The grotesque monster rampaged in the middle of the street, crushing the concrete under its weight. Its massive, sagging body twisted violently while long strands of hair lashed through the air. People screamed and scattered in panic.
The monster lashed its hair in our direction. My companions each leapt backward to dodge.
"Phase Rift!"
Temporal energy surged through my body. A faint glow wrapped around my legs and feet. I lowered my stance, then kicked off the ground. Afterimages formed and trailed behind me as I surged forward.
I rushed ahead as the strands snapped through the air, aiming for my body. I shifted sideways and spun, then leapt high into the air. The hair followed, sweeping upward toward me.
I twisted midair and blinked to one of my afterimages. I landed lightly and slid across the road, creating distance. The hairs were fast, striking where I had been moments before.
"Chrono Shards!"
Five shards of temporal energy formed around my raised hand. They glowed and rotated. I narrowed my eyes and pointed at the monster. With a wave of my arm, all five shards shot forward in a straight line.
The shards cut through the air at high speed. But the monster reacted quickly. Its hair spun around its body like a shield. The strands collided with the shards midair. Energy burst in small flashes as the shards shattered one by one.
Margaret stepped forward. She stood her ground and extended both hands, channeling her power. A small sphere of water gathered between her palms, swirling faster and faster. She pushed it forward and released it. The ground shook as the water surged outward, rising into a massive wave.
"Tidal Surge!"
The wave surged forward with a loud roar, crashing toward the monster. It swept across the road, splashing along its path. The monster tried to block it with its hair, but the water forced the strands apart and struck its body directly.
"Raaaghhh!" it cried out.
The impact pushed the creature backward. It stumbled, lost its balance, and crashed through the front glass wall of the restaurant where we had been earlier. Bricks and glass scattered across the floor.
Inside the building, Damian was helping the civilians. He held the door open and waved the people outside. He stayed at the entrance of the restaurant, making sure that no one was left behind.
I watched the monster struggle inside the damaged restaurant. The hair slowly lifted again, preparing for another attack.
I tightened my fists.
"Help!" a man cried out.
I turned toward the voice and saw him kneeling below, right behind the monster.
The creature also noticed him. It slowly shifted its body and glanced down at the man behind it. Then it released four thick, sharp strands of hair toward him.
The man froze. He tried to step back, but he was too close. The hair was about to strike him.
Theai reacted instantly. She raised her hand, and a green vine shot out from her palm. The vine wrapped around the man's body and pulled him away from danger. She yanked him back with force. Unfortunately, one of the sharp strands still reached him. It struck his left foot.
As soon as Theai secured the man, she leapt high backward. She landed beside Margaret and me, placing the injured man carefully on the ground. She kept one arm around him to prevent him from falling.
I quickly scanned the area, looking for Captain Edmund, but he was nowhere to be found. Maybe he was also inside the restaurant with Damian, helping the civilians.
The man grabbed his left leg with both hands. Blood spread across the ground.
"Ahhh, it really hurts!" he cried, his face pale and in pain.
I knelt down beside him and placed both hands near his wound. My fingers glowed faintly as I prepared to use my skill to restore it. I focused, keeping my hands steady.
Margaret stood guard, watching the monster closely. Theai stayed alert, channeling her power. A large plant filled with many vines emerged behind her, ready to be released.
The monster turned slowly toward us, its hair rising once more.
"Aeon Restore!"
My palm glowed with golden light. The energy flowed outward from my hand, moving toward the man's severed limb. A small clock appeared above the wound, ticking softly. The light wrapped around the injury. Slowly, the missing foot began to regenerate, forming from the golden energy.
I kept my hand steady and focused on the skill. My fingers trembled a bit, but I forced them to stay still as the light continued to glow.
[Regeneration Progress: 12%… 28%… 54%… 76%… 100%]
I glanced at Margaret and Theai. They were looking at me with surprise and amusement, like they had never seen magic like that before.
"Thank you very much! I owe my life to you!" the man said as he stood up. He bowed deeply, holding his injured leg. After that, he turned and ran away as fast as he could.
Before we could relax, a loud thump shook the ground.
The monster had returned to face us again. It slowly turned its body toward our direction. Its hair began to rise, then spread wide.
The air around us filled with tension.
Theai continued channeling her nature magic. She lowered one hand and kept the other above the ground. Her eyes remained focused as energy flowed steadily from her body.
Vines began to rise behind her, pushing up through the cracked concrete. The ground broke apart as thick green roots forced their way upward. Three large plants formed below, growing fast and spreading their leaves wide.
Margaret and I stepped back to keep our distance. I raised my arm, ready in case the monster attacked again.
Beside the first plants, two more grew. They were big and green, with wide mouths that slowly opened. The edges of their mouths were sharp and curved inward, ready to shut. The plants swayed like they were alive, their surfaces covered in small veins.
Theai stepped forward and raised both hands. The vines and plants followed her motion, spreading out and preparing to strike.
The monster released a furious wave of hair. This time, it unleashed all of its strands at once. The strands shot toward us, covering the ground. It looked like it wanted to devour everything in its path.
"Devouring Flora!"
Theai shouted and thrust her hands forward. The five plants opened their mouths wide and surged ahead. Their roots dragged across the ground as they moved.
Hair and the plants collided in midair. They wrapped around each other, twisting and pulling. The plants bit down on the strands and held them tightly.
The carnivorous plants began to eat the hair like hungry predators. They pulled the strands into their mouths and swallowed them one by one. Every strand that touched them was dragged inside and crushed.
"Grraaaaah!" the grotesque monster screamed in pain as it struggled, its hair being pulled away and causing it to lose control of its body.
I looked at its face and saw tears forming in its eyes. For a moment, I hesitated. The sight made my chest feel tight, but I forced myself to focus.
I turned my gaze back to the five plants, which had now finished devouring all the hair and continued to surge forward. As soon as they reached the monster, they began to bite and pull its body.
Margaret lowered her eyes. Theai kept her hands steady, controlling the plants. We could hear the monster's cries of pain and fear slowly fading.
When we looked again, only blood and scattered remains were left on the ground.
Theai snapped her fingers. The five carnivorous plants glowed with green light, then slowly dissolved into particles and vanished. The vines retreated back into the soil, and the cracked ground became quiet.