"Milim?" Ramiris worryingly called and slowly floated closer to her, only to be swatted away by the girl's left hand, who kept her eyes on me.
Encounter. Abomination Versus Dragonoid.
As if she had heard it and signaled her, Milim lunged at me, "[Ice Shield]," I created a wall of ice between us, which she smashed as I jumped back off the summit, away from the others.
Erebus, it looks like she's after me. Take this chance to check on Ramiris, I thought to him. I'll figure out how to deal with this abomination, get yourselves to safety.
She's fine, Erebus immediately responded as Milim chased me, running down the hallway toward the entrance, But I can't leave you here alone.
"[Ice Shield]," I kept making walls between us throughout the hallway to keep Milim from gaining on me, I know my odds, but who's going to warn Rimuru and the others if we both die here?
I... understand, Erebus continued, I will return with haste.
Thank you, I stopped at the entrance, allowing Milim to catch up fast, right as she was about to hit me with a left punch, "[Warp Portal]."
The portal opened between us in time for her to throw herself through it. The other side wasn't far away; at the top of a tree in the middle of the forest that I could barely see in the distance. In fact, as I exited the Dwelling, I realized that the forest was now consumed by the corrupting mist as some of it started to seep inside through the doors.
"She's corrupted & a Dragonoid, so we should be on the same level," I commented and received an unexpected response from the [Voice].
Correction. The abomination's strength is similar to an S rank monster. Extreme caution is advised.
"She's what?!" I questioned in confusion as I heard Milim run closer before she broke through the mist.
I took the advice and carefully avoided her attacks while moving into the forest, examining her for openings. In the process I noticed a few things. She remained silent when abominations before her could make noise. She only attacked with her left fist. And she continued to watch me like a hawk eyeing its victim when attacks came form different directions.
Throwing all I could at her at random did little to stop her. Unlike the beast before, a downpour of ice lances and fireballs did nothing. However, I continued to do so, if for no other reason than for her to think all I had were four moves to make and Disaster's Blade. Using [Warp Portal], I created several in the nearby area that she could clearly see. The one I went through exited right above her.
"[Sticky Steel Thread]," My threads fell upon her as she stopped to look up, tying her up, I didn't waste the chance, "[Hell Flare]!"
Standing away from the contained black flame, I watched carefully for any sign of her. As the flame when away, I saw something I wish I hadn't. Her tattered cloak was nothing special, it burned easily against the flames of [Hell Flare], and nothing was under it to cover her bare skin. At least, what remained of her skin. The right side of her body was covered in a burn mark, similar to the one on her face. Her right arm was completely gone. Likely burned off.
The black flame triggered something in her. Something terrible. Her eyes widened as she began to shake uncontrollably. A cry that could be heard from the Jura Forest left her lungs. She was in a nightmare after seeing those flames. And the unstable girl was still staring me down. Now her eyes, previously empty, were filled to the brim with seething emotion.
No intelligible words left her mouth as she attacked. The only things that came from her were screams, growls, and other beastly sounds. Kicking down trees that got in her way and she even attempted to bite me. She was, for a simple description, mad in every way. The more I tried to use [Hell Flame] the angrier she became. I thought, for a brief moment, that her madness may have been my chance.
That instability made her careless. My narrowed thoughts made a mistake, forgetting someone. Erebus' shadow wolves came through the trees, for the first time her eyes shifted to something else. Instantly, she destroyed the shadows in one hit each. Then Erebus appeared behind her. Without a moment's hesitation she turned and kicked him, sending him through trees.
"Erebus!" I yelled before running to him, finding blood dripping from his mouth as he hardly stood up on his own. "I told you to get to safety, the mist alone is dangerous enough!"
"I'm sorry," Erebus continued as he created more wolves that were sent at Milim, "But I couldn't warn Rimuru and the others, something is keeping us from leaving the forest. However, Ramiris and those with her are safe."
I was about to say that he needed to stay with them when I felt something off. Out of fear for him, I opened a portal and shoved Erebus through before closing it. If it wasn't for [Pain Nullification], I would have likely fallen over in pain from the attack that hit my back. I didn't try to look, I threw another [Hell Flare] in her direction and ran.
She was not going to give me that chance. I should have realized it when she didn't chase after me. That [Hell Flare] was a mistake, as I should have realized what hit me before was nothing compared to the power of an S rank monster. That shot was meant to kill Erebus.
At the edge of my hearing, I heard her yell, "[Drago Nova]!" That shot was meant for me.
I sidestepped to the left as a blinding light ran past the right side of my face from behind. The entire section of forest between her, me, and some ways beyond in the direction I was running had been completely made devoid of anything that once stood there, including parts of the mist. I could not get a better look as my body, now missing its right side, could not support itself and fell in the direction I dodged in.
Damn it, I thought as I laid there, the blood began to pool beneath me as the broken Disaster's Blade laid where the attack hit, Am I really going to die a second time? There has to be something... An attack on par with what she used... [Voice], if you can, tell me what's as strong as that attack just now.
......
...
Received. Answer. [Nuclear Cannon] has a similar yield and smaller attack pattern to the weakened version of [Drago Nova] used by the abomination.
That was weakened? I thought as I saw Milim begin her approach over to my body, Thank you. [Mind Library].
I rapidly searched for everything I could on nuclear power. Anything at all. If fiction could help me, even a little, in understanding how I needed to visualize the attack then I would use it. And once I had found everything I could, I opened my eyes to Milim standing over me. The emotionless expression had returned to her face. Believing I was as good as dead, she turned her back and began to walk away.
With my left hand pointed at her, I spoke my last attack in a whisper, "[Nuclear Cannon]."
I poured everything into the attack. Her hearing, as good as mine, heard my words. Oddly, though the attack was smaller than hers, most of it hit her. With no clear signs of regeneration as she stood still for a minute with no sign of healing. It appeared we would both be dying soon. Even odder was that she slowly turned around, fell, and started crawling over to me. And ever so faintly, I could hear her cry. Not in pain, though that was likely part of it, but in sorrow.
The [Voice] called her an abomination. The existence of the mist confirmed it. The abnormal state she was in spoke volumes too. Then she looked at me once more, as she got close beside me. Tears were running down her face. She wasn't in the crazed state from before. Then I realized what I was really fighting. An unstable, scared, young girl. I could not bring myself to attack her, only to place my remaining hand on her cheek to wipe the tears.
With my last breath, I decided to comfort her, "It's alright to cry... it's over now..."
As my vision began to grow darker, all I heard were two words, "Thank... you..."
I didn't want to die. I doubt she wanted to as well. Whatever her reason for attacking me, I don't believe it was done out of malice or her own will. As everything slowed down, and I had the chance to think upon my life, both this one and the first, I decided to think about her.
Milim. I didn't enjoy seeing her cry. I didn't enjoy fighting her. Sofia and I used to spar, let out our emotions and stress on one another. It was a way to be direct with our thoughts and feelings. What Milim and I had done, amounted to nothing less than needless murder and fighting.
I think at the end when she was about to die, the real Milim came to the surface. I'd prefer to believe that. Just as I'm sure Ramiris would prefer to believe that she wasn't the Milim she knew. Part of me hopes that too. Out there, in the world, there's a Milim who isn't burdened by corruption. I hope, in my next life if I have one, I get the chance to meet her.
***
During the end of F/N's battle with the corrupted Milim, in the developing town Rimuru named Tempest, the slime looked with melancholy out the office window. In the time F/N had been away, new and proper buildings sprung up, the people walked down the main brick roads as they stopped by food stalls and shops, and work continued progress as more people visited. What should have been a good moment was overshadowed by a sinking feeling.
"Lord Rimuru?" Shuna asked as she came into clean and saw him staring out the window. "Is something wrong?"
Rimuru didn't respond for a moment, "It's nothing." It felt empty there for a few minutes... I hope F/N and Erebus come back soon.