The trio pressed deeper into the labyrinth, past the shattered columns and sunken halls. As the dim light of the glowstones faded, a vast chamber opened up before them—its ceiling stretching into darkness, littered with skeletal remains and shattered weapons.
From the silence, something massive stirred.
A lumbering beast—three meters tall, hunched, its body a grotesque amalgamation of bone, steel, and sinew. A malformed Guardian, corrupted by time and Ather.
Ellen didn't wait.
"Stay out of my way," she said coldly, and then burst forward.
Ability: Severance Drive
A technique-focused ability granting momentum-based power boosts. The more distance she covers in a straight line, the more force her strike carries.
With one brutal dash, she shot toward the monster like a cannonball, slicing deep into its leg. Bone splintered.
Mia grinned and followed.
Ability: Mirror Bloom
Allows her to create short-lived, intangible mirror duplicates that mimic her actions with a half-second delay.
Three spectral versions of Kael flanked her, echoing her slashes. The beast roared, caught off-guard by the delayed flurry of stabs from every direction.
Noct hung back, breathing steadily, eyes glowing faintly.
The Numbers field shimmered into existence.
Ather Field Active: Formula Matrix Access Unlocked
Initiate Formula Array? Y/N
His vision sharpened. Equations spiraled around his hands as he whispered:
"Array: 𝛑-Flux."
Formula Array Constructed: Recursive Force Feedback
Effect: Every hit on the target echoes back with multiplied force over 5 seconds.
He launched the array into the air. Geometric runes expanded, forming a glowing circle above the monster. With each strike from Ellen and Mia, the beast convulsed—its own mass hammering itself internally.
It roared in agony. It charged Noct.
"Time to test this," he muttered.
Sequence Dash: Fibonacci Step Pattern
1...1...2...3...5—
Noct zipped between crumbling debris, his movement unnatural, angles impossible to predict. At the final second—
Vector Strike: [Front Diagonal, Reverse Invert 180°]
He slid under the beast's leg and stabbed upward.
Recursive Strike Applied: 3x Feedback Pulse
The beast's back exploded in a gout of corrupted flesh and energy.
Silence returned.
Ellen stood with her blade over one shoulder, blood trickling down her cheek.
"Tch. Not bad."
Mia twirled a dagger. "You didn't die. I'm impressed."
Noct, panting, let the formula array collapse. Numbers fell like fading snowflakes around him.
"I need to refine the math," he said.
"Do that," Lira replied. "The next floor won't be this forgiving."
Mia clapped him on the shoulder. "Still, kinda fun watching you turn algebra into death."