Chapter 107 – The Crystal Reaper (Part 2)

I have decided that I dislike screaming.

More specifically…

I dislike screaming that attempts to liquefy my nervous system.

My ears still hurt.

This is unacceptable.

Without really thinking about it, I pull Avelyn a little closer with my vine.

She is…

Not doing particularly well.

If I were to guess, this is an unfortunate consequence of possessing the same ears I do while investing considerably fewer points into Vitality.

She still looks dizzy. One hand remains pressed against an ear, while the other grips my vine so tightly that her knuckles have begun turning white.

...Understandable.

I scan the battlefield.

Everyone besides Avelyn has already recovered from the sonic attack.

Or, in Marek's case…

Never really stopped functioning in the first place.

The unfortunate part is that the boss appears to have recovered as well.

Its attention fixes squarely upon Sylrae with much the same expression a museum curator reserves for someone climbing over the rope barrier while loudly announcing: "I'm just going to touch it a little."

Which is to say…

With unrestrained murderous intent.

Sylrae, naturally, ignores this entirely. She flies back toward Marek, hovering just above him as violet light once again begins gathering around her rifle.

It seems she has concluded that anything besides the big one is functionally irrelevant against this particular opponent.

Reasonable.

Crystal beneath the badger ripples. Dozens of crystalline spears surge skyward, streaking toward Sylrae with the boundless optimism of magic that has never previously encountered Bulwark.

The familiar pale-blue dome blossoms into existence. Every spear shatters harmlessly against it.

…

I really should ask how that works.

As far as I understand, Bulwark blocks magic. Crystal spears are decidedly physical. I have even been explicitly informed that physical attacks are not stopped by Bulwark.

I spend several seconds considering the contradiction.

…

Probably mana or something.

Onto the Future Questions pile it goes.

Current Lyn can delegate that problem to Future Lyn. She has an excellent work ethic.

I have more important responsibilities at present.

I glance sideways.

Avelyn appears to be recovering.

Good.

My vine lowers her gently onto the neighboring crystal formation.

She wobbles slightly before finding her balance. Only then do I place her staff back into her waiting hand.

She exhales slowly before offering me a small, determined smile.

"Thank you, Lyn."

My tail swishes.

Concerning.

"You are quite welcome."

I refocus my attention on the boss.

Now then.

Those ground spikes are a problem. Bulwark cannot intercept them when they emerge from beneath our feet, and judging by the distinctly unaesthetic tears now decorating Zeke's pant leg and Avelyn's halter top, not everyone is capable of dodging them in time.

Which leaves two possible solutions.

Option one: Remain near Avelyn and Zeke while maintaining a small localized projection of my Arcana, personally intercepting every spike that attempts to skewer them.

Option two: Do something profoundly unreasonable with absolutely no regard for my stamina reserves so that I can rejoin the fight.

…

A difficult decision.

For approximately three quarters of a second.

Unstructured Astral Energy floods into the crystal beneath my feet in truly inspiring quantities. Nearly half my total Astral flow is diverted directly into the surrounding terrain, my stamina immediately beginning to plummet at an alarming rate.

Crystal fades. Rich, dark soil spreads in its place, the uneven battlefield smoothing itself flat as my localized projection expands outward.

This is, by a rather significant margin, the largest localized projection I have ever attempted.

For some reason, I instinctively know exactly how much strain this layer of reality can withstand before it tears completely.

The knowledge simply…

Exists.

I refuse to question it. That sounds suspiciously like another one of Future Lyn's problems.

Instead, I remain precisely on the edge.

The soil continues spreading.

One hundred meters. Two hundred. Three.

The dark earth consumes the crystalline chamber like an incoming tide, swallowing jagged outcroppings beneath smooth, fertile soil.

Four hundred.

Reality protests.

I stop immediately. Any farther and the veil would tear and my Garden would manifest.

That would be awkward. Probably.

I elect not to summon additional vines. The projection itself is already consuming stamina at a mildly catastrophic pace.

Four ordinary vines shall simply have to demonstrate an appropriate level of professionalism.

I quickly check my reserves.

Four thousand stamina to establish. Dozens more every second merely to maintain.

Tragic.

Especially considering that fully tearing reality open and manifesting the Garden costs precisely nothing.

Reality continues to possess deeply questionable priorities.

Still…

This will suffice.

The only unfortunate restriction is that I must remain grounded. Should I lose contact with the soil, the projection will immediately begin collapsing.

Not ideal, but still workable. Barely.

Avelyn blinks as the jagged crystal surrounding us is replaced by hundreds of meters of perfectly level soil.

"...I'm not even going to ask."

Probably for the best.

My tail swishes smugly.

Then I raise my voice, letting it carry over the repeated impacts of crystal spears shattering against Bulwark.

"The stamina expenditure for this maneuver is... considerable." I tighten my grip on Astra Nocturne. "Shall we conclude this promptly?"

Marek sends a nod my way before making his way toward the center of the soil ring, Bulwark intercepting every projectile that attempts to swat Sylrae out of the sky like a particularly irritating mosquito.

Meanwhile, his tower shield continues trading blows with claws and scythes alike.

Every so often he lands a proper shield bash, briefly staggering the Crystal Reaper and buying Rin just enough time to slip in another attack without the immediate risk of becoming two considerably smaller Catkin.

His momentum skill is approaching its peak. Frostflame now trails nearly fifteen meters behind him.

Zeke and Avelyn focus their attacks on the second shoulder scythe, to little effect.

Tragic.

I dash forward.

My center of gravity remains low as I glide effortlessly across the dark soil.

The entirely unnecessary pirouette performed midway through the maneuver undoubtedly improves the presentation.

As it should.

I arrive beside Marek just as another scythe descends toward him.

My momentum flows seamlessly into an upward slash, Astra Nocturne catching the limb precisely where the blade meets the arm.

“Horizon Slash.”

The blow, predictably, does absolutely nothing to the mana armor.

What it does do, however, is force the limb upward through the sheer momentum of being struck by a Mach three upward sweep from a fox with increasingly questionable physical stats.

Marek reacts instantly.

He steps forward, crashing his tower shield into the creature's forelimb and forcing it to buckle ever so slightly beneath the impact.

Rin needs no further invitation.

He darts in, landing another clean strike against the damaged joint before the accompanying wave of Frostflame flares uncomfortably close to me.

I shiver.

Annoying.

All four of my vines erupt from my thighs, immediately joining the assault, each one enthusiastically introducing a different part of the Crystal Reaper to the concept of blunt force trauma while it struggles to recover its footing.

My sword follows suit.

A sweeping slash. A clean thrust.

Starfall Sequence activates, and the delayed strike crashes into the damaged joint.

And it… works?

The falling stars manifest inside the mana armor itself. Crystal chips away from beneath the shimmering shell, a shallow cut opening across the joint as fragments of crystal tumble to the ground.

I blink.

Marek blinks.

Rin blinks.

…Right.

Legendary skill.

That would explain the deeply questionable interaction with reality.

I hadn't noticed this against the serpent, its mana armor having sat directly atop its scales rather than floating just far enough away from the body to create this rather convenient interaction.

Marek speaks immediately.

"Little Miss, take out those scythes!"

I slip beneath a wild scythe swing, continuing my orbit around the Crystal Reaper as Astra Nocturne bites into one of its rear legs. Starfall Sequence follows the sweep, taking out another small chunk of crystal.

"Can't. The scythe joints are too high, and my feet can't leave the ground for too long."

Marek catches a claw swipe on his shield before immediately retaliating with a brutal shield bash that knocks the creature off balance once more.

"Got it. Then take out the back leg."

"Understood."

The Crystal Reaper attempts to turn toward me as I continue orbiting around its body.

Unfortunately for it…

It is both too slow…

And currently has a very, very determined Bearkin demanding the overwhelming majority of its attention.

Marek lowers his shoulder and charges.

His shield slams into the creature's flank with enough force to shove the massive badger several meters sideways despite the rather significant discrepancy in body mass.

We quickly settle into a rhythm after that.

I orbit the Crystal Reaper almost continuously, gliding around the two scythe limbs it has apparently dedicated exclusively to fox eradication duty. Every failed transition. Every overextended swing. Every moment its rhythm falls even slightly out of step earns another cut from Astra Nocturne as I steadily carve my way through the right hind leg.

The creature repeatedly attempts to pivot and reclaim the tempo.

Marek immediately demonstrates why this is a remarkably optimistic ambition.

Rin slips effortlessly through every opening we create, Frostflame trailing behind him in increasingly dramatic arcs as he continues feeding his momentum skill.

Avelyn's Blessings never cease.

She remains positioned just behind Marek, carefully keeping him within the radius of Hallowed Ground while maintaining exactly enough distance from the Crystal Reaper that attempting to reach her would immediately result in both Marek and myself expressing our professional disagreement.

Zeke continues hammering the damaged shoulder scythe with lesser spells and the occasional Pyroclasm whenever an opening presents itself.

Above us, Sylrae maintains a steady rhythm of her own.

A big one.

Several gravitational rounds.

Another big one.

More gravity.

Each shot subtly distorts the Crystal Reaper's footing, making individual limbs unexpectedly heavier or lighter and forcing tiny positioning errors.

Tiny positioning errors become openings. Openings become injuries.

Helpful.

Several minutes pass like this.

Eventually, Rin's momentum finally reaches its peak.

Frostflame now erupts from his body in a roaring pillar, trailing behind every movement like he has personally declared war on discretion.

Meanwhile…

My own efforts have resulted in approximately half of the Crystal Reaper's right hind leg no longer maintaining what one would traditionally consider a healthy relationship with the rest of its body.

The left is progressing nicely as well.

Approximately thirty percent.

The Crystal Reaper, unfortunately, continues moving as though its anatomy remains entirely intact.

…

Annoying.

Marek shouts over the chaos.

"Let's end this! Little Miss, can you immobilize it for just a second?"

I nod and plant both feet firmly against the soil. Astral Energy surges into the ground at a truly alarming rate.

Nearly a hundred kaleidoscopic vines erupt from the earth around the Crystal Reaper, sweeping upward in an overwhelming tide before coiling around its torso, limbs, and remaining scythes.

The monster immediately begins tearing through them.

Scythe limbs carve effortlessly through the kaleidoscopic bindings. Vines snap.

More replace them. Then those snap as well.

They cannot stop the creature. They merely delay it.

For just long enough.

Zeke begins his count.

Marek vanishes with a flash of pale-blue light, his cover skill carrying him safely beside Avelyn before the incoming devastation reaches him.

Reasonable.

I Astral Veilstep backward as well, preserving my momentum as I settle into a low stance.

Rin moves with no hesitation.

He slips between two thrashing vines, plants both sabers against the Crystal Reaper's forelimb, the tips intersecting just above the fractured mana armor.

Golden light enshrouds his form.

Frostflame surges.

“Winter’s End.”

The world turns frigid in an instant.

A crescent of pale Frostflame erupts across the battlefield, washing over the Crystal Reaper and passing straight through its compromised mana armor before coating the crystal beneath in a layer of shimmering frost.

The creature's movements immediately lose their rhythm.

Every motion is accompanied by the groan of overstressed crystal and the sharp crack of fractures racing through its body.

…Interesting.

That attack appears considerably more effective against crystal than I initially anticipated.

Some manner of conceptual nonsense, most likely. Perhaps Frostflame simply freezes whatever it deems appropriate. Not entirely unlike Starfire's somewhat liberal interpretation of what is allowed to burn.

My posture lowers another fraction.

Momentum gathers.

To my surprise…

Sylrae moves next.

The violet glow surrounding her finally reaches completion before flowing entirely into her rifle. The resulting explosion tears through the geode, recoil kicking her backward through the air before she effortlessly stabilizes herself.

The bullet crosses the chamber so quickly that even I only barely manage to follow its path.

It strikes…

The front scythe?

…

I had assumed we were still removing the shoulder limb.

The round detonates at the base of the scythe, crystal erupting outward as the entire limb shears free. Gravity immediately seizes the detached weapon, enthusiastically introducing it to the ground.

Marek begins to charge with his shield raised.

His roar echoes throughout the chamber.

Avelyn follows right behind him, keeping him in range of her Hallowed Ground.

…

Ah.

I understand.

One hand settles against the soil beneath me. Astra Nocturne comes to rest across my shoulder.

I lower my center of gravity.

Waiting.

The battlefield has found its rhythm once more.

Now…

All that remains is the finale.

The Crystal Reaper throws back its head. It attempts to unleash the same screech that left half the party clutching their ears.

Zeke politely declines.

Avelyn's Blessing flashes across him.

“Pyroclasm!”

A torrent of white-hot flame erupts from his staff, arcing high above Marek and Avelyn before curving gracefully downward. A rainbow made entirely of overwhelming violence.

It crashes directly into the Crystal Reaper's forelimb.

...I wasn't aware Pyroclasm could do that. Until now, every use had been little more than pointing the attack in the general direction of the problem and allowing physics to become optional.

The amount of control required to bend an attack of that scale through the air is…

Encouraging.

The resulting explosion slams into the Crystal Reaper's shoulder with enough force to snap its jaws shut.

The screech dies before it can begin.

I rise onto the balls of my feet. Every muscle coils. Tension gathers through my legs, settling into my toes as one boot presses firmly into the dark soil.

Then—

I launch.

The ground detonates behind me. The gap between us proves deeply temporary.

One step. Perfect placement.

The next transition follows naturally.

I push off at precisely the correct angle, carrying every fragment of momentum into a spinning flourish.

My tail flicks. My body follows.

A sapphire reverberation races through Astra Nocturne.

I release every stored momentum stack within my anklet, and power floods my limbs.

My spin completes.

“Horizon Slash.”

Astra Nocturne slams into the mana armor directly at the knee of the right hind leg, where I have been patiently carving away the crystal beneath for the past several minutes.

The mana armor cracks and splinters.

It holds. Barely.

Doesn't matter.

Starfall Sequence activates, the delayed strike manifesting inside the mana armor itself.

This one carries considerably more momentum behind it.

The falling stars carve cleanly through the weakened joint, severing the hind leg from the Crystal Reaper in a single stroke.

If I had Avelyn's Blessing, I could probably have cut through the mana armor itself in that instant.

Rin's Frostflame really is remarkably helpful when one's objective involves disassembling things.

Tragically, I cannot reasonably expect Avelyn to react to my speed quickly enough for that arrangement.

My tail flicks in profound appreciation anyway.

A vine lashes around the Crystal Reaper's remaining hind leg and pulls taut.

Rather than fighting my own momentum, I simply redirect it. My path curves into a clean half orbit around the creature, the vine serving as a pivot point before releasing me at precisely the right moment.

I rocket back across the battlefield toward the position I had occupied before my charge.

Unfortunately…

Redirecting momentum is significantly easier than stopping it.

Three more vines erupt from my thighs, bringing the total to four. They spear deep into the soil, carving long trenches through the battlefield as they steadily bleed away my speed.

At the same time, I subtly tilt my gravity.

Only a little.

Just enough to shift my concept of down opposite my direction of travel without producing the indigo glow that would reveal what I am doing.

Between the vines and the gradual change in gravity, the last of my momentum finally disappears.

I settle lightly onto the dark soil with an entirely reasonable amount of dramatic flair.

And a small pirouette.

Obviously.

As I do, I catch Sylrae looking at me weirdly again.

I tilt my head.

Then promptly decide that it doesn’t matter.

After all, I believe I am about to discover why she chose to remove the scythe rather than simply continue dismantling the forelimb.

Marek reaches the Crystal Reaper.

Avelyn follows only a few steps behind, carefully remaining close enough to keep him within Hallowed Ground.

Blessing shines.

Marek plants a foot hard enough to leave a shallow crater in the soil.

Blue runes flare to life across his armor and tower shield as a dense aura of force erupts around him.

I blink.

That's new.

He swings.

“Carnage!”

The remaining front limb ceases to exist.

There is no prolonged resistance, no valiant struggle for its continued structural stability.

One moment it is attached to the Crystal Reaper. The next, it has become a cloud of high-velocity crystal fragments.

The force doesn't stop there. A violent shockwave tears through the creature's shoulder, pulverizing crystal as it rips across its collarbone and upper torso before finally dissipating.

The impact launches the Crystal Reaper bodily backward.

It crashes onto its back with enough force to shake the geode.

I nod solemnly.

Ten out of ten. No notes.

The shimmering mana armor flickers.

Once. Twice. Then collapses entirely.

Excellent.

Now things become considerably less inconvenient.

I glide forward once more, considerably slower than before.

My joints are still voicing several reasonable complaints regarding the previous maneuver.

Once I reach the Crystal Reaper, Astra Nocturne begins its work. Precise cuts, sweeping transitions, measured footwork.

Without mana armor protecting it, crystal offers only token resistance before giving way beneath the blade.

Marek continues his assault.

One final Blessing-enhanced shield crash reduces what remains of the Crystal Reaper's head into little more than sparkling debris.

Apparently…

That is still insufficient.

Sylrae and Zeke immediately continue bombarding what remains of the boss.

Rin elects to preserve his momentum instead, while Avelyn focuses exclusively on maintaining Blessings across Marek, Sylrae, and myself.

Some time later…

The Crystal Reaper has been reduced to what can only generously be described as "mostly torso."

Its limbs are gone. Its head is gone. Much of its body has similarly ceased existing.

Finally, it decides this arrangement has become unsustainable.

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You have slain Crystal Reaper (Level 69 | Tier 2).

An experience bonus has been awarded for slaying a monster 4 levels above you.

A slight experience penalty has been applied for receiving assistance.

Your race has leveled up to level 66.

Your class has leveled up to level 66.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

My tail gives a smug sway.

That was a fairly entertaining first phase.

Now…

I am looking forward to the second.

I regroup with the party in preparation.

Avelyn immediately hurries over, golden light flowing from her staff as she heals the admittedly self-inflicted damage caused by my own movement.

Rin sheathes his sabers with a satisfied sigh, lightly patting the glowing sheaths.

"Guess I won't have to use these after all."

I tilt my head.

Avelyn lowers her staff, the tension finally leaving her shoulders.

"I'm glad that was easier than expected."

My head tilts a little farther.

Sylrae descends from the air, landing lightly before stretching both her wings and arms. Her bare toes curl slightly into the dark soil beneath her feet.

…

She really does seem to enjoy standing on my soil.

Curious.

She glances over and immediately notices my expression.

"Lyn?" She raises an eyebrow. "Why do you look so confused?"

...?

I point toward the Crystal Reaper.

"Shouldn't we be preparing for the second phase?"

Everyone blinks.

Nobody speaks.

Several long seconds pass before Rin finally breaks the silence.

"...Little Miss."

For perhaps the first time since meeting him, there isn't even the slightest trace of smugness in his voice.

"There is more of that thing decorating your dirt than there is still attached to the boss." He gestures emphatically toward the battlefield. "We got the System notification. We got experience. It's dead."

I shake my head.

"This is the final boss of the dungeon." I gesture back toward the corpse. "There is surely a second phase."

Marek scratches the back of his head.

"Little Miss..." His voice is unusually careful. "Rin's right this time. Some bosses have second phases. But… we already got confirmation. It's dead."

Around him, everyone nods.

Even Sylrae.

"...He's right," she says quietly. "I've never heard of a boss doing anything after the System confirms the kill."

I sigh.

They have clearly never encountered this phenomenon before.

It is remarkably common in games. One defeats the boss. The health bar empties. The victory music begins.

Perhaps there is even a convenient cutscene.

Then…

Surprise, the real fight starts.

This is simply how reality functions.

...?

I tilt my head.

That's strange. My eyes suddenly feel slightly heavy.

The sensation lingers for several seconds before quietly fading away.

Mildly suspicious.

I spend approximately three seconds considering the phenomenon.

Then shrug.

Every head except my own snaps toward the Crystal Reaper. The abrupt movement is almost synchronized.

Rin's ears shoot upright.

Sylrae's wings flare instinctively.

Marek instinctively steps in front of Avelyn.

Zeke actually takes an unconscious step backward.

"...What the fuck?" Rin breathes.

Nobody answers him.

They simply stare.

Avelyn's eyes widen.

"That's..." She swallows. "...That's not possible."

I tilt my head toward her.

She doesn't even look at me.

Her eyes remain locked on the Crystal Reaper.

"So much mana..." Her voice is barely above a whisper now. "I've never..."

She shakes her head.

"I've never felt anything like this.” She grips her staff tighter. "It's all flowing into it. An impossible amount."

"It's..." She swallows again. "...Gathering inside the boss."

I nod solemnly.

There's the second phase.

Called it.

I direct a look of quiet vindication toward Rin. It communicates, with impeccable clarity: "I told you so."

Unfortunately…

He appears rather occupied with witnessing the System casually violate what is apparently one of its own most fundamental rules.

Tragic.

It would seem reality has elected to disagree with the Catkin's definition of "impossible."

The sharp crack of crystal rings throughout the cavernous geode.

Then another.

A cascade of fractures echoes from every surface as the Crystal Reaper's "corpse" rapidly undergoes catastrophic structural failure. Cracks race across the remaining crystal, the entire body collapsing inward in a wave of glittering fragments that begins at the edges and steadily works its way toward the center.

A pale blue glow shines from deep within the creature.

Rather than fading as more crystal falls away, the light only grows brighter, refracting through the collapsing body until the entire pile resembles a crystalline beacon.

Everyone immediately repositions.

Sylrae takes to the air, already bringing her rifle to bear.

Rin lowers into a ready stance, both hands resting on his sheathed sabers as the runes engraved along the scabbards continue their slow, steady brightening.

Marek raises his tower shield.

Zeke and Avelyn both ready their staves, posture relaxed enough to move at a moment's notice.

I settle into Guiding Star Dance a few meters beside Marek.

Just in case.

…

For some reason, I feel strangely certain this is the correct dance. Not because of any real reason.

It's just…

A quiet certainty. A highly suspicious certainty.

I elect not to question it.

The last of the crystal falls away, and the second phase reveals itself.

I suck in a breath through my teeth.

...That thing looks strong.

Concerningly, it has also become dramatically smaller.

What had once been a vaguely architecture-sized crystal badger now stands only a few inches taller than Marek, putting it at a comfortably alarming eight feet tall.

Its body is lithe, almost spindly. Long crystalline limbs look as though they ought to snap beneath a particularly motivated gust of wind.

I strongly suspect this is maliciously misleading.

Each of its four arms ends not in hands, but in long crystalline spikes vaguely reminiscent of katars.

A particularly unfortunate design should one ever find them traveling toward one's eye sockets.

Its legs terminate in equally sharp, talon-like feet that sink slightly into the soil beneath them.

The posture somehow conveys the distinct impression that stubbing one of its toes would be considerably more damaging for the table than the creature.

Inside its gaunt chest, a pale blue light pulses with every slow heartbeat.

Its mana core, presumably.

Strangely…

The light remains perfectly contained within the cavity.

It does not scatter or refract through the surrounding crystal.

It simply… exists.

I am fairly certain that is not how light functions.

Then again…

Perhaps the smug fox girl capable of casually condensing starlight into extraordinarily violent agricultural equipment is not currently in a position to critique anyone else's interpretation of optics.

The creature's face is almost completely featureless, save for two deep-set crimson eyes reminiscent of the ogre's.

Those eyes are currently fixed directly upon me.

Which is…

Concerning.

I Inspect it.

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Crystal Reaper (Level 75 | Tier 2)

[Dungeon Boss]

Species: Crystal Beast

Aspect: Crystal

An unnatural crystal lifeform dwelling within the heart of a giant geode. Having abandoned its former form in favor of a swift, humanoid body, it wields four crystalline katars with terrifying precision. Such a creature should not exist under normal evolutionary conditions.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Level seventy-five. Should not exist under normal evolutionary conditions.

Highly concerning.

I consider this for a moment.

Then nod sagely.

There is almost certainly some hidden condition we fulfilled.

Perhaps the double roaming bosses. Or perhaps something else entirely.

I imagine there is an exceptionally detailed guide on the Archive explaining exactly how to trigger this encounter, complete with seventeen comments arguing over whether killing the ogre before the moth affects the drop table.

That is usually how these things work.

There is approximately zero chance I am incorrect. I am, after all, the most intelligent and beautiful prodigy in existence.

I flick my hair haughtily.

The Crystal Reaper raises its head, and immediately disproves my previous assessment.

Crystal fractures across its featureless face, and a jagged mouth tears itself into existence.

…

Ah.

It screeches.

My stomach drops.

Not again.

The sound slams into me before I can so much as tense my shoulders. Pain erupts through my ears, and every coherent thought scatters.

The world pitches violently sideways, my balance vanishing as though someone had simply reached into my skull and disconnected it.

My knees nearly buckle.

I catch myself anyway. Barely.

No. I know this attack now.

I grit my teeth hard enough that my jaw protests.

Ignore it. Move anyway.

Astral Reflex shrieks a warning through the haze.

My eyes widen.

One moment the Crystal Reaper stands over a hundred meters away.

The next…

It's already in front of me.

One crystalline katar is already driving toward my chest.

Shit.

I can't—

Instinct seizes control where conscious thought fails.

I twist. Not enough.

The crystalline blade punches through my side.

Cloth. Skin. Muscle. Bone. The impact doesn't merely pierce me, it keeps going.

I feel ribs snap around it before the force tears the weapon free again.

My own counterattack is little more than reflex.

Astra Nocturne carves a deep line across one of its remaining arms.

Meaningless.

The punch lands, and the world disappears.

I don't remember crossing the distance.

One moment the Crystal Reaper is in front of me.

The next…

Crystal explodes around my body.

Something gives in my back.

Horribly.

The impact is so violent that I hear my skeleton fail before I feel it.

A part of the shock is canceled out by my dress’s armbands. Not nearly enough.

A wet chorus of cracks echoes through my body. Too many. Far too many.

The cavern wall wins. Decisively.

I collapse onto the ground.

…

There is nothing.

No pain.

Only a strange, impossible numbness spreading through my body.

My arms refuse to answer. My legs may as well not exist. Breathing becomes…

Difficult.

Something warm runs into my eye before trailing down the side of my face. Another trickles from the corner of my mouth.

Blood. A concerning amount of blood.

The copper taste floods my mouth as a cough sends a fresh spray onto the soil in front of me.

…

Ah. That…

Feels rather severe.

Darkness presses at the edges of my vision. My consciousness begins to sink beneath it.

No.

Absolutely not.

Passing out here would be utterly unacceptable.

I refuse.

The blurry shape of golden light races toward me.

...Avelyn.

Instinct takes over, and my expression smooths itself into calm composure.

I try to sit up. Nothing happens.

I attempt to move an arm. It does not respond.

…

Mother will surely scold me for this carelessness.