Seraphine’s eyes narrowed as she hovered above the broken ruins of Velmond, her long golden hair fluttering in the storm she herself summoned. The air cracked with pressure, the clouds swirling into a dark, spiraling vortex above her like the eye of divine fury. The scent of smoke, dust, and blood lingered on the wind. Below her, hundreds of Lizardmen scurried, roared, and hissed—drunk on destruction.
She raised her hand slowly—calm, steady, absolute.
A stillness blanketed the world for a breathless second.
Then her voice, clear and thunderous, echoed across the sky like a god speaking from the heavens.
“All sins ascend, and so falls judgment—”
She lowered her glowing hand, wind spiraling around her like a cyclone, her eyes glowing bright silver.
“Rain down… Judgment Rain!”
The clouds split open—
BOOM!
Hundreds—no, thousands—of streaks of violet lightning tore down from the sky like furious spears hurled by the heavens themselves. Each bolt hit with precise, terrifying force. The ground erupted in thunderous explosions, sending molten chunks of stone and debris into the air. One by one, Lizardmen screamed—then turned to ash in blinding flashes of light.
The entire battlefield was engulfed in a blinding purple storm. Winds howled. Thunder roared. Every strike illuminated Seraphine like a divine warden of retribution. Buildings shook, trees split, the very earth trembled as if the gods themselves watched in awe.
Yet amidst the carnage—
One remained.
A massive figure stood tall, its thick scales scorched and cracked, but its posture unmoved.
Its crimson eyes glowed like coals beneath the storm. A long, jagged black spear gripped in its clawed hand. Muscles rippled beneath obsidian scales, steam rising off its monstrous form.
Then—
SKRRRRAAAAKKKHH!!
It let out a bone-rattling screech, so loud and full of primal rage that the sky itself seemed to tremble. The clouds quivered. The rubble shook.
Shikavas.
The Lizard Emperor.
S-Rank Calamity-Class Monster.
He had survived. And now… he was angry.
High above the chaos, perched lazily on the edge of a crumbled clocktower just outside Velmond, Ryo watched the violet storm unfold. One leg dangling, arms crossed, his expression remained unreadable—except for the faint raise of his brow.
The winds howled past him, carrying embers and static as Seraphine rained fury like a divine reaper.
“Huh…” he murmured, eyes following the trails of lightning. “She’s not bad.”
A pause.
Then the system chimed in, voice dripping with exaggerated awe:
> [System Notification]
Observation: Host’s heart rate increased by 0.7%.
Conclusion: Host might be slightly impressed.
Alternate conclusion: Host has discovered he may have a type. Confirm or deny?
Ryo blinked, deadpan. “Shut up.”
> System: Come on… she summons thunderstorms, has killer hair, and literally vaporized a whole army. That’s wife material if I’ve ever seen it.
“Pretty sure you’ve never seen anything,” Ryo replied, arms behind his head as he leaned back. “Still… she didn’t finish the job.”
Just then, the sky quaked with the screech of Shikavas.
The Lizard Emperor raised his massive spear, howling defiance against the heavens. Lightning cracked again—this time, not from Seraphine, but from his own body.
Ryo’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“…This might get interesting.”
> System: Prediction—Seraphine vs. Shikavas. Odds of survival: 40%... unless you get off your lazy ass. Then it’s 99%—
—for you. Just saying.
BOOM.
The air cracked as a whirlwind of dark lightning spiraled around Shikavas’s spear. His eyes, burning like molten amber beneath scaled brows, narrowed. The sky above him still glowed faint violet from Seraphine’s divine storm, but it didn’t scare him—it challenged him.
He lifted the massive, jagged black spear. Arcs of electricity jumped from his arm to his weapon, coiling like serpents hungry for release.
A garbled voice escaped his fanged mouth, deep and grinding like stone on bone.
"K?i?l?l?...a?l?l?...hu?m?a?n?e?s..."
His fingers tightened, talons digging into the worn hilt. With a thunderous snarl, he hurled the spear not at a direct target—but upward.
Straight into the sky.
Like he could see her.
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The spear cut through clouds, riding a trail of black lightning and spiraling wind. A boom chased after it like a sonic scream.
---
On the other side—
Seraphine's eyes snapped open. Her form hovered high above, cloaked in wind magic, unnoticed by most… but not him.
She gasped, catching a split-second glimpse of the spear streaking straight toward her.
"Tch—!"
She spun her body mid-air, a cyclone shield erupting around her.
The spear collided—not with her—but with the barrier. The explosion that followed rippled the entire sky, creating a void shockwave that cracked the nearby rooftops.
She stabilized herself, strands of golden hair fluttering behind her face, eyes now burning with true rage.
---
From below, Ryo’s expression remained still… except for the subtle grin twitching on his lip.
> System: Well, he just threw a lightning-charged god-killing spear like a javelin at a woman hiding in a wind cloak at 200 feet altitude. Host, permission to update Shikavas’s IQ from "walking lizard rock" to "high-functioning murder komodo"?
“…He’s not just bark,” Ryo muttered. “That thing actually bites.”
He slowly rose from his perch, casually dusting off his shoulder.
> System: Oh? Are we going to stop lounging and actually save the girl now, Romeo?
“Who said anything about saving?”
He cracked his knuckles.
“I just don’t like being ignored.”
High above, the scorched clouds split as Seraphine flew down like a divine blade loosed from heaven.
She chanted as wind roared around her:
"Valkyrie's Blessing… Light of Protection!"
A shimmering veil of light wrapped her body, followed by radiant runes spinning around her arms like golden gears. Her blade ignited with wind, streaking emerald and silver.
She descended like a meteor, her sword raised in a precise arc.
Clang!
Steel met scale.
Shikavas blocked, his jagged obsidian armguard grinding against her blade—but even then, the impact shook him, driving cracks into the earth beneath.
She didn’t let up.
A flurry of elegant, high-speed slashes followed—wind trailing each strike like ribbons. Sparks flew. Shikavas screeched in rage, tail lashing, claws swiping—but Seraphine parried, pivoted, and retaliated in blinding speed.
Then—
Shikavas twisted, ducking beneath one strike, and his claw grazed her side, tearing fabric and skin. Blood splattered mid-air.
Seraphine winced but didn’t slow. Just then—
His mouth opened, releasing a sudden, pressurized Water Pulse. The beam howled, spiraling forward like a compressed ocean cannon.
She darted left, somersaulting mid-air as the attack vaporized the stone behind her.
Shikavas roared again—and raised one scaled hand, summoning his spear back from the sky.
The weapon whistled in the air, arcing in a black bolt of lightning, ready to return to its master—
But it stopped.
Yanked. Mid-air.
---
Ryo, standing casually on the broken walls of a ruined shop, held one arm up.
His thorny whip had coiled around the black spear like a snake, vines wrapping tighter the more the weapon struggled.
> System:
Ohhh. Would you look at that. Host just snatched an S-Rank monster’s signature weapon with garden weeds.
Not even mad. That’s just disrespectful.
Ryo gave the whip a firm tug, pulling the massive spear effortlessly into his hand.
He inspected it, then casually rested it on his shoulder.
“…Bit too dramatic for my taste,” he muttered, eyes glancing at Shikavas.
The Lizard Emperor’s reptilian eyes narrowed, momentarily distracted.
> System:
Congrats. You’ve officially pissed off a walking genocide lizard. Again.
Ryo smirked.
Seraphine stood tall, wind and energy swirling around her. Her violet blade glinted beneath the storm-filled sky, charged with an unholy power.
She gritted her teeth, her wounds burning as they wept crimson. But her resolve remained unbroken. She saw the gap in Shikavas’ defense—his clawed arms momentarily tired from blocking her previous strikes.
With a savage cry, she launched forward.
SLASH!
A violet blur of steel rained down upon the Lizard Emperor. The air crackled as the blades ripped through his tough, scaly armor, sending a cascade of sparks flying into the storm.
Shikavas screeched, a sound more like the screeching of metal scraping against a soul.
The next strike, Seraphine’s sword slashed down with such ferocity, the entire air around her vibrated. Her blade glowed brightly with violet lightning, weaving around the edge, the storm above her responding, flashing violently.
With one final motion, Seraphine raised her sword high, summoning every ounce of power within her.
“Violet Serenade!”
A massive storm of violet lightning poured down upon her sword, the air itself becoming a conduit for the immense energy she unleashed. The heavens themselves seemed to break open, as if acknowledging the power she wielded.
BOOM!
The ground shattered beneath the shockwave as the violet strike met Shikavas head-on, unleashing a torrent of power that shook the very foundations of the city. The sky trembled, buildings cracked, and the wind howled like a banshee. Seraphine’s attack pierced through the air, engulfing everything in a violet flash that turned the day to night for a brief, deafening moment.
---
For a moment, everything fell still.
---
But then, with a deep growl, Shikavas stood, battered but not defeated. His body glowed with a dark, black aura—an arcane barrier surrounding him. The energy sparked violently against Seraphine's attack, the violet lighting dissipating with a series of explosive bursts. His mouth opened once again, and this time, a massive water pulse surged forth, creating thousands of water slashes, cutting through the air like razor-sharp blades.
Each one struck Seraphine, tearing through her defenses, causing her to stagger back. She stumbled, trying to raise her blade to deflect the oncoming assault—but the sheer force overwhelmed her, pushing her to the ground, her vision blurry with the barrage.
---
Meanwhile, in the distance, Ryo observed from the shadows. His hand still gripping the black jagged spear.
Shikavas roared as the spear was drawn back, energy crackling through the weapon. The barrier of vines around Ryo’s whip was shattered as the spear lashed out, cutting through the whip effortlessly, sending the remains fluttering away like confetti. The spear returned to Shikavas’ grip, poised for another strike.
---
Ryo narrowed his eyes.
He wasn’t about to just watch. With the spear in hand, he dashed forward. His movements were swift, a blur of speed as he hurled himself toward the battlefield.
But before he could reach Seraphine, Shikavas turned, and the black jagged spear hurtled toward Seraphine with frightening speed.
Slashing.
Seraphine barely had time to react. She twisted, trying to roll out of the path of the spear, but its jagged edge slashed her side. Blood sprayed into the air, and the wind howled as the Lizard Emperor roared in triumph.
---
System:
I’m sure that one cut wasn’t fun, but… gotta admit, this fight’s intense.
Host, you may want to stop admiring the view and get in there before she becomes dinner for that overgrown lizard.
