Chapter 22 - The Veilbound Guardian

  A heavy silence settled over the battlefield.

  The Veilbound Guardian stood at the edge of the ruins, its elongated form shifting with the darkness. The mist around it twisted and coiled, as if alive, responding to its presence.

  Akari gripped her sword tightly, her breath steady but her body tense.

  This wasn’t just another beast.

  The way the other creatures backed away, the raw pressure it exuded—this thing was different.

  It was powerful.

  > Veilbound Guardian - Rank: Unstable

  Threat Level: Extreme

  Her summon crouched beside her, its violet eyes locked onto the Guardian. She could feel its instincts screaming—fight or die.

  Akari exhaled slowly.

  Then she charged.

  The Guardian reacted instantly.

  It moved.

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  Faster than she expected.

  Its massive clawed hand lashed out, aiming straight for her chest.

  Akari barely had time to dodge, twisting her body to the side as the claws sliced through the air, missing her by mere inches.

  A shockwave of dark energy erupted from its swing, cracking the ground beneath her.

  Her heart pounded.

  She didn’t get a chance to recover—

  The Guardian’s second attack was already coming.

  A whip-like tendril shot toward her from its back, slicing through the air like a blade.

  Akari threw herself backward, rolling as the tendril struck the ground where she had just stood.

  She felt the impact shake through her bones.

  Too fast. Too strong.

  She needed an opening.

  Her summon snarled and lunged forward, its claws gleaming as it struck at the Guardian’s legs.

  A direct hit—

  But—

  The attack phased through.

  The Guardian’s form rippled like mist, reforming instantly as if the attack had never landed.

  Akari’s eyes widened.

  > Warning: Veilbound Guardian has a shifting form. Physical attacks are ineffective.

  Damn it.

  This wasn’t just about strength. She had to figure out its weakness.

  The Guardian turned its gaze to her summon, its dark tendrils lashing out.

  Her summon barely had time to react before—

  Shkkkt!

  One of the tendrils pierced through its body.

  Akari felt a sharp pain in her chest—

  As if she herself had been stabbed.

  Her summon let out a pained growl, its form flickering.

  The Guardian lifted it into the air, its grip tightening.

  Akari’s pulse pounded.

  If it killed her summon—

  Would it kill her too?

  She couldn’t let that happen.

  She focused.

  The connection between her and her summon was still there.

  > Veilbound Absorption: Forced Recall Available.

  She activated it.

  In an instant, her summon dissolved into mist, vanishing from the Guardian’s grasp and reforming beside her.

  It was weakened—but still alive.

  The Guardian’s glowing eyes narrowed, as if recognizing what she had done.

  Akari clenched her fists.

  Physical attacks wouldn’t work.

  But she had something else.

  The energy she had absorbed from the previous beasts—it was still inside her, flowing like a second heartbeat.

  > New Ability Available: Veilbound Strike.

  Channel absorbed energy to disrupt mist-based entities.

  A weakness.

  She didn’t hesitate.

  She raised her sword, letting the energy course through her.

  The blade glowed, faint violet veins pulsing along its edge.

  The Guardian charged.

  Akari did the same.

  Their attacks clashed.

  And this time—

  Her blade didn’t pass through.

  It hit.

  The Guardian reeled back, its form splitting apart where her sword had struck.

  Akari

  saw it.

  For the first time—

  It bled.