He rested his back against the scattered debris, his face still hidden as he gazed below.
"Scoff."
Suddenly, he burst into laughter like a madman, his grin stretching unnaturally wide across his face.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAH-!!"
The sound echoed through the burning ruins without end, and with every second my anxiety grew heavier.
"You are strong."
He said while slowly rising to his feet.
"I shall praise your strength."
He stood amidst the raging flames, meeting my eyes directly for the first time.
"But…"
The smile on his face widened.
"You aren't stronger than me-"
"Huh-?!"
The instant those words left his mouth-
Dark clouds swallowed the sky.
He raised two fingers into the air and my body instinctively tensed, preparing for that black liquid once again.
However-
[Sunken Trident]
'DRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-!!'
A…spell?!!
The ground violently trembled beneath us.
Magic and spells were two completely different forces.
Magic was created from mana-shaped into elements and manipulated for use.
But spells… were on an entirely different level.
Far stronger. Far more difficult.
Only a handful of beings in existence were even capable of casting one.
They were considered monsters among monsters.
Even dragons, creatures that lived for thousands of years, could rarely cast spells.
Yet this demon…?
How could he possibly use one?!
Whether the spell was large or small didn't matter.
The existence of a spell alone changed everything.
Every instinct in my body screamed danger.
What kind of demon…was he?
Suddenly-
Three enormous black circles emerged behind him, rotating violently as dark crimson lightning burst from their edges.
The sky swirled.
From within the clouds, something massive began descending.
'Drrrrrrrrrrr-!!'
The air pressure alone crushed the flames around us.
Then I saw it.
A gigantic trident.
No-
An entire abyss forged into the shape of one.
Dark liquid spiraled around its surface while countless distorted faces writhed within it, screaming soundlessly as though trapped inside the weapon itself.
The demon grinned.
And with a single motion-
He pointed downward.
The trident began falling.
I could only watch as the gigantic structure descended toward me.
It didn't feel real.
It looked as though the sky itself was collapsing.
There was no escaping it.
The entire area would be reduced to nothing.
Yet amidst the panic-
I noticed something.
The demon wasn't moving.
His two fingers remained raised in the air, completely still.
He still wasn't done casting the spell.
Panic violently surged through my body.
I wouldn't survive this.
My hands trembled.
So did Tomb.
(What would he do…? That outspoken man…)
[He would've thrown himself together with the demon and been crushed alongside-]
[WAIT-!!]
I didn't let her finish.
Before I even realized it-
I was already sprinting toward him.
The demon's expression instantly twisted into panic.
'DAMMMMM-!!'
I slammed my entire body into him, yet somehow-
He barely moved.
"What are you doing?!!"
He violently grabbed my hair, nearly tearing it out by force.
"Stupid woman!! Get off me!!"
[DUMBASS!!! DON'T DO THIS-!!]
I threw Tomb far into the distance before gathering every last fragment of mana into my fists.
My breathing became uneven.
Sweat poured down my face.
My vision blurred.
Even then-
'DAAAAWKKK-!!!'
I forced him downward.
But in the next instant-
Our positions reversed.
"Ghk-!!"
His hand wrapped around my throat as he slammed me into the shattered ground.
"LET GO!!!"
"LET GO, YOU CRAZY WOMAN-!!!"
I desperately clung onto him tighter.
Blood dripped from my fingertips as my nails dug into his skin.
Above us-
The trident continued descending.
Closer.
Closer.
Every passing millisecond felt louder than the last.
'DAKKK—!!'
'DAAKKK—!!'
He repeatedly smashed his forehead against mine while I struggled to remain conscious.
Warm blood streamed down my face.
"WHY?!!"
"WHY WON'T YOU DIE-?!!"
"He…"
My voice trembled.
"He will live."
"Huh-?!"
"HE WILL LIVE-!!!"
My scream cracked apart.
Tears endlessly streamed down my face.
I couldn't remember his face anymore.
I couldn't remember anyone's face.
The parents who raised me.
The children from the village.
My companions.
Ororon.
Their faces,
Were disappearing.
And-
'WOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM-!!!!'
The world turned white.
***
Tomb continued trembling violently.
She couldn't sense Aniel anywhere.
Every few seconds she flinched as countless horrible possibilities crossed her mind.
[Ugh!! Dumbass!! TAEL!! TAEL!!]
Her voice cracked from panic.
[This won't do… I have to find her-!!]
At once, dark navy-blue clouds swirled around the spear.
'Fwoooosh-!!'
A figure suddenly emerged from within the smoke.
The form of a teenage girl appeared out of nowhere as she stumbled forward before crashing face-first into the ground.
[Gahk-!!]
She immediately got back up, cursing repeatedly while twitching in frustration.
Her two massive blue ponytails swung wildly as she kept pulling at them.
Her entire body was filthy.
Covered in ash.
Covered in dust.
The spear had completely taken the form of a girl.
[Aniel!!]
[TAEL!!]
[Where are you-?!]
Her voice echoed desperately across the ruins.
But nothing answered back.
Only silence.
The place that had been engulfed in raging flames mere moments ago…
Had turned completely gray and white.
Like the world itself had been burned away.
Almost nothing remained.
No buildings.
No fire.
No sound.
Only destruction stretching endlessly into the horizon.
[!?]
Suddenly-
Her eyes caught sight of something.
A figure.
Lying completely motionless in the distance.
Her body froze.
[Aniel…?]