They remained silent for several minutes.
Elizabeth sat down on the ground, assuming a meditative posture as she absorbed the soul fragments. A faint aura seemed to envelop her body.
"So?" Samael asked, alert.
"I've recovered about seventy percent of my essence," she replied, opening her eyes.
Samael frowned.
His bestial reflexes activated.
Something was moving up the hill.
"This place doesn't give me peace…" he muttered.
Around them, the sounds of combat echoed from all directions. Creatures were fighting each other across different parts of the island. Still, the most terrifying noise came from the center.
That thing is still fighting… Samael thought.
And judging by the sounds coming from the ocean, the battle between the maritime colossi was far from over.
Then, their opponent finally revealed itself.
Or rather… only a part of it.
Giant tentacles emerged, each more than ten meters long. The crushing presence of that creature surpassed anything Samael had ever faced before.
"A Fallen…" he murmured.
He took a deep breath and started walking toward the tentacles.
"Don't die, Samael," Elizabeth said.
He looked at her, his expression almost touched… until he heard the rest.
"I don't like owing anyone. So you can't die until I pay you back. After that, feel free to die."
"Cold-hearted," Samael replied.
Still, a faint smile appeared on his face.
Passing through life-and-death trials really did deepen bonds.He had never believed that before.
Now, he did.
His first friend had emerged in that strange way.They weren't close like normal friends.
They were… complicated.
And it would take a long time before either of them understood what that truly meant.
How am I supposed to face that?Head-on would be suicide.
But he didn't need to.
He just needed supports—forces to leverage. His role was clear: stop the tentacles from killing him… and from killing Elizabeth. And maybe, if luck favored him, deliver the final blow.
Samael summoned the Ascended Spear.
He looked around. Many shadows had been dragged away by the tsunami. Most were fleeing from the clash between the two maritime colossi.
Then he saw it.
A shadow slightly larger than the others.
"That should do…" he muttered.
He hurled the spear with all the strength he could muster.
The impact struck the shadow directly.
"Sam, run to the right!" Elizabeth shouted.
Liz's voice sounded like a deadly symphony in that hostile environment—beautiful and lethal at the same time.
Samael ran with everything he had. When he moved far enough away, a colossal tentacle slammed down on the hill where he had been moments earlier.
The impact made the ground quake violently.
His body protested from the shock. In that feminine form, his awkward movements irritated him—he hated fighting like this.
But one couldn't choose the moment of battle.
Avoiding his own reflection had become a habit. No longer because of the feminine form… but because his image had seemed blurred, distorted, ever since he began confronting who he truly was.
Not now.
He raised his gaze and saw a shark-like creature attacking the giant octopus-like being.
The collision was brutal—but compared to the maritime colossi, it seemed insignificant.
Samael resummoned the Ascended Spear and returned to Elizabeth's side. She was sweating, and her lavender eyes shone intensely.
"To the right, Sam," she said.
Samael turned just in time to see a tentacle advancing toward him.
He threw the spear.
The explosion slowed the tentacle for a brief moment. Immediately after, an essence arrow detonated against it, weakening it even further.
Samael advanced.
With his sword, he blocked the direct impact of the tentacle.
He managed to stop it.
For an instant.
Then he was thrown backward by the crushing weight of the blow.
Midair, his body was caught.
Elizabeth was holding him.
Her arms trembled violently, barely enduring the absurd weight of that thing.
"Thanks," Samael murmured.
Samael staggered to his feet.
The impact had been brutal.
Blood flowed from his nose and the corner of his mouth, dripping onto the soaked ground. His internal organs still felt displaced, shaken by the overwhelming force of the strike.
"Damn it…" he cursed.
His arms trembled.
Not only from pain.
But from fear.
The magnitude of that tentacle had completely exceeded his expectations. It was too heavy. Even the two of them together had been reduced to that state by a single blow.
Heavy.
Violent.
Inhuman.
Ahead, the colossal octopus and the shark-like creature continued to collide, tearing at each other amid waves and debris. Below them, dozens of smaller creatures—Awakened—fought one another, crushed by the chaos generated by the two monsters.
"Fallen Tyrants…" Samael murmured.
That explained everything.
The crushing strength.The absurd endurance.The sense of helplessness.
The fight showed no sign of ending.
And the hill… definitely wouldn't last much longer.
Then—
A new roar echoed.
From the side of the hill, a cave partially collapsed.
Something emerged from within.
A colossal serpent with white scales.
Another Fallen.
The creature had awakened due to the clash of the colossi. Without hesitation, it charged straight into the battle.
Though its class was lower, its presence was overwhelming.
And its ability…
Terrifying.
The air around them began to freeze.
Ice crystals instantly formed, spreading across the ground and over smaller creatures. Servants of both tyrants were frozen before they could even realize what was happening.
The conflict, once chaotic, became something else.
A three-sided war.
The temperature plummeted.
Samael felt shivers run through his body. His muscles began to stiffen, his skin turning purplish.
He looked at Elizabeth.
She was in the same state.
The cold was absurd.
Lethal.
They wouldn't survive long at that temperature.
"A-achoo!" Elizabeth sneezed.
A strange sound… far too feminine.
"A-achoo!" Samael sneezed right after.
Equally feminine.
He clenched his jaw, irritated.
What a ridiculous moment…
Still, his eyes returned to the battlefield.
The white serpent was… impressive.
Alone, it faced two Fallen Tyrants.
It pressured both of them.
Froze their movements.
Forced them to retreat.
Even while suffering deep wounds, it advanced without hesitation. Relentless.
In the end…
The two tyrants chose not to fight to the death.
They retreated.
Wounded.
Severely wounded.
Their servants followed, dragging bodies and shadows behind them.
The serpent remained.
Covered in injuries.
Breathing heavily.
It was, without a doubt, the most wounded of the three creatures.
And yet…
Alone, it had faced two higher-class beings.
And driven them away.
Silence fell over the hill again.
Heavy.
Frozen.
Samael took a deep breath, feeling the cold burn his lungs.
That…
That was the true terror of this world.
Samael summoned the Ascended Spear and looked at Elizabeth.
No words were needed.
They both understood.
Killing that thing—
Was their only chance of survival.
Elizabeth drew the bowstring with all the strength she could gather. The weapon's enchantment was pushed to its limit, consuming every remaining drop of her essence. The tension in the air became almost tangible.
Samael felt it.
The expectation.The weight of the decision.
The Ascended Spear responded.
The Enchantment of Expectation roared, the weapon being strengthened to its absolute limit in that instant. The spiritual pressure around it distorted the air.
At that moment—
It was equivalent to an Ascended Memory.
Not by permanence.
But by intent.
By desire.
By absolute desperation.
Samael hurled the spear with all the strength his body allowed.
And ran.
He charged straight at the white serpent, ignoring the merciless cold that intensified with every step. His muscles stiffened further, his movements growing slower, heavier.
The ice bit.
Burned.
The spear struck first.
It exploded against the serpent's head, piercing its white scales and sinking deep.
At the same instant—
An arrow.
Charged to the limit.
Exploded against the creature's face.
The combined attacks were devastating.
The serpent, already gravely wounded, lowered its colossal body, releasing a muffled roar.
An opening.
Samael advanced.
He delivered consecutive strikes with his sword, attacking with everything he had left. Each movement was slower than the last, but filled with murderous intent.
Elizabeth didn't stop.
Arrow after arrow.
Explosions of essence tore through the serpent's body, opening frozen wounds.
For an instant—
The creature stood still.
Silence fell.
Both of them stopped attacking, panting, bodies on the brink of collapse.
Then—
Elizabeth saw it.
The future shattered before her eyes.
She saw Samael being swallowed alive.
Torn apart.
Without any chance to react.
"Sam, back!" Elizabeth screamed.
Samael reacted the instant he heard her voice.
He leapt backward with all the strength he had left.
But it was too late.
The serpent attacked.
Brutally.