The brave—and reckless—warrior did not hesitate for even an instant before throwing herself at the bronze beast. Its eyes, blazing like living embers, shifted targets without hesitation, abandoning the white steed still carrying the three Frenchmen. From my position, I could clearly see the relief reflected in their gazes at the sudden change of focus. They barely had time to regroup when, from the very earth itself, a pair of black iron cannons emerged—twisted like metallic roots—allowing the emperor's two soldiers to resume their brutal barrage against the beast. Napoleon, for his part, remained mounted atop his steed, upright and preparing to strike.
The girl completely ignored the trio, who quickly redirected their fire toward her. Instead of retreating, she leaned her body even further forward; it was almost as if she were running while crawling along the ground, so low was her posture that she reminded me of a serpent slithering across the prairie. The projectiles kicked up clouds of dirt around her, but not a single one came close to hitting her. That was the obscene difference in skill between ranks—a gap so unfair it bordered on the absurd.
I tapped on my partner's icon and once again beheld the astronomical distance between us.
[ATK | 30] [DEF | 15] [SPD | 20] [PRE | 15] [NEX | 10] [STAR | 2 / 5]
Her stats were on an entirely different level compared to mine. Seeing two of her five Star points active was a bitter surprise. The valiant knight, a Gold-rank player, only had two active facets out of five. Why? The question went nowhere and barely sparked any real interest, because the remaining ones were locked until reaching Silver rank. A crude attempt by the system to level the playing field… an attempt that completely lost its meaning when standing before us was a Silver-rank opponent with full access to his abilities. Whoever was in charge of balancing the system was, without a doubt, dangerously incompetent.
Even so, watching Rachel dodge the gunfire with insulting ease as she closed in on the enraged beast was a spectacle bordering on the inhuman. Though, to be fair, it shouldn't have surprised me after witnessing what she was capable of against the King of Knights.
Before I realized it, Rachel had already reached the bull. At the same time, the shots aimed at her began colliding with the beast, which showed no reaction whatsoever. Not a tremor, not a crack. It was as if, by sheer will alone, it had decided that its only rival on that battlefield was that girl.
With all her strength, Rachel leapt into the air in a prodigious jump that carried her up to the level of the creature's torso. The bull reacted instantly, rising onto its hind legs and casting an overwhelming silhouette that eclipsed the battlefield. Even so, the girl did not retreat. With a clean spin, she struck the bull's helmet with the flat of her blade. The impact rang out like a war bell, and the beast lost its balance, crashing heavily into the ground.
But something had changed.
The bronze body began to oxidize at an alarming rate. The simple turquoise stains spread like a living disease until they covered it completely. The metal no longer looked dead; it was now beautiful to behold and terrifying in form, like a divine statue awakened from slumber.
Before fully hitting the ground, the bull shifted its hind legs and regained its footing with an agility impossible for something of its size. Rachel was visibly surprised by the movement. For the first time, concern crossed her face as she tried to brace herself against the direct charge, wrapping herself in her cape.
It was useless.
She was sent flying several meters away, like a doll tossed aside by the whim of a cruel child. Who would have imagined that a girl weighing no more than sixty kilos would be launched through the air after colliding with a mastodon weighing dozens of tons?
The young woman slowly got back up. She didn't seem to have suffered any serious injuries; her face was still as pristine and fresh as ever, but her armor was stained with dirt… and green rust.
—Have you finished playing around? —I asked in a passive-aggressive tone through the system.
—Where does that confidence come from, mister… nobody? —she replied without looking at me—. You don't even have a name in the system. That's really sad.
—Are you seriously going to criticize me for that right now? —I shot back—. Look, I know you've got experience and all, but that animal is way more than what you've "eaten" before.
—Trust me, this is nothing like what I've eaten —she said as she adjusted her grip—. Just stay where you are and try not to die from crossfire.
Rachel attempted to charge the beast again, but everything had changed. Its new armor radiated pure heat. The French trio's shots melted long before reaching it, turning into useless sparks. Even Rachel, before entering its range, was forced to retreat; the heat was so intense that the ground beneath her feet began to ignite.
At the same time, the bull's movements became fluid—almost elegant. Far too fast for something of its build; it was practically a system glitch.
Rachel couldn't react.
The charge hit her head-on. She barely managed to shield herself with her cape and sword before taking the full impact. The right side of her body burned; if not for her armor, she would have suffered third-degree burns. Even so, her cheek was reddened, and a blister began to swell slowly.
—Damn it… this is new —she muttered.
—That's exactly what I was trying to tell you —I replied, trying to reach her again—. Could the princess listen to me for at least five minutes?
—No king is foolish enough to refuse hearing a subject —she said while kneeling, catching her breath—. Actually listening is another matter.
The beast, which had been relentlessly focused on the girl, for some reason shifted its attention back to the French trio, who mounted their horse again in palpable desperation.
—My Star lets me extract information from the Nexo's system about incarnations —I continued—. It's reliable data. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to defeat Aries.
Rachel fell silent. Her surprise was obvious upon hearing that I had already defeated an incarnation.
Finally, she looked up.
—Don't think too highly of yourself, pawn. I'll finish off that horse and end this.
—What?
Before I could say anything else, the indomitable princess was already charging back toward the beast.
—How old are you supposed to be, damn it?!
I shouted in frustration.