Thick smoke drifted around me, the air stinging with the smell of burnt hair and roasted meat.
When the haze finally thinned, dozens of charred goblin corpses lay scattered across the ground like fallen shadows.
"Haa… haa…"
I steadied my breathing and sheathed my sword, the faint crackle of leftover electricity fading from the blade.
Once I was sure no more enemies were moving, I headed toward the other two.
Elena was leaning on her sword, panting.
Lisa was wiping sweat from her forehead, her pink hair sticking messily to her cheeks.
Both of them looked exhausted—but alive.
And that was enough.
"Are you both uninjured?"
"Cough… I'm not hurt," Elena replied, brushing dust off her clothes. "Just a little tired. But Louis…"
"What?"
She didn't answer right away.
Instead, her eyes drifted past me—to the place where I had been standing only moments ago.
Her breath hitched.
