Kamiro was still amazed that he could use his paralysis spell without an invocation or even having to make contact. But just the increased effectiveness was impressive on its own.
He looked at the creature's status. "Three minutes, huh?" For a monster of this size and strength, that's not bad at all. He regrouped with Earla and Ayu. "Are you guys okay?
The two girls nodded.
"A-Are you..? Earla said.
"Yeah, somehow, I feel great," Kamiro said.
Ayu looked at him from head to toe. "You... don't look great."
Kamiro forced a chuckle. "Well, I'll manage somehow."
"And what's with those strange powers all of a sudden? That would've been helpful before, you know," Ayu said.
"Yeah... but your guess is as good as mine. Still..." Kamiro did what he considered the best way to show his gratitude and made a perfect 90-degree bow. "Thank you, guys."
Earla nodded with a warm smile.
Ayu looked away with a slight blush. "Well, I guess... we owe you one too. I thought I was a goner."
"The main problem is that creature's regenerative ability. We must figure something out," Earla said.
"We still have a few minutes left," Kamiro said. So, any advice?
<Suggested course of action... transcribed.> The voice's suggested instructions became clear in Kamiro's mind.
...Man, you really don't like my friends, huh? I told you, I'm not gonna use them as bait to escape.
<This suggested course of action is optimal for survival. But... understood. Preference has been noted for future suggestions.>
Kamiro sighed. So... what should I call you anyway?
<My command designation is SOPHOS. But feel free to refer to me as you see fit.>
Gotcha. Hmm...? Yep. From now on, you'll be known as Sophie.
<Sophie... Understood.>
Great, now that that's settled. Mind telling me what exactly you are?
To put simply, Sophie was a unique Liber magic ability that helped its user in any way possible. M.A.I - Magic Artificial Intelligence is how Sophie described herself.
"Looks like we're almost out of time," Ayu said while the creature battled to move.
"I will fight with you this time," Earla said while she struggled to wield her sword and shield.
Come on, there has to be something...
Kamiro glared at the cult leader, who laughed and taunted the party. Kamiro's eyes widened when he saw Fleur finally free herself and spring to action. Neither the cult leader nor the few members that remained standing had time to react as Fleur snatched the magic book from Lesorugus.
"You foolish girl! How dare you!"
While the monster regained its movement and Kamiro began to clash with it once again, Fleur threatened to destroy the book, which seemed to be important to the man.
"Invocabo Ignis: Flame." A small fire emerged above Fleur's other palm.
"D-Don't! Don't you dare, you scum."
Even with no energy left, Earla and Ayu tried their best to help Kamiro fight the creature, but no matter how much damage it took, it regenerated.
Fleur looked down below and caught Ayu and Earla's gaze before returning her attention to the cult leader. "This appears to mean the world to you," she said in a sweet voice before it flipped. "That's why I'm going to enjoy watching it burn."
True to her word, she burned the book. It shined a deep purple until the last piece of ash; only the terrible smell of burnt leather remained.
"No! Ha-ha, y-you don't know what you have just done, girl." The man was hysterical.
Earla walked toward the ledge.
"You. Don't think you will have the luxury of death," he said.
Without warning, Fleur jumped. If not for Ayu and Earla catching her and breaking her fall, she wouldn't have been unscathed.
"Are you okay?" Ayu said.
Fleur's eyes watered while she embraced the two girls, and before long, the tears wouldn't stop flowing. "Why... W-Why would you all...? You should have just left me."
Earla patted her head. "Shhh. It's okay."
"There's no way we would've abandoned you. It doesn't matter if we've known you for a few weeks or many years. We would never abandon a friend," Ayu said.
Fleur's sobbing echoed through the whole dungeon. The creature's roar cut in and something crashed against the stone wall next to the girls.
"Kamiro!?"
The dust settled, and pebbles ran down his head. "Hey, Fleur. Glad to see you're doing okay. Thanks to you, it seems like the monster stopped regenerating."
Fleur looked at him, unable to speak.
Kamiro stood back up and stretched his back. "Ouch, that one kinda hurt."
Earla and Ayu's expression was no different from Fleurs'.
"H-How.. are you still standing?" Ayu said.
Kamiro was bloody and beat and had multiple visible fractures. But he still stood, unaware of his physical condition.
<Warning: Health level low... Warning: Two minutes remaining until deactivation due to mana depletion.>
Messages polluted the HUD in his field of view, and Kamiro's own stats came into view.
"Wait, what? It would've been nice for you to have shown me all this beforehand, Sophie."
"Who is he talking to?" Fleur said.
"He is so delusional from his injuries that he is talking to imaginary voices in his head," Earla said.
Well, this explains a lot. Kamiro reviewed his stats.
His health was low, and his magic was dropping and almost gone. Apparently, he still had "Status Up" active; it showed 2X next to it, but it was on a countdown with not much time remaining. One skill that jumped at him was "Pain Reduction." Sophie explained that even though it reduced pain, it did not heal or provide further protection from injuries.
There was a lot Kamiro was curious about. He saw some interesting skills like "Language Comprehension," which kind of explained some things. A few grayed-out areas showed, "????," which Sophie explained hadn't been unlocked. Under "Magic," it showed "Liber," along with some more grayed-out question marks. Under "Spells and Abilities," it showed the current ones Kamiro knew, along with a long list of the grayed-out question marks.
No matter how Kamiro tried to process it, the idea that this power made everything seem like a video game frightened him. Was this world even real? But there was no time to dwell.
The Aberration sent its black flame-like blast, and Kamiro could feel the air sizzle as it approached.
"I-I will put up a barrier," Earla said, but she could no longer stand.
Ayu tried her best to use her ice magic but was unable to either.
"Invocabo Ignis: Fire blast!" Fleur released a blast of fire and tried her best to hold the black-flamed shot back, but she was outmatched. "If only I had my bow... Hurry, Kamiro, get them out the way!"
Kamiro didn't hesitate to move Ayu and Earla, who were completely drained.
Fleur muffled a pained shriek while her flame was pushed back, and her hands began to sear.
"Fleur!" Kamiro zoomed back and tackled her out of the way.
Not even his 2X 'Status Up" speed was enough; his back still managed to get hit.
He grunted. Even with the pain reduction ability, the creature's attacks were brutal when they landed.
Fleur groaned. Her hands smoked and were in no condition for spells. "I-I can still help." She did her best to hold back her tears.
"Thanks, Fleur, but stay back with Ayu and Earla," Kamiro said. "Keep them safe. They wore themselves out protecting me. I gotta do the same."
Fleur hesitated to leave Kamiro alone, but she nodded and went to the two girls.
Up above, one of the black-robbed members rushed in from the back. "Sir, we have reports of some movement in the vicinity of the church entrance."
"Is it them? The cult leader said.
The black-robbed man nodded.
Lesorugus clicked his tongue. "Right when things were getting interesting. Ha-ha, but the goddesses' timing is impeccable." He walked up to the edge and looked down at the party. "As much as I wanted to enjoy those hopeful gazes of you all meeting their end, I am afraid I must get going."
"You bastard." Fleur glared at him.
"Oh? Ha-ha, so much hate. You should be ecstatic, you disgusting half-blood. This will be the last you will see of me. Or anyone for that matter." He snickered.
Fleur's clenched, scorched fist trembled.
"Hmmm." Lesorugus narrowed his eyes while he gave Kamiro one last look. "I must say, I do have this nagging sensation that this may not be the last I see of you, boy. So, try your best to survive. May I suggest using your companions as bait and escaping?"
<Attention. Suggested course of—>
I swear Sophie, if you suggest what I think you're going to...
<...Disregard.>
"You coward!" Ayu said.
Lesorugus chuckled while he walked away with the few blacked-robbed members that remained standing. "Have fun!"
Kamiro had a downcast gaze, his eyes away from view. "Fortunately for you, you're not going anywhere."
The girls' eyes widened when the cult members and their leader halted.
"You'll get to enjoy the view of watching us survive," Kamiro said.
Lesorugus almost screamed his mask off, unable to move. He and the remaining group of cult members had been paralyzed.
<Alert. One-minute remaining until deactivation.>
"Damn, there's no time." Kamiro dashed straight to the creature. "Let's see who'll last the longest!"
The creature roared and collided with Kamiro. They went back and forth and traded blows. The Aberration's impacts were heavy, but Kamiro didn't back off. He slashed and slashed, with everything he had.
<30 seconds remaining.>
With every ticking second, Kamiro's body felt like lead, but he didn't stop moving. He dodged strikes, withstood blows, and slashed until his arms were noodles. The monster's movements slowed, but was it enough?
<...Time limit reached. Good-bye.>
The HUD vanished. Kamiro stood slouched while he panted. The creature groaned softly in front of him; its wounds dripped purple blood, but it still stood.
"K-Kamiro?" Ayu said.
"..." He was frozen in place, but finally his body gave.
Ayu, Fleur, and Earla rushed over.
"Kamiro!" Earla said.
Fleur's eyes widened. "No..."
The sensation of all the damage Kamiro had taken rushed forward. His body trembled on the ground. If he could scream, he would have, but his gaping mouth could not release a sound.
Ayu covered her mouth in seeing the state Kamiro was in. Her eyes dampened.
"Ha-Ha! It seems your luck has run out. ...Shame. I almost expected more out of you," Lesorugus said, still immobile.
The Aberration struggled through its injuries to move. It still had enough for one more attack. It concentrated its remaining energy in its mouth, and black flames spilled through its sharp fangs.
Fleur stood in front of the party and clenched her teeth while she forced a fire blast spell through her scorched hands. It hit the monster square on, it groaned, but it didn't stop preparing its Flamon attack.
Ayu and Earla gave every ounce of strength left to help Fleur, and the three attacked once more. Still, the monster held its ground, just at the edge of defeat. With a massive roar, the Aberration fired its black flame-like blast.
Kamiro watched the final moments of the battle unfold through his fading vision. I... I still wasn't strong enough. I'm sorry.
"..."
"Invocabo Tennebris: Void." A familiar voice rang out from outside the entrance gate.
Just as the Flamon attack was about to impact the party, a blackhole manifestation appeared in front of them and absorbed the blast.
Dark... magic?
"Hiyahh!" A girl's voice echoed from the same direction while the gate shattered.
The girl walked in with a human-length katana in hand. Her long, straight black hair draped over her silver chest-plate armor.
"N-No way. Is that...?" Earla's jaw dropped.
"Wow. An Aberration?" The girl faced the monster from a distance. "It's pretty beat up." She glanced at Kamiro, who struggled to hold his gaze.
With a swipe of her sword, a blue slash tore through the air and everything in its way. Already weakened, the monster had no chance to react. It faded into particles of light, no longer able to maintain its form in a world foreign to it.
Kamiro was relieved that the monster was gone. But it was still slightly painful how easy the girl finished it off. We did most of the work.
Behind the girl walked in a brown-skinned, burly man with a shaved head that wielded a broad ax. Along with a voluptuous woman with light brown hair and a white-bearded old man wearing a robe and wizard hat.
"New Dawn!?" Ayu said.
Kamiro had heard that name before, but he fought to stay conscious. He didn't want to pass out until he knew for sure that everyone was safe. When he saw a familiar blonde-headed boy behind the new group, his mind was put slightly at ease.