us...! Someone who is strong enough to make this better for us all!!!"
He thought of Glacielle, who had fought with him without a second thought. Who had kept him safe even if it meant putting her own life in danger.
Who deserved better than to die here?
"Find me someone who won't let us die...!"
With all his remaining strength, Lucian launched the emergency summon orb into the sky.
It didn't just shine, but... It blew up.
BAAAMMMMM!!!
The whole valley lit up like a bomb had gone off. The rainbow light cut through the darkness so brightly that everyone had to cover their eyes.
The sky itself seemed to split open, and reality ripped apart like paper.
This wasn't like Glacielle's graceful descent. There was a raw violence in this. It was chaotic—an explosive storm of power that made the air pressure rise so dramatically that Lucian's ears popped.
Lightning struck the ground repeatedly. The wind howled with such ferocity that it could even repel the massive SSR monsters.
The ground trembled beneath them.
"HOHHHH~!?" Corvus's smile of confidence faded. "What the hell is this?!?!"
Something was coming down through the sky portal. A shadow with rainbow fire behind it.
Lucian could still make out some details, though his vision was deteriorating... The figure was less graceful and had a build that was distinctly different from Glacielle's—more predatory. It exuded a sense of hunger.
Two weapons in each hand, long and curved. The figure gave off an aura of pure killing intent, like heat coming from a furnace.
Corvus's seals meant the controlled monsters to be fearless, but they instinctively recoiled. Some of the drakes even let out cries of fear.
The voice of the system spoke again, in a calm and professional way.
[Second Bikini Warrior summoned successfully]
[Rank: SSS - Legendary]
[Designation: REDACTED UNTIL FORMAL INTRODUCTION]
[WARNING: This warrior is extremely dangerous. Handle with caution.]
There was a voice emanating from the portal. It was female, yet completely different from Glacielle's calm tone. This voice was rough, angry, and possessed a sharp edge that could cut.
"Ugh... Another master who doesn't know when to back off, huh...? What a typical thing in this world." There was a pause, and then something that sounded like a sigh. "Okay... I'll help you out this time."
"But... you're going to owe me a lot, newbie."
The figure walked all the way through the portal. Lucian's mind was fading, and the edges of his vision darkened.
However, he glimpsed details: red armor, crafted not from ice but from an entirely different material. Two curved blades appeared to be forged in hell.
Hair seemed to writhe as if alive. Eyes gleamed with barely contained rage.
And yes, another bikini-style armor setup, because the system was clearly sticking to the theme.
This warrior, on the other hand, looked like she had just come from a war zone and loved every second of it.
Lucian fell to the ground, his vision finally going dark. The last thing he saw was the mystery warrior with a wild grin on her face and weapons raised.
The last thing he heard was her voice, dripping with savage anticipation.
"Okay, you fucking weird monster-licking master."
"You wanted a fight?! Let me show you what a REAL SSS-rank can do when she's mad!"