Sol didn’t pay Percy much attention, nodding absentmindedly. Her eyes were glued to her opponents – the horrific beasts now coming after her.
The Yellows were a touch smarter than their weaker brethren though. They waited for them to toss themselves in the line of fire, so that they could reap the fruit of their work afterwards.
Sure enough, two dumb Oranges were the first to spring forth, only for their souls to end up full of holes. But Sol had used up over a third of her mana in the attack, her fear causing her to pour a little more into the spell than she’d meant to. Her reserves wouldn’t last long if she kept fighting !
Luckily, Percy had already replenished more than that on her behalf, taking deep breaths one after the other.
‘What is he even trying to do?’
Was he happy just boosting her regeneration? But his words had made it sound like he had something else in mind.
Right before he left Melodia, he’d asked her to temper her soul and her mana channels for some reason. She had no idea what that had been about, but she’d followed through, mostly because it hadn’t been that difficult. Much like everyone else, she’d had a stronger soul already, having pushed herself to her limits in preparation to safely absorb a fiend.
Shifting her attention back to the creatures, she fired another round of projectiles at them, killing another of the weaklings. At the same time, she landed a few nasty wounds on two of their leaders, hoping to scare them off. But it might have had the opposite effect, as the monsters now hissed in fury.
Abandoning all caution, they spread out, lunging towards her from every direction, clearly willing to suffer however many casualties they had to, to sink their venom-drenched fangs into her flesh. That was when Percy spoke again.
She didn’t get a chance to ask what he meant, when he flooded her channels with mana, mounting the pressure inside her soul. At the same time, he took over her legs, sidestepping one of her opponents’ attacks. The beast had tried to sneak up on her from behind. And it would have succeeded too – she hadn’t even noticed!
But she wasn’t in the mood to rejoice, as more creatures leapt towards her, trying to rip her to shreds. If that wasn’t enough, she felt her channels swell, about to burst, as countless tears began to form on her soul. It hurt so fucking much too, making her flinch. Was Percy actually trying to help, or had he turned against her?!
Yet, something peculiar happened. The monsters grew slower mid-air. No – it was she who had grown faster! Her muscles welled with power, her senses sharper. A series of silver lines lit up on her flesh, painting a stark contrast against her dark skin. They swirled violently around her core, resembling a maelstrom. And she felt stronger! Far stronger than ever before!
By the time the creatures reached her, she was holding two weapons in her hands, their blades curved like crescent moons.
Dancing around the beasts with eerie grace, Percy took control of her arms too. He sliced into the creatures’ souls, the silver flames within their bodies parting like wet paper under the cold edge of his weapons. Their serpentine frames twisted and turned to avoid them, but he didn’t seem deterred in the slightest, the blades always finding their mark, like an executioner’s axe delivering its grim sentence.
‘Don’t just stare in a daze! Help me out here!’ he yelled, snapping her out of her thoughts.
So shocked had she been at the sheer ease with which he’d slaughtered the creatures, that she hadn’t even noticed there were dozens more slithering towards her. Whether they’d recognized her as a dangerous opponent or a tastier snack, she didn’t know – but they’d clearly taken notice of that weird spell boosting her strength.
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Expelling some mana from her body, she formed a couple more projectiles, launching them towards the incoming beasts. She was conservative about it though, only firing a handful of them this time. Partly because it was harder to shape them without her hands, and partly because she didn’t want to overdraw her mana and get in Percy’s way.
Still, her mana was way more responsive and twice as potent, the lethality of her constructs shooting through the roof. Even better, her core refilled faster than she could drain it, allowing her to unleash an endless barrage of spells against the beasts, slaughtering everything unlucky enough to get hit.
Like that, the two fought side by side.
Sol shot down anything she could from afar. Several monsters still made it through, but Percy was extremely skilled in close combat. He comfortably dodged their attacks, tearing their souls apart with those weapons of his.
It was bizarre. Everyone knew Soul Vision allowed one to glimpse their opponent’s intentions to an extent, but Percy seemed to take it to a whole new level. He was already moving to avoid many attacks before they even started. And he still clicked his tongue in frustration – almost like he was disappointed by Sol’s body.
‘Seriously?’ she frowned, but didn’t say anything.
What little mana he’d brought with him was at Orange, so she really hadn’t expected much from him. At most, she’d hoped he could share those fancy runes he’d promised before.
In fact, she’d almost given up trying to call him back to Melodia many a time. She’d only kept at it because of her moral obligation to make use of her trait, and because she’d obtained it under her father’s supervision. It was one of her fondest memories by his side, so she felt that she honoured him by persisting. The last thing she had expected was that Percy would be such a skilled combatant, turning her very body into an instrument of death.
Their opponents died one after the other, not shedding a single drop of blood. The curved blades pierced soundlessly through flesh and soul alike, robbing the creatures’ eyes of their savage lustre.
No matter how many came – Orange or Yellow – they all met the same fate, a storm of dried leaves the only proof of Percy’s passing as he blitzed through the battlefield like a whirlwind.
Still, no matter how many they slaughtered, more abominations came, with no end in sight. Sol’s newfound hope began to waver again, making her question for the second time tonight whether she’d live to see the sun rise again.
However, their efforts hadn’t been for naught.
In order to pile on her and Percy, the beasts had been forced to stop pressuring the other hunters, giving them a chance to breathe. Even more importantly, their valiant efforts had lit up a spark, making everyone fight with renewed vigour, pushing the beasts back.
More beasts died. More people did too.
It felt like an eternity had passed by the time the killing had stopped, only one side left standing. The creatures had fought to their last breath, choosing death over starvation. But they still lost.
Oddly enough, the Greens’ fight had been the last to end. The beast leaders were more cautious than their offspring, unwilling to risk their lives against Doh. He, on the other hand, knew that the entire expedition would be doomed if he were to die, so he’d prioritized his own safety too. Not out of selfishness, but duty.
It was only when the rest of the beasts had been uprooted that the hunters were able to help their leader slaughter the last of the abominations.
Of course, nobody was in the mood to celebrate. They’d won, yes, but nearly half the hunters had died in the process. And these weren’t their first casualties either. Everyone knew the silver forest was still full of abominations no less harrowing than the ones they’d just killed. The next attack might just wipe them out completely. Maybe tomorrow, or the night after. Hell, they could get attacked in the next minute, for all they knew.
Suffice to say, the atmosphere in the camp was more than a little gloomy, an oppressive silence settling over the place. Everyone was already busy tending to the injured and cleaning up the mess. And they did so in a hurry.
After all, they’d have to get a move on later, if they were to ever reach their destination. Granted, everyone was exhausted from the fight, but they couldn’t afford to skip a second day. Technically, they’d taken yesterday to rest. Little good it did them, in the end.
Though there was one silver lining.
A singular piece of good news, saving everyone from the brink of despair.
All the survivors were looking at her weirdly, marvelling at the glowing lines still burning brightly beneath her skin. Her actions hadn’t gone unnoticed, and everyone was aware of what she represented. Their gazes were grateful, full of cautious optimism.
Perhaps, they stood a chance after all…