Am I in Heaven?

"Masha, get him out of here! I'll block the attack with my body!" 

Silvana shouted, her voice trembling but determined.

"Silvana, don't! It's pointless. We don't have time!" 

Masha replied.

I could only watch, powerless. My body was broken, my mana completely drained.

(I was so close to surviving. Against all odds, I managed to defeat all those poachers. If only I had a bit more strength... just a little more power.)

I was ready to accept my fate. My vision blurred, and the roaring sound of the incoming attack grew louder.

Then, suddenly .....

"Titan's Barrier: Fist Guard!"

Aria appeared out of nowhere, her massive figure blocking the attack with her glowing fists.

Her skill created a shimmering wall of force, absorbing the explosion of energy.

She had recovered from her earlier injuries, standing tall like an unshakable wall.

(Late. You're so damn late. Why do you have to make an entrance like some hero? Couldn't you have shown up earlier? Idiot.)

Even as relief washed over me, I couldn't help silently cursing her.

Behind her, Silvana and Masha were shouting, but their voices were muffled. 

My strength was slipping away too fast. My head felt heavy, and my consciousness wavered.

I managed to whisper, barely audible, "Aria… Took you long enough…"

After that I don't remember anything but when I woke up I could see things in white color.

"Am I in heaven or What?"

But then I saw the ceiling that was white in color, so I felt that I was still alive.

Just then I tried to move a little…

"Ahhhh…."

The pain was so dreadful, like I have been in hell where I am inside the hot water pot that was 100 degree celsius hot water.

"Healing Skill: Magic Pills"

As I was trying to heal my injuries, I took the healing pills which rushed into my body and started to heal my body slowly.

After some time, I finally felt relieved as the pain in my body had healed.

However, I couldn't neither stand up nor move like normal days.

Most probably, It would take a few days for me to be able to move and stand like the normal days.

"OMG! WHAT HAPPENED THAT TIME ? WHERE ARE MY TEAMMATES?"

Suddenly I was so worried about what really happened...

=============================

"Xerox Zee"

"Masha, can you take him to the safe place" 

Silvana ordered.

"Roger that!"

Masha immediately took me to the safer part of the forest….

However, as my body has become so cold just like a dead body, Masha was really tense and scared.

Masha was worried about me because I saved her life where I killed all the poachers and even nearly killed their Boss. 

At that moment, she was stuck and didn't know what to do.

On the other hand, she felt guilty as I Xerox Zee fell into this situation all because of herself and Silvana.

But as she got nothing to do so she instead got rid of all those thoughts and watched the battle that was still taking place. 

"Fireball: Triplex!"

The Mage sent a bunch of fireballs flying toward Aria. 

Aria tried to dodge and get closer to him, but her injuries from earlier slowed her down.

One fireball was too fast to avoid.

-BOOM!

Aria managed to block it with her arm at the last second, but the explosion burned her badly. 

She gritted her teeth and pushed forward.

"Aria, I'll help you!" 

Silvana shouted.

She raised her bow and aimed at the Mage.

"Blinding Arrows!"

She fired several glowing arrows, each one packed with energy.

"Mana Shield!"

The Mage waved his hand, and a shield appeared in front of him. 

The arrows hit the shield but didn't even scratch it.

Silvana's heart sank. 

She had thought she was strong enough to fight him, but the Mage easily blocked her attacks.

She glanced at me, lying nearby. She remembered how I had defeated enemies much stronger than myself.

(How did he do it? He's the same rank as me… maybe a little stronger. Is he just better than me?)

Silvana clenched her teeth and shook her head. 

This wasn't the time to feel upset. She had to keep fighting.

She fired more arrows, not to defeat the Mage but to keep him distracted so Aria could get close.

Aria gripped his fists tightly.

"Breaking Punch!"

She swung her fist at the Mage, putting all her strength into it.

"Mana Shield!"

-BAM!

Aria's punch hit the shield, but it didn't break. 

The Mage smirked as if he was playing with them.

Silvana's hands shook as she shot more arrows. 

 Aria was breathing hard, looking tired. 

Both of them knew they didn't have much time left.

(What do we do now?) 

Silvana thought, her heart racing with fear....

"Gigantic Fist: Overflowing Power Strike"

-Pannggggggg!

Aria gave another shot of her skill but of no use.

The mage easily dodge it again.

She regretted not fighting when I was there fighting solo with many poachers as this was her golden opportunity to kill all those attackers.

One wrong move, and it would all be over. 

She thought back to how she used to mock others, calling them weak or cowards for not training hard enough. 

But now, standing here, struggling to fight back, she realized something.

(Maybe I'm the weak one. Maybe I've been blind this whole time.)

Her fists shook, her body screaming in pain. But she refused to give up.

(Xerox fought so hard to get us this far. I can't let all his efforts go to waste. It's my turn now.)

 Aria clenched her fist, pouring all the strength she had left into her attack.

"Shattering Punch!"

-BAM!

Her fist collided with the Mage's Mana Shield, but it didn't even crack. 

Aria stumbled, barely able to stand.

"Damn it... This shield... It's impossible..."

The poacher Mage sneered at her. 

He had been patient, waiting for the perfect moment. 

Now that Aria and Silvana were both worn out, it was time to strike.

"Fireball Storm!"

The Mage attacks a barrage of fireballs, the air around them heating up instantly. 

Silvan and Aria's eyes widened in shock. 

They couldn't dodge.....

They could only watch as the fireballs raced toward them.

But just before the flames hit......….

"Ice Shard"

-CRACK!