The serpent's body towered over us like a living mountain, its scales jagged with black crystal shards that pulsed like molten veins. Each breath it released scorched the air, distorting the world around it.
The AI's voice echoed in my mind, cold and merciless:
> [Mid-Boss: Crystal Devourer. Survival Probability: 3%. Suggestion: Escape Impossible. Engage or Erasure Imminent.]
The girl trembled beside me, her bow flickering in and out of existence. "Three percent? That's insane—we can't fight that thing!"
My grip tightened on the Shard Blade, runes on my arms glowing brighter. Fear clawed at me, but something deeper—pride, maybe stubbornness—kept me standing.
"We don't have a choice," I said through gritted teeth.
The serpent reared back, its maw glowing with a furnace of molten energy. The ground quaked as its shadow swallowed us whole.
> [Emergency Protocol Unlocked. Skill Fusion Available. Do you wish to combine Bearer Skills? Y/N]
My eyes widened. "Combine?!"
The girl's head snapped toward me, silver eyes blazing. "Do it—whatever it is, just do it!"
"Yes!" I shouted.
The runes on our skin flared, threads of energy lashing between us like chains. Light burst from our bodies, converging into a storm of crystal shards. My blade pulsed violently, her bow reforming with blazing wings of fractured light.
> [Skill Fusion Initiated: Shard Slash + Light Arrow → Nova Breaker (Lv.0).]
Effect: Unstable. Damage Amplified. Risk: High.
"Nova Breaker…?" I whispered.
The serpent lunged, jaws opening wide enough to swallow us whole.
The girl raised her bow, pulling the string back as if it weighed a thousand tons. The fused energy roared, condensing into a single arrow of blinding white light.
I placed my hand over hers, my Shard Blade merging with the arrow's form. Together, we released it.
The sky shattered again.
The arrow exploded into a beam of light that tore through the serpent's open maw, shattering crystal, ripping molten veins apart. The beast shrieked, thrashing violently as its body began to collapse into fragments.
For a moment, victory felt within reach.
But the AI's voice cut through the chaos.
> [Warning: Nova Breaker unstable. Fragment Overload imminent.]
"What?!" I gasped, stumbling as energy ripped through my body.
The girl screamed, clutching her chest as the runes on her skin burned like fire.
The serpent collapsed into shards, disintegrating with a final roar that shook the cracked sky. But as its remains scattered, the glowing fragments didn't fade. Instead, they swirled violently around us, condensing into a massive crystal core that pulsed like a heartbeat.
The AI's tone sharpened.
> [Core Detected. Mid-Boss Defeated. Fragment Overload: 96%. Immediate stabilization required.]
The girl collapsed against me, her silver hair plastered to her face, eyes wide with fear. "I… I can't… hold it…"
I tightened my grip around her, forcing my voice steady. "We're not dying here."
But as the core pulsed brighter, threatening to explode, I realized survival came with a price I wasn't sure I could pay.
To be continued…