Chapter 167: Limit
The aftermath of the pressure from the collision tossed her backward through the air like a broken doll. But before she could crash against the stone floor below, the water tendril still clenched within her hand pulled her upward once more. Using that lift to her advantage, she twisted her body midair before landing on the ground swiftly.
Her chest rising and falling.
In the next moment though, the creature was already upon her, so close that its clawed limb hovered barely an inch away from splitting her skull apart, only to find itself halted once more as countless water tendrils erupted from all directions and bound it in place. Taking that chance, she dropped low and slid beneath its thighs before halting right behind it. Then she pulled on the tendril with every ounce of strength she possessed in an attempt to force its head downward.
But the creature was simply too heavy, too powerful to be moved by brute force alone. Despite the strain in her arms, it resisted her efforts easily, making it impossible to shift it even slightly, let alone disrupt its movements in any meaningful way.
Even so, she did not stop trying, only because this was the duty she had chosen for herself... and one she intended to fulfill to her core, to buy time until the others arrived no matter the cost.
Within the next split second, instead of diverting her spell as it had done before, the creature broke free by ripping the tendrils apart in an instant. The bindings were snapping as though they had been nothing more than threads of mist.
By then, Valentine had leapt onto its back and dashed across the needle-like strands of fur as though they posed no threat at all, though without her elegant shoes the sharp tips would have pierced straight through her feet without mercy.
The ride was far from pleasant on her side though, as the creature thrashed and twisted in desperation to throw her off, even attempting to seize the tendril itself to prevent her from binding it again. But instead of allowing it such an advantage, she expanded the tendril's size through her spell, thickening and reinforcing it so she would not be cast aside so easily.
'Huff! Huff! It's a good thing that it isn't able to divert spells continuously, lest only the gods knew how troublesome it would've become to hold it in place for a second.'
Reaching its shoulder, she would have dearly loved to slit its throat and end the struggle then and there, but that wish had to wait, not only because the creature had already turned its head toward her with murderous intent blazing in its eyes, but also because the long tentacles that hung from its face began writhing toward her. The tentacles themselves were far thicker and longer than those of its minions, almost like heavy ropes made of flesh.
'Ack... gross!'
Naturally, she could not allow herself to be captured so easily, and thus she sprang away just as the tentacles lashed out. Her body arched backward before she landed lightly upon its incoming hand. Using the force of its attempted strike as a springboard to propel herself farther away, she came to a halt not too far away.
Pulling the tendril forward with all her might, she huffed, 'Since I have been using spells constantly, my mana is draining at a faster pace than expected.'
As the creature attempted to surge forward once more, countless javelins of water manifested from every direction and shot through the air toward its massive frame, their sharp forms glinting for an instant before they struck, only to vanish into thin air as though the attack had never happened.
'At this rate, I might get dried up fully before I can harm the boss significantly enough. So, I have to hurry it up.'
By then, Valentina had begun circling the creature at remarkable speed, her movements a blur as she wrapped the tendril around its body layer upon layer. Even so, she doubted such bindings would truly be enough to halt the creature completely. It could also free itself at any time if it so wished by using its concealing ability and vanishing from sight entirely.
But why had it not done so already?
Perhaps it saw her as the greatest threat among them and wished to finish her first before turning its attention to the others.
'So, it sees me as a worthy opponent to waste its precious time upon, huh? How cute.'
Or perhaps it could be possible that the tendril wrapped tightly around its form, making it difficult to conceal itself entirely, since even if it vanished from sight there remained a strong possibility that the tendril would stay visible or at least remain tangible, allowing her to track its movements regardless of its invisibility, rendering that ability far less effective than it appeared at first glance.
Of course, this was merely an assumption formed after carefully observing its movement patterns and behavior during their clash. So, there remained a real possibility that she was mistaken, given how little they truly understood about the precise nature of its powers.
As to why it didn't divert the tendril itself even though it was born from a spell, or a water spell to be precise... that was obvious enough, to say the least. It seemed it was well aware of the fact that it couldn't divert spells continuously, which was apparent enough by the earlier exchanges, so it chose not to do so. After all, if it wasted its precious ability on this mere tendril which posed little threat or harm to it and then the countdown of that ability began, the enemy obviously would not let such a golden opportunity slip past her hand so easily.
In that fleeting second, she would unleash every high-ranking spell within her reach, and being unable to divert them would leave the boss exposed, even if only briefly. But that brief opening would be more than enough to grievously wound it or perhaps end its life altogether. And it understood that much. And so, rather than taking such a tremendous risk that could cost it its life, it chose to confront her head-on instead... or at least that was how it appeared.
'I admit it... I was wrong before. It doesn't remind me of the old battle with the boss at all, not even a bit. Its battle intellect has surpassed what a monster of this caliber should ever be capable of, really.'
Grinding her teeth, she tried to pull the tendril tighter and wrap its hands along with its entire body, but the boss attempted to tear it apart and break free from the hold as it always did. The tendril, despite being slim and long, was indeed resilient and strong enough to endure such overwhelming strength, at least when she repaired the slightly damaged parts at the right time without allowing the strain to accumulate. Things were proceeding well enough for now, or so it seemed.
Tightening her grip even further, she pulled the tendril and constricted the creature's body more forcefully, but it continued resisting with terrifying strength. At some point, the creature tore portions of the tendril into splashes of water with a deafening growl. Before she could fully repair the damage though, the monster lunged at her without hesitation.
'What should I do? Cast more spells? What would be the point... they have become nearly ineffective against it. If I cast them, it will counter them once more. I can't harm it either, not even slightly. I can't even secure enough time to move the injured to safety... assuming there is any safe place.'
The creature crossed the distance between them in less than a second as though it had been waiting for this exact moment all along, and then it brought its claw down with terrifying speed with the clear intent to end her life within a mere heartbeat.
But for some reason, she did not react at all.
'If this keeps up, I will not be able to hold it much longer... and the worst part is... there are still injured who have yet to retreat. Do I truly have nothing left up my sleeve that can stop this creature?'
A distant expression appeared on her beautiful face.
'I suppose not. How nostalgic! It has been quite a while since I have felt this sensation again. Powerlessness... was it? I believed I had long since come to terms with it... but have I truly? If I had, I would not stop here, not now, not ever... because only fools dwell upon their past and drown in regret. I have sworn never to be counted among them.'
Her violet eyes shimmered with incandescent light.
'If I cannot halt this wretch long enough with a single decisive strike... then I shall cast spells again and again without pausing, forcing it to stall second after second until my mana runs dry. Perhaps that would be enough to see this through.'
She narrowed her eyes as the descending claw loomed ever closer.
At that moment, a swift shadow appeared just above its neck, hovering in the air as a glistening blade sliced through the wind itself, aiming to sever its neck in a single decisive strike. Incandescent blue flames danced behind the visor of her helmet in a quiet fury.
Valentine's lips curled into a cold smirk as she spoke without shifting her gaze, "Took you long enough. But your timing couldn't have been more exquisite. By the way, I was just about to get serious as well."
At the same time, countless spikes of water erupted into the air from all directions and surged toward the creature with merciless force, while numerous tendrils shot forward once more to immobilize it even if only for a single fleeting second.
She scoffed, "It's over for you, wretch."
The creature, however, tore free from her tendrils in an instant, shattering them apart with a deafening growl, sending fragments of water splashing violently everywhere.
At the same time, it diverted the aim of the spikes onto the Captain, forcing her to twist her body and leap backward through the air repeatedly in order to avoid being pierced by the countless sharpened tips of water that grazed past her figure by mere inches. Her movements remained swift and smooth, almost elegant despite the grave dangers permeating all around her.
"Shit! I've made a mistake. Of course, it would sense her approaching, so it also prepared itself beforehand for that."
She had not been able to dispel the magic in time though, because she had never been given the chance to do so. In fact, just before she could even begin to dispel the magic, the creature made its next move with terrifying immediacy.
Instead of lunging at her directly, however, it seized the tendril she had been repairing so desperately a moment ago, the one that lay coiled near its neck, and with brutal force it wrapped the length around itself before yanking it upward and slamming it downward over and over again as though it was nothing more than a rope in its grasp.
'Argh!'
Before she could properly comprehend what was happening, her body was hurled high into the air only to be dragged down in the next split second and smashed violently against the water-covered floor below... over and over again. With each impact, the ground beneath her seemed to fracture into a spreading net of cracks while sheets of water burst upward in splashes that drenched the surroundings entirely.
Her body felt as though it was on the verge of breaking apart, each strike sending a sickening jolt through her ribs that threatened to shatter them and forcing blood to rise bitterly in her throat until she coughed it out in ragged breaths.
At some point, amid the relentless assault, she managed to regain a fragment of focus and dispelled the tendril itself in a desperate attempt to free her body, but the sudden loss of pressure sent her shooting upward uncontrollably through the air instead of granting her relief.
Before she could crash back down once again, the creature reappeared in front of her suspended figure and delivered a devastating kick to her torso that expelled the air from her lungs and sent her flying across the chamber like a broken ragdoll.
All happened within a matter of seconds.
"Arrrggh!"
She could hardly form a coherent thought, let alone command her limbs to move. Her mind was sinking into a haze thick with pain that threatened to swallow her entirely.
Still, she fought against it with everything she had. Her task had not been completed yet, after all. She was meant to restrain the creature longer, to create an opening, to fulfill the role entrusted to her, but while she struggled and the creature pressed its advantage, the Captain had stepped in to cover the gap she had failed to hold. It had been her responsibility... but she failed to fulfill it. Instead, she had fallen short in the most pitiful way imaginable.
'How unbecoming of a mistress. Move, move, move... darn it! You still have a lot of things to do... you're the only supporter in this battle. You can't go down. Not so easily. You've to correct your mistake as well.'
Her bloodied fingers trembled faintly.
'Come forth, water! Protect your mistress!'
But the water did not answer her call. It felt as though her command had dissolved before ever reaching the spell itself.
To shape magic one needed to envision its form clearly within the mind and guide the mana accordingly, and she attempted to do exactly that, gathering what remained of her concentration to mold the familiar currents into existence, but nothing responded. It felt as if an invisible veil had descended between her imagination and her mana core, severing the connection she relied upon. Or perhaps her mind had simply been driven beyond its limit by the relentless pressure it had endured.
She did not know which of those was the truth, but exhaustion had undeniably claimed her, and her body was beginning to yield to that overwhelming fatigue.
'Is this how things are going to end for me?'
With a faint, almost resigned sigh, she braced herself for the inevitable crash against the shattered floor below, but the expected pain never arrived.
Instead, a strong hand wrapped firmly around her waist while another slipped beneath her thighs, lifting her effortlessly from the air and holding her securely as though she weighed nothing at all.
Through her blurred vision she looked upward and saw strands of black hair swaying across his forehead, partially obscuring his features. Beyond them, those familiar green eyes gazing down at her with quiet concern.
Valric offered a faint smile. "You did well, Tina. Get some rest and let us handle the rest. Also, don't fall asleep, please... we might need you conscious if we wish to win the battle."
Valentina scoffed at once, "What do you take me for, fool?"
Only then did she become fully aware of her position, cradled in his arms as though she were some fragile princess rescued from danger.
She was supposed to be a mistress, though.
'Disgusting!'
She shot him a flat look. "Eww, dude~ how long are you planning to hold me like that for, huh?"
Without sparing her a glance, he tightened his hold slightly and turned to walk forward with steady steps, his expression remaining maddeningly indifferent.
She blinked, momentarily at a loss, 'Huh? Really?'
Valric came to a gradual halt just behind the entrance hall where most of the injured were lying scattered across the floor, their armor cracked open in places that revealed just how brutally the earlier clash had gone.
Among them, those who could still move around were trying their best to bandage the wounded or pouring various types of potions down parched throats which could not truly mend torn flesh or shattered bones, but could at least dull the pain slightly or restore a small portion of their mana so that they might cling to life a little longer.
There seemed to be two normal healers among them who were prioritizing the gravely injured first and attempting to save whoever still had a chance, but it was painfully obvious that they were not enough to tend to everyone at all. There would still be too many bodies and too little strength left in their exhausted reserves.
Although they were positioned at what should have been a safe distance since the boss could not pass through the wide structure of the spacious hall, safety itself felt like an illusion, fragile and ready to shatter at the slightest miscalculation.
'Perhaps choosing to wait for the Saintness to arrive would have been the wiser decision, instead of stepping into the quest simply because she was late. That way, we might never have had to worry about the wounded not receiving enough healing.'
The guild had not made a reckless decision by neglecting to send healers into such a dreadful and prolonged quest, in fact, they had been prepared to dispatch several high ranking healers without compromising, but the Sanctum had opposed that course of action. It was not because they disliked the idea itself or were against supporting the expedition, but because they had proposed what they believed to be a far more effective solution.
In a quest like this, bringing too many healers at once would make it difficult to protect them while advancing through the floors, especially when the adventurers themselves would be struggling to survive, and that reasoning had not been wrong. Thus, they had suggested sending a divine healer instead, or rather it would be more accurate to say that the Saintness herself had insisted on coming to aid the town's warriors who were risking their precious lives to defend it. That way, the adventurers would not have to restrict their movements to guard vulnerable healers and could fight almost freely without fearing severe injuries either. Yet the Saintness had chosen her own pace and arrived far too late for what was unfolding now.
Valentina did not know how she was supposed to feel about it.
They had never truly planned to complete the quest without her assistance though, they had merely assumed it would be more efficient to clear the first floor while waiting instead of standing idle and allowing valuable time to slip away. Still, who could have imagined that the first floor itself would collapse into such a disaster.
'Or maybe... we should have simply brought Aerisyl with us.'
Soon enough, Valric gently lowered her against a nearby wall, careful despite the tension that clung to his frame. The moment he stepped back, a man rushed toward them carrying a bandage and a small wooden box in his hands. A few others nearby turned their heads, surprise flickering across their expressions, though some looked almost terrified as their gazes shifted toward her. She found herself too distracted to decipher the reason behind their reactions, though.
'Wait... if I am necessary in the battle, why am I being removed from the battlefield like this? How am I supposed to observe them in this state when I can barely even focus? I admit I am injured... but still?'
Valric straightened his shoulders and tightened his grip around the hilt of the greatsword resting at his waist as he said, "Tina... dispel your magic."
She obeyed immediately, without allowing doubt to interfere.
The water that had covered the shattered floor disappeared into thin air as though it had never existed, leaving only fractured stone and dark stains behind.
Her vision blurred slightly as a faint haze crept across her sight and she muttered, "Done! What do you—huh?"
Even through that blurry vision, she noticed something that forced her breath to falter, as Valric's breastplate appeared to be stained with fresh blood... far too much of it to ignore.
Her eyes widened.
Lowering her gaze, she discovered that a section of her waist had been torn open, the fabric shredded and flesh beneath it ruptured, fresh blood streaming downward in a thin but relentless flow that resembled a miniature fountain.
'W-what?'
When did it happen?
Why did she not feel any pain?
The answer was painfully obvious.
She lifted her eyes toward him again, her expression growing distant as realization settled in. Her voice came out in a fragile whisper when she spoke, "W-when... when did you give me a pain killer?"
She could not remember it at all.
She searched her memory frantically, but there was nothing, not even the faintest recollection of him pressing a vial against her lips or forcing a potion down her throat.
It did not make sense.
He didn't answer either.
Turning on his heel, he began walking back toward the hall, each step purposeful and heavy against the stone as his fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turned pale beneath the strain.
After covering some distance, he paused and glanced over his shoulder, his eyes sharp despite the exhaustion lining them, and through clenched teeth he hissed, "Don't die over me... bitch!"
She watched him for a long moment before letting out a quiet sigh.
"Mind your manners!"
And with that, he returned to the battle once more.
She found herself sitting there all alone. Of course, there were several adventurers all around her, receiving proper treatments for their wounds, but she could hardly hear anyone, let alone see anyone clearly.
Her vision had blurred completely.
Her breathing became heavier and heavier with each passing second, making it impossible for her to keep conscious.
Was she going to die?
"I can't... can't... can't die yet."
But was there anything left she could do to save herself anymore?
At that moment, a voice resounded near her ear, faint and almost distant as though carried by the wind itself, but she could still tell that it belonged to a man.
"Do you still have some mana left?"
Her lips parted slightly as she forced herself to answer, the words escaping in a weak breath, "I... do."
"Lucky you."
'Who is he?'
Before she could guess anything, the man slipped his hand beneath the torn fabric at her thin waist, brushing the bare skin softly. The unexpected contact made her flinch slightly, though she lacked the strength to pull his hand away from her or even turn her head toward him.
Then something strange happened.
The mana channeling through her body naturally began to move in a way it never had before, shifting and flowing as though guided by an unseen will that had quietly taken control of its path, her mana roaring within her veins as it twisted sharply before gathering around the wound on her body all at once.
'But that's impossible!'
"You owe me one. Or maybe you don't. You helped me out a lot, after all."
Her mind gradually drifted into a strange sense of peace as the pain slowly dulled, "Who?"
The man answered almost immediately, the tone carrying a faint hint of amusement.
"No one."
Before she knew it, she drifted into sleep.
...In a deep sleep.
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(Chapter Ended)