Adrian Kundra's Perspective:
My vision is not much different. A fourth of it is gone, but what I told Tenshi is true. My left eye was never that good to begin with. She probably did not believe me. It probably sounded like a lie.
I do not notice much difference. Every blink feels heavier. Every blink is more noticeable. The world looks the same. The light is dim. The air is cold. I wonder if that will change once we finally leave this floor.
I don't blame her for what happened. I believe that if it happened again, Caleb would choose to save her in every reality. I agree with what Shino said. I lost focus. I was too worried about myself and my problems. That is why this happened. If I had made different choices. This would not have ended the way it did.
If I had seen them step away. If I had acted faster like a leader is supposed to. I could have stopped this.
I draw my sword.
I dash forward and the wind feels frozen. It is cold. My heart beats hard. I can hear it. My breath turns white. My focus is locked on the Slime Queen.
What I am doing probably looks reckless. I need to get revenge for Caleb and his family. Even if it costs me my life.
My focus sharpens. I reach the Slime Queen, her body shaped into the image of a friend. I am sure she thinks it will make us hesitate. She thinks it will make me hesitate.
NO! I feel more determined.
I know what needs to be done. More importantly, I know what my guild is thinking. I trust them to understand what I am. I trust them to understand just as clearly as I do.
The Slime Queen moves first, sending the same ice magic as before.
I click a notch on my sword with a red flame symbol.
The blade ignites in a red hot fire, heat rippling off it. I slice through the wall of ice in one clean motion. The avalanche of snow behind it melts instantly in the wave of flame.
I cut through the Slime Queen's body. The liquid coating her hisses and melts under the flames.
Hundreds of spears made of Everfrost appear behind her. She is silent. She is quieter than she has been in hours.
I brace myself.
They fire toward me but I move faster. I slice through them one after another. She aims more toward my left side but I dodge out of the way.
One of her tendrils grabs my leg. I am thrown backward as more lances fly toward me. I cannot maneuver well. I reach my arm out.
I see Shino below me in the corner of my eye.
A hook wraps around it. In an instant I am yanked out of the path of the spears. They strike the air where I would have been. The hook stays locked around my arm as I land.
From the ground I find a better angle. Dodging becomes easier. Shino dashes back to the group.
I dash forward again.
A whoosh cuts the air.
An arrow passes beside me, slowed by a vial tied to its back. I catch the arrow midair and rip the vial free as I reach the Slime Queen.
I crush the vial in my left hand and pour its contents over myself and over her.
The Slime Queen turns purple as the liquid melts through her body. As she reforms I grab her with my left hand and slam her to the ground. My hand does not pass through her this time. It sticks to her face.
I stare down at the monster wearing Caleb's face.
I stare at the thing that dares to twist his image.
All I feel is pain and anger.
Punch after punch I strike her. I do not know if she feels pain. I only know that my hand does not pass through her anymore. So I keep punching. Again and again. Relentless. I strike her until her body shifts back to its own shape, no longer Caleb's.
Punch after punch. It is all I can think about.
The Slime Queen tries to move, but I am locked onto her. The liquid burns her like venom. Each punch forces more of it into her.
A small grin forms on my face.
Punch after punch after punch.
Yet I feel nothing. The pain of his death haunts me. My rhythm slows. The Slime Queen notices, but she still cannot escape.
I lean close and speak low enough for only her to hear.
So you can't split?
Can you not focus?
Can you not keep yourself together?
Punch after punch I slam into every part of her. The crown. The face. The tendrils. The arms. The chest. Every inch.
Again and again.
For a moment I consider using magic. I have seen anti magic before. I know enough to attempt a crude version of it. I could end this instantly. Prevent any more death. No one outside the floor would sense it. G2 is far enough away that they would not be able to see it. I could end this.
I could stop the Slime Queen the way a hero is expected to.
The way a virtue should.
But I think about the people behind me.
The ones who believe in themselves because they see someone with all the mana in the world choosing not to use it.
Choosing to prove you can be strong without it.
This dumb challenge means something. These people mean even more.
Even if this fight lasts ten thousand more years.
My punches begin to slow. My energy fades. My heartbeat steadies. A calm settles over me. I feel fine.
And in that tiny moment where my focus slips, where a single thought distracts me, the Slime Queen gets her chance.
Her body explodes outward. The impact sends me flying.
Seraphina is the one who catches me.
I nod to her. She nods back. I return to the group as the Slime Queen reforms.
I expect her to speak.
She does not.