After returning Lilly safely to her mother, Cordellia joined Kaelith and Shiruetto as they made their way to Shiruetto’s base of operations. The air between them was tense but charged with curiosity, a quiet anticipation hanging over the conversation that was yet to come.
“So, Mr. Shiruetto,” Cordellia began, her tone steady yet probing, “I think I already know what that thing was, but I’d like you to confirm it for me.”
Shiruetto adjusted the device strapped to his back, glancing at her with mild interest. “Hmm, if you’re thinking it was a manifestation, then yes, you’d be correct.”
Cordellia’s eyes narrowed slightly, her suspicions confirmed. “So it really was one…”
Kaelith, walking slightly behind them, frowned and scratched the back of his head. “Uh, sorry, what exactly is a ‘manifestation’? Am I the only one out of the loop here?”
Cordellia slowed her pace slightly, giving Kaelith a brief glance before explaining. “The knowledge of manifestations has been passed down in the Pendragon family for generations. We were trained to hunt them. They are alien creatures, sent by what some call ‘Cosmic Deities,’ beings said to exist beyond our comprehension. These creatures are an invasion force, though the reason behind their assault on our world remains shrouded in mystery.”
Kaelith raised a skeptical eyebrow but before he could interject, Shiruetto chimed in. “That’s the traditional explanation, though it’s worth noting that in the scientific community—among those of us aware of this—we use a different term for these ‘Cosmic Deities.’ We call them Empyreans. It’s not much, but it’s an attempt to reframe the phenomena in a way that makes sense to our limited understanding.”
He adjusted his glasses, his crimson hair catching the light as he continued. “Unfortunately, all of this is largely hypothetical. Despite decades of speculation, no direct evidence has ever confirmed the existence of these so-called Empyreans. Manifestations, however, are very real and extremely dangerous.”
Kaelith’s brow furrowed as he mulled over the explanation. “Okay… but how strong are these manifestation things, really? The one we fought seemed dangerous but… manageable.”
Shiruetto let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. “The one you encountered was a newborn, essentially powerless compared to its grown counterparts. If you ever face a fully grown manifestation, consider yourself dead already.”
He let that weighty statement hang in the air for a moment before adding, “If you want to identify a grown manifestation, they’ll usually bear a distinctive insignia or marking somewhere on their body. It radiates mana like a beacon. And trust me, once you see it, you’ll know you’re in trouble.”
Kaelith felt a cold chill crawl down his spine at the thought. “Great… just great. As if the newborn wasn’t bad enough…”
Cordellia’s expression hardened, her voice steady with resolve. “That’s why they have to be stopped before they can grow. It’s our responsibility to make sure they never reach their full potential.”
Shiruetto nodded in agreement, his gaze distant. “True enough. But even with hunters like you, Cordellia, it’s a war of attrition. And the question remains—how long can we keep it up?”
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All the hair on my body stood on end, my muscles locking up as a primal instinct screamed at me to flee. The sound of something barreling through the trees behind me spurred me into motion. Without thinking, I sprinted as fast as I could, dodging low-hanging branches and leaping over roots.
Bursting into a clearing, I finally turned to see what was chasing me. My blood ran cold.
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It was massive. A monstrous creature with a head like a snake, its scales gleaming green and faintly luminescent. It moved on four tree-trunk-like legs, each ending in claws that gouged deep into the ground with every step, making the earth quake beneath its weight. Its body, disturbingly, was covered in tangled vegetation—thick moss, hanging vines, and blooming flowers that seemed almost alive, pulsating faintly with its every movement.
But what seized my attention most was the marking on its forehead: a glowing, blood-red sigil of a flaming spear crossed with a sword. The light from it pulsed ominously, like a heartbeat.
Despite the density of the forest, the creature's massive head locked onto me with unerring precision, as though it could sense my very being. And for a beast the size of a two-story building, it moved far too fast.
The ground quaked as it charged, closing the distance between us with terrifying ease. Panic flooded my mind as I pushed myself harder, my lungs burning, but just as it lunged forward to snap me up in its jaws, I stumbled.
My foot snagged on a tree root, and I fell. Tumbling down a hill, I landed face-first in a thick, mucky pool of mud. Pain radiated through my body, and my heart pounded like a war drum.
I was sure it was over. The creature would catch me now. But as I lay there, seconds stretched into eternity. Nothing happened.
Wiping the mud from my eyes, I cautiously looked up. The monster stood a short distance away, its colossal head swinging from side to side, as though searching for me. Somehow, it hadn’t seen me.
‘The mud,’ I realized, my breath caught in my throat. ‘It’s masking me. Blocking its perception.’
This might have been my only chance to escape. My instincts screamed at me to crawl away, to get as far from the creature as possible.
But then… something within me shifted. A foreign compulsion surged through my veins, raw and unrelenting.
One thought consumed me.
KILL IT.
The compulsion was overwhelming, drowning out everything else. Moving almost unconsciously, I found myself rising from the mud, my body trembling yet drawn to the beast. I stalked it silently, creeping closer as it continued its futile search.
Using the plants growing on its body as handholds, I hoisted myself up, climbing the massive creature as if it were a living mountain. Its movements made every muscle in my body scream in protest, but I forced myself onward, my focus locked on the glowing red sigil on its forehead.
As I positioned myself above the marking, a shimmering blade of energy materialized in my hand. With all the strength I could muster, I drove the blade into the pulsating mark.
The creature let out a deafening wail, a sound so guttural and raw it shook the very forest. Its head thrashed violently, trying to dislodge me, but I clung to it with everything I had, my grip unyielding.
Realizing shaking wasn’t enough, the monster charged forward, barreling through trees and smashing aside boulders as though they were nothing. I felt every impact rattle through my bones, but I held firm, gritting my teeth as I drove the blade in deeper.
The sigil began to pulse faster, brighter, and the creature unleashed a beam of crimson energy from its gaping maw. The beam sliced through the forest like a scythe, obliterating trees, rocks, and anything in its path. I could feel the heat from it even from where I was perched.
As it roared and lashed out with its claws, I yanked my blade free and stabbed again, aiming directly for the glowing mark. Another ear-splitting wail tore from the creature, its claws slicing through the forest like blades through paper.
One final strike. I raised my blade high, summoning every ounce of strength left in my battered body, and drove it down into the sigil.
The creature froze. For a moment, the forest fell silent, save for the ragged sound of my breathing.
Then, with a groaning creak, its massive body collapsed, crashing to the ground in a heap of vines, scales, and earth-shaking weight.
It was dead.
As the adrenaline drained from my body, the pain I had ignored during the battle surged back all at once. My vision blurred, the edges darkening as my strength gave out.
I slipped from the creature’s head, tumbling to the forest floor below. The world spun as I hit the ground, my limbs refusing to move.
And then, everything went black.
[Analyzing Manifesttation]
[Identified as a Manifestation deriving from “The Empyrean of Conquest”]
[Skill “Mimic” is now available]
[Activating Skill]
…