She contained the black flash as much as she could and took a massive gamble, doing something she had never done before.

  Earth Armor.

  She rushed the materialization of its flesh by forcing it to reveal its form immediately. Because the energy beam didn't need to travel, the quick materialization was possible. Then she activated its skill, and it worked.

  Just as the metallic beak was about to pierce through her, cracked earth formed around her body like a shell. One thing was different; she made sure the armor craft itself around her head first.

  Just as the helmet of rocks spread to her neck, she got hit. Hard.

  She went flying, skipping across the ground like a rock on water before finally rolling to a stop.

  “Grr...” Crusbull was already at her side.

  It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to her skull. Blood dripped down her chin, warm and sticky, but she forced herself up. Her face armor had shattered, but that was not the biggest issue.

  The bird was still airborne, its massive wings flapping just enough to keep it hovering.

  No one reacted strangely. It seemed Earth Armor had formed around Crusbull as it materialized, covering the dark light. Or they simply did not question it, since it would not have made logical sense from their point of view.

  Then the bird attacked again. A sharp gust of wind followed as it swiped its wings, sending razor sharp metal feathers flying straight at her.

  Crusbull, protect her.

  Crusbull moved in front of her, taking the brunt of the attack. The metal feathers pierced through its earthen armor with moderate difficulty, but they still went through.

  Pain shot through her as blood seeped into her dress. The damage sharing effect was in full force.

  She needed a plan, fast. She glanced at the Julioes. Taking him out was her best bet, but there was no way he would let her get close.

  Oh.

  A grin tugged at her lips. Ferzan noticed the shift in her expression and raised an eyebrow.

  Rock Clone Charge, now.

  Crusbull let out a proud moo, and from both its sides, globs of rock emerged, rapidly molding into massive, shelled bulls before charging straight at the bird.

  Emill frowned, unimpressed.

  The metallic bird flapped hard, sending a gust of wind slamming into the ground before soaring even higher.

  Now, Ground Tremble.

  Crusbull reared up and slammed its front hooves down, sending waves rippling through the earth. The ground cracked and shifted violently, throwing everyone, including the Julioes, off balance.

  He grunted, struggling to stay on his feet.

  She grabbed Crusbull’s tail.

  Hyper Charge.

  A glow enveloped it, and then they were off, fast. Her feet left the ground, her body whipping behind like a flag caught in a storm.

  They shot toward the Julioes, who was too busy steadying himself to react.

  Then she looked up.

  The bird was diving toward her, beak wide open, screeching.

  Perfect.

  Just as she was about a meter away from the Julioes, he locked eyes with her. Then the bird swallowed both her and Crusbull whole.

  She did not mind.

  Now she could do this without exposing herself.

  She reached out, touched Crusbull, and pulled it back into her seal.

  The bird’s beak snapped shut, and she wedged herself in the small space between.

  Her Earth Armor cracked, fractures spreading from her arm to her waist. Pain flared, sharp and unforgiving. She did not know how long she could endure it.

  But she forced her left wrist to turn inward. A flash of black escaped her palm, striking the wet surface of the bird’s tongue.

  Twirlflower.

  “Use the flower barrage move on its tongue.”

  Twirlflower bloomed. Its petals spun like miniature saw blades, detaching and slicing toward the tongue without mercy.

  Nothing happened, only the sound of sharp objects bouncing off metal.

  That failed.

  Get out.

  Twirlflower stopped, its remaining petals still as it reached for the edge of the beak and slingshotted itself out.

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  The pressure inside the beak was getting unbearable. She had no time to waste.

  She rolled deeper inside, swallowed by darkness and the foul stench of rotten fish.

  Fighting back a gag, she focused on Twirlflower’s vision. Everything outside had a green tint because of its strange eyesight.

  System, show Twirlflower’s skills.

  Ground Sneak & Attack

  Limb Spear

  Slicing Flower Fans

  Root Armor

  Pollen Offense

  Two new skills. It must have leveled up in her seal.

  Meanwhile, the bird locked onto Twirlflower. Instead of flapping, it tucked in its wings and started spinning, turning itself into a drill.

  Inside, she was flung around like a ragdoll.

  She gritted her teeth and jammed her dagger into the walls of its throat, but it bounced off uselessly.

  Hit the ground hard and fast.

  Twirlflower’s body coiled, its hardened roots bracing as it used Limb Spear to strike the ground.

  Pull to it.

  It shot downward, but the bird was almost faster. Just as they were about to collide, Twirlflower slammed into the earth and vanished beneath it with ease.

  She gasped in relief. She had not known if the stone ground would have been a problem, but it was not.

  What was a problem was how much it hurt. Her foot felt like it had slammed into rock.

  The bird stopped spinning and stabilized in flight. With the inside no longer shaking, she looked at her hands and coated them in healing aura. The glow flickered like a dying flame caught in the wind.

  She grunted and dismissed it.

  She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. She had to be in the right state of mind for what came next.

  She slapped her face, psyching herself up. She could do this.

  Then she thrust her hand out.

  “Crusbull.”

  A mass of pure black surged forward, a blur aimed straight for the bird’s throat.

  The instant the darkness hit, it began expanding, growing far too large for the narrow passage to contain. The bird’s entire body convulsed, and its tongue flared wildly.

  But she could not feel satisfaction.

  Not when the backlash of controlling two monsters at once hit her all at once.

  It hurt like hell.

  Voices roared inside her head, clawing at her mind like wild beasts trying to rip her apart.

  Kill, kill, kill.

  Devour them all. Eat and eat.

  Make them know fear and only fear.

  Take them. Force them to bear children.

  Kill. Kill. Kill.

  

  She found herself curled up, gripping her hair, trembling.

  She had to, had to control Twirlflower for just a second more.

  Through gritted teeth and tears in her eyes, she whispered, “Strike, Twirl. Strike hard.”

  Underground, Twirlflower twisted and writhed, its instincts screaming for freedom. But against all odds, it obeyed her.

  Then it launched upward, as if springing off a trampoline buried beneath the earth. It moved through soil like a dolphin through water.

  The ground split open, and the choking Julioes saw it rise.

  His eyes went wide as Twirlflower struck his chin and sent him soaring through the air.

  She needed to use the flowers, but suddenly her mind went blank. Her thoughts were not replaced—they were overridden. It was not a single thought invading her, but a flood of alien minds crashing into her own, smothering her consciousness beneath theirs.

  A violent urge surged through her.

  She wanted to kill. Everything needed to die. Everything had to suffer.

  The bird flipped midair and slammed into the ground. Twirlflower swayed and twitched, its body trembling with something unnatural before its gaze shifted toward the others.

  It looked at everyone.

  Emill and Ferzan narrowed their eyes as realization settled in.

  Twirlflower smiled.

  Flower buds burst across its back, swelling rapidly and blooming into vibrant pink petals.

  She had to stop it, but she had no idea how.

  Then an idea came to her—reckless and desperate.

  She lifted her head and slammed it into the nearest hard surface. Pain exploded across her skull, but she forced herself to do it again, and again, striking until her forehead split open and warm blood ran down her brows. She ignored it and kept going.

  Across from her, Twirlflower’s eyes widened.

  The blooming stopped.

  The only sound left was the dull, steady thud of bone hitting metal.

  Then everything began to blur. Her sense of balance faltered, gravity tilting as her legs gave out beneath her. She collapsed onto the bird’s nearly limp tongue.

  The suffocating thoughts were gone.

  Her own mind felt fragile and unsteady, barely holding together, but she forced herself to crawl toward Crusbull, fighting against the pull of unconsciousness. Every movement hurt.

  When she finally reached it, its eyes were open and barely moving. She placed her hand against its body and absorbed it back into her seal.

  A faint wave of relief passed through her, though it was not nearly enough.

  Gasping, she clutched her head and forced her healing aura to respond. The glow flickered and weakened each time she called on it, almost as if it resisted her, but she pushed harder and dragged it back into place.

  Minutes passed before the bird began to stir.

  She had recovered just enough strength to attempt standing, though her balance was unsteady. Bracing herself against the inner wall of the bird’s mouth, she stumbled toward the beak and knocked.

  The fight was over. There was no reason to keep her inside.

  A moment later, the beak cracked open and strands of saliva stretched between the edges as light poured in, cutting through the darkness.

  Ferzan stood there immediately, concern written across his face. “Your damn head. What the hell happened?”

  He extended his hand, and she took it, stepping out of the creature’s mouth. She winced and rubbed her temple.

  “I had to get the monsters under control, so I hit my head against the bird’s mouth.”

  Ferzan grimaced. “You did good. But you should rest.”

  He lifted her carefully and laid her on a dark brown bench that felt harder than it looked.

  “Thanks,” she muttered.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  Emill wore an oddly impressed expression while speaking quietly to Abella. Vernisha could not make out the words, but it sounded like a recollection of some sort. When Emill turned back to her, her tone was direct.

  “You won, and you won by thinking. Keep it up.”

  Half joking and half annoyed, Vernisha muttered that praise alone would have been nice to replace with something tangible.

  Emill heard her.

  “Yes, you’re right.”

  A watery eclipse formed between Emill’s hands, and from it she pulled a metallic silver briefcase roughly the size of a standard business bag. She tossed it to Ferzan, who caught it and raised a brow.

  “Isn’t this illegal for her to have?”

  “Give it to her,” Emill said.

  He sighed and handed it over. Vernisha clutched it against her chest.

  “Thank you.”

  “No need,” Emill replied before shifting her attention back to Ferzan. “Your turn.”

  Vernisha was about to open the briefcase when her gaze drifted to the slave.

  He was breathing hard and lightly touching his neck. Pity stirred in her chest as she wondered how he had ended up here. It was probably nothing complicated. Even Jer-kal had said she had been trafficked into Terrafall. Maybe he had been a victim of the same thing.

  The difference was that Jer-kal had been saved by their Vanquishers. He had not been so fortunate.

  Worse, Emill was a Starlight, which meant she likely carried real influence back in Yellowbrim, the homeland of the Starlights—a place meant only for them. Even though the Stars were worshipped solely in Terrafall, the wider world still knew of them and respected, even feared, the power they commanded.

  Kmew-hu’s government would care that one of their own had been enslaved by a Starlight.

  Just not enough to truly challenge it.

  Because a God was protecting the Starlights.