Amid this chaotic battlefield, I moved like a small gust of wind, darting between countless creatures. Wherever I passed, at least one creature would surely fall.
My blade legs were sharp and silent, like an assassin, quietly taking down each enemy one by one. Even mutants were no match for me—just one strike, and they were out.
No one could even catch a glimpse of me, because by the time they might have seen me, they'd already bid farewell to this world.
And that's me! Shiraori!
Well? Well?
Didn't I just nail that little piece of prose I made up?
"Focus, would you!"
Tch, can't even get a compliment?
"Shiraori, that was great. I think it described the situation perfectly."
Finally, Meradis was the first to speak up. Good to know someone here appreciates literature.
"You're number one in my heart, Meradis."
"Thank you, Shiraori."
"I… I also think it was really good…"
Oh, thanks Suzu. You're forever in my heart too.
"Hmph, it was just so-so."
What's with this sudden wave of praise after all that silence? And you—don't act all tsundere now. If you're going to praise me, go all the way with it!
"Agh… I'm not talking to you anymore!"
Hehe.
You're always in my heart too, Seina.
"How many people do you even have in that heart of yours?"
Not many. As of now, I think just three… maybe.
I just said that casually, but somehow all three of them turned their faces away at the same time.
Sigh…
So confusing.
Back to the fight, right now I was clashing with three mutants at once, but they weren't even as strong as the goblins and orcs I fought during those last few battles. One hit each, and they were done for.
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Man, I've been killing nonstop, but only got one level out of it.
Leveling is getting tough. But it's fine, I just spotted a mutant that's over level 50. If I kill it, I'm sure to level up again.
I ignored everything else and charged straight toward the creature. It looked like a grasshopper and had two blade legs just like mine—this was going to be a test of whose blades were sharper.
Our battle started immediately and was so intense that no other creature dared approach. Midway through, another mutant over level 50 jumped in, making an already chaotic scene even more chaotic.
But I kept my focus on the grasshopper. It had already weakened quite a bit, and thanks to my prophecy ability, I had been dodging its deadly strikes and countering nonstop. I had the upper hand now.
Hey, that other one's trying to steal my kill!?
Not happening!
I rammed it with full force, knocking it away, then turned back and launched a fierce assault on the grasshopper. Finally, I finished it off with a clean strike to the head.
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Nice, just as I predicted.
Leveling up fully restored my stamina, so I turned to finish off the mutant from earlier. But this one was tougher—its defenses were really solid. Suzu had to use summoning magic multiple times just to break through.
Once its armor broke, it was like punching a sandbag.
Still, it was really tanky. I'd been pounding it for a while and still hadn't taken it down completely. Meanwhile, the rest of the battlefield was also reaching its end.
"Hey, look up there!" Seina warned.
I was already watching.
The glass orb had filled up to three-quarters.
I figured it was time to make my move.
I focused all my strength to finish off the mutant, then leapt up and struck the orb hard, shattering it.
Dark Power burst out in a torrent. Several nearby creatures died on the spot upon contact, but me? I was loving every second of it.
Haha! Jackpot!
Suddenly, I felt a wave of fury from afar. That dark eye must've noticed. I immediately ramped up my absorption of the Dark Power while continuing to kill nearby creatures for extra experience.
Even though I had to do many things at the same time, my movements were still very smooth, killing monsters without stopping.
I don't know how many monsters have fallen under this sharp blade from the beginning until now, but you should feel honored to become nutrients for me to level up.
Heh heh.
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Success!
Now I just needed to absorb the rest of the Dark Power.
"Hurry! That thing is almost here!" Seina shouted.
I know! I can feel it too!
Come on, hurry up!
Eat it all, me! Devour with everything you've got!
I could clearly feel the pressure drawing near. Somewhere in the void, that eye was glaring at me with extreme hostility. I guess this was the second time I'd stolen its food. No wonder it was pissed.
Once I evolve, I'll definitely pay it a visit for a proper… discussion.
"Tch, you might get killed before you even meet it," Seina muttered.
Hey! Why are you always jinxing me in moments like this!?
I feel so hurt, you know…
"Eh? I-I-I was just kidding…"
Watching her panic like that cracked me up.
I'll let you off this time, since I've got a feast to finish.
"Let me know when you're done, Shiraori. I'll take us far away quickly," Meradis said.
Okay.
I didn't know what method Meradis had in mind, but since she said that, I felt a lot more at ease and focused on greedily absorbing all the Dark Power flowing around.
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All done.
"Let's go, then!"
I'm not sure what Meradis did, but we managed to escape that battlefield and ended up somewhere really far away.
Now that—was what I call a complete, glorious success!