[Aurelia is feeling the rage from her heritage! Ancestral Heritage activates! She hits harder! Her attacks penetrate resistances! An aura surrounds her! Command of the Tyrant activates! You feel more vigorous! Your attacks penetrate resistances!]
I jump, trying to catch Kathrina in the air.
I see her fall into my arms. I fall to the ground and roll with her at the base of the creature. Her weight falls on me, but I endure it.
"Kathrina! Kathrina!" I say when I see I have her in my arms. There is no response. She is breathing, but she is not answering.
Aurelia jumps over me and starts attacking with complete rage at the eye of the creature.
The notifications of damage don't stop coming. All are saying it is getting severely damaged.
We are making progress.
I continue attempting to make Kathri react.
"Come on, is it me, Amber!" I scream at her
Kari got close and crouched on her knees beside Kathri. Looking at her intently.
"[Inferno]" Aurelia casts her spell at the eye.
"What is happening to her? Why is she not reacting?"
"Her soul is in there... She is there..." Kari says. "I can feel it... But... I don't think..."
"You don't think what?"
"I-"
WREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
The creature screeches. It was loud enough to make me close my ears before I could hear what Kathri was about to tell me.
[??? Explodes in energy]
A sudden energy exploded from the creature.
It sent me, Kathri, and Aurelia towards a wall.
Kathri landed on top of me, stealing my air while we fell on the floor.
I fell on top of her, holding myself in my arms. My body is over her.
I see her face not moving. Not a reaction. Not a happy smile. Not a scream to her goddess, not a heroic pose.
I raise my head.
Aurelia stands up but is hit by another tendril. More blood comes from her now.
She is critically injured now. She is about to die.
No.
No one will die.
I won't allow it.
Even if it costs mine.
I stood up.
"Karina... Give me your power!"
"Tch! Took you long enough!" She kept her brat attitude.
But I know she meant she was willing to let me have it. I just said it to hype myself up.
Because what I am about to do is crazy and makes me shake.
I hold the blade of Bloodless.
"Aurelia! Focus on keeping me alive!" I order her. "And no matter what happens, keep wailing on it!"
"... Done." She answers in frustration while she stands up. "Come at me, you piece of shit!"
She focuses on keeping me out of harm's way. She is not allowing him to come near me.
I focus my energy.
All I have to do is chant the incantation.
"By the command of the trifecta, I command the element of the piercing cold..."
I start the chant, and I keep my breathing steady.
My bravery is wavering.
Aurelia keeps defending me.
"...to heed my order and freeze my enemies..."
"...Amber..." I hear her say.
I see her hand on my leg, holding the silken pants with two fingers.
"...[Oghdir's Ice Fall]!"
The spell takes form over the creature. It screeches once it notices the spell that was about to fall on it. It throws several tendrils at me, trying to stop the casting.
Aurelia cuts several, but gets hit by a few. She coughs, and blood comes out of her mouth.
And the big ice rock falls.
It stabs the creature.
[Oghdir's cold ice pierces through ???! It destroys its resistances! It is critically wounded (-29516)!]
[You didn't have enough MP to cast Oghdir's Ice Fall!]
The moment my mana drained, my entire body shocks in pain. It is taking over my consciousness. I think my HP went down to 1%. My knees give up, and I fall to the ground, unable to move.
"A-Amber!" I hear Kari's voice.
My consciousness slowly fades. I cannot tell what she is saying.
*******************
(Aurelia's POV)
Aurelia's HP is in the low 10%. Her whole body was demanding her to stop, but her supposed master gave her the chance she needed to finish this.
She cleans her mouth of the blood that is dripping down with a smirk.
She looks back at Amber, who is now on the floor, her face pale in shock and pain.
"You idiot. Always doing stupid shit like this. Tche." She clicks her tongue and sees the creature once more writhing in pain.
"But at least you keep shit interesting."
Aurelia skips forward and starts to wail in the creature. Cut after cut, aiming at the eye. It was unable to move.
"DIE YOU BASTARD ONCE AND FOR ALL! DIE!" She screams out if her lungs.
Thousands of points of damage are caused. The entity known as '???' in the system was slowly getting killed without any way to defend itself.
"[Inferno]!" She casts once more her favourite spell.
The creature gets engulfed in pain, screeching to escape, to move. But its scream ceases. It stops.
[??? Gets engulfed in flames! It dies!]
Aurelia sees the body of the creature become ash. She spits at it, with her blood in the mix.
"Go to hell."
She turns towards Amber and Kathrina.
The vulpin is still holding Bloodless, her sword.
She takes a good look at her. Then at the blonde human
"What do you see in her?" She asks to the air, then remembers she is not alone there. The spirit might be around.
The blonde girl has her eyes blank, staring at nothing. She is breathing, she is alive. There is no denying it.
For a moment, she thought that was an impostor made to conform to the memories of Amber, which is what made her suspect.
But no. She is the real one. There is no doubt.
"Spirit. I have no idea if you are still there." Aurelia speaks. "But I think you and I know that we need to figure out how to give her the news, right?"
She lowers her head. Giving time for Amber to recover and make the choice is cruel in itself.