Finding herself back in her body, Mila braced herself for the inevitable whiplash. She waited for the pain and exhaustion to stagger her, but…

There was nothing. If anything, Mila had never felt better. She oriented herself, looking for any incoming threats - even if she trusted Aaers to have taken care of all immediate ones.

Isabel had to be here somewhere. Mila took in all the information she could, searching for her girl frantically.

In front of her, Mila found the disfigured, lamenting remains of Zemny’s mind, encased in fleshy bark and rotting flesh.

Mila coldly regarded the enemy, backing away to recess her position. “Isabel?” She almost fell, miscalculating the force of the step she took. Her body didn’t feel like hers.

The proportions were right, but everything else worked differently, making Mila’s movements feel jerky and unnatural. But she also felt her limbs more responsive, quicker and stronger.

“Isabel?” Mila repeated, only now remembering her girl had trouble speaking up. And with the way Zemny screamed and cried, there was no way for Mila to hear anything else.

Furthermore, the mana around Mila was a mess. Something had happened. As if a sharp executioner's axe had fallen and severed the head of whatever held this place together.

After another moment of trying to sense the surroundings, Mila concluded that it wasn’t just one axe. Aaers had likely done something to ‘It’ to make it vanish.

And the other severing feeling…

Mila tasted the ashy, disgusting air full of the smell of burnt flesh and decay. The few remains of the ritual were lighting up again. This place was about to be transferred again.

Wherever they were now wasn’t to last. Mila risked a stray thought, guessing this place was close to the domain of gods. Otherwise… That feeling she got before…

That was all Mila risked thinking. Deciding Zemny was too busy with his madness, she glanced around, finding her girl’s tired, collapsed behind.

They had to hurry and hide. Nothing was stopping the enemies above them from coming down and killing them both. Mila guessed they hadn’t yet because they were confused by the sudden change in tides. Or, perhaps, they had suffered more than she thought.

The corruption wasn’t something a mortal could deal with easily. Mila herself was… Fine. She still couldn’t believe it.

“MY LIFE’S WORK!” Zemny’s voice rattled the surroundings. “GONE! ALL GONE!”

More than fine. Mila felt… Powerful. Her small frame contained so much strength she could barely believe it. She used it all to launch herself towards Isabel, checking her girl for any injuries.

To her horror, Mila underestimated just how much more powerful she was. Her step proved to be too powerful, making her crash into Isabel.

“RUINED!”

The pain-filled gasp beneath her made Mila jump back up. She once more underestimated her strength but had enough air time to twist herself out from landing on Isabel. “Oh, no.”

Isabel coughed, “...fine…” She pointed back at Zemny. “...fight…”

Mila nodded. The short contact hadn’t hurt Isabel. Her girl’s barriers were still present. But also… She tore her eyes away from Isabel. Her girl was spent.

For the first time, Mila found Isabel’s mana reserves completely lacking. Her girl was barely holding.

And then there was the enemy. Mila weighed the sword in her hand. It wasn’t a good tool for chopping down a tree. Or, in this case - a tree-like abomination of a man.

Then again, there was nothing else. Mila raised her weapon and began cutting the branches Zemny was producing unwittingly. They had been approaching the pair without stopping - threatening to grab and strangle them.

It was probably better to just run. If the enemy allowed…

“YOUR FAULT!”

Which Zemny wasn’t going to do. The looming figure bloated more, making the human face appear comically small on top of the large stump.

“Try to move back.” Mila hoped Isabel wouldn’t come into crosfires. She increased the speed of her attacks.

The more Mila pushed her body, the more astonished she became. She was light, more agile and each movement filled with explosive vigour. And she could be more precise with everything.

Above them, Mila heard a scream, then instructions yelled and an order to check everything. She tried to sense what was happening. The ritual was also doing something…

There were more orders. Mila heard someone yell about the presence from outside still being there and trying to get in. She decided to strike now before everything got even more hectic.

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Without any further warning, the world shifted.

A sudden gush of fresh air washed over Mila. There was now a sky with stars and a moon above her head. Familiar sounds of a chaotic city and battle between humans filled her ears.

The surrounding walls were now gone, and so was the floor beneath Mila’s feet. In fact, nothing but those alive were around her - sent back from the place beyond.

And beneath…

Beneath - a hundred meters below Mila’s feet was Stilag. The weightless feeling around her vanished as gravity took hold of Mila. She flailed, searching for Isabel among the many dots in the sky around her.

There did not seem to be rime or reason as to where each person ended in the skyline. Mila squinted, trying to make sense of who was who in the dark.

It was still night. Seemingly, no time had passed above ground from the moment they entered the underground and now.

So much had happened during the hours Mila had spent battling and suffering through the tunnels. It felt anticlimactic to be thrown back into reality like this.

The raging fires destroying Stilag threw a ghastly light up in the air. The weeping, collapsing city had yet to notice the new, destructive forces' arrival.

“RUINED!”

Until Zemny’s mindless, rage-filled scream announced their arrival. The ruling Guard forces looked up and saw the tattered, scant numbers of remaining opponents. They had slaughtered all remaining military personnel. The army and the Temple had used their most powerful people to try and stop the ritual.

“YOU ALL WILL PAY!”

Mila looked at the raging, bloated shadow. It was close. Too close, and Zemny saw her, too. She wouldn’t be able to escape. Some branches, just like tentacles, were already reaching towards her.

To be honest, Mila could flee. She knew it was possible. Even now, while nearing the ground in a barely controllable fall, she knew she could get away.

Unfortunately, Mila noticed Isabel behind Zemny. To get to her girl, she would have to go through the disgusting enemy.

Then, there were the other enemies to consider. No one was close to them, but she had heard the boy’s screams in the distance. He had survived. Of course, he had…

While Mila had to fully understand the extent of the improvements her body had mysteriously received, she didn’t harbour any hopes of defeating any of the Inquisitors. Or the top brass of the Military, for that matter.

Yet, she had to. Mila gritted her teeth and tried to erase her traces from everyone’s senses. It didn’t work on whatever Zemny had become. She doubted It even had any real senses beyond the alien ones given by the mutations.

And then there was the fall. Mila hoped to get through it with just a broken bone or two. Or… She looked at the branch now about to touch the hem of her ruined, blood-soaked cloak.

Zemny was somehow slowing his fall. Upon further inspection, Mila noticed the enemy was creating roots that quickly grew and had already reached the ground. They were slowing the Zemny’s fall.

And they would help Mila as well. She stepped on one of the branches. Unsurprisingly, it held her weight. The damn things were sturdy, if not very limber. Another step followed, then another. She shot forward. The speed she could achieve still came as a surprise to her.

Mila’s eyes followed Isabel’s falling form. Her girl wouldn’t be able to handle such a fall. She weaved between attacks, if barely. Some of them nicked her, but her body withstood the glancing, bruising blows.

It was another surprise. Mila became bolder, taking a few swats aimed at her back on purpose, catapulting her towards Isabel. She barely made it.

After using another swinging Zemny’s limb as a foothold, Mila jumped towards Isabel. With open arms, she embraced her girl.

The impact forced them into a new trajectory. Mila found Isabel much lighter than before, making it easier to handle the larger girl.

But ‘easier’ didn’t mean easy. Mila winced upon hearing the soft ‘uff’ sound. Isabel tried to return the hug. “Don’t squirm.” She chided, landing on another branch that immediately twisted, trying to drop her.

Mila noticed several figures arrive at the building tops and start launching attacks at the Military and the Inquisitors - but not Zemny.

They were reluctant to, and Mila could only guess if it were due to them recognising Zemny’s voice. Or due to them being hesitant because they didn’t understand the horror. Or, perhaps, it was because they considered the others to be the more dangerous enemy - which was true.

Whatever was the case, Mila sighed in relief. The ground was now close - just around ten meters below. She wouldn’t have to deal with the greater danger right away, and the fall distance wouldn’t be devastating.

Mila saw Isabel’s expression grow tense. She reacted immediately by twisting herself while her girl raised her shield to receive the incoming threat.

The heavy impact landed on Isabel’s shield. It cannoned them towards a building. Mila braced herself for the impact, only to be enveloped by Isabel, who burned her last mana to protect them.

“Isabel!”

No matter how Mila tried, her girl didn’t budge. Isabel squeezed her thighter and a moment later, Mila’s body was rattled by a heavy impact - mostly absorbed by the barrier, but also by Isabel’s sturdy physique.

They crashed through the wall, then another. Mila still couldn’t move, held down by Isabel’s protective hug.

After demolishing a third wall, they both found themselves back in mid-air. Mila blinked away the dust and then smashed on a rooftop, bouncing up, then finally slid to a stop at the edge of the building roof.

Finally, Isabel’s arms untangled from Mila, letting her go. The daring young woman groaned, as Mila quickly checked her condition. “...fine…” She whispered.

“Liar!” Mila nudged Isabel, who hissed in pain upon being moved. “Can you move at all?” She received a nod. “Really?” Another nod.

Mila decided to trust Isabel, seeing her girl grit her teeth and get up. She scanned the to-be battlefield.

All around Mila were rooftops and dark chasms leading down to the streets. She heard the terrified screams below. There was a wide open area next to the building she stood upon, full of despairing civilians herded here by one force or another.

As Mila turned around to face Zemny’s twisted form, she knew leaving would mean the death of all the people here. While Isabel’s mana was recovering at impressive speed, it would be a while before she could fight.

Without asking or looking, Mila knew Isabel was already preparing herself to battle for these forlorn lives. She gripped the handle of her sword harder, then looked around.

All the other fighters were busy or too far away. To stop the slaughter, Mila had to fight. She raised her chin high, daringly standing in front of the demonic enemy. “Leave It to me.” She spoke with confidence she lacked.