Barbara straightened. The cracks in her form began to seal, the dark energy flowing back into place. A guttural laugh escaped her cracked lips, her hollow eyes burning with renewed malice.
"Fool." The word dripped with venom and amusement. "Did you truly think your mortal fists could bring me down? Did you think a few clever dodges would be enough?"
Krad's heart sank. She was still standing. Despite everything, despite the damage, she was still standing.
"I have endured for centuries," Barbara hissed. "I have consumed the life force of thousands. I have bathed in the blood of slayers far stronger than you. What makes you think you're any different?"
Before Krad could react, her twisted wings flared wide. The shadows beneath her feet warped and twisted, rising up like a tidal wave of darkness.
"Night Pulse!"
A shockwave of corrupted energy exploded outward in all directions. The air turned black. Krad's instincts screamed at him. He could feel the wrongness in that energy, it would do more than damage him. It would corrupt him, consume him, tear him apart from the inside out. He sprang to the side, pushing his exhausted muscles to their limit.
[ Skill Activated: Evade ]
His form flickered. The ghostly afterimage appeared just long enough to take the brunt of the blast. But even moving at supernatural speed, Krad wasn't quite fast enough. The edge of the shockwave grazed his shoulder, and pain exploded through his body, not just physical pain, but something deeper... something that clawed at his soul. He hit the ground rolling, coming up on one knee. His left shoulder was smoking, the skin blackened and cracked.
He gritted his teeth against the agony. "Tch."
The price of relying on skill alone was beginning to show. His breathing was uneven, his body trembling from the constant strain. Every muscle screamed in protest. And every time Evade activated, he could feel it, something draining away, something essential.Then---
DING!
[ System Alert! ]
[ Skill Usage Warning ]
[ Remaining Evade Uses: 10/14 ]
[ Cooldown Will Initiate Upon Depletion ]
[ Warning: Continued Use Not Advised ]
A sharp knot twisted in Krad's chest. Four. He only had four uses left. "Four left..." The words came out as barely a whisper.
Barbara's grin widened, her predatory instincts sensing his weakness. "Ah... your precious System tires, how pitiful. How deliciously mortal." She took a slow step forward, savoring the moment. "What will you do when your tricks run dry, little vessel? When you have nowhere left to run?"
Krad clenched his fists, forcing himself to his feet despite his body's protests. The looming pressure of the system warning gnawed at the back of his mind. Four uses, four chances. Each dodge brought him closer to having nothing left. He couldn't afford to waste a single one.
Then, cutting through the tension like a ray of sunshine through storm clouds, a voice rang out. It was soft, innocent, almost musical, like the chime of a child's laughter. Completely and utterly out of place amidst the ruins and corruption and impending death.
[ Yo~ ]
Krad's eyes darted around wildly, scanning the misty air, the shadows, every corner of the chamber.
"Wait---what the hell? Is there a kid here?!" He spun in a circle, panic mixing with confusion. "Oi, little guy, it's dangerous! Where are you?! You need to get out of here right now!"
Barbara paused mid-step, her skeletal wings twitching. Her glowing eyes narrowed in what might have been confusion. "A child? Are you... seriously---" She actually looked around too, as if expecting to see some wayward toddler wandering through the death match. "Are you kidding me, vessel?"
Krad ignored her, still frantically searching.
"Seriously! Who the hell brings a kid to an S-Extreme boss fight?! What kind of irresponsible---"
[ Pffft! ]
The voice burst into laughter—bright, genuine, completely unrestrained.
[ You really are an idiot, huh? ]
He froze mid-spin. "What?"
[ I'm not a kid, dummy! I'm your buddy! Your interface! Your helpful little companion! ]
The voice huffed with what could only be described as childish indignation.
[ I'm the super-intelligent, hyper-efficient, totally adorable system that's been managing your interface this whole time! And by the way, I've been keeping track of your terrible decision-making. Nice job wasting half your Evades already. Real strategic thinking there, genius. ]
Krad's eye twitched violently. "Why..." He took a deep breath, trying to maintain some semblance of sanity. "Why do you sound like a bratty kid then?!"
[ It's my user-preferred voice setting! Blame past-you for thinking it would be less stressful to have a cheerful voice guiding you through life-or-death situations. Genius choice, huh? Really working out great for present-you! ]
Krad facepalmed so hard it actually hurt. "Of all the stupid, idiotic, moronic things I could have done..."
[ Hey! I take offense to that! I'm very sophisticated! I have seventeen different dialogue trees and everything! ]
Barbara snarled, her patience clearly reaching its limit. Dark energy crackled around her. "Are you seriously having an argument with your own system?! I'm right here! Trying to kill you! Show some respect!"
[ Shush, Boney! ]
The system chirped with zero fear or concern.
[ The grown-ups are talking. Well, one grown-up and one super-intelligent buddy. ]
Close enough. Krad's mouth fell open.
"You're not even a grown-up! You're a computer program with a kid's voice!"
[ And you're not even winning! At least I'm doing my job! Speaking of which--- ]
The system's tone shifted, becoming slightly more serious.
[ Remaining Evade Uses: Four. Current Mana: 32%. Stamina: 41%. Physical Condition: Deteriorating. Enemy Health: 73%. Victory Probability: Still basically zero. Want me to keep going, or are you getting the picture? ]
"I know the situation," Krad growled through gritted teeth.
[ Do you, though? Because from where I'm sitting—metaphorically speaking, since I don't have a butt, it looks like you're slowly but surely getting ground into paste. ]
Barbara screeched, dark energy pulsing wildly around her. "I will shred you to pieces! Both of you! Even your annoying little voice!"
[ Oop! That's your cue! ]
The system chimed brightly, completely unfazed by the death threat.
[ Remember! Remaining Evades: Four! And your mana is depleting rapidly! Continuous use of Evade is not advised! Each activation costs 8% of maximum mana, and regeneration in combat is minimal! ]
"I know," he hissed.
[ Be warned, Yo~. The strain on your body may result in system backlash. Severe mana exhaustion is likely if you continue at this pace. Possible side effects include: total system shutdown, temporary paralysis, permanent stat reduction, and—oh, this one's fun, spontaneous combustion! ]
"Yeah? I'll deal with it."
[ The more you rely on Evade, the faster your mana burns. Without mana, Evade will fail. The skill simply won't activate. And if you push further, if you try to force it past your limits... ]
A pause. The playful tone had completely vanished from the system's voice. When it spoke again, it was deadly serious, almost frightened.
[ Then the unknown power will awaken. ]
Krad's breath caught in his throat. He felt it immediately, that presence, that hunger, stirring at the edges of his consciousness. The thing that called itself the Moon Eater brushed against his mind like a predator testing the bars of its cage.
[ Yes, that power. The one you've been suppressing. The one you're terrified of. ]
"No." Krad's hands trembled. "Not again. I won't---"
[ I'm not saying you should. ]
The system interrupted quietly.
[ I'm just warning you what will happen if you run dry. The system has safeguards, but that thing... it exists outside the system's control. If you exhaust yourself completely, I can't guarantee those safeguards will hold. ]
"Then I won't exhaust myself."
[ With four Evades left and an S-Extreme boss still at 73% health? The math doesn't work out great, buddy. ]
"Then I'll make it work!" Krad snapped.
Barbara had heard enough. With a sound like tearing metal, she launched herself forward, moving even faster than before. Her patience had run out. No more playing, just pure, murderous intent.
"Die!"
Krad's world exploded into motion. He could see her trajectory, could predict where she'd be, but his body was slower now. The accumulated damage, the exhaustion, the mana drain... it was all catching up to him.
Evade! No, not yet. Save it. He threw himself to the side the old-fashioned way, purely physical movement. Barbara's claws raked across his ribs, tearing through his shirt like paper. Blood sprayed. Pain exploded through his torso.
[ Damage Received: 340 ]
[ Health: 62% ]
He hit the ground hard, rolled, came up spitting blood. But he'd saved an Evade charge. It was worth it... it had to be worth it.
"Getting slower, vessel!" Barbara taunted, circling him like a shark. "Running out of steam? Poor little human, trying so hard to be a hero. Shall I make this quick? Or would you prefer to suffer?"
Behind him, Krad could hear Mist coughing. Could hear that cursed countdown still ticking.
[ 00:01:47 ]
Less than two minutes. Less than two minutes to save his captain, to defeat an S-Extreme boss, to do the impossible.
"Buddy," Krad muttered under his breath. "What's the actual probability of winning this?"
A pause. Then, quietly...
[ If you're asking for actual honesty? 0.3%. And that's being generous. She's faster than you, stronger than you, has more endurance than you, and regenerates. You can dodge, but you can't hurt her enough to finish this. Not without... ]
"Don't say it."
[ the Moon Eater's power. I wasn't going to, but since you brought it up--- ]
"I said don't."
Barbara laughed, the sound echoing through the chamber. "What's wrong, vessel? Afraid to unleash your true strength? Afraid of what you might become?" She spread her wings wide, shadows pooling at her feet. "How noble. How utterly, completely pointless."
She was right, the system was right. The numbers didn't lie. He couldn't win this conventionally... not with four Evade charges. Not with 62% health and depleting mana, not against something that had survived for centuries. But there had to be a way. There had to be something he was missing, some trick, some strategy, some---
His eyes fell on Mist's form. His captain, still conscious somehow, still fighting against the curse, still believing in him. And suddenly, Krad understood something. He wasn't supposed to win this fight alone. He'd been thinking like a solo player, trying to take on the boss by himself. But this wasn't that kind of game anymore. This was real, and in the real world, people survived together.
"Captain," he called out, not taking his eyes off Barbara. "You still with me?"
A weak laugh answered him. "Where... the hell... would I go?"
"Can you move? At all?"
"Maybe... for about... three seconds. Why?"
A plan was forming—insane, desperate, with a success rate that made the system's 0.3% look optimistic. But it was all they had.
"I need three seconds from you. That's it. Just three seconds of everything you've got left."
Barbara's eyes narrowed. "What are you planning, vessel?"
"Buddy," Krad muttered. "If I time this perfectly, if I use my last four Evades in rapid succession, how much mana will I have left?"
[ After four activations at 8% each? You'll have exactly 0% mana remaining. Which means--- ]
"Which means the safeguards fail. Which means the Moon Eater wakes up. I know."