The instant the Thirsting Maw's split, massive flesh petals completely engulfed Greg—
Vivian's ice-blue pupils contracted to their absolute limit.
Time seemed to freeze in that moment.
All sound in the world seemed to fade away.
Nothing remained in her ears except the wild, drum-like thrumming of her heart and the sharp ringing of blood rushing to her head.
"..."
In the depths of her ice-blue eyes, the final spark of human reason and warmth snuffed out like a candle in the wind.
In its place was an utterly hollow coldness, and beneath that frost, a violent, soul-freezing killing intent surged forth.
"Give him..."
The girl's lips parted slightly, but the words she uttered had lost all of their original cool restraint, leaving only a mechanical, sinister frost as if ancient black ice were grinding together.
"...back to me."
The moment the last syllable fell—
"BOOM—!!!"
Centered on Vivian, a bitterly cold ice-blue frost erupted outward like an exploding volcano!
The ground beneath her feet was instantly covered in a thick layer of ice, spreading around her at a staggering speed!
Water molecules in the air froze, forming countless tiny ice crystals that fluttered wildly around her!
She didn't hesitate; she didn't even consider tactics or defense.
A single, pure thought filled her mind—tear it apart, rescue Greg, or perish together!
Her petite figure, like an ice-blue arrow shot from a bow, dragged behind her a sky full of ice crystals and a bone-chilling cold current, resolutely charging toward the Thirsting Maw, which had just finished devouring its prey, seemed to still be savoring it, and had grown even larger and more hideous!
Mana surged and unleashed at an unprecedented speed!
Dozens of Ice Crystal Spears strong enough to pierce steel plates instantly condensed around her, shooting out all at once toward the monster's core along with her charge like a loyal guard!
At the same time, her hands reached out in a virtual grip, and a two-handed ice sword composed entirely of extreme deep-blue ice took shape in her hands. Wherever the blade pointed, the air crackled as it froze!
She was going to slice open that disgusting flesh and save the person inside!
However—
Facing this full-power blow filled with rage, the Thirsting Maw, which had just swallowed Greg, merely raised its massive, split head—resembling a flower from hell—in a casual manner.
"ROAR—!!!!"
Wherever the sound wave passed, the air visibly distorted into water-like ripples!
The Ice Crystal Spears that Vivian had summoned with all her strength—powerful enough to instantly kill any elite monster from before—the moment they touched the distorted sound waves, was like glass crashing into an invisible iron wall; without leaving even a scratch, they silently and completely shattered into the finest powder of ice crystals!
And the massive ice sword in her hands shook violently under the impact of the sound wave, its surface instantly covered in cracks!
Immediately after, the Thirsting Maw's disproportionately thick arm swiped casually with crushing force, like swatting a fly!
"BANG—!!!"
A dull impact resounded.
The ice sword shattered completely.
The thick layer of ice shield on Vivian's body crumbled instantly like paper.
Her petite body, as if struck head-on by a full-speed carriage, was sent flying backward at a speed even faster than when she had charged!
"Cough—!"
Blood mixed with fine ice crystals spurted from her mouth, tracing a tragic, beautiful arc in the dim light.
Her back slammed heavily into the solid wall in the distance, producing a heart-wrenching thud.
Web-like cracks instantly spread across the surface of the wall.
She slid down along the wall, kneeling on one knee, barely supporting her body with the broken ice sword to keep from collapsing completely.
Her ice-blue eyes grew dim, her face was pale as paper, and every breath dragged at her internal organs with a burning pain—she had clearly suffered severe internal injuries.
"Is it really... impossible after all...?"
Watching the twisted monster approach her step by heavy step, feeling the nearly drained mana within her body and her agonizing frame, a deep sense of powerlessness and despair engulfed Vivian's heart like cold lake water.
"Greg... I'm sorry..."
She closed her eyes, preparing to welcome the final end.
However—
Right when the massive shadow of the Thirsting Maw was about to cover her—
"Ugh—AAAAAHHH—!!!"
A painful roar suddenly erupted from inside the Thirsting Maw!
Having walked to within a few meters of Vivian and about to deal the fatal blow, the Thirsting Maw's huge body suddenly twitched violently in agony!
It used its flesh petals lined with sharp teeth to frantically tear at its own torso, as if something terrifying was breaking out from inside!
Dark red viscous bodily fluids and shredded internal organs splattered everywhere with its frantic movements!
Immediately after—
"RIP—!!!"
An arm—an arm covered in sinister black armor flowing with thick, ominous shadow—thrust fiercely outward from the inside of the Thirsting Maw's closed flesh throat like the sharpest blade!
"ROAR—!!!"
The Thirsting Maw let out an even more agonizing shriek, desperately trying to contract its flesh petals to crush the arm.
But the arm covered in black armor exploded with terrifying power, its five fingers digging deep into the fleshy wall, and then—
"Open up—"
A deep, familiar male voice echoed dully from within the monster.
"—for me!!!"
"TEAR—!!!"
Accompanied by the loud sound of flesh being forcefully ripped apart, the arm covered in black armor, together with its owner, bearing an overbearing aura, forcefully pried open a massive tear from deep inside the Thirsting Maw's giant flesh-flower head, and leaped out!
"BANG!"
The figure landed, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
Greg stood there.
He was still alive.
Not just alive.
His body was covered in a set of black armor far more complete and pressuring than before—【Dark Abyss Armament LV3】!
The armor covered both arms up to the shoulders and elbows, both legs above the knees, and key areas like his chest and spine; while not full plate armor, it appeared even sharper and more deadly.
The pitch-black armor plates fit tightly against his sleek, explosive muscle lines like living scales, while the joint designs balanced flexibility and protection, with clean, mysterious dark patterns carved into the pauldrons and chestplate.
Most eye-catching of all was the dark energy flowing continuously across the armor's surface like liquid shadow; it seemed to possess a life of its own, sometimes diffusing like mist, sometimes gathering like flowing water, emanating a deep, mysterious, and extremely ominous aura of power.
At this moment, he was like a shadow god of war returning from the deepest depths of the abyss, radiating a terrifying presence!
He raised a hand, casually wiping away some dark red slime from his face, then turned around to look at Vivian, who was kneeling on one knee and staring at him blankly with disbelief, a familiar smile gracing his face:
"Sorry, looks like I made you worry."
"..."
Vivian's ice-blue eyes stared at him without blinking once.
Watching him stand in front of her completely unhurt, looking at that pitch-black armor on his body emanating powerful, mysterious energy.
The heartstring that had been stretched to its absolute breaking point snapped loose the instant she confirmed he was safe and sound.
Following immediately after was the exhaustion of surviving a disaster, along with a complex surge of emotions blending lingering fear, joy, and... a faint trace of aggrieved hurt.
"So..."
Her lips moved silently, a complex light flickering in her ice-blue eyes as they reflected his pitch-black back:
...you're already this strong now.
Rate on N.U.
