Panic erupted among the passengers as the floating water piranhas materialized, their forms glinting menacingly. The girl raised her staff, and the creatures surged toward the carriages, attacking those outside with ruthless precision. Their bites tore through flesh and bone, reducing victims to mangled remains. Most passengers, mere merchants, were defenseless against the onslaught.
Masaw swiftly conjured a barrier to shield the group, but the piranhas' ferocity was relentless, shredding bodies with horrifying ease. Aibara, nauseated by the carnage, squeezed her eyes shut. Harik steadied her, his voice firm. "We can't falter now. We have to survive."
Masaw noted the water magic was fourth-grade, likely from an alpha-level creature. "It's impossible for us to match that power," he warned. "Their attacks can shatter our weakest barriers."
"Fourth-grade? An alpha?" Aibara gasped. "We need to get out of here now," Harik urged.
Defiant, Aibara stood, aiming her bow at the piranhas. She loosed an energy-charged arrow, piercing one, but it dissolved harmlessly into the creature's watery body. "I told you, simple attacks won't work," Masaw said. "They're like living water. You'd need equal power to destroy them."
Aibara ignored him, her ears ringing with the passengers' screams for help. She fired at the girl, but the child anticipated her move, raising her staff. Giant water serpents emerged, shielding her and lunging at Aibara.
"Move!" Masaw shouted, casting a magic circle that raised three earthen walls to block the serpents. But the creatures pierced through, undeterred. Harik charged, swinging his axe to protect his companions. He severed two serpents' heads, but their speed overwhelmed him, their fangs sinking into his arms and dragging him away.
"Harik!" Aibara screamed.
Masaw cast a physical enhancement spell on Harik, boosting his strength. With a roar, Harik shattered the serpents, freeing himself. The water dispersed into the ground, but his arms bled profusely from the wounds.
"Harik!" Aibara and Masaw rushed to him, checking his condition. As they did, swordfish-like water constructs appeared, hurtling toward them. Harik, weakened, could only shout, "Dodge, Masaw! Aibara!"
Too late to cast a protective spell, Masaw shoved Aibara out of harm's way. The swordfish struck him, piercing his body. Aibara watched in horror as blood seeped from his wounds. "Masaw!" she cried.
Before collapsing, Masaw unleashed a fire spell, an inferno engulfing the swordfish and melting them. He crashed against the carriage, bloodied and motionless.
"Masaw! No!" Aibara wailed, stumbling toward him, her sanity fraying. Harik, fueled by rage, unleashed a surge of energy, the ground cracking beneath him. He leaped at the girl, intent on killing their foe to survive. Electric energy crackled around him as he charged, but the girl countered with a swarm of swordfish. Harik's aura deflected them, closing the distance.
"Death Slash!" he roared, unleashing a devastating strike. The explosion sent debris flying, knocking Aibara back. As the smoke cleared, Harik's axe was embedded in a massive water-formed sea cucumber, the girl unharmed within. "Impossible," Harik whispered, stunned that his strongest attack failed.
The girl raised her staff calmly. "Please, stop wasting my time. Give me your souls." Spikes erupted from the sea cucumber, piercing Harik's body.
"Harik!" Aibara screamed, her body trembling. Consumed by fury, she stood, channeling immense energy into a crimson arrow. "You'll pay for this! Furious Arrow!" she roared, firing. The arrow's energy obliterated everything in its path, exploding where the girl stood.
Silence fell as the smoke cleared, revealing a giant water jellyfish encasing the girl, unscathed. "No, this can't be!" Aibara cried, firing more crimson arrows in desperation. Each was absorbed by the jellyfish, leaving it intact. "Die, you monster!" she screamed, her energy draining until her knees buckled, collapsing in exhaustion. "I'm running out of power, and I can't even touch her," she whispered.
As the girl raised her staff again, a magic circle formed, summoning more swordfish. Aibara, defeated, crawled to Masaw's lifeless body. "Masaw, please wake up," she sobbed, her hands glowing with green healing energy, her natural ability, trying to mend his wounds. "Don't leave me."
The swordfish charged, aimed at Aibara and the fallen Masaw. She held him tightly, resigned to her fate, her eyes closed in despair.
Meanwhile, Nathaniel sat frozen, clutching his bleeding arm, bitten by a stray piranha. Fear paralyzed him as he watched the passengers' mutilated bodies litter the ground. His immortality required a quick death to activate, but the pain and terror overwhelmed him. He wavered between fleeing and fighting, knowing he stood no chance against their foe but hesitant to abandon the others.
Melon emerged from his hood, urging him to run. "She's barely shown her true power. You can't win."
"I can't leave them!" Nathaniel protested.
"Most are already dead. You can't save them," Melon countered.
Nathaniel slammed his fist into the ground, frustrated by his powerlessness. Despite his celestial abilities, he felt useless. Watching the passengers fight for their lives, he recalled Harik's words about overcoming fear. "Why can't I save anyone?" he muttered, his trembling knees betraying him.
Tears streamed down his face as Aibara's cries and the passengers' pleas echoed. "Why am I such a coward? Why am I always a failure?" He turned to Melon. "Please, help me save her, at least."
Melon leaped to the ground, facing him. "Nathaniel, you create your own weakness. No one can help you but yourself. If you want to be a true warrior, act like one."
Melon lunged, slamming into Nathaniel's stomach, knocking him down. As he winced in pain, Melon shocked him with a jolt of electricity. "What are you doing?" Nathaniel groaned.
"Are you awake now?" Melon asked, perched atop his head. Nathaniel noticed his trembling had stopped. "My knees… they're steady."
"Of course," Melon said. "Your fear was paralyzing you, not an injury. Nothing happens if you let fear win. True adventure begins when you conquer it."
Harik's words flashed in Nathaniel's mind: *"Fear holds us back from what we want. It makes us doubt ourselves. Before you defeat any enemy, you must first conquer your fear."*
Ignited by those words, Nathaniel found his resolve. He stood, channeling his remaining energy through the crystal in his arm, enhancing his physical strength. "He's right. I have to overcome my fear."
As Aibara grieved over Masaw, unaware of the swordfish poised to strike, Nathaniel's energy surged. The girl raised her staff, the crystal glowing as the swordfish lunged, tearing into the ground around Aibara and Masaw. An explosion of smoke and debris engulfed the area.
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