Lucy knelt among warm pools of blood, panting. His muscles trembled like jelly, and each breath sounded like crumpled paper. In front of him, the creature recoiled for a moment, its tentacles hanging like wounded snakes.
Some villagers screamed, others simply fled. But amid all the chaos, something caught Lucy's attention.
There, on the gore-stained ground, his hand touched something. Hard, long, thick… with a splintered tip. It was a bone —but it was better than nothing.
Trembling, he lifted it.
It was cold, solid, almost comforting. Leaning on it, Lucy managed to stand.
Breathing hurt, but there was no time. Then he heard something else: sobs, small and broken. Children. And a choked voice, feminine. Lya.
The monster, wounded and furious, charged toward the most vulnerable like a plague desperate for revenge.
A buzzing filled the air. Boro, the armless boy, appeared out of nowhere. His floating knives danced like death comets, slicing tentacles with inhuman precision.
"Lucy! Get out of the way!"
Lucy barely turned his head. Boro rushed in, his blades forming a whirlwind of edge and fury. The creature shrieked, parts of its body falling to the ground like deformed flesh. But then, from its center, a grotesque tentacle burst out with bestial speed and struck Boro directly. The boy was thrown like a ragdoll against a wall, his blades vanishing in the air.
"No..." Lucy whispered, barely conscious.
The distraction was enough.
His senses sharpened. He heard the hiss of tentacles slicing through the air, the crunch of shifting flesh, the panicked footsteps of children fleeing in every direction. He smelled blood, entrails, the fear thick in the air.
He planted his feet.
All his mana — what little he had left — he poured into the hand holding the bone. He felt the object vibrate, a current running from his hand to the bone.
Then, as if his instincts whispered the perfect angle, the perfect moment...
He threw the bone like a javelin.
It flew like a bolt of pure hatred and fierce precision, straight into the creature's heart. A moment later, a scream exploded. The husk froze, convulsing in violent spasms that flung viscera in all directions. Tentacles rose as if trying to rip themselves apart.
Then a voice rang out — robotic, all too cheerful, as if mocking your miserable existence:
[Congratulations, user: you've activated the Minor Judgment Core. Unique ability acquired: "Late Instinct." Evaluation in progress...]
Lucy stood frozen. Barely breathing. Swaying.
"Instinct... what?" he murmured.
[Passive ability unlocked: Ashes of Resistance . User status: critically stable. Performance evaluation: pathetic, but functional.]
"How delightful, Your Digital Highness... That really helps a lot.
[Suggestion: remain alive. Next goal: survive without causing further chaos.]
But there was no time to celebrate.
The creature, maddened and dying, began to fold in on itself. Its core pulsed with a sickly light. The ground vibrated. In a final spasm, the heart of the husk exploded... and started sucking everything in.
Air, rocks, corpses. And Lucy, the children, and Lya — clutching her mother's lifeless body.
...
A moment earlier, while Lucy fought the creature, Lya could barely move. She was on her knees, holding her mother's cold body. Her legs were cut, and her dress stained red.
"Mom... please... wake up..." she whispered through tears.
The children behind her cried in silence, too scared to speak. Lya offered a fragile shield with her body, as if she could protect them from the horror.
"Everything... everything will be fine. Lucy will come... he... he'll come..." she said, though she didn't believe it herself.
Mira opened her eyes for a moment. Her lips moved without sound. Lya leaned closer, pressing her forehead to hers.
"I'm here, Mom... don't go..."
Mira gave a final breath.
Lya's heart shattered into a thousand pieces. She didn't scream. She just let the tears fall. She felt the world crumble around her. The warmth vanished. So did the light.
And then she felt herself being dragged. The air was ripped away violently.
The children screamed. Lya hugged her mother one last time, until the suction of the void tore them apart.
Everything vanished.
Leaving behind a suffocating silence.
Then, a point of light.
There, where the monster had disintegrated, only a small sphere remained. It glowed faintly, suspended in the air. It was Lucy's damn guide.And around it, only ruins.
...
Lucy floated in nothingness. Or so he thought. His body was immobile, but his mind remained active. In the distance, he heard murmurs, distorted echoes.
He couldn't move. He couldn't feel mana. But he felt warmth in his chest, like a spark keeping him tethered to life.
[Transfer process complete. System reboot in 3... 2... 1...]
The blindfold no longer covered his eyes. It hung loosely from his neck.
"Again...?" he whispered.
[Transfer complete. Brace yourself, Lucy: human stupidity knows no borders.]