Location: Echohold-09 (Outside Area)

  Time of Day: Morning

  The wind stirred. And the battle was about to begin...

  Hikari stepped forward, step... step... step... a faint bloom of light forming beneath her foot with each step. She grabbed her black tie, pulled it free, and let it fall to the dry ground. Her brows narrowed, eyes sharp. "Ready...?" Her tone was calm and steady.

  Mimiris slammed its hulk arm into the earth, once, twice, cracks ripping across the surface like It was answering her. Then it didn't wait any longer. THK-THK-THK-THK! It lunged forward on its four insect-like, hooked legs, each step stabbing deep into the fractured ground as it charged straight at her.

  THUM! THUM! THUM! Its massive hulk arm pounded the ground as it moved, like a gorilla dragging itself forward with brute force. Then it closed in on Hikari and swung. The fist was so large it could've swallowed her whole. THOOM!

  Hikari reacted instantly. She brought Vitanova up just in time, catching the full weight of the blow. CLANG! The impact blasted her backward, her boots digging trenches across the ground as she skidded. Her pale pink aura flared around her, keeping her steady.

  Mimiris's cracked deer skull lowered toward her, its purple-glowing eyes burning down at Hikari as thick vapor poured from its maw. Then the barrage began. THUD! THOOM! CRASH! It swung its hulk arm again and again, each slam aimed toward her.

  FWIP! FWOOM! Hikari slipped between the strikes, light blooms flaring beneath every step she took. The earth split open from every miss, cracks ripping across the dry surface. Then Mimiris lashed out with its dragon arm. The head snapped toward her SNAP! Jaws clamped shut inches from her face, her pink-blue hair whipping back from the force.

  KRAK! Then it swung with its hulk arm right after. Its stinger-like claw tore open the ground as another heavy strike came crashing down from above. This time, Hikari braced and caught the blow with the flat of Vitanova, her boots grinding into the earth as the armor plates on Mimiris's hulk arm vibrated from the impact.

  Hikari's pink eyes narrowed, glowing bright. "My turn..." Her aura surged, petal-shaped light spiraling upward around her. "Bloom Form..." FWISH! Her blade ignited in radiant pink light. "Fragrant Vitastrike." She stepped in and struck clean across Mimiris's massive left arm in a wide arc, carving from the stinger-like nails up toward the armored elbow.

  SHRRRK! Her weapon broke through armor none of their regular weapons ever could. Black plates split apart along Mimiris's hulk arm, cracked open by the slash. A long wound spread across the limb, revealing pulsing purple muscle beneath, streaked with black veins.

  ReReEeAaAgHhH! Mimiris stumbled back with a distorted roar, then looked down at its wounded arm. A soft hiss escaped from the long cut. Pink smoke seeped out, curling upward. The veins along the exposed muscle shifted from dark to pink, as the toxin spread through the limb. This wasn't just a slash. Her strike carried a poison that infected whatever it cut.

  Mimiris jerked its arm, trying to shake the toxin off. The pink smoke settled, but the pink veins remained, tracing through its body and slowly intoxicating it.

  Hikari took her stance, her brows narrowing as she angled her blade toward it. "That won't work..."

  Then Mimiris just simply ignored the spreading poison and continued its rampage. Its deer skull lifted, purple vapor rolling out. ROAGHH! Its dragon arm let out a loud roar of its own, its purple glowing eyes locking onto Hikari.

  In the next instant, Mimiris lunged. KRRSH-THK-THK! Its insect legs stabbed into the ground as it charged, dragging its massive frame forward. The dragon's jaw opened wide and a surge of purple-black fire built deep in its throat. FWOOM! The flames roared straight toward her.

  Hikari didn't flinch. She took her stance with her blade, her voice steady. "Bloom Form..." Her pink eyes glowed, sharpening with focus. "Blossom Aegis."

  A swirl of cherry-blossom petals erupted around her - dozens, then hundreds - orbiting her entire body in a protective vortex. Each petal glowed with soft pink light, overlapping into a full barrier that wrapped around her.

  FWISH! FWISH! FWISH! The purple-black flames collided with her cherry-blossom petal shield. TSSSS! Petals burned away on impact, turning into drifting gray ash. The swirling layer vanished, but Hikari was untouched. And in the instant the petals burned away, she was already on the move.

  A burst of pale pink light flared beneath her feet as she launched upward. She soared high, light-pink petals trailing behind her. Her pink-blue hair swayed in the air as her green vines tightened along her arms and legs. She descended toward the dragon head, Vitanova's point aimed straight at it. SHING! Her blade pierced clean through one of the glowing purple eyes.

  The black armor beneath the eye cracked apart as the dragon head thrashed wildly, shaking in pain. RRAAAAAH! It tried to fling her off, jerking left and right, its whiskers slicing the air with every violent movement. Hikari held on firmly, Vitanova still pierced deep into its glowing eye. Mimiris shifted with the thrashing, its wounded hulk arm rising next as it reached to grab her.

  Hikari reacted the instant it reached for her. She kicked off the twisting dragon head, her blade tearing free from its eye as she flipped backward through the air. While airborne, her vines shot outward toward Mimiris, FWOOP! wrapping tight around the armor plates of its hulk arm.

  Hikari's voice came soft but firm. "Got you..."

  The vines coiled around her arms tightened, and she yanked herself forward in a straight, fast line toward the limb. She launched herself like a slingshot. WHIP! Her body shot straight down toward Mimiris's arm.

  THUD! Her dive kick smashed into the arm's joints, staggering the massive limb and cracking the dry ground beneath it. Pieces of rock shot upward as Mimiris's body was driven toward its own hulk arm from the force of Hikari's impact.

  She didn't give it a second to recover. Vines spiraled up her arm, tightening around her fist. She clenched it and slammed her punch straight into its deer skull face while Mimiris was still off balance.

  THOOM! The impact sent its massive head snapping upward, the entire four-and-a-half-meter body lifting off the ground and into the air. Before it could fall, Hikari threw one hand forward. Her vines lashed out toward it midair, wrapping around its wounded hulk arm, their pink thorns piercing into its purple muscle. She then yanked hard with that single hand. FWIP!

  Mimiris was pulled toward her in midair. And the moment it reached her, Hikari met it with another punch, slamming straight into the center of its cracked skull.

  CRACK! Fragments of its deer skull broke loose, sending the creature flying back again. She didn’t stop there. Still airborne, the vines coiled tighter around her arms and legs. She pulled once more, dragging Mimiris straight toward her and delivered another punch. THUD!

  A deeper crack spread across half of its skull, but it still didn’t shatter, instead sending it back into the air again. Hikari’s aura intensified, surging around her as the vines tightened in response.

  She focused her aura around her legs, then leapt with full force straight into the air, her vines still locked around its arm as it was hauled upward toward her. Both were now airborne. She then hurled Vitanova toward its dragon arm, vines curled tightly around the hilt.

  The blade spun SHING! and pierced straight into the dragon head. RRAAAAAH! It let out a loud roar. Hikari grabbed both sets of vines - those wrapped around Mimiris’s hulk arm and the ones threaded through Vitanova - tightening her grip. She twisted her body in midair, and then swung its massive body downward with full force.

  KRAAASH! She slammed Mimiris into the dry ground with brutal force. Rocks exploded upward in a wave, and the earth split beneath its massive body. Hikari landed safely in a soft bloom of light. Her extended vines recoiled, curling back around her arms and legs, and Vitanova returned to her grasp. She didn’t give Mimiris a chance to recover.

  She extended her arm toward the fallen creature, her voice calm and focused. “Bloom Form…” Her eyes lit up bright pink. “Corsaflora Seeds.”

  Soft pink seeds formed in front of her palms - three, then five, then a dozen - spinning in a tight circle before shooting outward. FWIP-FWIP-FWIP! They stuck to Mimiris’s dark armored body, embedding themselves along its dragon arm, its wounded hulk arm, the swollen insect abdomen, and its hooked insect legs.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Instantly, glowing pink roses bloomed, alive and beautiful. Then the blossoms began to swell. Hikari’s eyes sharpened. BOOM! The explosion tore across the monster’s entire armored body, fragments blasting outward and clattering onto the cracked ground. And from each blossom burst a spray of razor-thin pink thorns.

  SHNKT! SHNKT! SHNKT! The thorns scattered across the area - some stabbing into the ground, others driving straight through Mimiris’s cracked armor, piercing deep into the underlying muscle. ReReEeAaAgHhH! It let out a distorted roar from its cracked deer skull, its body jerking violently against the ground. After a few seconds, the thrashing stopped. Paralysis had set in from the thorns’ doing.

  Hikari narrowed her eyes, watching Mimiris’s body lie still. Then ReReEeAaAgHhH! Another distorted roar tore out of its split deer skull. Purple-black aura began to erupt around its entire body, unstable and violent. The air shifted around it, the weight of its anger hitting her like a pressure wave.

  Hikari felt it, Mimiris's rage and strength climbing higher.

  Mimiris pushed itself upright with its hulk arm, its insect legs stabbing into the ground one by one. Its dragon head let out a loud roar as the purple-black aura around its body flared violently, breaking through the paralysis. Even the pink veins running through its hulk-arm muscle - left by the earlier poison - darkened, turning black once more.

  Hikari let out a soft, unimpressed breath. "Hmph."

  Mimiris rose fully upright, towering over her. Its hulk arm extended forward, the massive stinger-like claws twitching, then firing. SHNK! SHNK! SHNK! The claws shot through the air like bullets, new ones regrowing instantly to replace them and firing again.

  Hikari stepped forward and took a defensive stance, Vitanova already glowing. CLANG! FWISH! CLANG! She dodged and parried each projectile with clean, precise movements. As more claws came her way, she leapt sideways, the stinger shots whipping past her and rolling through the air. A bloom of light formed under her feet every time she shifted, her vines tightening along her arms. She exhaled once as the final claw ricocheted away.

  But Mimiris wasn’t done. The instant she deflected the last one, the dragon head shot toward her in a blur, teeth snapping open.

  Hikari’s eyes widened, exhaling sharp. “…!”

  It clamped down on her arm. CRUNCH! Pain shot through her arm, ripping a sharp GAH! out of her. Hikari gritted her teeth, struggling to pull herself free as the dragon head bit down harder, dragging her closer across the field. Its purple eyes burned into her with vicious intent.

  She reacted instantly. “Bloom Form…” Her eyes flared bright pink. “PetalVine Rapture!”

  The vines curled around her arms and legs shot forward, slithering from her body and into the dragon head’s mouth, plunging deep into its throat. Then, the pink thorns from the vines exploded outward, growing nearly fifteen times their size in an instant. SHRRRAKKK!

  The dragon arm jerked violently as the thorns ruptured through its armored body, splitting it from the inside. Pink petals blasted outward from every crack. FWOOOSH! The dragon head shrieked and released her arm immediately, recoiling back toward Mimiris as blood dripped from Hikari’s arm.

  The shower of petals released from the cracks drifted around her, curling toward her wound. They glowed softly as they pressed against her skin, dissolving into gentle light. Her arm healed. Hikari flexed her fingers once, her aura steadying as she lifted her blade again, ready to continue.

  Purple blood spilled from the fresh holes torn through Mimiris’s dragon arm. It shook uncontrollably. But then FWOOOM… Mimiris flared its purple-black aura again. The entire dragon arm tensed… settled… and then stopped twisting entirely. As if the wounds and pain meant nothing for it.

  Hikari narrowed her eyes at Mimiris’s aura, her voice calm and firm. “That aura… it’s stabilizing him somehow."

  Far behind her, the others watched from the sidelines, seated on the ground with their eyes fixed on the fight.

  Slayer crossed his arms, his voice lowered. "Man... she's on a whole different level right now..." He leaned forward slightly. “She’s fighting like she’s done this her whole life.”

  Captain’s brows narrowed, eyes never leaving the battlefield. “…She’s definitely different,” he muttered. “It’s like her whole personality shifted. What happened to her while we were out cold…?”

  Lumina’s gaze stayed calm, but sharply focused. “That form… is it really Neo-Emanation?"

  Captain glanced toward her. "What do you mean?"

  Lumina folded her arms, eyes tracing Hikari’s aura and posture. "Well, something about it feels slightly different. When I enter Elegant Form, my entire appearance changes. It’s a full transformation." Her eyes narrowed slightly. “But look at her.”

  Captain followed her gaze. Hikari’s hair glowed pink-to-blue, vines wrapped around her limbs, her coat darkened… yet everything else about her remained undeniably the same.

  Lumina spoke softly, but firm. “Her appearance isn’t a full transformation. Her coat changed color, yes… but everything else stayed the same.”

  Slayer nodded slowly. "Yeah... and those weapons of hers? That blade and those vines weren't something she had before."

  Lumina nodded once, firmly. "Exactly. Its like only half of her Neo-Emanation awakened. And the way she calls her form name before using an ability makes it even more convincing that it is."

  Slayer tilted his head. “Oh, that ‘Bloom Form’ thing she keeps saying?”

  “Yes,” Lumina replied. “I’m intrigued on this new form of hers... especially since I've never heard of anyone only using half of their Neo-Emanation before.”

  Captain narrowed his eyes. "So you're saying this is... something new entirely."

  Lumina exhaled softly. “Perhaps it could be. But I can’t say for certain just yet, since I’m only going off on what I’m seeing so far.”

  Slayer dropped his voice to a whisper, eyes on Hikari. “...She really is something, huh.”

  Lumina’s eyes focused on Hikari. “For now, let’s keep observing. I want to see what else this new form of hers can do against that Echo.”

  Hikari steadied her breath as the translucent petals drifted around her. Then... BADUMP! Her chest tightened. She winced, a hand instinctively pressing over her heart. Her aura dimmed for a moment before slowly stabilizing again. Her hair flickered black for a split second, then shifted back to pink-to-blue, wavering like a flame struggling to stay lit. She glanced toward the pink pale aura circling her body.

  Her voice was quiet. “…My form… it’s starting to fade." She lowered her hand and shifted into a battle-ready stance. “I need to finish this quickly…”

  ReReEeAaAgHhH! Mimiris let out a distorted roar, purple-black vapor rolling from its cracked deer skull mouth. Its insect legs clawed into the dry ground, anchoring it. The hulking arm and dragon arm still hung wounded, its purple-black aura flaring unsteadily around it.

  Hikari’s aura flared in response, her eyes narrowing. "Let's try this again..."

  Mimiris lunged at her THK-THK-THK-THK! Its insect legs hooked into the ground as its massive hulk arm slammed down, launching its body forward.

  Hikari sprinted straight toward it. Even from a distance, Mimiris struck first - the dragon arm shooting out and snapping at her SNAP! She dodged left, the fangs barely missing. It snapped again SNAP! She ducked under the strike, her hair brushing the edge of its bite.

  Mimiris extended its hulk arm next, stinger-like claws shooting toward her in a volley. SHNK! SHNK! SHNK! Hikari dodged right, then parried the rest of the incoming barrage as she kept advancing. They closed the distance, and the moment they met in the center, Mimiris attacked first. With a wide swing, its curved stinger tail lashed forward, aiming straight for her chest.

  Hikari reacted instantly. “Bloom Form…” Her eyes glowed bright pink. “Blossom Aegis!”

  Cherry-blossom petals erupted around her, forming a tight barrier. SHNK! The stinger slammed into the shield - petals bursting outward, dissolving into light as they absorbed the hit. Mimiris followed up immediately. Its hulk-arm claws crashed down at her, rapid and heavy THUD! THUD! THUD! Hikari met every strike head-on, parrying each one with Vitanova, precise and controlled.

  Then Mimiris leapt over Hikari. While soaring above her, its dragon arm reared back and FWOOM! Purple-black fire blasted down from its mouth.

  Hikari’s eyes widened, then she reacted instantly. Her vines curled tightly around her body, the ends snapping outward in a spiral. They anchored deep into the ground and yanked her backward in a sharp pull, flinging her out of the flame’s path. FWISH! She skidded across the dry earth, boots leaving glowing blooms with each step, vines whipping back to her as she caught herself. Her aura then dimmed, and her pink eyes flickered once before steadying again. Her Bloom Form was running out of time.

  Mimiris slammed its insect legs into the ground as it landed, then wasted no time. It surged toward her again, dragging its massive hulk arm while the dragon arm snapped at the air. THUM! THUM! THUM! The ground trembled with every step.

  Hikari stood still. She closed her eyes, her chest rising with a slow inhale. “Bloom Form…” The pink aura around her steadied. Her eyes opened slowly, glowing a brilliant, razor-sharp pink. “Florence Whisperfall.” She exhaled, a soft pink mist leaving her lips that was cold and controlled.

  The pink mist burst forward, slamming into Mimiris mid-charge and blowing its massive body backward. It crashed into the ground, shards of rock exploding outward in every direction. Then-

  The earth beneath it split open. FWOOOM… A massive, glowing pink flower unfurled beneath its entire body. Petal after petal opened in a radiant spiral, each one glowing with soft pink aura. Light surged upward in waves, swallowing the creature inside a rising pillar of bloom-colored light.

  Vines with pink thorns erupted from the center of the bloom - hundreds, then thousands - alive and twisting, slithering upward. They latched onto Mimiris instantly SHRRRK! They curled around its body, armor plates cracking. More vines tore through the shattered plates, wrapping around its insect legs, its abdomen, its fractured deer skull, its dragon arm, every limb bound, and every joint restrained. Bursts of purple blood splattered out across its body as the vines tightened. ReReEeAaAgHhH! Mimiris roared in warped distortion, thrashing with everything it had. It tried to lunge free, but the petals rising around the bloom lifted like walls, encircling it completely. A cage that it couldn’t break.

  The vines tightened like crushing coils CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! Its armored body broke piece by piece, plates shattering and falling away. Its tail snapped in half. Its insect legs followed, breaking clean beneath the vines’ pull. Its swollen abdomen burst, purple blood erupting as the vines squeezed and crushed it. Vines speared into the dragon head’s mouth and then SNAP! Pink thorns exploded outward from inside, tearing it apart and dropping the whole limb lifelessly.

  Only the deer skull and the massive hulk arm remained. The petals continued to rise around it, closing inward like a seat of judgment. ReReEeAaAgHhH! Mimiris’s deer skull let out one final distorted roar, but the thousands of pink petals surged in, swallowing the skull and hulk arm completely, consuming them in a storm of light. Then the petals receded... and nothing remained. Only bones, dry and pale, clattering to the ground in a scattered pile.

  A soft outward blast of light followed, pink particles shimmering through the air. The vines, the petals, the massive blooming flower, and the towering pillar of pink light had all vanished. Florence Whisperfall had ended.

  BADUMP! Hikari’s eyes widened, the pink glow collapsing back to brown. Her pale pink aura dimmed, her Bloom Form barely holding. Hikari dropped to one knee… and her Bloom Form finally broke.

  The battlefield fell silent.