Nova stood in the Beastaria dungeon's blood-drenched meadow, his twin daggers pulsing with a crimson and obsidian aura, the raw essence of his newly awakened ability, Doomwrithe Apex, forged from his past as the God of Destruction.
His golden circles blazed, two black pillars bridging them, marking him an E-rank adventurer fresh from awakening. Adam lay crumpled nearby, his F-rank pillar dim, his neck bruised purple, shallow breaths rattling through cracked glasses, barely clinging to life.
The red goblin, the ten-foot D-rank monstrosity, loomed before Nova, its bloated belly quivering, muscles rippling like stone, black eyes glinting with rage. Its hide, thick and scarred, oozed green ichor from a shallow throat cut Nova had landed, his daggers' aura slicing but not killing.
Nova's ribs bled, the goblin's earlier blade wound a jagged agony, his torn leather jacket soaked red. He was faster, his E-rank agility outpacing the beast's bulk, but the goblin's D-rank resilience made it a nightmare. It roared, charging, its fist a sledgehammer aimed at Nova's skull.
Nova ducked, his daggers flashing, carving a deeper gash across the goblin's chest, blood and ichor spraying, ribs cracking with a wet snap. The beast snarled, unfazed, its wound bubbling, regenerating faster than Nova expected. Fucking tank, he thought, skidding back, blood dripping from his ribs.
The goblin swung again, claws raking the air, forcing Nova to roll, his shoulder slamming into a rune-etched pillar, pain spiking. The valley quaked, the invisible shield's flicker a faint hum, breached by forces unknown, letting D-rank and E-rank monsters flood the F-rank zone.
A pack of E-rank goblins, green-skinned and wiry, scuttled from the shadows, their yellow eyes glinting, crude blades and spiked clubs raised. Behind them, a D-rank drake, its scales black and jagged, slithered forward, venom dripping from its jaws, barbed tail lashing.
Nova cursed, his daggers humming, as the red goblin lunged, its claws grazing his thigh, blood welling, while an E-rank goblin darted in, its club smashing his arm, bruising bone. He slashed back, severing the goblin's arm, blood gushing, its scream piercing as it fell, but another took its place, blades flashing.
Nova spun, his daggers a blur, Doomwrithe Apex fueling his strikes. He gutted an E-rank goblin, intestines spilling in a steaming heap, then parried the red goblin's fist, slicing its wrist, blood spraying.
The drake charged, its tail whipping, and Nova leaped, the barb missing by inches. He landed, stabbing the drake's flank, scales shattering, green blood oozing, but its jaws snapped, forcing him back. The red goblin's tail lashed, wrapping his leg, yanking him down, claws raking his back, blood flooding, his jacket shredded.
Pain seared, but Nova broke free, his daggers stabbing the tail, ichor bursting. He rolled, facing three E-rank goblins, their blades arcing. He dodged one, slashed another's throat, blood fountaining, then kicked the third, caving its chest, bones crunching.
The red goblin roared, hurling a boulder, and Nova dove, the rock shattering a pillar, dust choking the air. This is too much, he thought, spitting blood, his E-rank body pushed beyond mortal limits, his two pillars flickering.
Mid-fight, Nova's mind reached for High Heaven, desperation clawing. "Freya," he rasped, blood bubbling on his lips.
Her voice, golden and warm, answered instantly: "Nova, I'm here," she said, concern sharp. "What's happening?"
Dodging a goblin's blade, Nova growled: "Why didn't you answer before? I was poisoned, Adam's half-dead, monsters everywhere. What the hell?"
Freya's pause was heavy. "I didn't hear you," she said, confusion turning to dread. "Something blocked us."
"Apollo," they said in sync, Nova's sneer mirroring Freya's unseen fury. The God of Light's meddling stank of this chaos: breached shields, rogue monsters, silenced bonds.
"Stay sharp," Freya warned, her voice fading as Nova refocused, the red goblin's fist grazing his jaw, blood and spit flying.
He slashed back, carving its arm, muscle tearing, but regeneration kicked in, the wound sealing, its grin sinister.
The drake lunged, venom spraying, and Nova rolled, the ground sizzling where it hit. He stabbed its eye, fluid bursting, the beast thrashing, its tail smashing his ribs, cracking bone, blood flooding his mouth.
An E-rank goblin tackled him, its blade piercing his shoulder, blood spurting, but Nova headbutted it, skull cracking, brains leaking as it collapsed. The red goblin's claws swiped, tearing his chest, flesh parting, blood soaking his shirt, his vision swimming.
Nova staggered, his daggers humming, Doomwrithe Apex a dark pulse in his veins. He slashed the drake's throat, blood gushing, its body convulsing, dead in seconds. Two E-rank goblins charged, and he impaled one, its heart bursting, then decapitated the other, its head rolling, blood pooling.
The red goblin's fist connected, sending Nova crashing into a stream, water turning red, his body screaming, bones grinding. He rose, daggers trembling, facing the goblin and three more E-rank goblins, their clubs raised.
The valley's beauty mocked him: streams gurgling, wildflowers swaying, ancient pillars glowing faintly. Adam's faint breaths spurred Nova on, his E-rank grit fading, blood loss sapping his strength.
He parried a goblin's club, slicing its gut, intestines spilling, then dodged the red goblin's tail, slashing its leg, tendons snapping, blood flooding. Another drake emerged, its roar shaking the earth, venom dripping, and Nova cursed, his pillars dimming, his body a wreck of gashes and bruises.
He fought on, a whirlwind of destruction, his daggers carving through an E-rank goblin's chest, ribs shattering, blood spraying. The red goblin's claws raked his arm, nearly severing muscle, blood gushing, but Nova stabbed its eye, ichor bursting, its scream deafening.
The second drake's tail whipped, cracking his knee, bone splintering, and Nova fell, rolling to avoid its jaws, his daggers slashing its belly, organs spilling in a gory heap. He killed another E-rank goblin, its throat torn, blood fountaining, but the red goblin's fist smashed his chest, ribs collapsing, blood vomiting from his mouth.
Nova's vision blurred, his body failing, Doomwrithe Apex stretched thin. He staggered, daggers heavy, blood pooling beneath him, the valley spinning. The red goblin loomed, its wounds healing, flanked by two E-rank goblins and the second drake, their eyes hungry.
A new tremor shook the ground, more D-rank drakes slithering from the checkpoint's ruins, their scales glinting, claws tearing earth. Nova's knees buckled, consciousness slipping, his bloodied daggers raised, a final defiance as the monsters closed in, their roars a death knell.