POV: Flávia
After parting ways with Bruno, I headed to Sitha's office. When I arrived, I found her talking with Selena.
— "Oh, Flávia, you're here?" — said Sitha, smiling as always.
Selena, by her side, seemed a little surprised.
— "You arrived early?" — she asked, raising an eyebrow.
— "Bruno needed to come earlier, and I wanted to come with him," — I replied casually, sitting down with ease.
— "Well, that explains it."
— "Definitely," — the two replied with a slight smile.
Sitha then changed her tone, growing more serious:
— "Well, Flávia, since you're here… it's time we talked about that. I believe Bruno mentioned the spies to you, didn't he?"
We nodded silently.
— "At this moment," — said Sitha, staring into the void — "they're all in the Headquarters around us, listening to every word we say."
The moment she said it, our auras exploded toward the shadows — and figures quickly retreated.
BOOM!
An explosion echoed outside Sitha's office.
Before us, twelve spies appeared: eleven with auras near Baron-level, and one clearly at Baron-level.
Without hesitation, I began suppressing them with all my power, giving no chance of escape. Sitha and Selena joined me, attacking with lethal precision.
Under our combined assault, the spies could barely stand — completely overwhelmed.
Moments after the explosion, countless soldiers began to appear — and among them, Bruno.
Without needing any order, the soldiers quickly surrounded and pressured the spies. Yet something caught my attention.
A soldier, with a mad look in his eyes, pulled out a T3 Vitae bomb.
Bruno reacted instantly: with a precise strike, he severed the man's arm. But the soldier, even in agony, kept advancing, determined to detonate the bomb.
With one swift and deadly move, Bruno decapitated him.
However, not everyone was able to react as quickly.
Multiple explosions erupted all around — blood, bodies, and smoke spread across the scene in absolute chaos.
As we continued to suppress the spies, they started laughing uncontrollably… and then, as if guided by pure madness, they fused into a grotesque, unstable creature.
Channeling my Vitae and Nex, I infused energy into the black rapier in my hand and struck — opening a massive hole in the abomination's body.
It exploded into a black miasma that spread across the room — and soon after, more explosions echoed, hitting vital sectors of the Headquarters.
But what truly captured my gaze… was the massive magic circle that emerged in the center of the compound.
From it, a colossal creature emerged: a six-tailed fox.
It was a 3-star level beast — the same sub-level as me — considered mid-tier within that rank.
But the truth was clear: it was stronger than me.
And even so… it completely ignored us.
Without pause, it turned and charged toward the city — toward the civilians.
Sitha, Selena, and I exchanged a brief glance — the decision was unanimous: neutralize it.
Without delay, we launched ourselves with everything we had. Shots, slashes, chains, and spells collided with the fox, who initially ignored us, but clearly felt the damage. Its skin scorched, its fur trembled, and the surrounding miasma fluctuated. Then, finally, it retaliated.
The six tails rose like serpents, swirling menacingly. A fierce energy began emanating from its body. Its aura was a living blaze, shifting between black and yellow tones, vibrating with ancient and uncontrollable power.
Its mouth opened.
From it, a terrifying amount of condensed Vitae began to gather. The pressure increased violently. Our attacks, once effective, began to bounce off an invisible barrier created around its body — a near-absolute shield, powered by the energy of its core.
And then… it fired.
A thick, black-and-yellow beam of energy tore through the air. The world fell silent for a second. The ray surged forward like a divine spear, ripping through earth, sky, and time. The clouds above were obliterated. The light shifted. The world felt smaller.
We barely dodged — by a hair. But even so, the impact still hit us. The ground quaked. The nearby structures crumbled.
A chill ran down my spine.
Instinctively, I let my power erupt.
I entered Count Form.
My Vitae expanded like a silent explosion. My hair turned to living water, floating around me. A crimson armor, made of crystallized blood, wrapped my body with majesty. My wings burst open — frozen, immense, white and blue like eternal winter.
The wind surrounded me.
Like an ethereal armor, it flowed through my skin, my bones, my soul.
I was ready.
I summoned her — Virelia — to help me.
Selena and Sitha seemed to have had the same instinct.
Selena entered her Count Form.
The temperature began rising uncontrollably.
Her hair became golden serpents of fire,
Her wings spread like a phoenix awakening,
A black and red armor enveloped her body,
And in her hand, she wielded a black sword, marked with an "S" on the sheath.
She also unleashed her spiritual beast —
A sub-phoenix that roared with divine might.
Sitha, as always, brought a hypnotic presence.
Her third eye opened, her purple hair dancing in the wind,
A violet armor covered her body,
And beside her appeared a mirror with violet borders,
Accompanied by her familiar: a three-eyed cat.
Together, we launched the counterattack.
With a precise strike of my rapier,
One of the tails was severed — flesh tearing, blood bursting, and a roar of pain from the fox.
Sitha, in sync with her familiar, channeled her Vitae into the mirror,
Which released an intense violet light, suppressing the creature's strength and movement.
Meanwhile, Selena and her sub-phoenix ignited the heavens.
A flaming spear began to form above us,
And at its tip, the support spun at terrifying speed.
The spear fell like a divine comet,
Striking the fox's chest with full force,
Engulfing it in a colossal explosion of golden fire.
The fox roared in pain as the spear collided against its body.
But, limited by her sub-level, the damage Selena could inflict was still restrained —
Not enough to bring down a beast of that magnitude.
Without giving it room to breathe, Virelia moved.
With a fluid motion, she summoned her ancient ability:
Chains of water rose around the fox, wrapping its body and limbs,
Binding it tightly, preventing it from advancing toward the civilians.
The creature roared in fury, trying to break free,
But under Sitha's suppression and Virelia's control,
Selena and I were finally free to attack with full force.
POV: Bruno
I had just finished engaging the bear when suddenly, everyone around me paused to look at the sky — a beam of Vitae was tearing across the heavens.
The attack ripped through the air, cleared the clouds, and made everyone tremble in fear.
Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, I decapitated the bear, which hesitated under the pressure of a superior beast's presence.
I immediately stored its body and rushed to assist the commander of the 3rd Brigade of the 4th Division. He was facing off against four 2-star level beasts.
One of them was a griffin, while the other three were wolves surrounding him in coordinated movements.
I went straight for the griffin, leaving the wolves to him.
That creature was absurdly fast. It didn't possess devastating attack power but stood out for its agile and cruel movements.
Still, fighting against me, Ignis, and Astrel, it was completely outmatched.
In the sky, Ignis prevented it from flying. On the ground, it had to deal with the brutal impacts of Astrel's hooves, while I pressed forward with precise spear strikes.
It kept losing in direct clashes, and with each blow, its body appeared more and more injured. Without space to take flight and gain speed, it could only defend itself. Physically, it was stronger than Ignis and Astrel — but against me, it faltered.
I wanted to sever its wing, so I kept focusing my strikes on its chest, forcing it to protect its vital organs and making its wings increasingly vulnerable.
— Ignis, can you grab one of its wings?
— Yes! — Ignis answered in his usual cute, determined tone.
Without hesitation, he charged at the griffin and bit down hard on its right wing. The griffin lost control completely. Then, with a swift movement of my spear, I sliced off its left wing.
It fell to the ground, crying and roaring. But we wouldn't stop. Unable to fly or escape our range, and completely surrounded, it didn't last long — Astrel shattered its neck with a brutal kick.
I stored its body in the dimensional ring and looked around for my next target. I needed something fast… but not too powe—
BOOOM!
I was hurled far away.
Every part of my body hurt. I must have broken several bones. Blood poured from my mouth. My leg was clearly fractured.
Ignis was beside me, a hole torn in his wings. He let out a soft, pained cry — it seemed he had broken a paw. Astrel had been thrown into a building. He was bleeding, but overall in better condition than me. Lucky horse...
— Bleeegh... — A massive amount of blood gushed from my mouth.
— Shit... what was that? — I asked myself, dazed.
In the distance, I saw the source of the destruction:
A massive lizard with six arms, draconic scales, and three eyes embedded in its face. Its movements were unbelievably fast.
A draconic three-eyed lizard. A damn monitor lizard.
— Fuck... I must owe Death some money, she always wants to screw me over — I thought bitterly, swearing under my breath, still spitting blood.
That damn creature, with black scales and glowing, hungry eyes, had to be an advanced 2-star beast, maybe even close to level 3. Its fangs were sharp, its body moved like liquid shadow.
The lizard vanished before my eyes — and reappeared seconds later, sneaking up behind the old doctor who was struggling against three near level-3 beasts. It wanted to strike fatally, like a silent executioner. Each step a deadly whisper.
But even in that wrecked state, I still had my sharp hearing.
— You bastard... — I muttered, raising my arm with a pain that felt like it would tear me in two.
With a broken voice and burning lungs, I chanted:
— Ig... ni... um... Spi... ri... tus...!
All the Vitae in my body vanished in that moment.
And then he appeared — a being of flame, wreathed in flickering embers and an unstable silhouette, but with a fierce stare. He darted forward like a living arrow toward the monitor lizard.
This technique wasn't exactly powerful. It only summoned a fire spirit equivalent to a level 2 beast or warrior — and it lasted just one minute. Usually, a massive Vitae cost for little return. But at that moment?
It was everything I had.
The spirit crashed into the lizard, which reacted ferociously, whipping its tongue like a spear. With the last of my strength, I clenched my fist.
The spirit exploded.
FOOM!
Flames spiraled upward, and the damn lizard was ripped out of its camouflage — revealed in the middle of the battlefield for the predator it was. The old doctor turned, now aware of the threat.
I breathed heavily, my body heavier with each second.
But in that moment… I had saved him.
The monitor lizard, furious at being exposed, ignored the doctor and charged at me with the full wrath of hell.
But this time...
I wasn't worried.
They had come.
My saviors.
From the sky, two attacks fell like divine judgment —
A spear of flames,
And a cutting blade of crystalline water.
The monitor lizard was exiled from existence.
Gone.
Reduced to nothing but a smoking crystal lying among the debris.
Smiling through the pain, I weakly raised my arm and gave the finger to the void —
While hugging the sobbing Ignis.
— Calm down… I'm here with you. It's okay now.
With teary eyes filled with fear, the little wyvern curled into me, his body trembling.
I gently stroked his head, even though I could barely move my fingers.
Around us, justice fell like a storm.
Countless attacks rained down upon the beasts: each impact, a near-3-star monster collapsed.
Warrior beasts fell like leaves in a hurricane.
Panic spread among the enemy.
But there was nowhere left to run.
Three women.
A three-eyed cat.
A sub-phoenix wreathed in flames.
A siren adorned in icy crystal.
In mere minutes… all the beasts lay dead.
And me?
Lying among the rubble, unable to even move my toes.
The world spun, my vision blurred, sounds muffled.
Until… two voices called to me.
— Bruno...
— Brunoo...
Voices I knew too well.
Tearful. Worried. Alive.
They calmed me.
Pulled me back to reality.
— Just let me rest for a bit... — I murmured, a faint smile hiding the agony inside me.
— I'm happy...
— What do you mean...? — came the shaky, genuine question.
I opened my eyes for a moment.
— This time... you saved me.
The smile remained.
Even as tears slipped from the corners of my eyes.
— Bruno...
— Brunoo!
— Stop crying, — I said calmly, staring at the gray sky above us.
— Were there many casualties? — I asked, my voice carrying a sadness I couldn't quite hide.
— Maybe around two hundred to three hundred... — Selena answered, with painful honesty.
I sighed, my chest tightening.
— That's a shame... — I said, genuinely sad.
— These past few days, I've been spending more time with the soldiers... I started seeing them with different eyes.
Then, a weak voice broke the silence.
— Auntie...
I looked to the side.
It was Gabriel, the delivery boy — around twelve years old, frail, but with a determined gaze.
A hole in his arm, a deep cut across his chest.
And yet, he had fought bravely against a level 1 beast.
Around us, the battlefield was chaos.
Bodies.
Wounded.
Screams muted by the weight of loss.
The silence of the dead.
Soldiers were scattered on the ground — some alive, others not.
The fog of war hadn't lifted yet.
A shadow approached — the old doctor.
Still with blood on his arms and a tired smile on his face, he greeted both women:
— A pleasure, ladies. — he said, giving a respectful nod to Flávia and Selena.
They returned the greeting silently.
He turned to me then, with that weird tone only he used:
— Boy... why did you save me? I thought you didn't like me.
— Don't start, old man. — I replied, half exhausted, half sarcastic.
— Brat... you think I won't slap you around just because you're broken? — he said, that vein on his forehead nearly popping.
But before he could continue, two hands touched his shoulders.
— Doctor Malven, — said Flávia, with a cold tone and dark expression,
— Bruno is my husband.
So in front of him, you must act with even more respect than you show to me.
The old man swallowed dryly.
— Flávia, let him go... — I said, trying to ease the tension.
— He just looks evil. He saved me last time, remember?
Malven chuckled awkwardly.
— I really didn't know... — he mumbled.
— Don't take the ramblings of an old fool too seriously.
Changing the subject, he looked at Gabriel and said kindly:
— Kid, how about you greet your aunts properly?
Gabriel stepped forward, a bit shy.
— It's a pleasure to see you again, Aunt Flávia, Aunt Selena.
Selena placed her hand on his head, her tone warm and soft:
— You've grown well, Gabriel.
You've become a brave young man.
Flávia smiled too, her eyes glassy, and ruffled the boy's hair:
— Your aunt still wishes you'd spend more time at home...
And not always here, in the middle of war.
Gabriel nodded in silence, as if he understood the weight behind her words.
The old doctor then came over to me and began examining me more carefully. Kneeling at my side, his expression was tired but focused.
— Brat, — he grumbled, placing his hand gently on my shoulder,
— You've broken three ribs, fractured your femur, and... your pinky finger's busted.
— Other than that, nothing too serious.
I let out a long sigh — more from frustration than pain.
— What a load of crap, old man... — I muttered, clenching my jaw.
— Heal Ignis and Astrel... please.
The doctor gave a faint smile.
— Don't worry. One is a spiritual beast, the other, a demonic beast.
They'll recover. In a few days, they'll be better than ever.
— They just got scared from the pressure of that high-level aura. That's all.
— And you're the same, brat, — he added, raising an eyebrow.
— Just rest, eat well. That's all you need.
Flávia and Selena sighed in relief. The heavy tension finally started to fade.
— Well... I'm leaving, then, — I said, trying to stand up despite the burning pain inside.
I whistled weakly.
Astrel, who had only been unconscious, slowly raised his head. Wobbling, he came toward me.
He was wounded, covered in dust and dried blood… but alive.
And in the grand scheme of things...
It could be said that this...
Was a victory.