Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday

Her form was a blur of silver and shadow as Grace soared through the sky, ready to make her next attack.

Nightpiercer danced in her hands as she spun and slashed it with precise arcs, sending strong energy waves that hit the giant beast and stopped it from attacking.

Tendrils of shadow flared from her armor, rippling outward with every twist of her body as she evaded a flurry of stone spikes hurled by the monstrous Class 12 beast.

Below her, the ruined city was caught in the throes of devastation. Several structures were smashed, causing debris to fall all over the streets. Fire, ice, stones, shadow, and air elemental powers were heavy in the air as both the warriors and the Shadow Beasts were using them.

And probably the deadliest of all was the dragon. After getting permission from Grace to join the battle, it had taken down hundreds of infected and dozens of beasts already. No one on the battlefield was enough to be its opponent, neither individually, nor collectively.

And its Master was no different.

Grace effortlessly weaved around the Class 12 Shadow Beast's assault, dodging its tail swipes, countering its elemental barrages, and keeping its attention fixed on her.

When it failed despite constant attacks, it let out an ear-piercing scream of frustration.

Being a Class 12 beast didn't mean Grace couldn't kill it easily, but what really made it unpredictable was its twin-elemental nature. One moment, it was hurling spires of jagged stone across the battlefield, and the next, it was summoning monstrous tidal waves infused with corrupted energy.

But then, it suddenly reared back and emitted a bellow that shook the foundations of the city. Then, with another roar that echoed like thunder through the shattered ruins, it slammed its massive limbs into the ground.

The impact was catastrophic.

A deep tremor surged outward from the beast's position, growing stronger as it rippled through the ground. Grace's eyes widened just a fraction before the quake hit.

Buildings that were merely hanging by threads collapsed entirely, sending clouds of concrete and ash into the air. A section of the cliff where she had stood earlier crumbled and fell into the churning sea.

From beneath her, a jagged spike of stone erupted like a dagger. It happened so suddenly that she failed to completely evade it, causing the sharp point to pierce through her armor and then her right shoulder.

[Master.]

[Master!]

Both the dragon and 2025 screamed through their shared mindlinks, their voices filled with worry.

"I'm alright." Grace replied through the pain right before she tore herself free of the spike mid-flight with a guttural cry.

Pain flared white-hot through her shoulder, but she didn't slow. Her armor absorbed the worst of the impact, but the wound was deep but already healing.

She gritted her teeth, tucked into a spin, and used the momentum to vault herself high above the beast. Nightpiercer ignited with her fury, glowing from base to blade-tip in pulsing purple and gold light. She raised it overhead, both hands gripping the hilt.

With a roar of her own, she dove.

The wind howled around her as she descended, body angled like a spear. And then... she struck.

Shd slammed Nightpiercer into the beast's chest with explosive force, driving deep into its body, into what could only be guessed as its heart. There was a moment of silence, of stillness, as the weapon lodged deep into corrupted flesh.

Then the beast screamed.

A shriek of pure agony ripped from its throat, reverberating through the skies like the cry of a dying god. Its body convulsed, and black energy - raw, chaotic, and unrestrained - burst outward from the wound like a flood.

But Grace was already moving.

She summoned her shadow and fire elemental power. The former surged up from the beast's skin, coiling and twisting around the explosion and absorbing the corruption before it could spread to the others. While the latter invaded the beast's body, burning it from inside out.

The creature's shrieks turned into choked gargles as its chest began to collapse inward.

Its massive limbs flailed for a moment in one final, desperate attempt to throw her off, but she was clinging tightly to Nightpiercer, her eyes burning with purpose. The corrupted magic surged around her, trying to resist, trying to poison her as well. But she suppressed it.

"You are done," she whispered in a low and lethal voice, and with a sharp twist of her wrists, she turned Nightpiercer within the beast's chest, splitting its heart in two.

The reaction was instant.

The core shattered in a detonation of dark energy and sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. A violent roar echoed across the city as the Class 12 Shadow Beast thrashed once, twice, and then finally went still.

Its monstrous body crumbled, collapsing under its own weight and crashing into the ruins below with earth-shattering force. The ground trembled. A final plume of black mist rose from its remains, only to be devoured by the swirling vortex of Grace's shadow magic, locking it away where it could no longer corrupt.

And then, silence took over as the beast's hold over the other creatures broke and they all were left stunned for a few moments.

But then the battle resume as they tried to fight their way out of the trap Grace's warriors had set up to kill them all.

[It's dead.]

[You've killed it, Master.]

2025 echoed in a calm tone, but the pride in its voice was unmistakable.

[The Class 12 Shadow Beast has been neutralized. Residual corruption levels dropping rapidly.]

System notified her seconds later as she pulled her blade free with a grunt, then turned her gaze toward the horizon.

Another battle was almost over with their victory. But the real war, the one against apocalypse? It was still far from over.

She leapt from the beast's carcass and landed beside the dragon thar just finished off the last of the Monster Beasts.

It looked at her, eyes filled with admiration and something deeper. "You are not just power, Master," it said softly through their shared mindlink. "You are retribution."

Grace met its gaze. "And retribution has only just begun."