Sheira could not even count how many times she had erased these creatures, yet they kept on coming.
"This is getting annoying!" She shouted as yet another pillar of white fire descended upon the faceless monsters.
She jumped into the air and launched a barrage of fireballs, glassing the academy courtyard.
A dark creature jumped after her, attempting to pierce her neck, yet the princess gripped the tentacle and grinned. "Die."
She pushed an immense amount of power into the entity until it bloated and burst open.
The dark liquid fell onto the ground and reformed in less than a blink.
Sheira landed soon after. This really is a predicament I found myself in.
Despite fighting for a while, the fatigue was nowhere to be seen, on the contrary, she never felt better.
The chronic drowsiness was gone, and she felt herself growing in strength with each passing moment.
A kick connected to the newly reformed monstrosity, splattering it.
I can't keep killing these things forever.
A roar thundered through the sky, demanding Sheira's attention. She stood as firm as a statue while holding onto the faceless one's tentacle.
"Dragons?!" She exclaimed.
Her grip tightened and a surge of mana passed through her victim, turning it into black sludge.
"Isn't Azure close to that side?" She asked herself.
She wasn't worried about her friend, at the champion's current level, she was sure to at least escape, yet a sense of worry crept into her spine.
The spindly creatures kept striking at her, yet Sheira ignored them, her eyes glued onto the dragon horde. "I need to check on Azure."
She raised her hand toward the swarm, and a barrage of fireballs hit the overgrown lizards. The swarm thinned, yet something felt heavy upon her heart.
A twisted feeling pooled in her chest, she had to check on her friend. The dragons were a problem, yet she could deal with them once she knew that Azure was safe.
She rushed ahead, disregarding the pursuing enemy.
The horde was gone, and the former forest was dead silent.
Her feet quickened.
And then, her worst fear came true. In the distance, she saw her friend enveloped in the impenetrable phoenix egg. As quickly as she could, she rushed forward, eliminating the surrounding enemy.
The rotten creatures besieged the egg, yet each strike only made their tentacles burn.
"You died to these things?!" Sheira screamed, grabbing the attacking creature and crushing its head.
A tear ran down her face while her hits became clumsier. "You will not approach her!"
Sheira's eyes shone red, a crimson aura surrounding her whole being.
Her bracelet shone brightly, its circles struggling to contain the influx of sudden growth.
"You will pay! How dare you?! I will end you, even if it costs me everything!" She shouted, her tears streaming down her face, her teeth gritted.
The aura around her grew thicker, and the ground around her sank.
A ticking of the clock echoed around her.
A millennium of growth happened in a mere moment.
The ticks grew more frequent.
Her body trembled. "I have had enough!"
Sheira's vision turned red.
Her divinity flared like a beacon.
The bracelet cracked.
The monsters that approached her burned over and over, yet the phoenix egg remained whole.
She needed to protect her friend, just like Azure protected her so many times.
Sheira wrapped her hands around the egg, her face stained by tears.
"Azu, I will keep you safe, I promise. The others will be okay, I am sure of it."
Despite everything, she was still a child in heart, a child who merely wished to keep her friend safe.
Her pure crimson Aura turned darker.
Then a sharp pain ran down her body, her head hurt as if someone had split it with an axe.
With each tick of the clock, the radius that burned around her grew larger.
"Despite all this power, I am helpless." She fought the pain and pushed herself onto her feet.
She put her hand on her chest. "I do not know how to kill you, but I will make sure you will not bother anyone!"
She fell on her knees, her mind not her own. The intoxicating power overwhelmed her.
A scream erupted from the depths of her guts. The ground shook.
She hit the ground with her fist, sending shockwaves that crumbled the academy walls.
It hurts!
She grasped her chest. The sensation made her wish to rip out her own heart. "Mom, Aqua! Help me!"
Another century of growth passed.
She felt as if she were being choked.
The power kept flooding in.
Despite infinite power, she had never felt weaker. She could not deal with the monsters, she let her dearest friend die.
Sheira slowly pushed herself up, fighting the pain.
The enemies could no longer approach her, the forest burned away, leaving only an ashen desert around her.
"I…will… keep… you… safe." She pushed the words through her teeth.
She wrapped her hands around the egg and collapsed onto her knees. "They won't touch you. I promise you, Azu."
What if these monsters got to big sis too? No, I refuse to believe it. She squeezed the phoenix egg.
Divinity kept pouring out of her. Despite attempts at containment, it was like wrangling a raging river.
Sheira collapsed onto her back and rolled onto the ground.
The first set of circles within the bracelet crumbled, and a massive surge of power erupted from her, reaching the very sky.
The second set was shattered.
Sheira attempted to wrangle the divinity using her aether, yet it slipped past her fingers.
She dug her fingers into the ground. She could not even think clearly, she became a font of grand divine power.
Then, the final set of runes turned to dust. Her eyes widened.
No! No! I can't let this happen!
Yet, her mind could not handle the exponential growth.
Time ticked, and the power surge made Sheira lose her consciousness.
The pillar of blinding light erupted from her and expanded, engulfing the forest and the Academy itself.
The land was completely flattened and glassed.
As the pillar of light retreated, not even ash remained for miles.