"ROOOAAAARRR!"
The Minotaur screamed loudly as his aura grew stronger, twisting and changing his entire appearance.
The dark essence spread across his huge body, corrupting him even more as if his flesh couldn't handle the power forcing its way inside.
Dark essence didn't only increase the user's strength—it also destroyed their mind, turning them into a true abomination.
"Watch out, Lyria!" Djeeta shouted quickly, because the Minotaur had already charged at them.
His first target was Lyria. To him, she looked like the weakest prey, someone easy to crush.
"Ah…" Lyria tried to create a barrier, but the Minotaur was too close. She didn't have enough time.
Clang!
"Not on my watch!"
Katalina moved without a single moment of hesitation. Before Djeeta could react, she stepped in front of Lyria and blocked the massive axe with her rapier.
The ground under Katalina's feet cracked as the Minotaur's strength—enhanced by dark essence—pushed her back.
"Heavy…!"
Katalina struggled to keep her footing, teeth clenched as she fought not to let the Minotaur overpower her grip on her rapier.
"Tempest Blade!"
Djeeta leaped behind the Minotaur and slashed it over and over, her strikes landing fast and sharp.
"Graaarrr!"
The Minotaur staggered backward from Djeeta's attack, giving Katalina a chance to breathe.
"Katalina, are you okay?"
Djeeta landed beside her, checking on her as she crouched on the cracked floor.
"I'm fine. It was just so sudden… my body didn't brace for that kind of strength," Katalina said. She rolled her wrist a few times before standing back up.
Her eyes locked onto the Minotaur again. From that one blocked strike, she had already measured its power.
As a former commander of the Erste Empire, she was used to fighting monsters, because monsters never held back she can easily gauging their true strength.
If that earlier strike was its full power… then she could handle it.
"Djeeta, leave the Minotaur to me," Katalina said.
"What!? You're going to fight it alone!?" Djeeta asked in shock.
"There's still Aviza. I'm afraid he has something else planned besides this Minotaur. If we all focus on the fight and he attacks from behind, we'll be in danger. It's better if we separate them."
"But still…"
Djeeta hesitated. Right now, she couldn't use Boundary Power properly. What she used earlier was only the leftover power Lyria from the future gave her. That otherworldly strength had most of it vanished when they returned to this timeline.
"Don't worry. I'm not doing it alone," Katalina said, and her gaze shifted toward Jessica.
As a long-range fighter, Jessica was perfect for supporting her against a huge enemy like this.
"Jessica, follow me. No questions," Katalina ordered, raising her rapier.
She placed her left fingertips against the blade and traced from the bottom upward, channeling her mana into it.
The rapier's blade turned a glowing blue as her mana surged through it.
"W–Wait, what?" Jessica blinked, confused by the sudden command—but before she could say anything more, Katalina had already dashed forward.
"Azure Oath…"
Katalina ran straight toward the Minotaur, aiming her rapier forward. Around her, several blue blades materialized, all pointing in the same direction.
"Blades of Frost!"
She thrust her rapier into the Minotaur's stomach, the floating blades striking into its limbs at the same time restricting its movement.
"Raghhh!"
The Minotaur roared in pain.
But Katalina wasn't finished.
"Haaaaaaaaahhhh!"
With all her strength, she pushed the Minotaur backward—toward the left door.
BAAAMMM!
The door shattered as the Minotaur was forced through it from her charge.
"JESSICAAAA!"
Katalina's voice echoed from inside the broken doorway.
"Ah—yes! I'm coming!"
Jessica snapped out of her confusion and rushed after her.
Both of them disappeared into the left passage.
Seeing the Minotaur gone and Aviza left alone, everyone rushed in, using the chance to corner him before he could pull any more tricks.
"Aviza! You're not getting away this time!" Aliza shouted.
"Your only protection is gone. Now it's just you. I suggest you give up," Therese said.
They needed to finish this quickly so they could help Katalina and Jessica.
But instead of giving up, Aviza started giggling again.
"Heh heh heh… You're truly fools. Do you think that just because you dealt with the Minotaur, you can take me easily?"
"Of course we can. There's five of us and you're alone," Vyrn said smugly with his arms crossed.
"You're right. That's why I'm going to make it even."
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out something that made Lyria's eyes widen.
"Wah! T-This power… you have more!?" Lyria said. It was the same feeling as the Minotaur—except even stronger.
"You're right, young lady. This is dark essence. And with this, we'll have a fair fight!"
He crushed the stone before anyone could stop him.
Dark aura surged out of the broken stone and rushed into his body.
"Tch!"
Djeeta dashed forward before it was too late.
"Not on my watch! Tempest Blade!"
Her sword glowed with green aura as she slashed Aviza over and over. Each strike cut through the dark essence smoke as it tried to enter him.
"Arghhh!"
Aviza screamed as his body was sliced again and again, torn into multiple pieces by Djeeta's relentless strikes.
They originally wanted to capture him… but with dark essence involved, that was impossible.
"Reginleiv: Azimuth!"
Finishing her Tempest Blade combo, Djeeta compressed her aura into her sword. The blast launched Aviza backward like a shooting star, smashing him through the wall.
The entire room fell silent. None of them expected Djeeta to move that fast.
"Is he dead?" Lyria finally asked after a few moments of quiet.
"Well, probably. Djeeta literally slashed him to pieces and even used Azimuth, so I think he's a goner," Vyrn said.
"That's too bad. I wanted to punch him myself, right Stan?" Aliza added.
"Yeah. I can't forgive him for what he did to Valtz Duchy," Stan said.
While they talked, Djeeta stood a little ahead of them, trying to steady her breathing as she stared toward the place where Aviza had been thrown. She didn't lower her guard. She knew very well that her attack wasn't enough. To kill a dark essence user, the body needed to be completely destroyed.
"Lyria?" Djeeta called.
"Ah, I understand."
Lyria closed her eyes and focused her senses.
After a short moment, her eyes opened wide in shock.
"He's still alive!" she shouted so everyone could hear.
Right after she said that, Aviza's voice echoed through the room.
"Gwahahaha! Incredible… such a magnificent feeling!"
His voice sounded twisted—deep, demonic, and echoing unnaturally.
They heard footsteps coming from the darkness where he had been thrown.
A moment later, Aviza stepped out.
"What the!?" Aliza's eyes widened.
"What a terrifying form…" Even Therese, who was used to fighting, couldn't hide her shock.
Aviza had changed completely under the dark essence's corruption.
He no longer even looked like a Draph. Dark armor seemed to be fused into his body.
Both of his eyes glowed a menacing red, and two curved horns on his head.
In each hand, he held a sword, and his entire body kept leaking dark essence like smoke.
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"Now, I shall crush you brats in one swift stroke! Prepare yourselves!" Aviza roared, pointing both of his swords toward them.
Dark aura burst from the blades, swallowing them in a sinister glow. Then, with a powerful vertical swing, he unleashed five crescent waves of sword energy straight at the group.
Aliza, Stan, and even Therese couldn't react in time. If those waves reached them, they would be cut down instantly.
"Luminiera: Aegis Merge Dividio!"
Lyria rushed forward, channeling Luminiera's power.
A brilliant barrier of light formed in front of everyone—just in time.
The sword waves slammed into it and exploded in a violent blast, far bigger than anyone expected. The shockwave tore apart the floor and sent dust flying everywhere.
"The girl with blue hair who can command a primal beast… it seems the reports about you were accurate," Aviza said, watching as the light faded.
"Djeeta… he's become way too strong with that dark essence," Lyria warned. From the energy alone, she could tell Aviza's strength had multiplied.
"I know. This is really bad," Djeeta replied.
Among everyone here, she was the only one who could actually fight him head-on.
Aliza, Therese, and Stan stood no chance against the current Aviza.
Not even close.
"Lyria, fighting in this small room puts us at a disadvantage," Djeeta whispered quickly. "We need to get outside."
"But there are so many monsters out there," Lyria said.
"We don't have a choice anymore."
Lyria nodded reluctantly. But before they could continue planning, Aviza's voice cut through the air.
"Are you done planning? It's pointless! In front of pure power, nothing survives!"
More dark energy poured from his body, thick and violent like a storm.
Then—BOOM—he slammed a foot against the floor and launched forward.
CLANK!
His swords smashed against Lyria's barrier and bounced off. But Aviza didn't stop.
He attacked again.
And again.
And again.
The barrier shook violently with every strike, flashing with cracks of light.
"Damn it! He's changed so much… what even is that dark essence!?" Aliza shouted, teeth clenched as she watched Aviza assault the barrier relentlessly.
"That armor too… I don't think my sword can even scratch that…" Therese added, tense and sweating.
Stan stayed silent. His whole body trembled from the suffocating pressure pouring off Aviza.
He had never felt anything like this before.
The fear was overwhelming—so heavy it made his mind go blank.
But still, he clenched his fists so tightly that his palms started bleeding.
He forced himself to stay standing.
If he mess up… not just him—everyone will die.
Not long after, the entire shield shattered, and Aviza was already swinging his sword toward all of them.
"Rosetta: Elegant Rose."
This time, Lyria used Rosetta's power. Thick thorns burst from beneath the floor, snapping upward and coiling tightly around both of Aviza's wrists, stopping him for a moment.
Djeeta used that brief opening. She rushed forward and swung her sword, planning to push him again—this time all the way out of the factory.
Unfortunately for her, her blade couldn't pierce his armor at all. It bounced off with the same force as Aviza's sword striking the barrier earlier.
"Ughhh!"
Her arms trembled violently from the impact, and Aviza used that moment of imbalance to kick her.
"Djeeta!"
Vyrn screamed in panic as he saw the kick coming.
"Luminiera!"
Lyria shouted, trying to summon the barrier again, this time to protect Djeeta.
A faint glow appeared as the barrier began to form in front of her, but before it could fully materialize, Aviza's kick had already connected with the still-forming shield.
BAM
In the blink of an eye, Djeeta was launched backward, sent flying out of the factory entrance.