The sun dipped behind the horizon, coating the Evergreen Forest in fading gold. As night swept across the land, the moon rose slowly, pale, silent, and watching.
And under the moonlight…
The monster grew.
What had once been a large plant had become something towering, its enormous, vine-wrapped body pulsing like a beating heart. Trees shriveled as its tendrils drained them dry. Animals collapsed as their life was sucked from them like mist.
At the top of the immense flower, a huge purple eye suddenly flicked fully open.
And it turned
directly towards Primordia.
The creature jerked…
Then its roots split apart, reshaping into dozens of spider like legs. It planted them firmly on the ground, lifting its monstrous body and beginning to crawl forward.
One step.
Two steps.
Every movement shook the earth.
Yukio, Michibiki, and Kaede froze mid-path, watching the looming monstrosity.
"…Okay,"
Yukio whispered, his face pale.
"NOPE. Noooo. Absolutely not. What IS THAT?!"
Michibiki let out a deep sigh.
"Of course. Of course the day couldn't end normally. Why would it?"
Both she and Yukio, raised their hands together.
"Appraise."
The glowing window had appeared in an instant.
---
[Monster Data]
Monster type: Nutrivora Blossom: Liminal Beast
Level: 97
Threat Level: CATASTROPHIC
Creator: Oculora Verdantia: The Vampire Lily
Description:
A parasitic plant-type Liminal Beast created to drain the life of its surroundings. Its presence alone signals a directed attack or unnatural interference.
---
Yukio stared at the screen.
Then stared harder.
Then fell to his knees.
"A… A Level 97?! NO. Nope. We're dead. We're finished. Game over. Thanks everyone, it was a good run."
SLAP!
Kaede slapped the back of his head.
"WILL YOU STOP PANICKING?! We faced a Liminal Beast before, didn't we?!"
"Y-Yeah! And we almost DIED!"
Yukio hissed.
Michibiki pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I swear… you two drain my lifespan."
She glanced back at the approaching creature.
Its steps grew faster.
Focused.
Hungry
"This isn't random.
Michibiki said softly.
"That name, Oculora Verdantia. It sounds like someone is creating these monsters deliberately."
Kaede's eyes widened.
"You're telling me someone made that thing on PURPOSE?! Why?!"
"I don't know."
Michibiki's gaze hardened.
"But first, we deal with this one."
She turned sharply.
"Kaede. Go warn the Primordia town guard NOW. We may need reinforcements if this goes badly."
Kaede opened her mouth to protest.
"But!"
Michibiki shot her a look that froze the breath in her throat.
"Kaede. Go."
Kaede flinched, then nodded hard.
"O-Okay! You two better not die!"
She crouched, mana swirling around her feet.
"Wind Magic: Wind Rider!"
WHOOSH!
Kaede launched into the air like a crimson comet, streaking toward Primordia.
Yukio watched her disappear.
Then swallowed.
"Michibiki… this thing is almost triple our level…"
Michibiki cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders.
"Then don't get hit."
Her hands glowing with blue energy, mana whirling around her like a storm.
"It's almost like…"
She murmured, her eyes narrowing at the monster:
"someone sent this thing specifically toward us."
Yukio stiffened.
"You think it's… connected to the other Liminal Beast?"
Michibiki didn't respond.
She only clenched her hands, blue light swirling with holy energy.
"Whatever the reason… it won't reach Primordia."
She looked at Yukio.
"You ready?"
Yukio swallowed hard.
The monster let out a low, rumbling screech, vibrating the trees and shaking his bones.
He caught his breath.
His fingers twitched.
A faint, golden-green glow began to wrap around his hands.
"…Yeah."
His eyes blazed blue.
"I'm ready."
The Nutrivora Blossom took another earth-shaking step toward them
Michibiki's robe fluttered.
Mana flared.
And the night…
finally exploded into chaos.
---
Yukio inhaled sharply.
Then
"Wheel of Providence!"
A thunderous hum rippled through the clearing as the jade-gold wheel materialized above him, descending like a divine judgment. Sixteen glowing slots shimmered around its rim, each one marked by a flickering question mark.
The air pulsed. Magic swirled.
Yukio spread his arms dramatically.
"Alright, Wheel, I'm putting my faith in you. Papa needs a new pair of shoes."
Michibiki stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
"This is NOT the time for jokes!"
But it was too late.
The Wheel spun.
FWOOM, FWOOM, FWOOM.
The question marks blurred into streaks of light as the Wheel accelerated to an impossible speed. Wind whipped around Yukio's hair and cloak, kicking up leaves and dust.
Yukio grinned despite himself.
"Don't screw me over now."
In his mind, the girl's voice chimed in, sweet and mischievous.
"As you wish, Yukio.
Let's cause some chaos."
The Wheel slowed.
Once.
Twice.
The clicking echoed like the ticking of fate.
Then
CLICK.
The question mark faded, replaced by crimson text glowing like liquid fire:
---
[Card of Destruction: Meteor Rain]
Card Description
One of the Cards of Destruction.
Summons a meteor shower to annihilate the user's enemies.
---
Yukio's eyes widened.
".Oh. Oh, is that good."
Michibiki's expression dropped.
"Oh gods, WHAT DID YOU JUST"
The sky instantly shifted.
Clouds split apart.
The heavens glowed crimson, violent, unnatural.
Yukio barely had time to whisper:
"…Oops?"
And then the first meteor fell.
BOOOOM!
A sphere of flaming rock slammed into the ground beside the Nutrivora Blossom, exploding in a pillar of red light.
Then another.
And another.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Meteor after meteor rained down, hammering the monstrous plant with relentless fury. Explosions erupted like a chain of volcanic blasts. The earth cracked. Trees vanished in blinding flashes. The entire forest floor shook under the assault.
The Nutrivora Blossom shrieked,not with pain, but with fury as several of its limbs were blown away by the impact.
A crater formed beneath it.
The shockwave rolled outward,
tearing through the forest,
flattening brush and trees,
and slamming into Primordia's walls like a giant's fist.
The ground trembled.
Windows rattled.
Citizens screamed.
---
At the Adventurers Guild
Kaede stood in the Guildmaster's office, mid-sentence, when the shockwave hit.
THOOOM!
The entire building shook. Books fell from shelves. A tea cup shattered on the floor. Kaede grabbed a desk for balance.
Guildmaster Zarukatsu Stormrend, shot to his feet.
"What in the heavens was THAT?!"
Kaede swallowed hard, face pale.
"That… came from the forest."
She clenched her fists, heart hammering.
"Yukio… Michibiki… please be okay…"
Michibiki stared at the blazing crater, her hair whipping from the lingering shockwave.
Slowly… very slowly… she turned her head toward Yukio.
"What,"
She said with terrifying calm,
"WAS THAT?"
Yukio raised his hands defensively.
"I… I don't know either! I trusted the Wheel and… well…"
He gestured toward the apocalyptic crater.
"…that happened."
Michibiki's eye twitched.
"Yukio. Your spins come with random outcomes, yes. But that…"
She pointed at the scorched landscape
"was absurd even for you."
Yukio shrugged helplessly.
"Hey, I said papa needed new shoes…"
"YOU'RE ABOUT TO NEED A NEW LIFE!"
She snapped.
But before either of them could continue arguing,
A faint pulse echoed from within the crater.
…thump…
Both froze.
The Nutrivora Blossom's charred remains twitched.
Then glowed.
A sickly purple light seeped out of its cracked, burned body. Its blackened vines writhed and began splitting apart like overripe fruit.
From the ruptured husk…
something else started growing.
Small buds sprouted from the collapsed corpse.
Then the buds pulsed, twice,three times,
and burst open.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Tiny Nutrivora Blossoms, each the size of a large wolf, unfolded their petals and crawled free. Their root like legs pierced the earth with an unnerving skittering sound.
They gathered around the remains of the original.
And then, horrifyingly,
they fed.
The smaller monsters pressed their tendrils into the dead body, draining whatever energy was left.
The original Nutrivora Blossom withered into dust.
The offspring rose.
Stronger.
Faster.
Glowing with the same purple light as the giant eye that birthed them.
Yukio and Michibiki felt the temperature drop.
"…You've gotta be kidding me,"
Yukio whispered.
One of the smaller Blossoms turned toward them.
Then another.
And another.
All their glowing purple eyes fixed on the two humans standing at the crater's edge.
And in perfect synchronized motion,
They began crawling toward Yukio and Michibiki.
Dozens of them.
Hissing.
Hungry.
Michibiki stepped forward, mana spiraling around her arms.
"Well,"
She muttered, cracking her knuckles,
"So much for things being over."
Yukio nodded, summoning the Wheel again as it flickered into existence behind him like a guardian deity.
"Round two,"
He said, voice steady despite his racing heart.
The Blossoms screeched.
Michibiki's aura flared.
Yukio's Wheel spun.
The night trembled.
And the real battle began.