Michael stepped forward, eyes locked on the colossal creature as it let out a guttural roar that rippled through the air like thunder. Dust and shards of crystal rose from the ground under the sheer force of its presence. For a long moment, no one moved. Then Michael exhaled softly.
"Charlotte."
His voice was calm, but it was clearly a command.
The white-haired girl nodded once and stepped ahead. The glow from the Domain reflected off her pale hair, giving it a ghostly shimmer. Cain turned his head slightly to look at her. She looked fragile, almost delicate, yet when her feet touched the ground, the very air bent around her.
"Everyone stand back," she said quietly.
The others obeyed without question.
The creature noticed the movement and roared again, its six eyes blazing with violent colors. It charged, the ground trembling with every step, claws gouging deep trenches into the glowing soil.
Charlotte didn't move.
The beast's shadow fell over her. It raised one of its claws, each talon the size of a sword, and brought it down with enough force to crush steel. And then… she vanished.
There was no blur, no flash, she was simply gone. The air where she had stood cracked with a sound like splitting stone. A heartbeat later, the monster's head snapped sideways, its cheek exploding in a shower of molten crystal.
Cain barely saw it. One instant she was gone, the next she was behind the creature, hair rippling like silver fire, eyes glowing faintly white. The monster screamed, turning, swiping wildly. But she was already gone again, another crack in the air, another explosion of shattered armor and bone.
Is that... sheer speed?
Every time she moved, the world bent to catch up. The air warped. Space itself seemed to recoil.
The beast howled, now panicking, its massive body thrashing, tearing trees from their roots as it tried to catch a glimpse of her. But she was everywhere, cutting, slicing, appearing and disappearing like a phantom wrapped in light.
Then Michael raised his hand slightly, and Charlotte stopped, her feet skidding across the glowing soil. She turned her wrist, her blade catching the green light.
"End it," Michael said.
She frowned faintly. "Fine."
For a moment, the world fell silent. The hum of energy, the beast's growls, everything ceased. Even the air seemed to hold its breath. Then, she disappeared one last time.
A single silver flash split the Domain in two. The creature froze, its six eyes flickering… then, slowly, its entire body split from crown to chest, a vertical line of pure white light cutting it cleanly apart.
It fell without a sound. The ground shuddered once, then went still.
Charlotte landed lightly, her boots barely touching the earth, her sword dissolving back into mist. She turned to Michael, her expression unreadable, then she turned back to the creature, walking closer to the corpse as the rest began to prepare to leave.
Cain could only stare, heart pounding, every breath heavy. If people like that existed, what hope did he have to becoming the strongest? For the first time, he understood just how far away power like that truly was.
Cain took a half step back, his pulse hammering in his throat. The air around the beast's corpse was shifting. That wasn't steam, nor smoke. Charlotte's hand had barely brushed something embedded in the creature's chest, a crystal shard pulsing faintly green, when the black vapor began to pour out, crawling up her arm like living shadow.
"Charlotte, step back!" Michael's voice cut through the stillness. But it was too late.
The mist clung to her, sank into her skin, coiling around her neck and face. She coughed violently, clawing at the air as her body convulsed. Her silver hair darkened at the tips, turning pitch black strand by strand, and her once-bright eyes widened, pupils stretching, swallowing the light.
"Charlotte!" Mark shouted, taking a step forward, his aura flaring gold, but Michael's hand shot out, blocking his path with iron restraint.
"Don't," he said quietly. "If you touch her now, it'll spread."
Cain could barely process what he was seeing. The ground beneath her cracked, veins of black energy webbing out from her knees as the vapor continued to seep into her lungs. Her breathing grew erratic. And then, suddenly, silence.
Charlotte stopped moving. Her body went still, her head bowed. Then she looked up.
Her eyes were no longer silver. They were a deep, swirling black, like the void itself was staring through her. Her expression was blank, emotionless, yet Cain felt something primal tighten in his gut, predatory focus.
"Charlotte…" Mark's voice trembled.
She tilted her head, gaze flicking toward him with slow, unnatural precision. Her lips curved into something that was almost a smile, but too cold.
Michael exhaled, his jaw tightening. "A parasite? I told her to stop touching every shiny thing she found..."
Cain frowned, confused. "What the hell's happening to her?"
"She's being rewritten," Michael said, his tone grave. "That gas is residual Domain energy. The beast's core wasn't dead. And now… it's trying to claim her body."
Charlotte took a step forward, and the air bent around her once again, but differently this time. No longer graceful, no longer controlled. The speed came with violent distortions, tearing the ground, cracking the air.
Mark clenched his fists. "We have to stop her before she—"
Charlotte stopped and raised her hands, her eyes unfocused.
"Wait"
Cain's panic vanished. He knew he'd been frightened, but his fear was a distant thing. He was filled with expectation. He wasn't sure what was coming, or when, only that it would arrive and that it was essential he be ready to meet it. His heart was free of worry and desire. He longed for nothing, wanted nothing, his mind silent, his breath steady. He only needed to wait.
The hum of the Domain vanished. The faint shimmer of energy, the soft breathing of those around him: gone. Everyone stood motionless, locked in place mid-step, mid-breath, eyes glassy and unfocused. Even Michael. Even Mark.
Only Charlotte moved.
She walked forward in slow, deliberate strides, black veins crawling up her pale neck, her hair now completely dark. Her blade appeared in her hand again, formed from nothing but that same void energy leaking from her skin. It pulsed faintly as she passed the first candidate.
A single step.A single slice.
The man's body fell apart before it even hit the ground.
Then another.And another.
Each movement came with that same sound, air splitting, flesh parting, silence following. The smell of blood thickened. Cain's stomach twisted, but his body wouldn't move. His muscles strained, but it was like his nerves had been buried in ice.
She moved through the survivors like a shadow. Ten became eight. Eight became five. Then two.
And then, her gaze turned toward him.
Cain's pulse hammered against his ribs, his body trembling. He could feel something in his head cracking, pressure mounting until his vision swam. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, until suddenly, a spark flickered behind his eyes.
His fingers twitched. The world jolted back into motion just as Charlotte appeared in front of him. Her blade was already falling.
Cain threw himself sideways.
The sword cut the air where his neck had been, carving a deep scar through the ground. The shockwave flung him backward, dirt exploding around him as he hit the soil hard, rolling. He gasped, every nerve screaming awake again, eyes wide and fixed on her silhouette.
Charlotte turned slowly, her expression empty, the blade dripping with black light. And this time, she was looking only at him. Charlotte's expression shifted, not much, just enough for Cain to see a hint of something behind the darkness. Amusement.
"Well," she said softly, voice echoing with a strange dual tone, as if something else spoke through her, "you can move. How interesting."
Cain forced himself up, breathing hard, dirt and blood mixing on his face. He clenched his fists, forcing his legs to steady.
"Whatever that thing is, you need to fight it."
She tilted her head, eyes glinting like pools of oil. "Fight it? Oh, human… you don't understand." Her smile widened, unnervingly calm. "This isn't possession. It's liberation. You should try it sometime."
He said nothing. He just tightened his stance.
Charlotte sighed, almost disappointed, then extended her hand. "You impressed me once already. So I'll make you an offer." The ground cracked beneath her feet as she took a single step closer, the black mist coiling around her legs like smoke. "Join me. Let go of those fragile little morals, that desperate human pride. You could be so much more."
Cain spat blood onto the dirt. "I'd rather stay weak than lose myself."
For a brief moment, her grin vanished. Then she laughed. A beautiful, melodic, terrifying sound that echoed through the frozen domain.
"So be it."
She blurred forward.
Cain barely saw the movement before her blade met his guard. The impact sent a shock through his arms, forcing him back several steps, his heels digging trenches in the glowing soil. He swung his fist, catching her side with a burst of energy, but when he pulled back, she wasn't even scratched.
"Strong," she murmured, voice low, eyes gleaming. "But not strong enough."
Her hand flashed, a black arc slicing through the air. Cain ducked, barely avoiding it, feeling the heat of her strike brush his cheek. He countered with a sharp knee to her stomach, twisting, trying to grab her arm, but she was gone again, appearing behind him, whispering near his ear.
"You're interesting, Cain… I like interesting."
He spun, landing a clean hit across her jaw that sent a ripple through the air. Her head snapped to the side, but she only laughed, turning back to him, not even a mark left.
Then she struck him once.
Just once.
It felt like being hit by a collapsing wall. The force sent him flying, his back smashing into a jagged crystal outcrop. Pain erupted through his ribs, his breath tearing from his lungs.
He forced himself to stand again, shaking, blood dripping from his lip.
"Still alive," she said softly, walking toward him, dragging her blade along the ground. Sparks hissed where it touched. "That's cute."
Cain charged again, a raw yell tearing from his throat. Their movements blurred, fists, strikes, kicks, energy bursts colliding in a storm of sound and light. To anyone watching, it might've looked even. Perfectly matched.
But it wasn't.
Every time she struck, he felt the ground disappear under him. Every block rattled his bones. Every dodge came a second too late. He was surviving on instinct alone, held together by pain and will.
Charlotte grinned as she spun and kicked, her heel grazing his shoulder, sending him crashing down again. "You're bleeding, human. You're trembling." She crouched down in front of him, eyes bright with mock affection. "But I'll admit… watching you struggle is kind of... beautiful."
He glared up at her, panting, blood staining his teeth. "You talk too much."
She laughed again, just as he lunged.
Their fists collided midair, shockwaves tearing the ground beneath them. Cain's body screamed, bones creaking, but he didn't stop. He met her blow for blow, desperate, furious, unrelenting.
Cain's vision swam with pain, but instinct took over. He ducked under another wild slash, her blade singing past his ear, and rolled, dirt and energy crackling under his palms. When he came up, his bandaged fists clenched, the dried cloth creaking with strain.
He tore a strip free with his teeth. Charlotte turned, smiling faintly, sensing the shift.
"What's that, boxer boy? Gonna patch yourself up?"
He didn't answer.
Cain lunged, low and fast, the bandage whipping out like a lash. She sidestepped easily, her sword arcing toward his ribs, but he twisted mid-swing, the bandage catching her wrist. For an instant, her movement halted. Her eyes flicked down, and he pulled.
The sudden torque spun her forward, right into his elbow. The impact cracked the air, a sound like thunder, sending her stumbling back several meters, skidding across the glowing soil.
Cain didn't stop. He surged forward again, looping the cloth around his hand. Charlotte steadied herself, hair swaying like liquid ink. Her grin returned.
"Oh, this might be fun."
She vanished.
Cain felt the air shift, ducked. Too slow. Her knee slammed into his side, folding him in half. He gritted his teeth, grabbed her leg before she could pull back, and yanked. The world blurred as he swung her over his shoulder and slammed her into the ground with all his weight. The earth cracked, sending a shockwave of dust and light outward.
Charlotte coughed once, a faint, surprised sound, then caught his wrist mid-swing and flipped him, the motion effortless. He hit the ground hard, rolled, and came up on his knees just as her blade descended.
He crossed his forearms, the steel scraped across the bandages, tearing skin, but he caught it. Barely.
"Persistent," she whispered, pressing harder. "But still weak."
Cain grunted, muscles straining, then twisted his wrists, wrapping the bandage around her arm and shoulder. Before she could break away, he pulled again, forcing her off balance, dragging her close enough that their foreheads almost touched.
"Yeah," he hissed, "but you bleed like anyone else."
He drove his head forward. The crack echoed like a gunshot.
Charlotte staggered back, her smile faltering for the first time, a faint shimmer of black mist trailing from her brow.
Cain didn't give her a second to recover. He wrapped the bandage fully around her neck, braced his foot against the ground, and pulled. The cloth tightened like a noose, glowing faintly with his energy, veins bulging down his arms as he strained with everything he had.
Charlotte's hands shot up to claw at the bandage, her movements jerky, chaotic, but her strength was monstrous, she twisted, spun, and threw him off with a single violent burst. Cain hit a broken pillar hard enough to crack it in two, gasping as air fled his lungs.
Before he could move, she was on him again. Her hand closed around his throat, slamming him into the wall. "Choke me, will you?" she hissed, her eyes burning black. "Let me show you how it's really done."
Cain's feet kicked, searching for leverage. He caught her forearm, twisting sharply. The move sent both of them spinning; she slammed him down, but he rolled, yanking her down with him. The two hit the ground hard, wrestling in a storm of motion: fists, knees, elbows, raw energy bursting with each collision.
She grabbed his arm, tried to pin him, but he slipped free, re-looping the bandage around her neck mid-grapple. They crashed through a glowing rock formation, shards scattering like glass.
This time, Cain got behind her. He wrapped both arms around her neck, the bandages taut, locking his wrists together. He braced his legs, pulling her back into a chokehold, muscles screaming as the dark energy burned against his skin.
Charlotte clawed at the fabric, her aura flaring violently. "You—!"
Her body jerked. The air vibrated, rippling outward.
Cain's teeth clenched as he held tighter, ignoring the pain, the black tendrils creeping across his forearms. "You're not killing me today."
The ground beneath them began to shake, cracks of green light splitting the earth.
Charlotte's laughter came again, breathless, strained, but still mocking. "You think you can beat me?"
Her aura detonated. A violent burst of force ripped outward, hurling Cain away like a ragdoll. He slammed into the far wall and crumpled, the bandages smoking and half-burnt from the contact.
He tried to push himself up, coughing blood, vision swimming. Through the haze, he saw her rise, slowly, the remnants of the bandage still hanging from her throat like a trophy.
Her black eyes gleamed. "You almost had me there, human. Almost."
She smiled, that same beautiful, terrifying smile, and raised her blade again.
"Now it's my turn."
Cain lunged again, fists aiming for Charlotte's midsection and head in a desperate rhythm. She danced around him, each movement teasingly close, her blade a blur of black energy that split the air with every swing. Cain caught a glancing blow with his forearm, the impact jolting through him, but he didn't stop, he couldn't.
Charlotte's voice slithered through the chaos, calm and teasing. "Is that all you've got? You fight like a caged animal. Desperate. Hungry. But… still small." She sidestepped another swipe, tripping him with the tip of her boot. Cain hit the ground hard, dirt and energy crackling under him, coughing as he pushed himself up again.
He blocked a slash and aimed a knee, but her elbow smashed into his chest, sending him sprawling. His bandages frayed, skin splitting beneath the strain, and sweat mixed with blood streaked his face.
Minutes blurred. Pain became background noise. Breathing was a rhythm of survival. Cain tried to close the distance, pulling her into a grapple, but each time she laughed, spinning out of his hold, throwing him into the ground.
Finally, they collapsed onto the floor, the glow of the Domain illuminating their forms. Cain rolled on top of her, chest heaving, bandaged fists pounding against her face, landing strike after strike. Blood splattered across his knuckles, a dark color covering her pristine features. He didn't stop.
When she went limp beneath him, he paused, chest heaving, arms trembling. He looked down, expecting to see the damage he had inflicted. Her face was untainted, not a mark on her skin. Only his blood streaked across the dirt and her pale cheeks.
Her black eyes glinted, the faintest smirk curling at the corner of her lips. Slowly, deliberately, she leaned forward and licked a smear of blood from the corner of her mouth.
"Cute," she whispered, voice smooth and flirty, eyes locked on him with an almost predatory amusement. "Trying so hard… yet still so fragile."
Before Cain could react, she shifted, coiling with impossible speed, and threw him into the wall behind him. Pain exploded through his ribs and back as he slid down to the floor, chest heaving, mind reeling.
Cain's gaze locked on her for a heartbeat, realization striking like a hammer: he had thought he could bridge the gap between himself and a god. That thought, that arrogance, now felt painfully naive. She laughed softly from above, eyes glinting with amusement.
Cain coughed, blood splattering from his mouth as he struggled to push himself upright. Suddenly, she was there, materializing in front of him, crouching to his level with an unsettling calm. Her black eyes studied him, glinting with a strange mixture of amusement and challenge.
"Hey. Hey," she said softly, voice almost gentle. "You can do this. You've still got a chance. Don't give up yet."
Before he could respond, she moved in a blur, hurling him with a force that sent him crashing into one of the jagged crystal trees. Pain exploded through his back, ribs splintering under the impact, shards of crystal biting into his skin. He tried to rise, legs trembling, arms shaking, body screaming in protest.
Charlotte clapped once, sharply, the sound slicing through the ringing in his ears. Her presence was everywhere, oppressive yet intoxicating, as if the Domain itself bent around her will. Gathering every ounce of his remaining strength, Cain launched a desperate strike, channeling all his energy into a blow aimed squarely at her abdomen.
His fist connected. Her body didn't flinch. His knuckles pressed into her abdomen, but she didn't budge an inch. Time seemed to stretch as he froze, breath ragged, heart hammering, staring into those impossible black eyes. Then, deliberately, her left hand rose and rested lightly on his cheek.
Cain's eyes widened, frozen in disbelief. "Oh..."
"This was fun," she said, her voice soft but edged with the cold finality of inevitability. "But this... is what real power looks like."
Before he could recover, she thrust her right fist into his abdomen. The motion mirrored the strike he had landed against her, but when it connected, he felt something more. Her arm didn't stop at his skin; it pierced through him, slicing through muscle and bone as if he were air. Pain, white-hot and searing, exploded across his torso. His breath left him in a jagged scream as the world tilted, darkness creeping at the edges of his vision.
He fell backward, clutching the gaping wound, shock rooting him to the spot. The Domain's light distorted, the air trembling with the residual power she exuded. Charlotte stepped back slightly, the faintest trace of a smile on her lips, as if this display were nothing more than a casual demonstration.
Cain's mind reeled. He had trained, fought, survived horrors unimaginable, but this… this was a realm beyond all reckoning. The gap between himself and this being... was too much.
So this is how I die? I... I tried my best...
It wasn't enough, you weakling.