Chapter 69: Entering the Battle

Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Entering the Battle

Damon let out a slow breath.

He had finally worked up the courage.

Never in both his lives had he imagined his first kiss would happen like this. Not with a girl he had met only moments ago. Not because she was dying.

Still...

Saving her came first.

"Sorry," he whispered softly.

"I’ll explain later."

He took a small mouthful of the healing potion without swallowing it.

Then he leaned forward.

His lips gently touched hers.

For a brief second, his mind went completely blank.

Her lips were unbelievably soft.

Warm despite the cold that surrounded her.

His face instantly turned red.

He quickly pushed the thought aside and slowly let the potion flow into her mouth before pulling back.

It wasn’t enough.

He repeated the process once more, careful not to spill a drop.

Behind him, the Frost Lynx let out another low growl.

Damon froze.

"...I’m only saving her."

The lynx stared at him with narrowed eyes.

He awkwardly scratched his cheek.

"This is already embarrassing enough..."

Thankfully, the lynx didn’t pounce.

Damon sighed in relief before turning his attention back to the girl.

The potion soon began to work.

The cuts on her body slowly closed.

The bleeding stopped.

Her breathing became steadier.

He carefully treated the wounds he could reach before checking her pulse again.

"It’s stable..."

A relieved smile appeared on his face.

"Good."

Only then did he realize just how tense he’d been.

Looking at her this close didn’t make things any easier.

Even with dried blood staining her white hair and torn armor, she still looked unbelievably beautiful.

It almost didn’t feel real.

She looked less like someone who fought monsters and more like a delicate sculpture carved from snow.

He shook his head.

"Focus, Damon."

"You’re getting distracted."

As if hearing his voice, her eyelashes trembled slightly.

She wasn’t awake yet.

But she was getting there.

That was enough.

He stood up.

The remaining potion was still in his hand.

Without hesitation, he tossed it toward the Frost Lynx.

"You need it more than I do."

The lynx caught the bottle carefully.

It stared at Damon for a moment before taking a cautious sip.

Damon didn’t wait to see the rest.

His eyes had already returned to the battlefield.

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"Now..."

"My turn."

*****

The battle had become even fiercer.

The Frostfang Tyrant towered over the battlefield like an icy mountain.

Its snow white fur was covered in layers of frozen armor while countless blue crystals jutted from its shoulders and back.

Every breath it released turned into a freezing storm.

Its massive claws ripped through the ground with every swing, leaving deep scars across the stone.

Yet...

Sylphie danced around it.

Her six wings spread proudly as she disappeared again and again.

She no longer simply relied on speed.

She flowed with the wind itself.

Whenever the Tyrant slammed a claw downward, she was already gone.

Whenever icy spikes burst from the ground, she slipped through the narrow gaps before they could reach her.

She became one with every current.

"Crii!"

With a cheerful chirp, she folded two wings.

The remaining four beat together.

Hundreds of razor sharp wind feathers burst forward.

The feathers curved through the air instead of flying straight.

The Tyrant smashed several apart with its claws.

More slipped around its defense.

Tiny cuts quickly appeared across its shoulders.

The beast roared.

It opened its mouth.

A terrifying Art gathered inside.

The surrounding temperature dropped so fast that even the air began freezing.

An enormous beam of icy breath erupted forward.

Everything in its path froze solid.

Stone pillars cracked.

The ground disappeared beneath thick layers of ice.

Sylphie simply vanished.

The beam struck nothing.

She reappeared above the Tyrant.

Her wings folded.

Then...

SHHHK!

Compressed blades of wind fell like invisible guillotines.

Fresh wounds opened across the Tyrant’s back.

It roared again.

Before it could retaliate...

Boom!

A silver bolt slammed into its side.

Freya.

Her nine tails danced wildly behind her as lightning wrapped around her entire body.

She darted across the battlefield faster than the eye could follow.

The moment the Tyrant turned toward her...

She was already somewhere else.

Another bolt exploded across its ribs.

Another across its foreleg.

Another across its neck.

Each strike landed exactly where Sylphie had wounded moments earlier.

The two moved like they had fought together for years.

One created the opening.

The other punished it.

The Frostfang Tyrant tried changing tactics.

Its crystals glowed brilliantly.

The ground exploded.

Hundreds of towering ice spears erupted in every direction.

The entire battlefield became a forest of frozen spikes.

Sylphie flew between them effortlessly.

Freya bounced from one pillar to another, leaving flashes of silver behind.

Neither was caught.

Instead...

They used the pillars themselves.

Sylphie redirected the wind.

Freya ricocheted off the frozen structures with unbelievable speed before crashing another bolt into the beast’s shoulder.

Boom!

The Tyrant staggered.

Damon couldn’t stop smiling.

"They’re amazing."

He clapped once.

"That’s it, Sylphie!"

"Good hit, Freya!"

Both spirits immediately became even more excited.

Their attacks sped up.

It was obvious.

They wanted even more praise.

Damon laughed.

"You two really are easy to motivate."

Still...

He wasn’t planning on watching forever.

He raised one hand.

That single gesture was enough.

Freya understood instantly.

Lightning wrapped around her body.

Her fox form dissolved into countless silver sparks.

The light gathered.

Compressed.

Then...

A magnificent silver spear appeared in Damon’s waiting hand.

The moment his fingers wrapped around it...

Both their auras exploded.

Crack!

Silver lightning raced across the battlefield.

The pressure around Damon rose sharply.

His white core pulsed.

Freya answered.

Their hearts beat almost as one.

The Frostfang Tyrant finally looked at him seriously.

Too late.

Damon moved.

Boom!

The ground beneath him shattered.

He vanished.

The Tyrant’s pupils shrank.

It barely had time to react before Sylphie swept across its face, forcing its attention away for the smallest moment.

That was all Damon needed.

"Nice one, Sylphie!"

He smiled.

"I’ve got it!"