Hana raised her hand, fingers curling as she summoned a glowing red dagger into existence.
The blade hummed with heat, its edges shimmering like molten glass. But as she gripped it, her right hand pulsed, almost painful, like a warning.
She winced.
Her radioactivity was draining her.
Her stamina was dropping fast, exhaustion creeping into her bones. Everything she'd done, the Terror Bears, the Dragonets, the castle's suffocating pressure, was finally catching up to her.
She straightened.
She pointed the dagger at the floating monstrosity before her, eyes glowing with defiance.
"Come at me, you freak."
The shrimp‑thing responded instantly.
It dashed forward with blinding speed, its body leaving streaks of radioactive light behind it. It wielded something. Some kind of weapon she couldn't see but could feel, a slicing aura that cut through the air like a blade.
Hana stumbled back, barely dodging the wave of radiation that skimmed past her cheek. Her breathing grew heavy. Her limbs felt sluggish.
How am I supposed to kill this thing…?
Her hand trembled.
The dagger in her grip pulsed, its patterns brightening as if sensing her desperation. She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with the monstrous creature floating above her.
She inhaled slowly. Deeply. Softly.
She waited…
Waited for the right moment.
Now.
She dashed forward.
The shrimp flinched, startled by her sudden burst of speed.
Hana leapt into the air, her hair fanning out like wings of enlightenment. Her eyes blazed with wild determination. She spun midair, thrusting her fist outward…
And punched the creature square in the face.
The shrimp crashed into the ground, sending dust exploding outward in thick clouds. Hana slammed a semi‑solid wall of radioactivity forward, pushing the dust into its eyes. The creature shrieked, thrashing blindly.
She leapt again, dagger raised, but the shrimp shot upward, wobbling in the air.
It tried to stabilize itself with radioactivity, but Hana could see something…
It wasn't in full control of its power.
Not like she was.
She flew toward it, dagger poised.
With a fierce cry, she brought the blade down in a powerful stabbing arc, and sliced straight through the shrimp's body.
A crack echoed through the room.
Her dagger vibrated violently in her hand.
She landed on the ground with a soft thud, knees buckling. She looked toward where the shrimp fell.
A small glowing object flickered weakly.
Then dimmed, completely. The shrimp had a core, and she had broken it.
A sigh escaped her lips.
It felt like she had danced with death itself.
She trudged toward the door, pushed it open, and stepped out.
And her legs finally gave in.
She fell backward against the wall where the door had been, sliding down until she hit the floor. Her hair puffed out around her like a red halo.
A parchment scroll dropped onto her head.
She groaned, grabbed it, and read through droopy eyes.
[You survived an encounter with Radioactive Potato Shrimp!]
[You survived skill 'Copy']
[You have killed 1 Radioactive Potato Shrimp!]
She let the parchment slip from her fingers. It rolled away, and she watched as it faded into nonexistence.
Her eyes drifted shut.
Her vision darkened.
The last thing she saw was Miyu, and its tiny metallic form trembling with worry.
Darkness.
But not empty darkness.
Something… moved within it.