Maki fires an arrow. The Slime Queen splits in two, one half catching the arrow midair, its gelatinous hand gripping the wood before it can land.
"The Queen can't use all her magic when split!" Iso yells. "This is how we win!"
The halves fuse again. It reforms into one body. Lightning continues to pour from the ceiling. It slams against the shield with deafening cracks. I glance over. Adrian and Calder lie sprawled on the wet ground, unmoving. Tenshi sets a small barrier around each before gripping Han's arm tightly.
Gerald never lowers the shield. He doesn't even look tired, just worried, his expression matching the rest of ours.
The Queen slams her hands together. Between her palms, a sphere of water begins to form. It is spinning violently. It shoots upward. It swells larger and larger until a massive orb of rushing water floats above her. The ground trembles as every drop nearby rises to join it. Even the moisture in the air is drawn away. The battlefield becomes dry and thin.
Adrian and Calder still don't move. The Queen splits again. One half slithering toward Adrian, the other toward Calder.
Maki fires another volley, but the creature twists and reshapes to avoid every shot. Each arrow passes harmlessly through a shifting mass of slime. The Queen's halves creep closer.
"Alright, my turn," Virir says, stepping forward. She sprints toward the Queen, raising walls of stone and earth to block the falling lightning.
Maki nocks three arrows at once.
"Tenshi!" Iso yells. "Can you enchant her arrows?"
"On it," Tenshi answers. Teruki rushes in beside her, hands glowing as they infuse Maki's arrows with shimmering energy.
Virir finally reaches Calder. Her voice cuts through the chaos.
"Summon_Lithorax's_Longsword(player: Viri)."
The air rumbles. A golden tremor spreads beneath her feet as the ground cracks open. From the split, a massive blade rises. Broad and jagged. The blade gleams with veins of green crystal. Its hilt is petrified bone wrapped in scaled leather. When Viri grips it, the sword hums like the earth's heartbeat. Dust rises around her. Lithorax's mark glows faintly along the blade. A sigil shaped like a dragon's jaw biting through stone.
"Now!" Iso yells.
"Skyward!" Maki shouts in response.
An arrow shoots skyward. It cuts through the air. It seems to pause.
FLASH_.
A blinding light fills the cavern. The entire battlefield drowns in white.
"Quick_Draw!" Viri shouts.
The sound of steel unsheathing rings out. A cold black shine cuts through the light. For a moment, all I can see is the reflection of that dark metal across the arena.
"Bang_!" The Slime Queen's voice booms.
A bolt of lightning tears through the air. It shatters the arrow before it falls.
Viri charges, sword raised. She swings the Lithorax's Longsword at the Queen's copy, but her blade passes through it like water. The impact ripples the air. The creature remains unharmed. She lunges again, reaching to grab it, but her hands slip through its form.
The second arrow flies. True, direct, unstoppable.
SPLASH. The Queen's body bursts apart into a spray of purple sludge.
Yuto ties a small vial of liquid to Maki's next arrow, his hands trembling. "This one'll hit harder," he mutters.
She fires. The arrow arcs across the cavern. Another white flash erupts. It's so bright it silences everything.
A large bright blue glow. A bubble like the inside of a storm.
"Bang_," the copy mutters again.
The lightning bullet fires, snapping the arrow midair.
Viri grabs Calder and leaps back as the Slime Queen's halves merge once more. The air trembles. The earth half lashes out toward Adrian, its arm bursting through Teruki's barrier.
Spikes erupt from the ground. They stab through the protective dome.
Teruki collapses. She gasps. Blood spilling from her mouth. The barrier flickers.
"Teruki!" I cry, rushing forward.
Viri tries to push through the lightning to reach Adrian, but every bolt targets her. The flashes are relentless. Shino fires her hook, trying to swing through, but the shock throws her back.
"One more arrow," Iso says, his voice steady despite the panic. "Make it count."
Maki draws. Her hands shake. She stops for a moment, staring at the vial tied beneath the arrowhead as it glows faintly. The air around it distorts with heat and mana.
"Reyna," she says quietly. "Use your magic."
Reyna hesitates. "Are you sure?"
"She's right," Iso replies. "Even if we save Adrian, that water sphere will destroy everything. Shut it down."
Reyna steps forward, hand outstretched. The air begins to swirl.
"OVER…"
"Stop!!" Iso yelled. "What are you doing? Adrian would never allow a life-force skill to be used!"
"Do you have anything else?" Yuto shouted, panic rising in his voice.
"I have something!" Reyna screamed back, her hands already glowing.
Teruki turned toward her. "Rei … what are you planning?"
"Put down the barrier!" Rei ordered.
Teruki hesitated. "You sure?"
"I've never been more sure."
Teruki exhaled, trembling, and lowered the barrier. The lightning continued to pour from the sky, hammering the stone around them.
A fire barrier stopped the lightning.
Rei raised her hand high, her voice steady even as her body shook.
"Experimental_Improved_Phoenix_Feathers(Effect: Revival_)!"
The world erupted.
A single flare of crimson light burst into the air like a signal to the heavens. It hung there for a heartbeat, then exploded. It is splitting into thousands, no, millions of burning feathers. They filled the cavern in a sweeping wave, spiraling and spreading across the entire arena. Each one burned with molten fire, painting the walls red and gold. The feathers whirled faster and faster, until they ignited one another in a chain of explosions.
The shockwaves tore through everything. Lightning, water, sound. The massive bubble of water overhead evaporated in an instant, vanishing into steam that glowed in the heat. The lightning rain froze midair. It fizzled out completely.
The Slime Queen screamed. Her body twisting and warping as the firestorm consumed her.
Every tendril of slime that tried to regenerate was turned to ash.
The feathers didn't burn allies. Wherever they touched one of us, the heat softened, shifting into warmth. Our wounds sealed. Our mana flared brighter.
All magic pulsed with the color of fire.
As the final feathers faded into cinders, one of the gems on the Slime Queen's crown turned a deep, glowing red. The monster hissed, her form barely holding together.
"Oh wow," Yuto whispered, his eyes reflecting the fading light.
"She actually pulled it off." Viri smiled.
Han looked around. He let out a breathless laugh. Everything was silent except for the hiss of steam.
Maki stood frozen. Her bow lowered. Her eyes wide in disbelief.
Gerald sank to one knee, planting the shield into the ground. He looked exhausted. One of the glowing red feathers drifted toward him. It brushes his shoulders. A faint red aura shimmered around his body. His breathing steadied.
"ADRIAN!" Calder yelled.
Adrian jolted awake. His eyes snapped open. He grabbed his sword from the ground.
He charged forward.
He struck the Slime Queen in a motion.
SLAM.
A radiant barrier of light erupted around her body. It deflected the attack. The force sent Adrian skidding backward across the wet floor. He steadied himself and retreated toward the group.
"If there's ever been one ability I wish I could use," Adrian said with a grin, "it's that one."
Rei smiled weakly. "Thanks… but now she can use fire magic too."
"You saved us," Adrian said softly. "Learning fire magic is a small price."
The Queen's grin widened. Her voice trembled with exhilaration. "What an extraordinary spell! Not only did you make it heal, you made it discriminate between friend and foe. It can also purge other elements it touches!" Her laughter echoed through the cavern, sharp and wild. "This… this is the true definition of R6 magic!"
She laughed, a sharp and echoing sound. "It's a shame you'll all have to die."
"Wait!" Reyna shouted, stepping forward despite her exhaustion. "If you agree to become my avatar, we can fight like this all the time. You can see humanities magic progresses. How it evolves!"
The Queen blinked, intrigued. "You actually mean that? You realize that if I keep this barrier up, there's nothing you can do to harm me. Still…" She smirked. "If you can survive my next few attacks, I'll consider becoming one of your avatars."
"Really?" Adrian asked, skeptical but hopeful.
"Of course, I never lie," she added with a grin.
"Tell me, child. How long did it take you to create that skill?"
Reyna exhaled hard. Sweat dripped down her chin. "That skill took me six months just to get this far. It used to explode instantly the moment I cast it. To stabilize it, to make it heal allies and attack enemies. It took everything I had."
The Queen's expression softened, her tone oddly sincere. "You truly are incredible," she said quietly.
"Let's see if your masterpiece can handle its equal." Her voice echoed through the chamber.
"Experimental_Improved_Phoenix_Feathers(Effect: Revival_)."