“Three…”
The automated monotone female voice echoed out as the numbers boomed in preparation.
A lone, teenage 16-year-old Draiken girl stood idly at the centre of the digitized arena, wielding a long, unguarded katana in her left hand. Her long, wild, dusk-like crimson-red hair flowed freely as she positioned herself. Her pure, platinum-scaled wings stretched out as she loosened her joints, anticipating the inevitable action. The girl then lowered the Digi-Visor that sat against her forehead, overlapping her large, dazzling sky-blue eyes. Showing off a slim, athletic figure, the Draiken girl was in peak physical form to perform in battle. Her attire was also suitable for a swift approach in battle: she wore a casual yet sleek grey cotton t-shirt with a distinctive black insignia printed on the lower right side of her torso, alongside two significant holes stylized to expose her shoulders; additionally, the grey shirt was layered over a black, long-sleeved, turtleneck top with its arms rolled back for breathability; lower down, she wore black stylised three-quarter length leggings, efficient for ideal manoeuvrability and comfort; and finally, a large, brown-leather belt was attached around her waist, suitable as a hostel for her unique weapon.
“Two…”
The automated voice once again echoed throughout the digitized arena. In that moment, the arena surrounding the girl distorted its image abruptly, shifting from a default grid aesthetic to representing a mountainous, flourishing plain. The Draiken girl observed her new surroundings with a pleasant gaze, appreciative of the mountainous scenery whilst analysing the overall terrain carefully. The ground below her was covered with fresh green grassland, thriving with the sun’s beaming rays as it oversaw the world from the perfectly blue skies above. Barely a tree could be seen within the entire radius of the grassland, preventing any possibility of hiding and flanking the opponent unexpectedly.
It was an ideal environment for combat. Whilst the grassland was only a simulated environment, the feel and serenity of the landscape felt almost genuine.
“One…”
In that very moment, the lone girl was surrounded by a pack of predatory beasts – all of whom emerged from the ground in the form of living shadows. As the shadows solidified, the young female Draiken took a battle stance - welcoming the challenge wholeheartedly. With a playful grin, she drew back her katana whilst eyeing each beastly opponent. She lowered her stance in preparation, tensing up her muscles whilst adjusting her wings for a swift pursuit. At the same time, the shadowed beasts evolved into detailed forms: claws emerging from their paws whilst others stepped up onto their hind legs in intimidation. Whilst it was difficult to determine from a distance due to the dark aura engulfing their bodies, the Draiken girl found the beasts morphing into the form of thick-furred, muscular entities known as the Kumari.
A known native to the Dragora, the Kumari were seen commonly in open areas hunting and gathering recourses. Whilst large creatures in appearance, they were versatile and adaptable to strike down on their prey through abnormal environments, including tight spaces and extreme weather conditions. Once they had their eyes locked on a target, they’ll stop at nothing to claim their feed.
“...”
The shadow Kumari continued to glare at the Draiken girl with anticipation, waiting for the opportunity to attack.
“COMMENCE BATTLE SIMULATION.”
Dash!
Without even a hint of hesitation, the Draiken girl was the first to leap into action, swinging her katana at her nearest target directly.
Swing-SLASH!
Her erratic speed and agility were unmatchable, already slaying the first opposing shadow-beast without the other beasts realising she had even moved. Within seconds, she curved her sharp katana in an upward slash, slicing through the first Kumari with absolute ease before proceeding to her next target.
Froosh...!
Like a puff of smoke, the shadowed beast exploded into a cloud of dark haze, its existence dissipating before it even struck the ground.
Leap! Shiing...!
Suddenly, as the Draiken girl charged to her next target, a trio of Kumari leapt forward with their overlong claws aiming for their prey. With their claws stretched out to maximum length and their erratic behaviour, it was evident they were desperate to overpower the young Draiken upon realising they had underestimated her skill. However, the attempt to strike her as a group was futile, for the Draiken girl countered with a simple yet swift, fluid momentum. Pivoting her feet accordingly, the girl spun her katana with an immediate 360° turn, timing the retaliation perfectly as the trio of Kumari were caught by the blade’s before they had a chance to inflict damage on her. The three shadows evaporated instantaneously, exploding into puffs of vapoured mist.
Skid! Swoosh-STAB!
Keeping the pace of her movement flowing, the Draiken girl pushed with the flick of her toes and struck her katana into another incoming shadow-Kumari. Her aiming was perfect. She struck the oncoming beast within the chest area, inflicting a critical shot on her target. Her expression was calm yet confident, believing she had full control of the battle's flow.
Lunge! Swing-swing! SLASH-SLASH-SLASH! Swipe...! Stab! SLICE!
The conflict raged on, the lone Draiken girl slicing through the hoard of shadow Kumari continuously without breaking a sweat. However, further waves of the vicious shadows spawned from the ground, targeting the girl with relentless pursuit in desperation to overturn the battle. Many leapt into action as immediately as they spawned, whilst others hung back to observe the fight and plan their advance. During the barrage of incoming attacks, the appearances of the shadowy opponents varied in shapes and sizes.
From order of appearance, the emerging species included: the Avatéra, small yet fast scavenging mammals known to attack in formed groups of five or six; the Movu, large-eyed feral felines with platinum-silver fur, well-known for their pointed ears spanning almost half the length of their own bodies alongside their infamous aggressive nature when approached; the Nakemori, low-bearing large reptiles with long, dagger-like fangs and a devastating spiked tail that could pierce its victims in one fell swoop; and finally, the Enta, enormous, muscle-bound primates with arms and torso bulked up beyond imagination, they were strong enough to launch boulders and other heavy-bound items to crush threats and other inconvenient opponents effectively.
Swipe..! VROOSH! Swing-swing...! Stab! SLASH!!!
As the young Draiken girl proceeded to mow down her numerous opponents, she felt the difficulty within her shadowy opponents increase exponentially. Many who appeared in later waves were stronger, faster, further resilient to attacks, and more relentless in their approach. Some were even smarter, changing up tactics and adjusting their approach based on the girl’s assault. Regardless, the Draiken girl unleashed countless flurries and strikes without so much of a breath to refresh herself in between. She was overwhelmed with adrenaline, feeling as though every shift in movement and strike of her blade was a beat to a high-octane tune. As she was so far in tune with her assault, she was oblivious to the ‘Wave 12’ indicated on the corner of her headset screen.
Whoosh...! Swipe-swipe! SWING!
With a further flurry strikes with her katana, the Draiken girl overcame an empowering Kumari that attempted to rush her down and strike at her with its elongated claws. At the same time, a pair of Movu attempted to attack the girl from behind, expecting to flank her from a blind spot whilst she was preoccupied with the fellow Kumari. However, just as the two feline enemies prepared to sink their fangs into her, the girl evaded in a subconscious snap. Dropping low, she curved her body and struck with a circling uppercut – striking both in one perfect swoop.
Swing! SLASH-SLASH! Vroosh...!
As two beasts vanished, ten more emerged in their place. With a boost of her feet and a strong flap of her platinum wings, the girl leapt high into the air above her plethora of opponents as she evaded the incoming shadow-beasts and executed her next attack. Due to the velocity in her leap, a portion of the incoming attackers had backtracked, avoiding her blade cautiously as she rose. Eyeing her next target with a piercing glare, the Draiken girl utilised her momentum and executed her next strike.
Whoosh! Swing! STAB!
With a flowing somersault, she struck her katana deep into the abdomen of an oblivious shadow-Enta – barely a second from spawning into the arena.
Swoosh! Swing-swing-swing-SLASH!!!
Upon demolishing the beast, the girl followed up with an immediate sweeping flurry of strikes, brushing aside any opposing forces that were unfortunate to stand in her way.
Vroosh...! Slice-slice-slice! Swing! WHAM! BOOM! SLASH-SLASH!!!
The entire arena was soon engulfed in a large dark mist from the plethora of defeated enemies, almost struggling to dissolve at the rate that the Draiken girl was slaying them. Through all the velocity and devastation committed by the girl, no shadow-beast had yet to mark her or throw her off. Although their numbers could overwhelm her, she was far too swift and strategic to allow them the opportunity. Finally, after vanquishing the onslaught of shadowed enemies, the girl checked her progress on the Digi-Visor:
(Wave 20...)
A small sigh of relief escaped her breath, admitting that she found the last few waves of opponents challenging beyond what she expected. And yet, she neglected the time and energy spent slaying the beasts non-stop, instead wondering if there was a difficulty-spike in the system. Regardless, she was prepared for another bout, her composure emulating as she shifted into her battle-stance.
“...”
However, what followed was not another wave of the creatures, but a single monstrous entity.
Fwooom...!
Emerging from the boundaries centre was a circling vortex of darkness. The whirring echoes emitting from the growing vortex were loud and deafening, attempting to pierce the Draiken girl’s eardrums without warning. Preferring to retain her hearing, the girl stepped back from the vortex cautiously. She watched as the large shadow-entity emerged from the swirling depths, anticipation rising with each passing second.
Vroosh! Snatch!
Just then, a ferocious blackened claw shot out from the vortex, ripping up the ground as it forced its way out from the spiralling embodiment and onto the surface. What followed was a shadow-beast of gargantuan proportions, its size dwarfing any creature that came before it. Alongside the hulking mass of pure muscle, the beast was equipped with numerous boar-like tusks that were both unfathomable long and piercingly sharp. Its appearance alone gave the assumption that it was an indestructible force of nature, able to demolish forests and buildings in its wake. The Draiken girl recognized the digitized species immediately as it emerged from the vortex: The Konabura.
One of the top predatory species inhabiting the mountainous highlands of Northern Dragora, the Konabura were known to be territorial beasts and would not hesitate to attack whoever dared tread within range of its sights. Consequently, it was speculated that the Konabura hold certain life-long grudges for those who compromise their personal space. However, the natural process was skipped entirely for the purpose of the simulation – as expected by the Draiken girl.
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“HHHRRROOOOAAAAAAGH!!!”
The Konabura bellowed out in fury as its glowering red eyes targeted the Draiken girl, expressing every intention of eliminating her from existence. In response, the girl emitted a feline-like cunning smirk, amused by the Konabura’s attempt of intimidation. Gaining sustainable traction in her battle stance, the Draiken girl then gripped her unguarded katana firmly as she waited in anticipation for the shadow-beast to unleash the first move.
BoomboomBOOMBOOM-!
Kicking up the once flourishing grass, the Konabura leapt into a full-blown charge towards its target, gaining immense momentum with every stomp as its unyielding rage boiled over. Observing the enormous shadow-beast as it closed in on her rapidly, the Draiken girl breathed out in refreshed focus. Placing aside her excitement, she knew she had to choose her next set of actions considerably – one mistake and it was game over for her.
...Step! Whoosh!
Timing herself efficiently, the Draiken girl leapt into action with her blade close by her side. She paced her steps accordingly, shifting her direction by a miniscule degree whilst keeping her concentration locked solely on her bulky opponent. Her aim was to ensure she had an escape plan if the conflict falls apart on her unexpectedly, knowing many warriors prior to her had fallen against the beast due to lack of preparation. With their failures in mind, she refused to humiliate herself over the same pathetic mistake.
BOOM-BOOM! Swoop...!
In that moment, the Konabura swerved abruptly, throwing its entire body to prevent the girl from progressing. From the corner of her eye, the Draiken girl noticed an oversized claw curving towards her direction along with a series of incoming tusks eager to skewer her at every opportunity. She felt her limbs tense up as she manoeuvred accordingly, using whatever means necessary to avoid the attack in haste.
Swoosh...!
FWOOOOM!
As the claws swung into targeted impact, the Draiken girl dipped down into a swift low-bearing slide, allowing her to evade underneath the incoming claws and tusks in a limbo-like motion. The distance between her and the claw were so close that she could feel the claw slicing the air in half just above the point of her nose. Without room for thought, she regained her footing hastily, expecting to retaliate without a second thought. However, she changed her mind and leaped up immediately as a second incoming tusk was close to tripping her up.
Whoosh...! SWOOP!
Using her platinum-scaled wings for additional leverage, the Draiken girl twisted her body position to prioritize her focus on her beastly opponent – performing a seamless somersault in the process. At no point was she planning on diverting her attention from the Konabura, ensuring the fight would end with its health-bar reaching zero.
Badoof-bafoof-badoof...!
...Stomp-stomp-stomp-STOMP-STOMP-!!!
The Konabura circled back on its elusive opponent frantically, kicking up the grass with unbound fury. Whilst the Konabura was a mere imitation, it was prone to emotional outbursts depending on the circumstances just like the real animal. However, no matter the level of anger, the beast was still a program with limited functions, the Draiken girl knew to use it to her advantage.
Step-step...! Dash!!!
Upon the moment her feet returned to the ground, the Draiken girl raced towards the Konabura swiftly with her blade drawn back. She eyed her incoming opponent with an unbreakable glare, anticipating the moment to strike. On the other hand, the beast lowered its body mid-charge, preparing itself to retaliate as it attempted to predict the girl’s the next move.
Whoosh!
The Draiken girl was above the beast in an instant, the momentum of her leap carrying her forward as she pinpointed the Konabura’s critical target area. Alternatively, the beast attempted to uppercut with its elongated tusks, only to miss its target by a fraction of a second. And so, as she closed in at substantial speed, the Draiken girl struck down with all her might.
Shiink…!!
“HHRRAAAOOOWWWW!!!”
The blade of her guard-less katana penetrated the Konabura’s back with ease, proceeding to force the blade as deep as possible into its flesh. The Draiken girl felt the Konabura wailing and bellowing in agony underneath, flailing manically in a desperate attempt to shake her off its back. And yet, she was too nimble and adaptable to be thrown by its drastic actions.
Swipe! Leap...!
Keeping her feet firm against the muscular back of the beast, the girl switched tactics and released her blade from her opponent before separating with the shadow-beast entirely. However, her leap was not to escape the Konabura, but as a necessary transition to unleash her potential.
Swoosh...!
Slash-slash-slash-SLASH-SLASH-SLASH-!!!
What followed was a sudden barrage of attacks from the Draiken girl, hopping from one direction to another as she struck away at the Konabura from every angle possible. She spun and curved, slicing up her opponent wherever she deemed was most effective against the beast. From the left side, the right side, behind, above, even underneath the beast: her darting movements were frantic and unpredictable to track. Not even a breath escaped her as she engrossed herself with her flurry of attacks.
Due to the sheer speed and fluidity of her assault, the Konabura was left completely overwhelmed. It winced and bellowed as numerous gashes appeared throughout its shadow-like body, staggering on various occasions due to the force of the katana stinging deep into its husk of a body. In retaliation, the shadow-beast lashed out furiously, flailing and swinging its tusks and claws wherever it spotted its irritating opponent.
Vroosh...! Swoop-swoop!!!
“HHHRROOUUUGH-! HHRROOAAAGH!!!”
However, its efforts were wasted, acting far too slow and lofty in comparison to the girl’s constant flashy approach. Throwing its hulking claws and tusks without any hope of success, it was evident that the Konabura was vastly outmatched against its opponent.
Swipe-!
“HrrrrooooOOOOOAAAAAAAA…!!!!”
The Konabura stumbled backwards abruptly, shaking its head in unbearable torment as fragments of shadowy mist separated from its right eye. The Draiken girl had executed a clean sweep of her blade at the shadow-beast’s line of sight, catching the Konabura off-guard as she attempted to blind it. Although she was only partial in her successful execution, she knew it was enough to inconvenience the shadow-beast and further strengthen the outcome of the battle in her favour. As the Draiken girl leapt back, she found the Konabura staggering and swaying, struggling to hold any centre of gravity as it was unable to focus on her. Strength was sapping away from the Konabura’s muscular body, grunting and growling as it desperate to avoid any acknowledgement that it was in trouble.
And yet, it was all worthless. In her mind, the Draiken girl felt a rise of excitement as it was only a matter of time until she defeats the beast and conquer the simulation. On the other hand, the constant barrage of attacks along with the excess waves of opponents was taking its toll on her, her muscles and limbs aching due to the excessive strain. As much as she rejected the looming fatigue, she was on a time limit.
With the fatigue fresh in her mind, a cunning grin curled across the Draiken girl’s smooth lips, subtle yet exhausted wheezes escaping her breath as she flexed out her weapon arm. She could feel the remaining adrenaline course through her veins, allowing her to give one last burst of power. Additionally, her eyes refused to blink, ensuring she continued to track the Konabura’s staggering movements without distraction. And then, transferring power into her legs once more, the Draiken girl pounced.
Step-step...! Leap-! Dash!
With a boost of her elegant wings, the girl was close to soaring as she sprinted towards the Konabura. Her feet kicking up blades of grass as she charged, her unguarded katana glinting at the reflection of the artificial sun’s strong rays, and her expressive eyes flared with excitement as she could taste the inevitable victory.
Swoop...!
As she reached her optimum position, the Draiken girl dipped low and lunged forward, aiming for the heart of the beast. However, her target was then shifted by the abrupt appearance of an arching claw.
“Ah-!”
The Draiken girl gasped in abrupt shock, unable to halt her momentum – or, at the very least, evade – as the claw swiped into immediate contact with her body.
WHAM!!!
The result was critical. Due to the immense force of the Konabura’s arm, the Draiken girl was thrown a considerable distance as though she was a mere ragdoll.
Whoosh-! Clump!
Eventually, her body struck the ground, non-stop tumbling and rolling against the churned-up grassland with no way to control the momentum of her body. After some time passed, the Draiken girl finally slowed to a halt. Her body and the area surrounding her was engulfed in a thick, blinding dust cloud. Due to the thickness of the dust swarming her, it was almost impossible to determine if she was still conscious or not.
“Hrrrgh...!”
After recovering from the Draiken girl’s previous critical strike, the weakened Konabura switched to the dust cloud immediately.
Stomp...! Stomp...! Stomp...! Stomp...!
The Konabura was a walking mess: its muscular body staggering and weak; its focus lacking with only one eye; and suffering with fatigue beyond comprehension. Even though the beast was a mere programmed simulation, its mannerisms and reactions to the conflict were uncanny levels of realistic. It desired nothing more than to end the battle permanently, approach the dark mist warily in preparation to either strike down the troublesome opponent or defend itself from a surprise attack. Whichever possibility, it was prepared for the finale.
At first it waited for the cloud to cease, fidgeting anxiously from where it stood. With no response from the downed Draiken girl, it assumed she was knocked out from the abrupt counterattack. However, with every second pass, it grew restless – as though an external force was influencing its decision to unleash havoc on its adversary.
“HhhgggooOOOOAGH!!!”
With its remaining power dwindling, the Konabura took a reckless gamble and leapt into a full-blown charge with a war-torn bellow.
STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-STOMP-!!!
The ground beneath rumbled with its rushed stomps; the devastating tusks that spawned from its body adjusted low in anticipation; and the bone-crushing snarl awaiting the satisfaction of skewering its opponent: the Konabura was thirsty for blood.
VROOSH-!!!
With no patience left, the Konabura threw itself into the thickness of the dust cloud.
SLAM!
It had expected to meet an unconscious female Draiken, elated at the thought of an easy kill. However, it was only met with churned up dirt and the lack of a body. The beast straightened up hastily, analysing every direction for a winged humanoid silhouette in the dusty fog. The arena was silent, still, and consumed with tension. And yet, there was no sign of the Draiken girl, no matter how thorough it searched from its position.
The dust cloud dispersed, revealing the mountainous horizon – and still no sign of the girl. The Konabura was forced to wait. It held back its anger and held firm on its patience. It even halted breathing altogether, feeling as though it was too distracting.
...Step.
And then, a sound of a single step echoed from the near left of the Konabura.
“GRAAAAAOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!!”
The shadowy beast bellowed out in a burst of fury, directing its attention abruptly towards the owner of the careless footstep. With claws and tusks swung at full strength, the beast expected a definite blow.
Stab!
The Konabura realised it had made a fatal mistake. The entire husk of its body had jerked sideways, struggling to retain its balance due to the unexpected force. Through the jolt, a sharp agonising puncture-like wound erupted deep within the left section of its chest. Arching its neck, the Konabura glanced in horrified shock as it found its crafty opponent.
The Draiken girl struck the beast with as much strength as she could muster, using her single opportunity to deliver the critical blow after successfully hiding amongst the blinding dust cloud. Without hesitation, she lunged and pierced the Konabura into the right-side of its muscular chest, rectifying her earlier mistake in the process. She then met eye-to-eye with the bewildered beast, grinning from ear-to-ear in delight.
“Hrrggh?! HHRROOOOAAGH!!!”
The Konabura threw out its bulked-up claw in one final attempt to impale the Draiken girl, losing all sense of thought and reason in the process. However, its flailing attempt was rendered pointless, for the Draiken girl predicting the beast’s desperation with a mocking scoff.
SWOOSH!
She withdrew the blade from the beast’s chest and evaded the incoming claw, inflicting an additional deep, devastating puncture in the beast’s chest at the same time. She directed the momentum of her leap towards the head of the Konabura, her grip on her unguarded katana unbreakable and strong. She then twisted her body with a subtle push of her wings and executed a series of helicopter-like spins, her katana slicing through the air in a lightning-fast circular motion.
Swish-swish-swish…!
SLASH!
In that moment, a loud whistling sound was heard flowing throughout the plains – followed by the blood-churning echo of the Konabura’s head as it was cleaved clean off from its body. Step! The Draiken girl landed onto the churned-up ground in a flawless, controlled falling motion, acting as though she had completed an acrobatic performance. Not a stumble nor wisp of fatigue in her breath as she landed on her feet, acting unscathed by the conflict. Facing away from her beastly opponent, the Draiken girl straightened to an elegant yet confident stance as she sheathed her katana.
Thwip…! BOOM!
During that exact moment, the Konabura’s headless corpse slumped to the ground, its large head rolling as it separated from the neck. The Draiken girl switched back curiously and watched the beast evaporate into a large batch of black mist – in similar fashion to the other shadow-like beasts she had encountered before it. For her, it was a therapeutic scene, watching the passing of an opponent’s life as it transcended to the heavens above – even though the beast was merely a programmed entity.
Frooooosh…!
With a final puff of smoke, the Konabura disappeared from existence.
“BATTLE SIMULATION SUCCESSFUL.”
The automated female voice echoed throughout the arena in a clear voice, announcing the conclusion of the battle. The Draiken girl jolted in sudden realisation upon hearing the echoing voice, breaking away from her satisfied trance. In haste, she lifted her Digi-Visor from covering her eyes and disconnected herself from the simulation entirely. Her vision then returned to the default digitized arena, showing the spacious grid-like aesthetic.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
The Draiken girl then lifted her head towards the direction of the abrupt sound, observing the towering OLED screen as it displayed the simulation’s scoreboard. Her eye glistened brightly as she watched in anticipation for her performance results, praying her performance was enough to crack the scoring list.
On the top of the scoreboard displayed the title: ‘SOLO BEAST-BATTLE SIMULATION: HARD MODE’ along with the names of the top combatants who performed over the years. Additionally, it displayed their matching top scores and date of completion, pinpointing it was over two years since the simulation’s scoreboard was topped.
And then, a final beep echoed out and the scoreboard updated accordingly. The scoreboard now read:
“{*NEW* HIGH-SCORE} Rank 1 … VEENA ALKO.”