[22] Battle of Cron, Part 2

Claire momentarily took in the creature as it moved towards the town. She was a bit stunned. Its facial expression—blood spilling from its missing left arm—was pure maddening rage mashed with a single, fearful eye as it escaped the quaking mountains behind it.

"I didn't even know this place had a cyclops! But if there's something going on in those mountains enough to force even these guys out, then I don't wanna fucking know!" Boris Melt shouted behind her. He sucked in a cold breath. At this point, he was inside of the carriage soothing the horses. "Be careful, a cyclops's healing rate is ridiculous, you have to destroy its head completely to stop it!"

"I see," Claire muttered, breath frosting the air, as she took a step forward.

A platform of ice appeared beneath her feet and the other floated down onto the town with Boris atop it. She held her arms behind her as she moved towards the incoming beast, ice crossing the air with her control.

"Alice," She said, staring below at a land ravaged by what could have been called a small war. Trees uprooted. Ground blasted. And many, many, corpses. Some, she realized, were human. Most, thankfully, were beasts. She thought she saw what had once been farmland. "Let's finish this."

A flap resounded next to her and Alicia appeared, wings flapping. A vampire's senses were sharp.

"It looks fun," She said.

Claire gave her a once over and frowned. "You're bloody."

Alicia chuckled. "I know."

Her wings flapped.

The air shattered and Claire turned as her hair waved about with a ringing akin to a boom. She glanced forward to see that Alicia's palm had stopped a punch from the gigantic creature.

It was only natural. Having drunk from her blood every day, Alicia's current strength and speed were both S+. The vampire's black dress flapped about and she grasped with her fist, the sound of a crunch resounding as the cyclops roared in pain.

Blood formed and coiled around its gigantic arm like strings, tangling until it fully encased it. Then, naturally, it exploded as she pulled, destroying the arm in an instant.

The cyclops roared and stumbled back across the land, uprooting the already ravaged grounds as its feet shuffled. It growled, forcing itself to a stop with steps that shook the world.

Then its shoulders trembled and new arms splashed out from the sockets of the missing old.

"What are you, Piccolo?" Claire looked at the creature which had just regrown its arms in seconds. She couldn't say it healed as fast as Alicia, but its unique brand certainly reminded her of a fictional villain turned hero.

It stomped upon the ground, steadying itself to stand as the world rumbled. Then, its single eye shook and widened to stare at the two.

Claire felt the rush of mana.

Light wallowed around the creature's dark eye.

And, finally, her ears rung with a vroom as the night sky was bathed by a singular pillar of light. Crossing the air, it was large enough to eclipse both girls in its massive size.

Claire, however, floated beside Alicia as she faced that beam of energy and scoffed.

"Please," She said and snapped her fingers, "I can't lose to something I've defeated before."

Water devoured the thing then froze with a thought. The attack was neutralized yet the construct still vibrated, energy swirling within. Clearly, it was a concussive beam, more force than heat.

"Have it back," Claire waved her hand.

Her creation rushed forward and smashed against the face of the creature. It roared and tried to push back. Then the ice crumbled and the full force of the attack was returned with the vibrating hum of the beam coming to fruition. The air broke apart, shattering like glass and the cyclops's feet left the ground. Its figure soared and it crashed against the mountain's wall—quaking the thing and sending rocks and debris flying.

Face smashed, badly bleeding, it still wasn't dead, however. It shook to stand and roared, whipping the wind about as if preparing for a new charge. It wanted away from its location, away from the quaking mountains, but Claire couldn't allow that, there was a town behind her.

"Alice," The Ice Queen said, eyes cold. To her, a quick death for it was better than a drawn-out fight. If it could heal freakishly well as Boris Melt placed it, then she simply would do as he said. "Let's make a spear, shall we?"

The vampire nodded and reached a hand forward. Having become more used to her abilities, she no longer needed to make an injury. A slight tinge of pleasure later and blood spewed out, breaking through her palm.

The mass of red floated forward. Water formed within the air and encased it. Together, the girls controlled their powers until a spear of hardened blood and ice was made.

Claire floated back and Alicia's wings flapped.

The full force of the vampire's punch met the end of the spear and it exploded forward, breaking the air as Claire gave it the spin of a drill.

It pierced into the head of the cyclops and clung its body to the walls of a mountain.

Then.

"Explode."

The cyclops's healing ability didn't matter one bit as an explosion ripped apart the night sky. Its head became nothing and a part of the mountain collapsed upon its tumbling figure, burying it in rocks.

Via squinted at the air, arms crossed amidst a ravaged land, looking at the floating forms of the two girls. The frigid Ice Queen. The ancient vampire. She thought it was suicidal if anyone tried to face that couple. Maybe they could win against one of them. But, when they were together, she wondered who or what could possibly stand a chance.

"What the hell. . . " Someone muttered, his breathing rushed, "That's it?"

She stared around and realized those defenders of the small town were shocked at the ease at which they killed a cyclops, something that should have taken a small army to struggle against.

"Eh, you'll get used to it," She shrugged as her boots passed through the red of blood, turning to face exhausted individuals.