44 Life or Death, and Beyond.
With a loud thud, the Milez's large body fell to the ground, creating a cloud of dust in the process.
Seeing that the Milez no longer moves, Dan retracts his outstretched hand.
"… It's dead, right?"
Using his new and improved 'vision', Dan was able to instantaneously grasp every 'weak spot' found within the Milez's body. Even if the Milez were to cover its weaknesses by using the other part of his body, with Dan's new 'eyes' such action becomes meaningless. It would only help Dan as the Milez reveals even more 'weakness' that he could exploit. The only chance Milez has left for survival now is only escape. However, there is no way that Dan would ever let that happen.
"...This is!"
It was then Dan discovered something unusual. A mass of what appears to be a black-sphere could be seen floating inside the head portion of the Milez's body. Its appearance was unlike that of the 'black spots' that Dan has seen until now. Where the 'black spots' highlight portions of Milez's body where it is 'weakest', the 'black-sphere' appears as its own independent thing, nearly separated from the rest of its body. However, within the Milez's body pink/red light stretches itself out like branches of a river. He flows everywhere within the Milez's body. When you look for the origin of where this 'river' flows from, you'll find one answer. That's right. The 'black-sphere' is the source.
From the moment Dan saw it, he instinctively understood, 'If I can destroy that… this battle is over.'
Faster than he could even think, Dan stretched out his hand. And so, the battle finally came to a close. Even with the corpse of the Milez right before his eyes, Dan's mind has yet to even register its death. From the start to finish, the battle ended so fast Dan doesn't feel like he even won. But the results do not lie.
Dan is victorious.
"Whew…"
With a deep sigh, Dan could not help but let his tight shoulders relax ever so slightly. Despite how long the battle took, the many short burst he made during that battle had exhausted him deeply. It is no surprise that Dan would want time to rest from that battle. However, in the end, Dan never truly let his guard down. There is still one more Milez left. So until then, relaxation comes later.
"…Oh, yeah. I have to check."
A fleeting thought passed through Dan's mind which reminded him of something important. With a single thought, Dan materializes his System Window once again.
"…'184', huh. This is bad… I used way too much."
Upon opening the System Window, a countdown-like display was shown continuing to decrease ever so steadily. 184…183…182… the numbers mercilessly become lower and lower. As long as Dan never deactivates [Ero Trigger Point Style (H)] this situation will never change.
Dan instantly understood a hard truth, just how much useless and wasteful move and decisions he made during his battle just now. In actuality, with just even his first [Release Palm] that made contact with the Milez's body, he could've won the battle right there and then. If Dan had capitalized upon the window of opportunity his attack has made, only one more [Release Palm] was all he needed. Dan was far too focused on completely immobilizing the Milez to even notice. The decision he had made then might have been probably the safest option, but in the long run, he essentially damaged his ability to fight for any longer. To Dan, the amount of points that he has is literally his 'lifeline'. Once it hit zero, the only that awaits for him now... is death.
Dan had been unmistakably too careless. However, situations like his are not something new in this day and age. Young and naïve System Users, thinking that the 'Powerful Skill' they had just obtained can easily mop the floor of any opponent they face, quickly learned that such things are not the case.
It is a universal truth in this world that no matter how strong a 'weapon' a person has… it means nothing if they are unable to use it well. If Skills have a 'Proficiency Progress Bar' like in certain games, there is no mistake the progress level of Dan's [Ero Trigger Point Style (H)] would be no more than 1%. Had Dan had more time to get used to his Skill, he probably would have never made such rookie mistakes.
'… It is too late to regret things now.'
Dan knows, even if he regrets his decisions now, the situation won't change for the better. The only thing he can do now is to use his failure as fertilizer for his future growth. If there is one thing that Dan understands is that he will never make the same mistake twice if he can help it.
"Kyaaaaaah~~~~!!!"
Just as Dan renewed his resolve, an ear-piercing scream shook the air.
"…!? This voice…Kate!"
Kate, who should be currently running around the city as a decoy for the second Milez, has raised a scream indicating that something must have happened to her. Dan knows naught of what is going on. However, if Dan does not hurry to where Kate is, something he can't take back will definitely occur. As his body faces the direction where the scream was coming from, Dan quickly races towards the source.
"Kate, please hold on. I'm coming right now!"
.
.
Kate's Side
"Haa… haa… haa…."
With each breath she takes, Kate's breathing becomes heavier and labored. Her lungs feel as if they are on fire. Every muscle in her body seems to scream from exertion. Her body still exhausted from the toll of using all of her MP in one go, Kate forces herself to run even further. No matter what happens to her body, Kate never thought to stop even once.
"Haa… haa… haa….!!?"
Sensing danger, Kate instantly used all her might to jump to the side. Within mere seconds a large leg reminiscent of an armored bug slammed down where she once stood before creating a huge cloud of dust as a result. Coming out of the newly created dust storm, the large body of the Milez continues to move unimpeded by the various obstacles in its path.
Seeing such a destructive display, Kate immediately threw away of any plans to enter a building as a cover for her escape. Kate could only imagine a future of her being buried under a pile of rubble as a result if she continued on that path. Kate quickly forges on.
"Haa… haa… haa…ngh!!"
All of a sudden, Kate's vision instantly became blurry. The toll of having forced her body so hard while not bringing enough oxygen into her brain finally began to rear its ugly head. With her brain dulled, as a result, Kate's running pace slowed ever so slightly.
"…Ah."
The Milez was not one to allow such a chance to escape unnoticed. Kate had noticed too late as the Milez used its powerful legs to launch itself up once again into the air. Despite its extremely heavy appearance, the Milez was able to reach ridiculous heights far beyond what is thought to be possible.
Kate's blood seemed to freeze ice-cold. Although Kate knew that she had to get out of the way as soon as she can, her oxygen-deprived body refuses to listen. By the time Kate was able to actually move normally... it was already too late.
"Kyaaaaaaaah!!"
With a sound akin to a small explosion, the Milez's landing created a shockwave that sent Kate flying into the air.
"Ah… gghh… gah!!"
Falling onto the ground hard, the remaining amount of air Kate had left was immediately expelled from her body. Due to her hard landing, Kate sustained various cuts and bruises all over her body. Kate's mind and body were totally battered.
But even then, Kate forces her body to try and move once again.
'I cannot stay here. Staying here is too dangerous. Move body! Move!'
*Boom*
"SKREEEE…!!"
"Ah…."
Having just picked herself from off the ground, Kate turned around only to find the disgusting face of the Milez inches from her own. Vomit inducing multi-colored compound eyes. Sharp mandibles three times the size of a human head. Its mouth is filled with razor-sharp teeth reminiscent of a blender. Even now, Kate can feel its breath on her as it towers over her bent-over body.
"…"
Fear overtook the control system over my entire body. My body could not move. Even though Kate want to run from here as fast as she can, her limbs don't even as much as twitch.
'Eh…? Am I going to die? At this timing?'
Kate realized instinctively of her impending death. From deep within her psyche, memories of her past sprouted involuntarily in her head. For the first time, Kate is now experiencing the so-called 'life flashing before my eyes' she only ever read in stories. Whether the memories were a bad one or a good one, it does not discriminate. Her entire life was being played right in front of her very eyes.
While it had seemed as though her trip down memory lane went down for a long time, everything happened in mere seconds of time.
The Milez has not yet even moved a single muscle.
Having remembered even memories she had long since forgotten, an uncontrollable feeling of regret began to fill up inside of her.
'… I don't want to die like this.'
Kate does not blame anyone else for the choices she had made that led her up to this moment. The source of her regret comes from her feeling of nothing more.... than pure frustration. Kate feels so extremely frustrated that she can't help herself.
'Why is it that I have to die in this way? Why is it that my body couldn't have collapsed at a different time? Why is it that I am so unable to survive long enough so that Dan can come here on time?'
Kate is unmistakably frustrated for a lot of things. However, of all the things she is most frustrated at... it is undeniably herself. Kate thought it was all her fault that she going to betray Dan's trust. She promised him at that time, that she will be waiting for him. The moment he will obtain total victory, she will be there with him.
After freezing in place for an indefinite amount of time, the Milez finally began to make its move once again. Having been attacked by the Milez countless times in the past minutes, Kate has gotten so used to its movement that she was able to predict its next move. With its leg raised in its attack posture once more, in Kate's eyes, the Milez's leg began to look similar to a guillotine which had beheaded countless heads throughout history.
'… It's over.'
It was at this moment, Kate finally gave up.
"Dan…. I sorry…"
….
..
.
"It's dangerous!!!"
"!?"
Just moments before the Milez throws down its legs, a mysterious person, from out of nowhere, slammed themselves into the defenseless Kate, pushing her away to safety.
*Boom*
Completely missing its target, the Milez could only swing its leg onto the empty ground.
While having been saved from experiencing instant death, both Kate and the mysterious person fell together onto the ground, extremely hard. Kate's old wounds worsen and now even sustained a few new injuries in the process. But one undeniable truth still remains. Kate is still alive.
"Dan…?"
Kate, with the name of a certain person in mind, looked towards her savior immediately with anticipation. However, the eyes that met with hers were not ones she expected.
"You are…!?"
To Kate, 'she' was probably one of the last people Kate would have thought to come and save her. However, there is no mistake. The savior's identity is in fact the hoodie girl who Kate had saved from becoming the Milez's first casualty. This time though something about her appearance is pretty different from her appearance before.
When Kate had first met her, the hooded girl was, as her placeholder name implies, hooded the entire time. Now, due to the fall, both girls had. the hooded girl's hood fell off of her head as a result.
"....!"
Vibrant green hair and equally vibrant green eyes. From the sides of her head, long pointed ears can be seen poking out. Her slender body frame is reminiscent of a beautiful fairy found only in fairy tales.
But stood out to Kate the most was the girl's ethereal beauty. A beauty that not just anyone Earth could compare.
'… This is the first time I had seen one this up close.'
An Elf.
A foreigner from the Otherworld: Arrynna.
Kate had known a long time ago that there were Elves that were attending Raeparth's Academy. She even had a chance to get a glance at some of them from afar. But due to their tendency to keep within their group, Kate never had the chance to talk to them even once.
Kate could not help but become absentminded from seeing such a rare existence right in front of her for a hot second.
"… Ah! Why are you still here!? Weren't you given enough time to run? Why did you come back!?"
After finally remembering her current situation, Kate was able to break out from her initial daze. As if to hide her embarrassment of losing control of her mind like that, Kate questioned the Elf girl harshly, in spite of herself. While Kate felt somewhat bad for yelling at the Elf girl like that, but she cannot help but want to question as to why she came to a place like this in the first place.
"That I cannot do."
"Why?"
"To my life savior, it would be against my Oath to have not repaid them back. Knowing that you and your friend will be going onto a path of certain death, that is something I cannot allow."
"…"
Kate had been struck speechless from the Elf girl's words. From looking at the Elf girl's expression, Kate was able to tell that the Elf girl is serious with what she says. Kate could not help herself but become touched by the Elf girl's sincere wish to save her despite not needing to. But because of that sincerity, Kate also does not wish for someone as kind as this Elf girl to die for someone like her in a place like this. While trying to think of some possible ways to convince the Elf girl to leave, Kate opened her mouth to speak in the meantime... until she became interrupted by a terrible noise.
"SKREEEE!!"
Seemingly angry that its prey had once again escaped from its' grasp, the Milez screams its frustration as it charges directly to where both of the girls are.
"!! It's coming! Quickly run away!"
"I refuse! I will not allow my savior to die here!"
While saying strong words, the Elf girl stood stubbornly between Kate and the Milez in an attempt to protect her. It did not escape Kate's notice, however, that the Elf girl's legs can be seen shaking in total fear.
'Guh~! If only I still had MP, I can do something. I cannot allow her to die for me no matter what!'
Just as Kate became frustrated once again as the Milez arrived directly in front of the Elf girl, the situation changed drastically once more.
From the side, a new arrival appeared to stand in between the Milez and the Elf girl. Once Kate caught a glance of who it was, a look of pure happiness could be seen on Kate's face.
"You did a good job. I saw what you did. Now just leave everything to me."
"Dan!!"
"You are~!?"
Having run as fast as he can ever since hearing Kate's scream, Dan had finally arrived at the scene. Kate, knowing that if Dan is here that means he came out victorious against an 'Invader', released all the tension from her body as she collapses onto the floor. For Kate, as long as Dan is here everything is going to become okay.
"SKREEE!!!"
The anger expressed from the Milez's scream was so palpable it can be felt in the air. Having not been thwarted once but twice in a just few short moments, the Milez's ability to withstand insult has since run thin a long time ago.
With his back facing towards the two girls, both the Elf girl and Kate witnessed as Dan stand fearlessly in face of an angry Milez. Without showing even a sign of being intimidated, Dan gave both girls the illusion that he became a large unmovable mountain that stands in the way of the Milez. However, at the same time, the Milez looks to be an angry god which can crush mountains easily with just a sweep of its hand.
Despite having felt confident in Dan ever since he arrived, Kate could not help but feel worried for his safety. Can Dan truly beat this 'Invader' without any problem?
With it entire body raised onto its two pair of back legs, the Milez raises both of its front legs into the air, poised for it's strongest attack. Dan, on the other hand, stood in a relaxed pose. Both of his hands were swinging freely at the side of his body. His legs continue to stand shoulder length apart, not even in a stance to brace himself in any way. He merely stands still as waits for the Milez to make its first move.
'Everything will end after this final attack.'
From inside both the girl's minds, their intuitions are telling them that this is so.
A momentary pause.
And then everything moved at once.
"SCKRAAAAW!!!"
"[Ultimate: Last Touch]!!!!"
*BOOOOOOOM~!!!*
A giant windstorm exploded out with both Dan and the Milez as its center.
Both Kate and the Elf girl could not help but close their eyes. Unable to see the results, both girls could only continue to protect their eyes as they wait for the storm to disappear.
The windstorm finally ended a few seconds later.
Wary of what they were about to see, both girls slowly opened their eyes.
As soon as both of them opened them, their eyes could not help but open even wider as they try to take in what their eyes are seeing right now.
There is Dan. Safe and sound. Not a single scratch on him as he stands unmoving at the same spot and in the same stance as he started before. Not a single wound or injury could be seen anywhere on his body.
As for the Milez, not a single part of its body was left untouched. Holes the size of fingers peppered all over the Milez's supposedly hard armored body. Its compound eyes that had struck fear into Kate's heart from seeing it up close had been crushed to pieces.
The mutilated body of the Milez fell slowly onto the ground. Green blood could be seen spewing out from all over its body.
Dan who had been standing still the entire time finally turned around.
With a worried look akin to that of a child thinking they did something wrong, Dan opened his mouth to speak.
"Sorry I was late."
