The clearing vanished.
One second, it was a battlefield—trees smoldering, the Nightmare Beast coiled in fury, Liuyue glowing with silver determination, and Ahmed clutching an unstable star of chaos like a drunk holding fireworks.
The next second—obliteration.
White engulfed everything. A deafening roar swallowed the forest. The shockwave surged outward, flattening trees, upturning boulders, and erasing everything smaller than arrogance itself. The earth trembled like it wanted to crawl away from Ahmed's mistake.
The fireball had met the beast's hellfire breath in midair. Instead of canceling each other, they merged.
Merged in the same way oil merges with fire.
Explosion wasn't the word. This was annihilation.
Liuyue's Perspective
Liuyue had braced herself for the flames. She had prepared to carve through fire, shield Ahmed, and face death with calm resolve.
She had not prepared for Ahmed's chaos to trigger a catastrophe.
When the white detonation burst outward, she raised her blade high. Silver qi wrapped around her in layers, her hair whipped violently, her cloak shredded at the edges.
Her thoughts were steady despite the chaos:
This fool will end the world before he learns how to tie his sash.
Ahmed's Perspective
Ahmed's perspective was less calm.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—"
He didn't even stop screaming when the blast consumed him. He screamed as he tumbled headfirst into the dirt, as flaming debris rained around him, as he skidded across the ground like laundry in a windstorm.
He screamed until his throat cracked.
Then screamed louder.
🔊 [NOTICE: HOST SURVIVAL CHANCE… CALCULATING… ERROR.]
Ahmed gasped between shrieks. "What do you mean error?! Is my death too stupid to calculate?!"
🔊 [FACT-CHECK: HOST HAS BROKEN THE SURVIVAL CALCULATOR.]
The Beast's Perspective
The Nightmare Beast was proud, ancient, terrifying. Its flames could level armies. Its claws could shred steel.
Yet as the explosion faded, the creature found itself staggering, smoke curling from its scales, its horns cracked, half its mane scorched black.
And worse—its pride had taken the deadliest wound of all.
It had unleashed its strongest attack… only to be engulfed in an explosion caused by a human who couldn't even stand on mud.
🔊 [NOTICE: BEAST DIGNITY DAMAGE: 5000%. TITLE UPDATED: "THE
HUMILIATED ONE."]
The Beast trembled, not with fear, but with sheer, unimaginable shame.
The Aftermath Clearing
The battlefield was unrecognizable.
Trees? Gone.
Ground? Scorched into glassy craters.
Air? Thick with smoke and the stench of roasted earth.
And in the middle of it all… Ahmed lay flat on his back, twitching like a fried noodle, his hair standing in every possible direction. His pants? Gone. Not even ash remained. Only a scorched tunic clung to his body like pity.
He wheezed. "I… survived…"
🔊 [CORRECTION: HOST IS TEMPORARILY ALIVE.]
Ahmed raised a shaking fist. "Don't you dare downplay my miracle!"
He tried to sit up—then promptly rolled onto his side with a groan.
Liuyue Arrives
Through the smoke, Liuyue emerged, unharmed but visibly displeased. Her cloak was shredded at the bottom, her hair windswept, but her eyes burned with silver calm.
She walked past smoldering craters to Ahmed's side.
Ahmed, face-down in ash, groaned. "Sister… I think my ribs are in three different countries."
Liuyue glanced at him, sword still glowing faintly. "You did not die."
"Barely!" Ahmed wheezed. "I was hugging death! Death and I kissed on the lips!"
She raised an eyebrow. "And yet. Still breathing."
Ahmed clutched his chest. "That's not breathing. That's begging for oxygen."
The System Butts In
🔊 [NOTICE: BEGINNER PACK FULL POWER AVAILABLE IN… 25 MINUTES.]
Ahmed froze. Slowly, his head creaked toward the sound. His eyes widened. His jaw dropped.
"WHAT?! TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES LEFT?! I JUST SURVIVED THE APOCALYPSE!"
🔊 [FACT-CHECK: HOST CAUSED THE APOCALYPSE.]
Ahmed threw his arms in the air. "I am the apocalypse?! Why does it sound cooler when you say it?!"
Liuyue exhaled softly, already turning her gaze back toward the beast. "Do not celebrate. It rises."
The Beast Returns
The smoke swirled, parted.
And out of it stepped the Nightmare Beast.
Burned, battered, scorched—but alive. Its eyes glowed molten red. Its horns cracked, its scales blackened, but its sheer presence burned hotter than ever. Each step cracked the earth beneath its claws.
It looked at Ahmed. Only at Ahmed.
Its expression could only be described as: This is personal now.
Ahmed whimpered. "Oh no. Oh no no no. Sister, it's looking at me like I owe it money."
🔊 [NOTICE: BEAST HATRED FOCUSED ON HOST. CHANCE OF TARGETING ANYONE ELSE: 0%.]
Ahmed fell to his knees. "Ya ALLAH, even the System is biased against me!"
Liuyue shifted her blade, taking stance once again. "Its pride… has been shattered."
Ahmed wailed. "So why am I paying the bill for that?!"
The Beast's Charge
The Nightmare Beast let out a guttural roar. Its flames burned white-hot now, unstable with fury. Its pride was gone; only vengeance remained.
It charged.
The ground split under its claws. The clearing shook. Flames spiraled in its wake.
Ahmed screamed, grabbed a rock the size of a melon, and hurled it weakly.
The rock bounced off the beast's leg.
The monster didn't even flinch.
🔊 [NOTICE: HOST DAMAGE: 0%. BEAST HUMILIATION DAMAGE: +100.]
Ahmed pointed. "See! Even my rocks are insulting it!"
Liuyue sighed. "You are skilled at nothing… except provoking hatred."
"Don't call it a skill!" Ahmed cried. "That's not a skill, that's a curse!"
Epilogue Cliffhanger :– The Collision Course
The beast's massive body bore down on them, horn lowered, flames crackling.
Liuyue raised her blade, ready for a desperate clash.
Ahmed? Ahmed scrambled backward on all fours, shrieking like a goat at slaughter. His arms flailed wildly. His hair still sparked from the explosion.
🔊 [NOTICE: BEGINNER PACK FULL POWER AVAILABLE IN… 24 MINUTES.]
The System's smug voice echoed like doom.
Ahmed howled. "I DON'T HAVE TWENTY-FOUR MINUTES! I DON'T HAVE TWENTY-FOUR SECONDS!"
The Nightmare Beast lunged.
Ahmed tripped on the same patch of mud as before.
The monster's horn plunged straight toward him—
And destiny, cruel and comedic, prepared its next punchline.
[TO BE CONTINUED....]