Slowly looking around with her Aura Vision Stacy observed her surroundings.
Immedietely she noticed that what was supposed to be small camp filled with people was seemingly empty.
*Wraaah*
The same sound she had heard while in the Mindscape reverberated throughout the surrounding space.
Stacy quickly turned herself towards where the sound was coming from.
Looking there she saw the people that were missing from around her, as they all seemingly ran towards a giant mountain in the distance.
No... that was no mountain it was... the beast itself.
They were fighting.
And at the forefront of this fight stood Gabriel.
It was difficult to tell exactly what was going on, but it seemed apparent that he was the one responsible for the injuries that allowed her to escape alive.
Stacy quickly created a sword of light in her hand not bothering to search for her sword and charged towards the monster.
As she ran she could see the fight as it was happening.
Gabriel was there in the air, clad in heavy armor and kept up by his angelic looking wings.
His speed was hard to keep up with. The only thing she was able to observe were the giant wounds that were appearing on the giant each time he disappeared.
The soldiers below weren't completely useless eaither, as magic spells kept flying at the giant monster.
Considering the size of the beast even the close range fighters chose to instead use their own weak Beam skill rather than relying on their own core skills.
This was a wise choice as the few that chose to try hitting the monster close up all quickly got squashed under one of its many tentacles.
As she was getting closer Stacy herself started to join the fight, throwing her swords of light at its massive mountain like body.
Still, it seemed the only one who was doing any real damage to it was Gabriel, with even a single one of his slashes delivering more destructive power than the whole army did combined so far.
Still something was certainly better than nothing. As such even if it was just barely scratching it all the soldiers kept on fighting.
Just as Stacy was about to get there to group up with the other soldiers, something happened.
The ground began shaking violently, the beast was moving.
"RUN! BACK OFF!"
Gabriel shouted from the sky, even while he himself was dealing with the monsters attacks.
This giant mountain like monster looked closest to mix between a deer and an octopus of some kind.
Throughout its massive body were tentacles that moved around relentlessly.
Of its pressumed four legs only two were in view as the other two were so far away it seemed impossible to see them from so low.
On its head it had giant antlers that seemed to have a free range of movement almost like they were tentacles rather than antlers.
These tentacles were exactly the threat Gabriel was dealing with.
As it began to move, people began to move with it, but very few were quick enough to evade its step.
As such most of what was once the Holy Army's Eastern Expedition has been trampled upon.
Still Stacy didn't know any of this as all that she had on her mind was that she needed to run.
'Of course it moves.'
*Wraaaah*
The beast shouted as it was getting increasingly agitated with each second that passed.
Gabriel was delivering injuries to it, but even his slashes amounted to nothing more than cat scratches or dog bites at best.
These wounds would never kill it, even Gabriel knew this.
Stacy finally reached back to where their camp was, as such she finally took the time to look behind her.
Looking ahead she could see many others that were running towards where she stood.
Behind them was the giant leg of the monster.
From what she could observe, she was not in the clear as the monster if it wanted could close in in less than ten more seconds.
She had to move even further.
Taking a second to catch her breath, Stacy gave up all idea of staying and fighting.
She had to run away, but not to where everyone else was going.
She knew that it was dangerous in the Void, but if she stayed with the others the mountain would just keep chasing them.
As such she looked not behind her, but to her sides.
Picking a side at random Stacy began running left.
She ran with all that she had never looking back for a second.
She could only hope that the others didn't feel like following her and instead stuck together.
Once she felt she was far enough she stopped and looked behind.
Being far enough she was able to observe the battlefield from a safe distance.
From what she could see things weren't looking good.
The people below were all mostly dead, and while Gabriel kept on slashing at the beast it showed no signs of weakening.
'I thought Gabriel was round Rank 7. How is it that he's barely hurting the thing?'
Indeed it seemed that whatever that giant deer mountain was it overpowered Gabriel in atleast the defensive department.
As Stacy just stood there observing she suddenly heard a loud bell like sound.
*Gong*
...
Gabriel stood before the giant being, it was clearly taking little to no damage from his attacks.
'Is it time to use it?'
He thought to himself. Using "it" was something that his Master Reinhardt had warned him should only be used in a worst case scenario.
Using "it" meant that he'd have to give up all the divine authority that was granted to him.
Still even knowing the cost Gabriel felt that there was no other way out of it.
If he hesitated any longer all his people would be dead.
If he wanted to get them and even himself out alive, he'd have to do it.
"The Divine Bell of Heaven."
Suddenly a heavy sucking force escaped from his body, his energy and power was being taken away.
What he was as a person was being reduced with each passing second.
"Aurg!"
He shouted, the extraction wasn't painless.
Then from his body materialized a giant bell.
As it floated in the air, even Gabriel could only admire it. It was now a completely seperate entity one created from the power he was granted long ago.
*Gong*
The bell sounded its sound sending out heavy destrucive aura.
The only advantage Gabriel had was that as the caster he himself was excluded from those that the bell harmed.
*Gong*
It sounded out again, this time even more powerful.
'There should be three more.'
*Gong*
Each gong was stronger than the last. This time Gabriel tried looking towards the beast, but the heavy aura disruption made the usage of Aura Vision impossible.
...
Meanwhile as the third gong sounded Stacy could observe the disruptions in the nearby aura with her vision of the battle becoming more and more cloudy.
*Gong*
The fourth one sounded, this time it was so strong that even Stacy could feel herself being pushed back from its force despite the large distance.
And then it came the final gong.
*Gong*
The gong sounded, but Stacy was surprised to feel nothing happen to her.
That was when something changed. Her vision became completely clouded as her Aura Vision stopped working.
It was then that all the aura in the air began to converge towards the bell.
Stacy could feel herself being heavily pulled towards where the battle was happening.
'What is going on?'
Stacy was being dragged through the sandy, dirty ground towards where the battle was happening.
Then it came.
*Boom*
The bell exploded into a giant bomb of energy decimating all that was near it.
Luckily for Stacy and the few others who were still alive on the ground the blast didn't reach them as it was detonated high in the air.
As the giant blast concluded all opened their eyes in unison, trying to see what happened to the beast.
As he opened his eyes Gabriel looked towards where the beast should have been standing.
His pupils dilated, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
All others below who were still alive could only do the same.
The monster who should have suffered major damage from the bell was just standing there unscathed... no that was wrong.
It wasn't unscathed... it was... prestine, healthy.
Even the scratches Gabriel had inflicted prior were nowhere to be seen.
"What happened?"
Even Gabriel could only ask, it made no sense that something like that would not only not kill it, but also heal it.
Then as Gabriel looked at the beast he noticed something.
For the first time since they've started fighting the beast looked different.
It wasn't just a normal beast now, no it's face showed sentience, understanding and giant grin the likes of which monsters should never have.
Then something even stranger happened.
Suddenly all surrounding people could hear a voice in their head.
"Thank you."
The voice said, sounding like a new born child while saying.
In the next second the beast opened its many eyes at the same time and a strange energy escaped from its body in a similar manner to how the bell did it.
"What's going o–"
Gabriel tried to ask, but was cut short.
His flying figure suddenly falling to the ground hitting the ground at full speed instantly splattering.
As Stacy looked around she could see that all the others near her were dropping similarily.
'Are they all dead?'
She asked herself, still trying to understand what had happened.
"Are you the one who escaped before?"
The voice sounded again in Stacy's head.
"Who are you? Where are you?"
She asked out loud trying to talk to the voice.
"Did that mishap grant you some exemption, guess I'll have to deal with you more... personally."
The voice said and as it said this the mountain raised it's giant leg.
Stacy was just about to accept her fate when the monster was suddenly cut in half by a giant beam of light.
The light not only cut through the monster, but also the darkness that was everpresent in the Void.
For the first time in days Stacy could finally see with her own eyes.
And what she could see between the two halfs of the cut monster was lone individual standing there, with their one hand held straight slightly below waist level, like he had just slashed down with it.