Dimension Eclipse – Chapter 13 – The Beginning of the Battle
The fight had begun.
Out of nowhere, the tentacle monster lunged toward Shirou, its slimy tendrils slicing through the air with terrifying speed.
Narration: Shirou's sharp instincts kicked in just in time. His eyes widened as he twisted his body backward, narrowly avoiding the fatal strike that could have taken his head clean off.
Shirou, panting, irritated: "Damn it! That thing almost blew my head off… Shit… How the hell did this monster manage to get this far?"
He took a quick breath, sweat trickling down his temple as he analyzed the situation.
Shirou, thinking, tense: "If I think carefully, I haven't fully recovered yet… and even if I had, taking down a B-grade monster is impossible. Should I run? No… it's already too late for that."
The monster shrieked, a high-pitched sound echoing through the broken ruins, and attacked again—its numerous tentacles slamming toward Shirou from all directions.
Shirou, gritting his teeth: "Damn it! Its attacks are too fast—I can't even find a moment to strike back!"
Each strike tore through the ground and nearby rocks, creating deep cracks in the terrain. Dust and debris flew around violently. Shirou, though dodging every strike with incredible reflexes, was clearly being pushed to his limit.
Shirou, thinking, struggling to breathe: "If this keeps going, I'm done for… This time I'm really in big trouble."
Suddenly, a tentacle whipped from behind, catching Shirou off guard.
Shirou, startled: "I can't dodge this one… I'll have to counter it!"
He gripped his daggers tightly, aura flaring around his hands.
Shirou, shouting fiercely: "Lightning Slash!"
Sparks of electric-blue lightning enveloped his blades as he swung them in a swift arc. The energy-infused cut sliced through one of the monster's tentacles, burning the flesh as it fell to the ground, twitching.
Shirou, with a smirk: "This is my chance!"
He dashed forward in a lightning burst, his aura intensifying.
Shirou, yelling at full power: "Lightning Rush!!!"
In a blur of motion, Shirou unleashed a flurry of slashes from all directions. Blue lightning streaks flashed across the air as his blades struck the monster repeatedly. The creature roared in agony, its body scorched with every strike.
Each swing of Shirou's daggers sent electric currents crackling through its body, halting its regeneration.
Shirou, mocking, voice filled with defiance: "Heh… let's see how you recover from that, you damn bastard!"
He jumped back a few steps, daggers still sparking with voltage. The blades gleamed brighter and brighter, and faint lightning arcs flickered from his eyes.
Shirou, firmly: "Flashburst!!!"
He leapt forward, channeling all his aura into a single devastating strike. The impact caused a massive explosion of blue lightning that illuminated the battlefield. Smoke and crackling static filled the air.
Shirou, breathing heavily: "Haa… I think this will be enough to stop this disgusting piece of shit for a while."
Through the smoke, the monster's charred form was visible—its tentacles severed and scorched. The lightning energy lingering in its wounds prevented them from regenerating.
Narration: In truth, Shirou had the upper hand because of one key factor—his lightning affinity. Tentacle monsters were notoriously weak against lightning-based aura, making this battle his best possible matchup despite his injuries.
Shirou, taunting, half-smiling: "What's wrong? Not so tough now, huh? Just a few burns and cuts and you're already crawling. Guess I can leave comfortably."
He turned to leave, stepping back carefully. But before he could take more than two steps, a tentacle shot toward him from behind.
Shirou, startled: "What the—!? You're still able to attack!?"
He twisted his body midair to dodge, but the edge of the strike grazed his arm, cutting it open.
Shirou, groaning in pain: "Aghh! My arm—damn it! How's it still attacking after that beating?"
The monster's red eyes glowed brighter than before, burning with rage. Its regeneration suddenly accelerated—new tentacles sprouting rapidly from its body.
Shirou, grimacing, thinking fast: "No way… its regeneration speed increased again?! If this keeps up, I'm definitely dead."
The creature shrieked and launched dozens of tentacles toward him, attacking from every direction at once.
Shirou, wide-eyed, panic rising: "There's no way I can dodge all of these…"
Just as the tentacles were about to impale him—
a massive explosion shook the area, engulfing the monster in fire and smoke.
A familiar voice echoed from the flames.
Shru, calm but sharp: "So… there you are."
---
A few minutes earlier…
Kaede, concerned: "Do you really think leaving him alone was the right?"
Noxy, irritated: "Come on, Kaede… it was his choice. What could we have done?"
Jessica, frustrated: "Still, he is an arrogant idiot, so we can expect such behavior from him, but we should not have let him go like this. It is our responsibility to protect all the students."
Emma, nervous: "But what are we supposed to do now? Our tags suddenly stopped working after entering that area… If we had them, we could've escaped already!"
Hearing that, Noxy's expression changed—his voice trembling slightly.
Noxy: "Forget it! There's nothing we can do now. Whoever entered that mansion—none of their tags work anymore."
Kaede, suddenly realizing: "Wait… hold on a second! Shirou didn't go inside the mansion, did he?"
Everyone froze. Their eyes widened as they turned toward Kaede, the air around them tense.
Kaede, confused: "W-What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Fernando, alarmed: "We have to find Shirou—right now!"
Noxy, realizing: "Damn! We didn't think about this! His tag must still be active! We can use it to contact the S-class students for help!"
Jessica, determined: "Then let's go find him!"
Kaede, trying to calm them: "Wait—everyone can't just rush off. Some of us still need to stay back and look after the other students."
Fernando, agreeing: "Yeah, you're right."
Jessica: "Then who's going to search for him?"
Noxy, instantly backing off: "Not me, man. I'm staying right here."
Everyone turned to look at him with blank stares.
Noxy, defensive: "What? Look at me! I'm already exhausted as hell."
Shru, decisive: "Then I'll go."
Kaede, surprised: "What? You'll go alone?"
Shru, serious: "No. You're coming with me."
Kaede, shocked: "M-Me!? But I—I can't even fight properly!"
Fernando, firmly: "Then it's settled. Shru and Kaede will go find Shirou."
Noxy, grinning weakly: "Fine by me. Good luck, you two."
Kaede, hesitant: "But I'm weak, Fernando. You should go instead."
Fernando, placing a hand on Kaede's shoulder, encouragingly: "Don't be afraid, kid. I know you've got potential. Besides, Jessica's badly hurt and Noxy—well, look at him. Someone has to stay here and keep guard."
Kaede, softly: "But what if… I just slow Shru down?"
Fernando, smiling reassuringly: "Have faith in yourself."
---
Present Time
Kaede, looking at the sky, noticing a flash: "That explosion in the sky… it's Shru's signal."
Kaede, narrating to himself: "I used my Aura Deduction Skill to locate Shirou. Normally, it would be impossible to find someone in such a wide area—but since Shirou mentioned he'd head back the way we came, I narrowed down the direction. Plus, my glasses amplify my detection ability."
Kaede, focused: "When Shru and I arrived here, we saw him already fighting that monster. So we made a plan—Shru would assist him directly while I'd climb that cliff and wait for her signal. The moment I saw it, I'd begin our part of the plan."
---
Back to the Fight
Shirou, stunned: "What the hell are you doing here!?"
Shru, sarcastic, glaring: "Taking a walk, dumbass. Obviously, I came to find you!"
Shirou, frowning: "You came… to find me?"
Before he could finish, the monster roared and launched multiple tentacles toward Shru, surrounding her in an instant.
Shru, grinning slightly: "Oh, so fast huh."
She raised her dual guns toward the sky and fired a single shot upward.
Shru, low, deadly voice: "Infernal Pulse."
The bullet exploded midair, scattering dozens of fiery orbs that rained down like meteors, bombarding the monster's tentacles. The creature screamed, thrashing wildly as flames consumed parts of its body.
Shirou, shocked, observing: "Just a while ago near the cave, she was injured… but now—she's completely healed? Her recovery rate's insane… or maybe her aura reserves are far greater than I thought."
Suddenly, he sensed something unusual.
Shirou, alert: "What… is this unpredictable energy? Where's it coming from?"
His eyes darted upward—toward a nearby cliff. Aura energy was gathering there in waves.
Shirou, narrowing his eyes: "Wait a second… what's going on up there? Someone's channeling aura from that spot—wait… it's… Kaede!?"
---
On the Cliff
Kaede, concentrating deeply: "Alright then… Aura Amplification."
His eyes glowed faint yellow as he manipulated the surrounding aura, creating a false presence—a decoy signature powerful enough to lure the monster's attention.
The creature below felt the surge. Its glowing red eyes locked onto the illusion, and, roaring furiously, it turned and began rushing toward it—away from Shirou and Shru.
---
Shru, noticing the opening: "Now's our chance!"
She grabbed Shirou's hand and started running.
Shirou, angrily: "What the hell are you doing, crazy woman!? I can run on my own!"
Shru, snapping back: "Shut up, you idiot! I just saved your damn life. The least you should be is thankful!"
Shirou, furious, trying to pull free: "Tch! Damn pig—let go of my hand already!"
Shirou: "Oi, will you tell me where we're going?"
He jabbed a glance at her, trying to sound casual but urgency shook his voice.
Shru: "I don't know. For now we need to run."
Her eyes darted through the dark trees; her tone was clipped, edged with impatience.
Shru: "And listen, Shirou—activate your tag, quickly."
She hissed the order like a lifeline.
Shirou: "What— which tag?"
He fumbled, surprised.
Shru: "You idiot—the one the teachers gave us."
She snapped, frustration sharp as a slap.
Shirou, shocked: "Oh—right. I completely forgot about it."
He reached for his uniform in a panic, but his hand found nothing. His face turned pale.
Shirou, thinking: "My tag—it's not here. Did it fall somewhere? Damn, how could I be so careless? I was so busy with the fight that I didn't even think about it. This is a huge problem. I've made a terrible mistake."
Cold sweat rolled down his cheek.
Shru: "What are you thinking, idiot? Activate your tag now!"
She barked, panic and fury mixing.
Shirou, nervous: "I think it must have fallen somewhere… heh."
He tried to laugh, but it cracked weakly.
Shru, stopping suddenly, furious: "What are you saying, you damn fool? Are you crazy? Because of you everyone will die!"
She spun toward him, fear trembling under her rage.
Shirou: "Calm down. Maybe it fell where we fought that monster."
He forced himself to steady.
Shru: "So we'll have to go back there?"
Her voice stiffened.
Shirou: "Seems like it."
Shru: "Ugh—really, if you lost the tag I'll kill you before the monster does."
Her threat hid the fear in her voice.
Shirou: "Have some shame. Instead of fighting now, we should find the tag first. Arguing won't help. Let's search."
They turned back toward the battlefield. The red sky waited.
Meanwhile, Kaede waited nearby, confused.
Kaede, confused: "Haven't they arrived yet? I told Shru we'd meet by the edge of the forest."
He kept glancing at the trees, unaware everything had already spiraled ahead.
Unseen, something stirred in the darkness.
Narrator: A tentacle monster—one of those slimed, writhing horrors—felt the sting of being tricked. Fury rippled through its body.
Back with Shirou and Shru:
They reached the battlefield. The ground was cracked, covered in red dirt and broken rocks.
Shru: "Hurry up and find it."
Her eyes scanned rapidly.
Shirou: "I'm looking, but there's nothing around. Only dry rocks and this red earth—if the tag fell, it should be visible."
He crouched, frustration rising.
Shru: "So now what?!"
Shirou: "I think it probably fell over there."
Shru: "Where? Which spot?"
Before he could answer, dozens of slimy tentacles slammed toward them.
They dodged instantly—Shirou twisting hard, Shru stepping aside with speed. A tentacle shattered the ground where Shirou stood seconds earlier.
Shirou: "Looks like it came back."
Shru: "We'll have to deal with it first."
Shru, thinking: "Shit—Kaede isn't here. Can the two of us really handle a B-grade monster alone?"
Suddenly someone struck the monster. Shru noticed Shirou was already in motion.
Shru: "Oi, dumbass—do you really think you can beat it?"
Shirou: "Absolutely not. But if I stand here, I'll die. So I have to fight. And you—witch—get off your feet and help."
Shru, thinking: "He's right. I was terrified a moment ago, but fear won't help. I'm surprised how calm he is, even now."
Shru: "Fine. Let's fight."
She exhaled, her aura igniting—her eyes flashing red, power sparking in the air.
....
Chapter 13 part 1 Ends