novelnext Refinement…
Refinement…
Shija’s descending blade was a masterpiece of technique.(Zing!)
The steel traced a vertical downward arc with a force and fluidity that resembled a torrential waterfall cascading from the highest peak of a mountain; a perfect execution of the Kyōgetsu Style that concentrated all the inertia of the air and the weight of the spirit into a single cutting edge.
(Something is wrong!)
But in that fraction of a second, where time seemed to dilate and the world was reduced to the whistle of metal, Shija perceived something impossible.
"Well played."
Scarcely millimeters from impact, Melioris’s voice resonated in his ears with supernatural clarity, laden with an almost maternal approval.
(!!)
And in that instant, reality distorted.
(Sss-slither!)
The emerald locks that stood out in Melioris's long silver hair took on a frenetic life of their own.
(Chrr-sss!)
As if they had been waiting for this moment, the vibrant green strands twisted and transformed into snakes with shimmering scales that intertwined with each other at a dizzying speed...
"But..."
And immediately, in a blink, the creatures enveloped the entity's body, forming a living barrier—an armor of scales and intertwined muscles that possessed the density of diamond.
(KLANG-BOOM!!!)
Intercepting Shija's sword in a head-on collision against what felt like an indestructible wall of energy and organic matter.
"This is not enough."
The impact was so dry and absolute that the vibration traveled up the blade, jarring Shija's bones and stopping his advance cold, while the hair-snakes hissed at the steel, keeping Melioris intact within the center of her emerald cocoon.
"GRRRRR...!!"
In response to the desperate situation, Shija let out a growl of pure frustration, teeth gritted and the muscles of his arms trembling from the resistance of that impossible barrier.
"This definitely can't be all... can it...?"
But Melioris had no intention of staying on the defensive to wait.
(Dammit!!)
And so, the cocoon burst open with an expansive force.
(Fsssh-thwack!)
Then the snakes, which until a second ago had formed an impenetrable armor, uncoiled and fell upon Shija like a cascade of scales and fury.
"Gugh!"
The impact wasn't just physical; it was a discharge of kinetic violence that repelled him backward, completely neutralizing his inertia and launching him through the air like a projectile.
(BWOMP!)
And so, Shija was sent flying directly toward Boudica, who was still struggling with the remnants of the hurricane.
"Kghh... Damn you!!"
The collision was imminent, and the force propelling him was enough to break both their bones if they slammed into each other.
"I can't believe I'm doing this!"
Thus, Boudica, seeing Shija hurtling toward her with the tide of Melioris's energy hot on his heels, did not hesitate for a second.
(THOOM!!!)
Instead of dodging or trying to catch him gently, she planted her feet one last time and opened her arms, becoming a bulwark of flesh and metal.
(KRA-KOOM!!)
And so, just before Melioris's attack could reach them, Boudica shielded Shija with her own body, taking the full weight of the impact head-on.
(D-DOOM!!)
Finally, the sound of the blow was dry and heavy as Boudica absorbed the raw violence of the impact, shielding Shija in her arms while both were dragged several meters across the ground, leaving a furrow of destruction in the pavement.
(K-SHAAAA!)
As a result, the final collision generated a shockwave of dust and volcanic ash that spread through several streets, finally alerting the city authorities.
"Halt in the name of the law of Flambell!"
The sound of clanking armor and shouted commands broke through the chaos; city guards, high-ranking adventurers, and knights of the order quickly gathered with weapons drawn, ready to stop what looked like a war zone.
"STAY OUT OF IT"
However, at that precise moment, something unnatural occurred.
"What?!" "¡¿?!" "My body isn't responding?!"
As soon as the warriors attempted to cross the threshold of the combat area, their bodies became heavy, as if the air had turned into liquid lead. One by one, they lost their mobility, left frozen in attack stances—muscles tense, yet unable to obey their brains.
"Who the hell?!"
But the most disturbing part was the visual perception.
"Cursed monster!!" "What the hell is it?!" "Ugh... my eyes!!"
Despite the fact that Melioris was right there, standing before them in broad daylight, none of those present—not even the most experienced adventurers—could recognize her silhouette. Their eyes caught something, but their minds refused to process it; to them, Melioris was nothing more than a blur of static, a smear of light and shadow that hurt their eyes if they tried to focus on her directly.
"This does not concern you..."
They were standing before the one responsible for the destruction, but to their senses, she simply "wasn't there."
"No... rather... you do not interest me..."
She was an entity that existed outside of their understanding, a presence that forbade them even the right to observe her true form.
"Now then..."
Thus, in the midst of the deathly silence imposed by Melioris's presence, the air seemed to have lost its ability to vibrate.
"This is nostalgic."
Standing there, the entity kept her attention fixed on a distant point, completely ignoring the paralyzed guards and knights; to her, the rest of the world was nothing more than unimportant static that failed to capture her interest at that moment.
"Do you wish to continue?"
And just as in their first encounter, she tossed a question into the air...
(CLANG!)
In response, a resounding metallic sound tore through the silence.
"Haaaa... Haaa... Haa..."
That sound was the echo of a sword thrusting forcefully into the stone ground, laden with the strain of a breath that finally drew the gazes of everyone present toward the center of the debris.
"Hng... hng!"
In a monumental effort, Shija stood, his breath ragged and his appearance utterly worn. His clothes were torn and blood ran down his face, but his hands gripped the hilt of his sword, using it as a desperate support to force his legs to rise.
"Don't you also think this is nostalgic~?"
His muscles trembled under the weight of Melioris's oppressive atmosphere, but his gaze was no longer one of defeat.
"I will ask again..."
At his feet lay the unconscious body of Boudica.
"Did all your training up to this point teach you nothing?"
The warrior was in critical condition after taking the direct impact to protect him; her armor was dented, and her breath was a mere, weak thread.
"You cling to the sword, to your form, to your pulse. It is a beautiful defense..."
Shija stepped between her and Melioris, like a wounded wolf refusing to let his pack die.
"You have everything you need... don't you?"
The contrast was heartbreaking: Shija's human fragility, on the verge of collapse, defying the absolute and indifferent divinity of Melioris...
"So... if you cannot surpass your limits here and now...!"
She intensified the pressure as her overlapping voice resonated directly within Shija's consciousness.
"If you cannot do it... then... you should die."
Shija, shrouded in memories of their first encounter...
(I already know... I... I understand...)
He clung to his sword with all his will.
"....."
In response to seeing the action, Melioris closed both eyes for an instant.
<"Prepare yourself.">
Her voice resonated not in the air, but directly within Shija's consciousness like a gelid warning.
(I am not going to die...)
In response, Shija did not back down.
(I made an oath!)
Despite his extreme exhaustion, he adjusted his center of gravity.
(I will save my Master!!)
He adopted a total defensive stance, sinking his feet into the cracks in the ground and crossing his sword in front of his body at a precise angle; a guard designed not to attack, but to survive the inevitable.
"Hah... ngh... haa...!"
Panting, he began to empty his mind of fears and distractions, allowing only the intense and rhythmic beat of his chest to dictate his existence.
"..."
In that state of absolute concentration, the world around him seemed to slow down.
"You know, it's curious..."
In parallel, before him, Melioris began to move, raising both hands with a fluidity that defied logic, tracing arcs in the air that seemed to wear away the fabric of reality.
"Within me lie abyssal amounts of power—a bottomless ocean that normally overflows without control."
Inside Melioris, the abyss of power was incalculable.
"In my original form, that power was wild, crude... almost impossible to use appropriately."
She possessed massive reserves of spiritual, cursed, and divine energy, among others—like an ocean of force that could level continents.
"But during this time... this practice... and this form..."
However, her control over the "output" of that energy had always been imperfect; like a flood trying to pass through the eye of a needle, she wasted enormous amounts of power in every movement, burning energy inefficiently, yet so massively that the result was still devastating.
"They have allowed me to refine the chaos."
The air around her hands began to distort, emitting a sharp hum as the previously inefficient but destructive energy began to condense, preparing to be launched against the human wall Shija had become.
"In this form, I am capable of extracting my strength with absolute precision."
Yet, what Shija had before him was not a simple, uncontrolled overflow of energy. Melioris, being a fusion, possessed the innate ability to amalgamate the technical experience of one component with the raw potential of the other. Through constant and silent experimentation during her journey, she had achieved the impossible: refining her power output.
"Therefore, I claim the right to name this attack..."
It was no longer a wasted flood; it was a laser of divine precision.
"Haunted Hearth Flame: Leak."
In her right hand, a blaze of purplish cursed flames suddenly ignited, dancing around her palm with a malignant hunger that seemed to consume the oxygen.
"Ambivalent Voltage: Flow."
At the same time, her left arm became shrouded in celestial sparks of spiritual energy, flashing like electric serpents that hissed and coiled up to her shoulder.
"Here we go~"
Melioris was not just gathering energy; she was intertwining both in a convergence of primary forces channeled with terrifying efficiency.
"...."
Facing that vision, Shija's stance, though perfect in its execution, looked like that of a man trying to stop a hurricane with a paper shield. The duality of colors in Melioris's hands illuminated the warrior's worn face, marking the beginning of the end.