Chapter 14

Flam's arm was swallowed by the swirling flesh of the woman and couldn't be pulled out. With her unable to move, the ogre's fist approached her.

If she couldn't pull her arm out no matter how she struggled—there was only one thing to do.

"Serah, cast a healing spell on my arm!"

"Huh!? But if I do that—"

"Just do it, quickly!"

She didn't learn magic to hurt others, and Flam knew that. But she pleaded with her eyes, "This is to save me," and Serah, suppressing her own will, raised her hand.

"Recover!"

The healing magic alone wasn't enough to restore her arm, so a higher-level spell was necessary. The dazzling light from Serah's hand enveloped Flam's arm, penetrated it, and melted it from the inside.

"Aaah... aaaaah!"

Flam, with her arm nearly severed, finally used her own strength to cut it off and escape from the woman. She gritted her teeth to hold on to her consciousness, which was about to fly away from the pain, and rolled to avoid the ogre's punch.

Goo!

The energy that grazed Flam's body collided with the opposite wall, creating a swirling indentation.

"Onee-san!"

"Ha, ha, haa... C'mon, Serah, let's run!"

The two started running side by side. The ogre, on all fours, stared at their backs and began to pursue them. It was slower than their two-legged sprint. Flam and Serah used the corners to put some distance between them. During this time, Flam's arm regenerated, and the pain disappeared.

"Are you really okay?"

"Not really, but... I think we can still go..."

Every time she felt pain, her heart wore down. But when she thought of Milkit waiting for her in Enichide, her heart quickly recovered. She couldn't die and leave her waiting. The shortness of breath was due to the pain. As they ran, their bodies gradually regained their original condition, and the two raced through the facility at maximum speed. After a while, the ogre's figure disappeared from behind them.

"Did we lose it...?"

"Yeah, probably. But we still need to be cautious."

"Yeah, now I can hear voices coming from everywhere."

Help me, save me—such voices echoed from all directions. There were probably traps using dead bodies, similar to the one they encountered earlier, set up throughout the facility. The ogre seemed to have not only enhanced physical abilities but also intelligence. Perhaps the true purpose of this research facility was to enhance abilities.

"But what do we do? It feels hard to just run away."

"We can't do anything until we defeat it."

"Well, I'm not very good at light attack magic. The most effective attack is with this mace..."

"Me too, if the sword doesn't work..."

"Then we need to find a way to increase our power, or use some device in the facility, right?"

Indeed, they had seen several experimental devices in the facility, but none of them were usable. They might be broken and non-functional. If that's the case, they should look for a way to enhance their own power—could such a method be lying around somewhere?

"Is there a magic to enhance status with light magic?"

"I can't use it, sorry."

Serah bowed her head. Well, even if she could, it would only make Serah stronger.

"Then—"

Flam placed her hand on her chin, deep in thought. But the enemy wouldn't give them time to think. The heavy footsteps she had just heard came from the front.

"Onee-san, it's coming!"

A creepy, swirling mass of flesh appeared from the front, peering at them. Upon spotting the two, it resumed its pursuit on all fours.

"Damn, it knows the layout of the facility better than we do!?"

They changed direction and started running again. This endless escape was futile. They had to find a way to pierce that hard defense. The method was—right here, a way to immediately increase the sword's power—

‘We adventurers sometimes fight opponents whose stats are several times higher than ours. This is the method to break through their defenses.’

Memories of her journey resurfaced. Gadio, a seasoned warrior, had taught her a certain sword technique, knowing it was reckless.

"Knight Swordsmanship..."

"What's that?"

She had learned it, but back then, with her stats at zero, she couldn't use it. But now, with her stats enhanced by the cursed equipment, she might be able to convert her stamina into prana and increase the sword's power. It was a risky move; if she failed, she might die. But if she didn't try, she would die anyway.

"That might work."

"Is there a way?"

"Yeah... it's a gamble, but—"

There was no guarantee it would succeed. It was a bad bet to involve a young girl like Serah. But the brave girl, completely trusting Flam, said:

"Do you need some preparation?"

Was she willing to take on that monster, even temporarily, for this small girl?

"Maybe a little time..."

That was all they had. No matter how embarrassing, they needed to grasp a better future.

"Then—I'll buy you some time!"

Serah stopped, raised her mace, and faced the ogre. Her resolve couldn't be wasted. Flam, behind her, drew the Soul Eater from the subspace. She closed her eyes, gripped the sword with both hands, and began to concentrate.

"Come on, then! I could take you down right now!"

Recognizing Serah as an obstacle, the ogre swung its powerful fist. She narrowly avoided it, using the walls to move around and dodge. She moved freely, trying to buy time.

‘The basic idea is the same as magic. Grasp the magic power within your body and convert it into strength. But unlike magic, it's difficult to perceive stamina in the same way.’

Recalling her master's words, she tried to grasp the stamina within her body with a third hand that extended from within her. But it slipped through her fingers like water.

‘It's more fluid, smooth, and pure. Therefore, an even clearer and calmer mind is required.’

—Deepening her concentration.

The sounds around her faded away.

Sharpening her mind.

She became a space filled with calm, transparent, and silent water, with no waves.

“Guh...!”

Serah blocked the ogre's punch with her mace and was blown away. She hit the wall and felt a strange sensation in her back, quickly casting a healing spell on herself. The ogre launched another attack, and she barely dodged it. This cycle of dodging and being pursued gradually wore her down.

"Onee-san, you're still... okay, right? We can still go on!"

Grasp—hold the flowing substance in the palm of your hand.

She succeeded.

But she couldn't let her guard down; if she lost her focus, it would slip away again. She moved on to the next stage.

‘Once you grasp it, the rest is easy. Transfer the power to your arm and into the sword.’

Unlike elemental magic, which requires a clear image to activate, prana is easy to use once grasped. She filled her actual arm with the prana on her third hand. From the center of her body to her shoulder, from her shoulder to her arm, from her arm to her palm, and from her palm—this transparent, pure, and therefore sharp power entered the Soul Eater.

‘If the prana is pure enough, the rest is—’

She wasn't sure if it worked, but she could feel the power.

"Onee-san...!"

The ogre's fatal punch approached Serah, who had fallen. She didn't cry for help, but her voice trembled. Anyone would be scared, especially a young girl, facing such a monster.

Grateful to her, Flam ran at full speed, passing by her, and swung the power-filled blade at the ogre's neck.

‘Use all your strength to swing the sword.’

This is Knight Swordsmanship—

“Seeeaaaaaah!”

—Uncompleted Ki Sword Slash.

Booo—Zush!

Flam's sword, still incomplete and makeshift, was not perfect. But the Soul Eater, infused with prana, cut through the ogre's skin, which had been impossible to pierce, severed the flesh, and cut into the bone.

Bjuruu!

The ogre's face swirled faster, and a large amount of blood was spilled. It seemed to be in pain, which meant the attack was effective.

"If it worked, the rest is up to me!"

"Serah, I'm counting on you!"

Flam released the sword and moved away from the ogre. This time, Serah raised her mace and leaped high, striking the partially embedded sword from above.

Gagon!

The impact drove the blade deeper, eventually severing the ogre's neck. The head slid off and fell to the floor. The swirling face stopped, and the unpleasant sound of blood splattering ceased.

"Heh, heh... It was pretty bad, but... we did it...!"

"Ha, ha... I hope severing the head will kill it..."

Serah, landing, confirmed the ogre's defeat. Flam, uncertain, observed the massive bleeding wound. If it was dead, that would be fine. But why didn't the ogre's body collapse? It was a creature far beyond her imagination. Flam remained cautious, considering the possibility that one blow wasn't enough to finish it off. And as expected—

"Serah... ha, ha... let's run..."

"Why? We just defeated it..."

The wound from the severed neck began to swirl again.

"No way... the neck is swirling...?"

The ogre resumed its activity. Normally, it would be dead. This meant it was no longer a creature governed by the laws of biology.

"Hurry!"

Their escape began again. At a corner, they heard the ogre's movement from behind. They could still lose it for now. They could catch their breath, use the Ki Sword Slash again, and consider this method. But even if they cut off another part of its body, would it stop the ogre's activity? They turned another corner, and another, and another, and after confirming the ogre wasn't following, they stopped, leaning against the wall to catch their breath.

"Ha, ha... This is... weird... It lost its head... and was bleeding...!"

"Ha, ha... I feel the same..."

Onee-san, you have the power of the curse...

So—there must be something in the ogre's body, other than a heart, that gives it "life."

"A core... ha... if there's one... in the body, that would be good..."

"Either way... in this state, it's tough... ha..."

In this state, with her current abilities. The answer to this question, which she finally narrowed down, was Knight Swordsmanship. Yes, it was effective, and if she were more skilled, she might have won. But she still lacked the power. She needed more power, a way to become stronger, not just a makeshift solution.

"Hey, Serah. Can we take another risk?"

"I can't think of anything else... I respect you for having a strategy to try."

"Flattery won't help here. Let's go back to the first room first."

"Is it a place I haven't seen?"

"Yeah... I didn't want to show you, but in an emergency, we have to."

They retraced their steps, avoiding traps, back to the first room. The ogre's footsteps, still far away, didn't get any closer, giving them more time.

They arrived safely without being spotted. Flam warned Serah to avoid looking directly at the room and entered. The room was still filled with a terrible smell and a gruesome scene. The lights on the wall made the situation even clearer.

"Ugh... Is this...