Nova and Adam tore across the Beastaria dungeon's vast meadow, their boots pounding the vibrant grass, dodging a storm of claws and blades from goblins and D-rank drakes. Their breaths scraped raw, muscles screaming, energy drained to a flicker, the valley's wildflowers blurring past.
Adam's glasses fogged, tears streaking his cheeks, his F-rank body buckling as he tripped, crashing to the ground with a thud. Nova skidded back, his blood-soaked jacket torn, his pillarless golden circles burning, to haul Adam up, but a green goblin closed in, its crude blade flashing, cackling with malice.
The goblin leaped, using gravity for a savage strike, its yellow eyes glinting, blade arcing toward Nova's chest. Time slowed, the air thick with the musk of blood and earth, the checkpoint's fallen flag a distant smear of crimson.
Nova froze, his mind racing but body locked, unable to shield Adam and himself, confusion clawing at him: how had E-rank and D-rank monsters breached the F-rank zone's invisible shield? He crossed his arms in a desperate X, sneering as the blade sliced his forearm, blood spurting, the steel grazing bone but not severing it.
The goblin yanked its blade free, blood dripping, and thrust again, aiming for Nova's solar plexus. Nova twisted at the last second, the strike grazing his side, but the goblin, grinning, drew a second blade with its left hand, slashing at his ribs.
The steel pierced flesh, crunching bone, blood gushing in a hot flood. Nova coughed, a splatter of crimson hitting the grass, then another, thicker, as the goblin withdrew its blade, leaving a jagged wound. Fuck me, he thought, staggering, blood pooling in his mouth.
The assistant swore nothing past the checkpoint could get through. How's this happening?
Heavy footsteps rumbled, shaking the ground, and a massive red goblin loomed, ten feet tall, its belly bloated but muscles carved like stone, skin gleaming with sweat. It grabbed the green goblin's head, crushing it with a wet pop, brains oozing between its fingers, then devoured the corpse in two bites, blood smearing its jagged teeth. Nova swayed, clutching his ribs, blood seeping through his fingers, the pain a searing pulse, his vision blurring as he fought to stay upright.
The red goblin's black eyes flicked to Nova, dismissing him, then locked on Adam, who lay frozen on the grass, his face a mask of horror, eyes wide behind cracked glasses, body rigid as stone. The beast's lips curled into a sinister grin, and it lunged, seizing Adam by the throat, hoisting him skyward. Adam's face reddened, veins bulging, his breaths choked gasps, his F-rank pillar dimming as he faded, limbs dangling like a broken doll.
"Freya?" Nova rasped, his voice weak, blood bubbling on his lips, calling to the Goddess of Creation through their bond. Silence answered. "Freya, you there?" he tried again, desperation clawing his chest, but no divine voice replied, High Heaven's warmth absent. A sharp pain exploded from his rib wound, his body locking, knees buckling as he sank to the grass, his head refusing to turn toward the goblin.
From the corner of his eye, Nova glimpsed the goblin's blade, coated in a sticky purple sheen. Realization hit like a punch. That bastard poisoned me, he thought, panic surging, his limbs growing heavy, vision dimming. What can I do? His mind spun, blood dripping, the red goblin's grin a looming shadow, Adam's choked gasps fading, time running dry.
Nova knelt in the blood-soaked grass, his ribs a throbbing mess, blood oozing from the goblin's blade wound, the purple poison searing his veins. Adam dangled in the red goblin's grip, his face purple, glasses askew, choking gasps fading.
Nova's golden circles burned, pillarless but restless, his body failing. No choice left, he thought, a smirk twisting his bloodied lips. Gotta tap a sliver of my divinity, even if I swore I wouldn't.
Before he could reach for his High Heaven chamber, a cold, venomous voice slithered into his mind, sharp as a blade. "No need for divine power, God of Destruction, over such a trivial scrap," it hissed, dripping with malice. Nova's eyes widened, his pulse spiking, the intrusion a violation no god, not even Apollo, could pull off without consent.
"Who the hell are you?" he snapped, his voice raw, spitting blood. "How'd you worm into my head? Nobody in this Universe can breach my mind. Show yourself!"
The voice laughed, a grating cackle that twisted into a sinister purr. "I didn't breach what I'm part of," it said, smug. "I'm your ability, mortal God, here to drag you through this bloody journey."
Nova's laugh erupted, a wild, unhinged roar that echoed across the meadow, startling the voice into silence. "Got you, Elesch," he said, his crimson eyes glinting, his grin feral. "I was fucking with you, waiting for you to crawl out. Didn't think you'd sink to being my ability, but damn, it's good to have you."
Elesch stuttered, her confidence cracking. "How… how did you know?" she asked, laughing, a manic edge to its tone.
Nova's smirk sharpened, blood dripping down his chin. "You think I don't know my own soul?" he said, his voice low, dangerous. "Hurry up and bond as my ability, or I'll rip you apart again, like last time. You recall that beatdown, don't you?"
Elesch's tone soured, venom lacing her words. "Clear as yesterday," she spat, grudging respect in its hiss.
Power surged, Elesch's essence fusing with Nova's, a rush of dark energy that burned away the poison's grip, though the rib wound pulsed, blood still seeping. He rose, unsteady but furious, his golden circles flaring, a single obsidian pillar snapping into place, its bridge stark. Twin daggers materialized in his hands, their black blades etched with crimson runes, humming with destructive intent.
The red goblin, ten feet of muscled bulk, froze, its black eyes wide, stunned that Nova stood. Adam hung limp in its grasp, neck bruised, his F-rank pillar dim. The goblin's grip slackened, dropping Adam to the grass with a thud, his body coughing, barely conscious.
It turned, its massive belly quivering, muscles rippling, jagged teeth bared in a snarl, sizing up Nova's bloodied form. The valley's air thickened, the invisible shield's flicker a faint hum, the breached checkpoint a wound in the dungeon's heart.
Nova lunged, his weakened body screaming, blood dripping from his ribs, daggers gleaming in the amber light. The red goblin roared, its claws flexing, charging to meet him, the ground shaking under its weight. Their collision loomed, a heartbeat away, Nova's blades aimed for the goblin's throat, the beast's fist swinging like a hammer, the air crackling with their fury.