CHAPTER 157: MOST BEAUTIFUL

Despite erupting with all his might, Kael had failed to bring the beast down.

He glared at the back of the bear's head, where its armor had been blasted apart, with blood and chunks of meat torn open and exposed. Yet, even with how badly injured the creature appeared, its skull remained intact.

In fact, it had not even turned to address him, its head instead rising up to check on the pillar of fire falling from the heavens.

Of course, Kael knew the gap between them was immense. Not only was this creature First Order, it also had more than seventy levels on him. Just the fact that he could even participate in this battle was a testament to his combat prowess and potential.

But that did not stop the feeling of distaste in his mouth and the bitter disappointment that almost suffocated his heart. He wanted to be better. Stronger.

No.

He had to be.

If he could not even handle this beast, how could he even hope to stand against that abomination?

'Focus!'

He berated himself. What was he doing on the battlefield? They were yet to fell the beast, and just one mistake could prove life-threatening.

He catapulted himself back into the air and was pondering on his next move, only for him to wince in pain. It had already been several hours since he started using Godly Focus, and if it wasn't for how high his Mind stat was now, as he had dumped the majority of his newly gained stats into it, Kael doubted he would have lasted that long.

Not to mention, he was out of Energi. He had only about seven seconds before the boost he was under run out.

'Shit.' He fought through the splitting migraine to see the pillar of fire flicker away, and it seemed even the beast had realized this.

'Seems we will die after al...'

That thought did not finish.

- SHINNNNNNG!

A piercing sword cry filled the world. Kael could hear the excitement within the cry and feel an almost childish joy as if the sword itself were celebrating its chance to be unleashed.

His eyes barely shifted down to Alice when it happened.

And oh God, was it a beautiful sight.

Before the apocalypse, his family situation had never been good. Barely were they able to meet their needs, as his parents spent most of their hard-earned money sending them to the best academy, in the hope of offering them the best chance to make it in life.

Despite that, the time his family gathered together every Friday night to watch a movie together was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever experienced. The fact that despite their circumstances, they could all still be happy in the comfort of each other filled him with a warmth he had always treasured.

What other beautiful sight had he ever witnessed?

Ah yes, Kael remembered a time when he was seven and had witnessed an aurora of stars stretching endlessly across the night sky.

He had never seen such a beautiful sight.

Yet that all changed today.

"Heaven's Flash..." Despite how low the words were spoken, Kael still heard that mesmerizing voice as clear as day. It was almost as if the words had been carried by the winds themselves and delivered directly to his ears.

He saw the blue female giant lowered in a draw stance, her right hand gripping the hilt of the long katana strapped to her left waist.

The cry he had heard was from the sword itself, almost as if it was announcing itself to the world before unleashing its might. It was almost as if it was calling to all to witness...

And bask in its power.

Despite how long everything sounded, the truth was that not even a second had passed, and it was only because of his unreasonably high Mind stat, raised to the level of an F-grade race by Godly Focus, that he could witness this sight.

The lowered head of the blue giant suddenly snapped forward, and the eyes that had always been closed since the beginning of their fight snapped open, revealing two amethyst orbs that gleamed like flawless gemstones.

"...Horizon Split."

That was all he saw. One moment he had been gaping at this incredible sight, but the next, the head of the bear was soaring into the air, the powerful beast not even knowing how or when it had died, before its head was already separated from its body.

Kael's eyes widened at the sight.

'Where's she?' he thought, as he tried to control his spiraling emotions, only for something to tug at him. He turned in time to see, over a hundred meters behind him, the sight of the five-meter blue giant still lowered in a sword stance, but this time, her long katana was gripped in her right hand.

The blue giant dissolved into blue particles, and a figure fell to the ground. Kael didn't even realize when he moved.

Before he knew it, he found himself catching that slender frame in his embrace, the two landing on the ground with a soft thud.

"Alice?" He whispered, gently.

Despite guessing she should have leveled up several times, with her Mana being topped up, Alice looked so pale right now as though all the color had been drained from her.

Her eyes fluttered open after some struggle, and her gaze fell on him. Her usually bright and beautiful eyes seemed to have lost most of their glow.

"Are you okay?" Kael whispered once more, softly, his right hand gently brushing the damp strands away from her face.

She didn't answer immediately, as if she hadn't even heard him. Only after a while did she speak:

"...told you we won't die."

Kael wanted to correct her that the night wasn't over. But instead, he smiled.

"So, is that a yes?"

Her eyes widened slightly as she realized what he meant. By now, her harsh breathing was starting to smooth, and a bit of color had returned to her face. Still, she seemed so frail, and it was clear to Kael that she was still struggling just to remain conscious.

Yet, Kael would have never guessed how she would respond.

"Are...you sure?"

Kael was stunned. What was this? Why wouldn't he be sure about being with her? Just what kind of reply was this?

Before he could spiral more into confusion, Alice continued:

"I will never hurt you..." Despite how frail she appeared, her eyes bore into him with such intensity that even Kael felt a bit uncomfortable.

Yet, she wasn't done.

"...but if I see you with any other girl, I will kill them."

Kael's mouth opened and closed several times. There was this chilling feeling he felt from her despite her face holding no expression as usual.

He knew she was damn serious, and that made his throat feel dry. Of course, he didn't plan on cheating on her or anything, but seeing this side to her, one he could have never guessed she had, almost made him hesitate. Only now did he realize that while they had kept each other company these past few days, they really hadn't spoken much.

Still, he gritted his teeth and bit the bullet. It was too late to pull out.

Looking back straight at her, he replied.

"No problem."

With his Weaver limbs spread out around him like the twisted limbs of some monstrous creature, with a frail Alice in his embrace, and the surrounding chaos as background, Kael and Alice resembled a strange demon cradling a fragile girl in a hellish scape.

Even now, some of the abomination in the distance had their attention trained on them, and were already moving to close the distance and rip the two apart.

And yet, at this moment, the bond that tied them together had become something deeper than either of them could yet understand.