"○●■○■●!!!"
With her presence now revealed, all five Eldians roared in unison as she stepped into the red light, fixated on her.
The Eldians, which could be classified as a Frayed, bore striking similarities to a distorted whale. They were pitch black, clad in iron plating, and dripping with dark mucus.
Their backs were adorned with numerous sharp protrusions, resembling a porcupine, serving as their weapon of self-defence.
Their heads resembled antique cameras powered by cogs that emitted a red light, functioning as their eyes.
They were a chaotic mix of amalgamation, blending elements from the industrial past, the sea, and the land.
An Eldia.
'What the hell do I do against this?!' I frantically tried to formulate a plan.
I would have appreciated a land battle, but despite their sea-creature appearance, they hovered in the air, obeying the laws of physics.
Two against five—a clear disadvantage.
There is no turning back now.
—Zoom...!
The Eldians' backs gradually turned dark purple, glowing as they prepared to charge.
It was clear to me that they were about to do something dangerous, yet Anellia stood still, watching them prepare something dangerous.
"Anellia?! What the hell are you doing?!" I shouted as I rushed out to try and grab her.
But Anellia didn't listen; instead, she approached them with confidence.
—Fwooom!
Heat began to radiate from the Eldians, and before I could reach out to her, all those slimy spikes were ejected from their back, turning the entire area into a battlefield.
—TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK TAK!!!
"Agh!" I created a shield out of Ichor to protect myself from the incoming bullets.
Each bullet was heavy, obliterating everything in its path, each one intent on killing me in an instant.
—Sizzle...
"It's melting the Ichor!" My eyes widened as I reinforced the shield and myself, creating a skinsuit made of Ichor.
For what felt like hours, the rain of bullets never ceased, constantly generating more projectiles that became increasingly compacted.
If I don't do something, it's over.
"A-Anellia! Ugh...! Can you hear me?!" I shouted, my voice barely cutting through the downpour of sticky tar that fell around us.
Desperately, I twisted my head, scanning for her.
Anellia—still locked in position, enveloped herself in a blue barrier, her eyes darting with purpose as she assessed the battlefield.
Then, with a sudden shift, she made her move.
"Eldians are 50% analyzed. Operating System; Finorza, fully calibrated. Commencing offensive."
—ZING...!
Anellia's wings erupted with raw energy. I felt each pulse vibrate through me as it coalesced, locking onto the fleet of drones above.
—BLARM!!!
Anellia lifted her head, arms raised, mimicking a gun with her hands.
The drones on her back multiplied and lined up like a relentless firing squad under her command, poised to unleash chaos on the incoming threat—five colossal abominations shadowing us from the yellow sky.
Against a stand-off of five giant abominations, looming in the sky.
One sharp word cut through the tension, igniting the storm.
"Fire."
—BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"■○●○■■○■●!!!" The Eldians cried out, their roars of agony echoing against the rain, completely unprepared for the counterattack that tore through their ranks.
Laser beams sliced the air, relentless and precise, colliding with the black spikes raining down around us, illuminating the sky with blinding flashes as Anellia unleashed her fury.
The battlefield erupted into chaos, each clash reverberating like thunder as the fight raged on.
Anellia stood firm, her eyes darting, calculating the trajectory of every bullet in the storm around us. She was honing in on their weak spots with deadly precision.
"If she keeps this up... she might actually do it." The Eldians, wide open and vulnerable, were just targets for Anellia's relentless aim.
But jinxing things like the usual, the Eldians started to shift. It was time for phase two.
"●■○●■●○■..."
—Squelch! Crunch...!
In a horrific display, the Eldians self-destructed, colliding violently, their forms intertwining and squirming grotesquely. They weren't just merging; they were trying to reclaim their original form.
We weren't just up against five Frayed anymore; we were facing a singular entity, far more powerful than the beast I'd confronted in the underground city.
"Dammit!" I cursed, grabbing Anellia's wrist as she stumbled, as the merging Eldia was coming in close, crashing to the ground.
The earth beneath us trembled ominously, threatening to collapse at any moment.
"Hang on tight!" I shouted, pulling her close as I wrapped my arms around her.
Together, we formed a tight ball, the only defence against the impending chaos. Her drones buzzed around us, complicating our escape, but I didn't have time to think and made the ball bigger than usual.
As I squeezed my eyes shut and braced for impact—
—BOOOM!
I unleashed a
—CRASH!!!
...
...
...
"You alright?" I snapped at Anellia as the colossal Eldian plummeted from the sky.
She flashed a quick nod, adjusting her posture inside this cramped ball.
I knew she had the wings to escape effortlessly, but trust was a luxury I couldn't afford right now, especially when she's too reckless.
"No injuries detected," she said, speaking in her usual robotic tone.
—Fwoosh...
Smoke swirled as it dispersed, revealing the Frayed's grotesque form, its body grotesquely contorting, oozing a thick, tar-like substance that stank of petroleum.
My stomach churned at the sight.
Four massive arms erupted from its sides, crashing down to the ground, each limb as unsettling as the next.
From battling monstrous crustaceans to colossal wolves... and now, facing this nightmarish, amalgamated dragon.
Great, just what I needed, whatever.
"GROAAAAH!!!" The creature's roar blasted through the air, a sound so fierce it made me flinch.
Before I could gather my wits, Anellia surged into action, unleashing a barrage of lasers at the beast, not allowing it a moment to breathe.
—Bang Bang Bang!!!
"Growl...!" The Frayed, noticing Anellia's relentless barrages, shielded itself with its colossal arms, absorbing the attacks this time.
Anellia's firepowers were no longer working, and before we could act, the creature's gigantic claws struck us like thunder.
—BOOM!!!
With lightning reflexes, Anellia snatched me out of harm's way, propelling us onto one of the crumbling towers.
"Stay here," Anellia said, trying to keep me safe away from that thing.
"Wait, where are you going?" I tried to say something, but I couldn't bring myself to.
I wanted to help, but I knew I was dragging her down.
Anellia's speed, thanks to her wings, means that she could dodge attacks effortlessly.
But just because I felt like deadweight didn't mean I was useless.
In fact, she placed me where I should be.
"GROOOOAAAH!" The Frayed let out a bone-rattling roar, and its jaw expanded at an alarming rate, determined to erase her from existence.
It unleashed a swirling blast of dark energy, but Anellia flew around it, fast enough to completely outrun it.
At the same time, spikes erupted from the creature's back, raining down lethal projectiles, each one aimed at pinning her down.
—BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!
In retaliation. Anellia retaliated with a barrage of lasers again, but the Frayed's monstrous front arms blocked them, shrugging off her attacks with insane durability.
Frustrated, the Frayed ramped up its assault, accelerating with a crushing force that crushed every building in its path.
"?!"
In a swift move, it cornered Anellia, enveloping her with all four of its massive arms, cutting off any escape route. Its gaping maw loomed ominously closer, poised to swallow her whole.
—CRUNCH...!
"ANELLIA!!!" I shouted, my heart racing as dread sank in.
I raced up the railing, desperate for a clearer view, though the distance made my stomach churn with worry. What could be happening in there?
I thought it was over for her; the horrifying sight of the creature's jaws clamping down consumed my thoughts.
But then, against all odds, I noticed a strange pulsation emanating from within the Frayed's mouth—it shifted from a deep crimson to a brilliant blue.
—Rumble...!
Cracks formed across the Frayed's jaws, spreading outward like a chain reaction, until, with a deafening explosion, it detonated, shearing half of its grotesque face away in an instant.
—BOOOM!!!
In a display of sheer will and explosive power, she erupted from the Eldian's mouth, throwing its remains aside.
Anellia, slightly exhausted but undeterred, forced the jagged jaws apart.
With a regular dragon, it would've ended here, but this was no ordinary dragon; it was an Eldia, a relentless beast that could regenerate any damage it took unless certain conditions were met.
—RATATATATA!!!
No time to waste in a head-on assault, she flapped her wings and soared through the chaos, dodging a hail of gunfire and the flailing, furious limbs of the creature.
The Eldia's defences were impenetrable, far tougher than her lasers could pierce.
I can clearly see that Anellia was trying to do something, but the frequency of the Frayed's attacks was preventing her from doing so.
Time was slipping away, and our mission to destroy the Pylon couldn't afford any further delays.
Now it was my turn to intervene.
"Don't underestimate me just because of my appearance, Anellia!"
—Kachick!
I reloaded my weapon, Libera, with an
In the face of these titanic monsters, I needed every ounce of firepower I could muster.
With a steady breath, I aimed the creature's massive arms, intent on destroying it.
I pulled the trigger, unleashing a rapid barrage of three explosive shots, each blast resonating like thunder.
—BOOOM BOOOM BOOOM!!!!
The sound split the air as a wave of energy rippled through the battleground, tearing apart the terrain with devastating ferocity.
Disaster followed each strike, relentless, as bolts of energy converged on the Frayed's arms.
"GRAAAAAAH!" The beast let out a monstrous roar, struggling to block my assault. One of its front arms shattered under the pressure, sending shards flying.
It wasn't enough to finish it off, not anymore, but I'd bought time for Anellia to do her thing, the true key to our victory.
"You did great," Anellia said, and at that moment, raised her hand upwards.
—Ving…!
"Full analysis of the Frayed is complete. Weapon systems prepared. Core successfully detected."
The swarm of drones behind her rotated and morphed, merging into a singular weapon that surpassed my wildest expectations.
It was like staring into a mirror, one that reflected not just my abilities but amplified them to the extreme—control over an ability that could turn the impossible into reality.
A true, literal railcannon had formed behind her back, a weapon with the sheer power to annihilate anything in its path.
—VOOOM...!
In a climactic stand-off, the Frayed, its head half-regenerated, channelled a swirling mass of Miasma into its gaping maw, preparing yet another devastating breath attack.
—BOOM BOOM!!!
"GRAAAAH!!!"
But I wasn't about to let it have the upper hand.
With no shame, I aimed at its jaw and fired, targeting its jaws with pinpoint precision, turning its head away just as it unleashed that torrent of energy.
Now there were no more obstacles on her way, guaranteeing victory.
"GO!!! ANELLIA!!!" I called, wanting to end it as soon as possible.
Obeying my command, the railcannon now fused with her arm completed its charge and released its fury.
"Finorza; Reality Breaker."
—BEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAM!!!
The beam of energy pierced through the chaos, disintegrating the Eldia into dust.
========
I sprinted down the tower, racing toward the aftermath of the battle.
The giant Eldia was already wiped off the map, gone without a trace.
Since we destroyed the entire place, a vast expanse of water was revealed beneath us.
'Are we actually inside a gargantuan oil rig...?' My gaze swept the surroundings, but the structure seemed to stretch into infinity.
An abnormally huge oil rig, that's for sure.
"Subjugation complete," Anellia said, still levitating in the air, who was the culprit of all this.
"Amazing..." I couldn't help but praise her, wondering how she did that.
It made my Libera look like a peashooter for comparison.
Surely there have to be drawbacks, right?
"...Ah." She muttered, and I noticed her tumble through the air, about to lose balance due to lack of energy.
"Remaining power... 5%. Vice-Leader, I am going to fall. Please catch me."
"Huh? What?! You're going to... w-whoa?!"
—Flop!
"Mgyah!"
I managed to catch her in time under my arms... but because I'm as weak as a newborn baby, she fell flat on my stomach.
"...Thank you."
"H-Haha...! N-No problem...!" I chuckled weakly, struggling to push through the pain.
"So, can you get off me now...? P-Please?"
…
…
…
A moment of silence was shared between us, looking at me intently as she pinned me down, sitting on my stomach.
I expected her to remain calm, as usual, given her stoic personality... but this time, her eyes sparkled unnaturally.
She wasn't interested in me personally—no, that's impossible.
She was staring at Libera, the gun I had used to break the Frayed's arm.
It didn't take me long to realize what kind of person I was dealing with at this point.
"That weapon, what is that?" She asked.
"Oh, you mean Libera?" I replied, pulling the gun from my holster, the one I had used to escape with a
I intended to hand it to her gently, but like a cat, she snatched it from my hand and began to fiddle with it as if it were a toy.
—Click Clack!
Anellia disassembled it without my permission, inspecting each part with an almost manic fascination.
"U-Um..." I tried to ask her what she was doing, but she was so absorbed in Libera that even when I touched her shoulder, she didn't react.
Maybe because I had always seen her as an emotionless doll, witnessing her like this didn't feel so bad.
"This and this..." She uttered.
As innocent as her actions appeared, what she said next could greatly assist me in the future—something I didn't think would be possible until later on.
"This gun's architecture and design are subpar and too inefficient. I improved it by 20%." Anellia handed it back to me, looking satisfied.
"Do you want me to teach you how?"
...
...
...
"You did what?"