The air thrums of chaos, guttural growls and battle cries splash an acrid tang of blood as the clash between humans and monsters intensifies beneath the cold moon. Clangs of steel against scales and arrows whistle through the snow as beasts rip with brute force.
Defending the last defence for a city's safety, the relentless drumming of footsteps, cries of agony, and ragged breath weaves the struggles for survival.
"ROOARRRR!!"
The titan of the horde, a four-legged behemoth monster with four horns and impenetrable scales thunders towards the wall of warriors, its ground-shaking advance trampling everything.
"Kegh! T-That beast!"
"It's coming!"
The knights steel their nerves for impact.
*CHINNGG!!!!!*
Sparks of aura fly.
Commander Krist intercepts in time, stopping the force with his sword.
"HARGH!!"
He overturns the battle of strength, pushing the behemoth back with a sweep.
In that instance, an overwhelming javelin of fiery flames bombards from above, obliterating the behemoth into countless fragments. A shower of molten ashes rains upon the landscape and dyes the pristine white into cinders and steam, leaving a smoking crater with remnants of searing heat.
Mina's figure floats in the sky surrounded by a veil of flame and flickering flames dancing beneath her feet. Her intense incandescent energy is an overseer of the battlefield; The beacon of hope.
Her attacks mercilessly incinerate groups of monsters, minimizing casualties.
The atmosphere back in the city is tense. Anxiety spreads like an epidemic. Merchants and store owners close and no one stays out on the streets.
A mother hides her child in her embrace, covering his ears from the loud explosions in their home.
"M-Mom...what's that light?" the boy asks.
"What?" The mother replies and looks out of the window.
"S-Sun? Fire?!"
Citizens praying for good luck back at Lorain could see Mina's glory. Because Loi interfered in the timeline, her fame ascends with unstoppable momentum, capturing much attention to her talent and charisma sooner than expected.
This will become the first chapter of her legend.
A knight clashes his sword with a goblin's club and prepares for a counterattack. To his surprise, the goblin abruptly stops and runs away.
*GRRRRR*
The ground trembles to a crescendo of steps. Every monster in the vicinity starts retreating into the mountains.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"T-They are retreating!"
"We won!"
The joy of victory and minimal casualties overwhelm every poor soul on the battlefield but Mina, being high up, sees something different.
"Huh?" She thinks to herself. "All the monsters I see are approaching...something."
She could see far away. Every monster in The Iron Peak Range is moving as a current towards one singular destination.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!*
A thunderous explosion suddenly spews fragments of rocks from the distant mountain, reverberating a blast through the valleys. The knights could feel the ripples of shockwaves rushing past and trembling ground.
The once serene and steadfast mountains are now a scene of destruction.
"Wait...that's the direction..." Mina dives down to the commander.
"Sir Vincent Krist! That's the direction of the advance party's objective! Every monster in the mountains is heading towards it!" Mina exclaims.
Loi's father, Vincent, goes pale at that comment.
"Pass my orders!! Prepare to move out!! Our destination is that explosion!!!" Vincent shouts.
==================
*BAMMM!!*
With my sword up, I took the attack head-on and was launched a distance away.
The creature's powerful punch pops the atmosphere with great force, sending shockwaves at every movement. I've gotten used to its attack after a few hits so I could manage the damage. The only difference is its exceptional speed and...aura.
I can't believe my senses. This creature is using aura in its strike...but in a different way.
The creature falls to a mountaintop and stares at me floating on mana. It's wary of me.
That level of intelligence is on par with humans!
I'm hearing many things approaching our location. Most probably every monster in the region. No, I need to kill it quickly, I can escape but not my squad members.
My dive is returned with the creature's leap. I evade through the cracks of eight attacks from all limbs and shoot a thrust to the chest. The creature deflects using one arm and hammers two fists down. Boldly, I avoid it by zapping forward to the back of the creature.
!
Dark and light erupt from my blade, forming two intertwining waves of attribute aura pouring. The body of intense aura radiates from my sword's arc when I swing it, unleashing surging crescent energy towards its neck. The force ignites contrasting explosions, illuminating shadows and sparks.
"KRAGH!!!!" It screams.
Intense demonic mana spills out from the nape before I realise the failure. Its aura protected the nape from a mortal wound!!
Shit!
I go in for another strike...
"ROARRRRR!!!"
!!
But a mysterious energy propels me away. The rampaging demonic mana within the creature swirls rapidly, fusing with its body and turning it purple-dark and erecting strange veins of glowing yellow across.
"HUUH?!!! A POWER UP?!!!" I exclaim.
It immediately disappears and appears behind me, I didn't blink.
*BAMMMMMMM!!!*
I had little time to react, barely throwing my guard up as my entire existence zooms through the air.
Its fist is already in my eyes.
*BAMMMMMMMMM!!!*
W-What the fuck?!
Again, its fist is near.
*BAMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!*
The increased speed forces me into the defensive, guarding my entire body as a relentless barrage of punches throws me around the sky.
I can't catch up to its speed, unable to counterattack, the accumulated damage unfortunately catches up.
*BAMMMMMMM!!!*
"NGHH!!!" A stream of blood spews through my gritted teeth and nose. I momentarily loosen my guard from physical shock.
In that short lapse, the creature pummels through my defence, throwing a direct hit.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!*
My tiny self hurtles through the mountains, crashing into a slope and rolling down, painting a trail of blood. My body falls off a cliff and dives into hard ground.
*BANG!!!*
...
It's a miracle I'm still alive.
I can't move a single muscle. My vision blur and immense nausea overwhelms my head.
I overestimated myself...fuck.
...Something's weird. This monster wasn't here in my previous life. The apex predator was an iron dragon, the king of The Iron Peak Range, that's why I had the confidence to be the next "Dragon Slayer".
...
FUCK!
FUCK!
MOVE!!
My squad members...they...are still there!
No...I can't let them die again!!
Fuck!! Why won't my body move!!!
FUCKKKK!!