Luca sighed, his gaze fixed on the abomination in the distance. Its grotesque form rippled with corrupted mana, unfazed by the countless husks they had already slain.
The five of them—Luca, Aiden, Selena, Kyle, and Lilliane—were barely standing, chests heaving, clothes torn, mana low.
Aurelia stood alone before the beast, her spear spinning like a whirl of silver flame. She was holding it back. But just barely.
"This monster…" Luca thought, clenching his jaw. This wasn't supposed to appear until the end-of-year arc. A battle that required the combined strength of all the original main characters. The best of the best.
And we're not there yet. Not even close.
He glanced at his team—wounded, exhausted.
Aiden's stamina is flagging. Selena's arm is injured. Kyle's drained. Lilliane can barely stay standing.
We'd be nothing but a burden to her now.
His eyes fell back on Aurelia.
But even she can't get away clean. She'll have to give up something—a limb, maybe—to escape. Or worse…
