The commander walked ahead, and I followed close behind. At the same moment, we both summoned our weapons. I looked at him and caught the fire in his eyes—the same burning anger I felt myself.
On the other side, the enemy revealed their weapons. The muscular man brandished a massive Kanabō, while others began chanting their spells. Before I could blink, both sides unleashed their strongest magic. The spells collided in midair and it resulted in a explosion.
"Commander, move to the left! Don't stay near me—I'm making spikes. You'll get hurt if you're too close," I shouted over the chaos.
"You're a ground type too, huh?" he replied with a grim grin.
"Yes," I said, nodding. Together, we charged into the horde.
I launched myself into the center of the creatures, slamming my legs into the earth. The ground erupted beneath me, spikes piercing every enemy in reach. Blood coated the soil, and the bodies crumpled in a gruesome pile.
I glanced to the side. Another set of spikes had erupted to the other direction—larger, wider, and more chaotic than mine. Someone else was just as deadly.
Spells flew at me from all directions, and chunks of the battlefield erupted as rubble hurled toward me. I dodged most attacks, but not all. Fire licked my arm and lightning crackled across my chest, paralyzing me for a heartbeat. In that instant, a few creatures bit and stabbed me—but they were weak, nobodies. Their attacks barely slowed me.
Recovering, I slammed my hands into the ground again, forming a massive platform beneath me. Rising above the carnage, I gathered my energy and unleashed my first attack: inferno snowball .
I went on a rampage.
Mana surged through my veins covering whole palm as I unleashed the Mana Blast Athena had taught me, hurling it again and again. The creatures crawling up the tower were blown backward, their bodies ripping apart before crashing to the ground below.
Fifteen seconds passed had passed as I jumped from the platform as it broke .
Midair , I gathered heat into my palm and released a fire blast. The moment it struck, the spell detonated. The explosion swallowed the creatures whole, tearing them apart as shards of stone and scorched flesh rained down. The shockwave wrapped around the tower, shaking it to its core.
Then—A kick slammed into my left rib.
I was thrown backward through the explsion , I twisted myself midair and laned hard—but upright. Cracks spread beneath my feet as I steadied myself.
Through the burning haze, I looked up.
She stood there-luka stood there.
Behind her, the explosion was still raging—fire and debris spiraling outward like a living storm—yet she remained untouched by the explosion .
****
The birds opened their beaks and breathed fire.
We reacted instantly, raising a water spell that crashed upward and smothered the flames in a cloud of steam. Using the cover, we lunged forward. Steel flashed, and two of the birds lost their heads mid-flight, their bodies spiraling down in smoking arcs.
The rest screeched and retreated higher into the sky.
Three of them never made it.
Arrows pierced through their bodies almost simultaneously. I turned my head just in time to see the vice commander had manifested her battle weapon—a bow glowing silver. Without hesitation, she formed new arrows in midair, drew the string back, and fired again.
Another bird fell.
Then another.
Now only four remained, hovering far above, just beyond normal range. To my surprise, she drew the bowstring back to its absolute limit. The bow trembled. the bow whining under the pressure. She released the arrows .
The arrow vanished.
A heartbeat later, one of the distant birds head exploded.
She didn't stop.
Two more arrows followed—each shot tearing through the sky—and with them, two more birds fell. The last one panicked and fled into the clouds.
Then I heard it.
An explosion—below.
I looked down.
Winter and the commander had split, running in opposite directions. The commander weaved through the muscular man's attacks, narrowly avoiding the massive Kanabō as it smashed into the ground. The shockwave sent debris flying—and one strike kicked given by the commander sent the man flying back .
I saw both Winter and the commander slammed their feet into the earth.
As spikes erupted from the ground in two different areas, tearing through enemies without mercy.
I stared.
"They've both reached the level of ground type…" I muttered while also feeling a bit of jealousy from winter, I looked to my side .
I saw men in robes trying to force their way into the facility, slipping past soldiers who were already locked in combat with other men and creatures. On the terrace, the soldiers with me moved to support those below, firing and casting spells to hold the line.
There were too many enemies.
It was still unbelievable that Winter had killed so many of them alone.
To stop the advance, I formed a giant, tightly compressed fireball. Heat warped the air around my hand as the spell grew denser, heavier. I hurled it forward.
The robed men scattered, trying to dodge—but they were too slow.
From behind the fireball, the vice commander fired three arrows in perfect succession. Each one pierced straight through its target, dropping them before they could recover.
The fireball struck the ground and detonated, a contained explosion of flame spreading several meters outward. The blast knocked enemies off their feet and scorched the terrace stone black.
Another two soldiers attempting to infiltrate the facility were put down—arrows punching cleanly through their chests.
Then—Two of the soldiers beside us were suddenly yanked upward, as if seized by invisible hands.
They didn't even have time to scream.
Their bodies were smashed into the ground with brutal force. They didn't move again.
Silence fell.
We all looked down.
A woman stood beside the fallen soldiers, her presence heavy and unsettling. She raised her hand—and in the next instant, she rose into the air, floating effortlessly.
We backed away as she ascended.
She landed on the terrace.
Right in front of us.
****
I stood inside the facility, waiting for any intruders—but none came. I pressed my hands to the first-floor window and thought over the plan Winter had given us.
"I'll hold the front ground," he had said. "Matthiew will cover the back, letting no one slip through. And if anyone tries to get in from the back or the underground, Luka will take care of them."
The problem was clear: the facility was lightly defended. Only twenty researchers and fifteen soldiers remained inside.
At least the back was safe—for now. A wide cliff stretched behind the building, making a direct attack impossible. Still, for extra security, five soldiers had been posted there, eyes scanning for any movement. Nothing. Silence.
We had already hidden all the research and formulas, leaving no prize for anyone bold enough to try.
****
"Short time no see," I said with a lazy smile, stretching my arms as if this were nothing more than a warm-up. "But tell me something—if you copied Luka's face perfectly, how did you end up looking this ugly? You should've practiced more."
I waited for her reaction.
She grinned, unfazed. "Yeah, it has been a short time. What can I do? This is just how I look." Her eyes narrowed. "Besides… I remember you couldn't even tell me apart from her back then."
I reached for my swords, the familiar weight settling into my hands. Across from me, metal formed around her fists as she manifested her gauntlets, the surface humming with power.
"So you can copy her weapons too?" I scoffed. "How unoriginal. Born without a single idea of your own?"
Her mouth opened to fire back—
—but her reply was cut short as I came crashing in from the side. She twisted away at the last second, narrowly dodging his strike, then lunged toward me, aiming a brutal punch. I slipped past it, caught her wrist mid-motion, and drove her straight into the ground with a heavy impact.
I leaned down, smirking. "Too slow."
She snarled and unleashed her full strength, twisting violently. Her heel slammed into my side, forcing me back as she flipped up to her feet. She rushed in again, fists flying, trying to overwhelm me with raw power.
I answered with a sharp kick to her midsection, sending her skidding back.
"I'll only need three spells to defeat you," I said calmly, blades raised. "That's more than enough."
I took a step forward.
"But for now—my swords will do."
Steel and gauntlet met in a violent rhythm—step, strike, dodge, counter. My blades carved silver arcs through the air while her fists came like hammers, every punch heavy enough to crack bone. I twisted past her swings, slashed low, then high, but she slipped between the blades with brutal precision.
She caught my arm.
Pain exploded as her fist slammed into my stomach—once, twice, three times—each blow had driven the air from my lungs. My grip faltered. One of my swords slipped from my fingers and clattered across the stone.
I coughed, but I was smiling.
From that same arm, mana surged.
"Got you," I whispered.
Heat condensed in my palm, compressed air . I fired it point-blank.
The Inferno Snowball detonated against her stomach.
Fire and force erupted together. Her grip shattered as she was blasted backward, cloth tearing as blood splashed across the stone. She would've flown away—but I didn't let her.
I stepped in and grabbed her wrist mid-explosion, yanking her back toward me before she could recover. I could see it clearly now—the burn across her abdomen, flesh torn, blood dripping freely.
I leaned close, my breath hot against her ear.
"Does it hurt?" I said softly. "Good. That's the price of getting too close."
She broke free and staggered back, breathing hard.
Her grin was gone now.
I raised my remaining sword, flames licking faintly along its edge.
"You're still holding back," I said quietly. "That's fine. Go all out if you want—so you don't die wondering whether it would've changed anything."