Sora clenched her guarded fists trying to guard herself with it, her knuckles tightening as the monster charged at her with terrifying speed. The impact was as brutal and devastating sending her crashing into the coliseum wall, the sheer amount of force enough to shatter the stone.
She gagged, blood spilling from her mouth as her weapons clattered to the ground. Pain radiated through her body, but her mind was racing. 'Fuck!' she cursed inwardly. 'This thing is far too strong. If I don't act fast, I'm dead.'
Forcing herself out, she dropped from the shattered wall and faced the monster before her. It prepared another charge again, its lean and muscular body shifting. Sora's body trembled from the pain, but she refused to back down.
The Gaunt charged another time, this time using its jaws as a weapon. Sora wasn't ready but this time she was sure she could handle its power and as it closed in, she held its jaws with all her strength, her grip bending its teeth. "I've got you!" she shouted, a fierce and confident smile spreading across her face. With one swift motion, she broke the jaws, splitting it open.
The Gaunt roared in agony, thrashing wildly as it tried to shake her off. Sora held on for dear life, but the beast flung her away. She tumbled through the air, landing on her feet with practiced precision. One gauntlet remained in her possession; the other still lodged in the beast's jaws like it was welded together.
The monster wailed, but Sora didn't let up. She charged again, her movements calculated and precise. As the Gaunt turned to face her, she dropped low, sliding beneath its massive body. With a powerful swing, she grabbed one of its legs, tightning her grip and striking it with just her bare fist, the sounds of bones cracking and the metal bending.
Sora winced, her body screaming in protest, but she forced herself to stay upright. She stood again, facing the monster, its remaining eye blazing with fury. But this time, it didn't charge. Instead, it stopped, its metallic body pulsing unnaturally. Veiny structures began to bulge across the open spaces of the armored frame, making feel like mechanical bones were cracking.
'What in the world is it doing?' Sora thought, her heart pounding as she watched the transformation. The guantlet fell from its jaws as its body shimmered with a red light. The Gaunt's form began to change, its shape twisting and elongating, metal falling to ground.
When the light faded, the creature before her was no longer a just metal and rage. It was something far more terrifying—a humanoid figure, skin as pale as snow
It looked somewhat like a nude human with no genitals present, hair as bright as gold, a chiselled jaw with the lower half made of black metal, its lean and muscular body radiating raw power. Even the system had taken notice.
Enemy Evolution Detected
• Target: Giant
• Stage: Second Phase
• Form: Organic
• Mutation Status: Complete
[WARNING]
• Enemy behavior is no longer predictable.
Sustained combat recommended.
The monster vanished leaving Sora overwhelmed.
'Curses!! Where'd it go?!'
Her eyes darted around the arena, looking for any sign of it's presence. Then she felt it—the presence, but it was right behind her.
She spun around, but it was too late. The Gaunt grabbed her by the throat and with a force so strong, it slammed her face-first against the hard ground.
Sora's vision blurred as her consciousness began to slip. Her body going limp, eyes rolling back like her senses were cut off. The monster lifted her into the air, prying the reminant of her weapon. With a brutal swing, it threw her across the field.
Sora lay motionless, her body broken and battered. Her consciousness faded, but her mind was still active, drifting through memories. She found herself in a serene field, the sound of a lyre playing softly in the background. An elven woman—possibly her mother, or what felt like her dancing gracefully, her black hair flowing in the wind and her blue eyes shining like the ocean.
'I lay half-dead, but this is the only memory I see. Why is that so?' she wondered in depths of her soul and mind.
The elven woman, who's face was obscurred by light approached, her face illuminated by the sun light.
"My dear child... Why must you suffer? It's time for you to leave... Go home'
'That's right.... I need to go home... But there is no home... Right.... My mother... She was such a good dancer... And my father.... Well.... He was.... A madly in love with her... But both are dead'
Now, through her thoughts, all Sora could see was death, the fields her mother danced in decaying and worst of all, her parents were decaying as well.
No.
This wasn't the end. It wasn't time to leave everything behind. It was time to move forward, to fight, to survive. Sora's thoughts crystallized, and she reached out to the last shred of hope left.
Her consciousness returned back, and rhe world around her came back into focus. The Gaunt stood tall, claiming victory. But then, it heard the sound of footsteps in the sand.
Sora was standing, but she looked different
[You have acquired the second stage....]
Her eyes glowed with the same fiery light, strands of energy swirling around her like threads caught in the wind.
The monster turned, its gaze locking onto her. Sora's expression was fierce, her voice steady as she spoke.
"Come on now.... do not keep me waiting... I'll start to get bored." she whispered.
The monster, enraged by Sora's unyielding spirit, let out a deafening roar, more organic than mechanical and charged at her with terrifying speed, its massive hands outstretched to grab her. Sora stood her ground, her mind sharp and focused. She quickly calculated the monster's trajectory and braced herself, her arms outstretched.
When the two collided, their hands locked in a fierce struggle. The ground beneath them cracked and shattered under the immense force, dust and debris flying into the air. Sora screamed, pouring every ounce of strength into the battle. With a sudden burst of energy, she slammed her forehead into the beast's, the impact causing blood to stream down her face, but she did not falter. The monster staggered, momentarily dazed.
Seizing the opportunity, Sora launched herself at it. Her fists flew in a flurry of blows, each strike connecting with the creature's chest and stomach. "I'm not done yet!!" she roared, her voice filled with raw determination. She grabbed one of the guantlets, raising her fist and striking.
The memory of her mother dancing in the field, the sound of the lyre, and the call to stand up had awakened something deep within her. She wasn't going to die here, not in this unknown place. All her life, she had dreamed of becoming a knight, and now, with this chance, she refused to let it slip away.
With a fierce cry, Sora forced her fist upward, breaking the soft corners of it's jaw bone and skull.
Blood erupted from the monster's open skull, raining down on Sora like a crimson storm. She stood amidst the carnage, her body bathed in the creature's blood, her chest heaving as she fought to catch her breath.
[Congratulations]
• Achievement: Second Stage Unlocked
• Condition: Successful Evolution
• Combat Result: Gaunt Defeated
[Crafter Restored]
Sora stared at the her exhaustion momentarily forgotten. The system emerged, her eyes widening from the progress.
Name: Sora Miragale
Title: Slayer
Stage: 2nd Stage
Class: Chaos User
Rank: C
Physical Amplification (PA): 60
Chaos Output (CO): 45
Adaptation (ADT): 56
Entropy Control (EC): 51
Stability (STB): 55
Mental Resistance: 37/55
Now, it was settled, Sora was ready for anything that came. With her new found stage, increasing of rank and assigned title, there was still more to be done.