I contained the blackflash as much as I could and took a massive gamble—doing something I'd never done before.

  Earth Armor!

  Before the monster flesh could materialize, I activated its skill—and it worked.

  Just as the metallic beak was about to pierce through me, cracked earth formed around my body like a shell. Then I got hit. Hard.

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

  "Grr..." Crusbull was already at my side.

  It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to my skull. Blood dripped down my chin, warm and sticky, but I forced myself up. My face armor had shattered, but that wasn’t the biggest issue.

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

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

  Crusbull, protect me!

  Crusbull moved in front of me, 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 me as blood seeped into my dress. The damage-sharing effect was in full force.

  I needed a plan. Fast. I glanced at the Julioes. Taking him out was my best bet, but there was no way in hell he’d let me get close.

  Oh.

  A grin tugged at my lips. Ferzan noticed the shift in my 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.

  I grabbed Crusbull’s tail.

  Hyper Charge.

  A glow enveloped it, and then we were off—fast. My feet left the ground, my body whipping behind like a flag caught in a storm.

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

  Then I looked up.

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

  Perfect.

  Just as I was about a meter away from Julioes, he locked eyes with me—then the bird swallowed both me and Crusbull whole.

  I didn’t mind.

  Now, I could do this without exposing myself.

  I reached out, touched Crusbull, and pulled it back into my seal.

  The bird's beak snapped shut, and I wedged myself in the small space between.

  My Earth Armor cracked, fractures spreading from my arm to my waist. Pain flared, sharp and unforgiving. I had no idea how long I could endure it. Probably not long.

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

  Twirlflower.

  "Use that damn flower barrage move on its tongue!"

  Twirlflower, the walking flower, bloomed. Its petals spun like mini sawblades, detaching and slicing toward the tongue without mercy.

  And... nothing. Just the sound of sharp objects bouncing off metal.

  Well. That was a bust.

  Get out.

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

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

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

  Fighting back a gag, I focused on Twirlflower’s vision. Everything outside had a green tint thanks to its weird-ass eyesight.

  System, show me Twirlflower's skills.

  Ground Sneak & Attack

  Limb Spear

  Slicing Flower Fans

  Root Armor

  Pollen Offense

  Two new skills. It must've leveled up in my seal. Good.

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

  Inside, I was flung around like a ragdoll.

  I gritted my teeth and jammed my dagger into the walls of its throat—only for it to bounce off uselessly. **Whatever. Hit the ground hard and fast!

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

  Pull yourself 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.

  I gasped in relief. I had no idea if the stone ground would have been a problem, but thankfully, it wasn’t.

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

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

  I grunted and dismissed it.

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

  I started slapping my face, psyching myself up. You can do it. You can do it!

  Then, I thrust my hand out.

  "Crusbull!"

  A mass of pure black surged forward, a blur aimed straight for the bird’s throat. The very small 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 I couldn’t find satisfaction in that.

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

  It hurt. Like hell.

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

  Kill kill kill!

  Devour them all! Eat and eat!

  Make them know fear and only fear.

  Take them. Force them to bear my children.

  Kill. Kill. Kill.

  The voices overlapped, merging, cycling—suffocating me.

  I found myself curled up, gripping my hair, trembling.

  I had to—had to control Twirlflower for just a second more…

  Through gritted teeth and tears in my eyes, I whispered, "Strike, Twirl. Strike hard."

  Underground, Twirlflower twisted, writhing—its instincts screaming for freedom. But against all odds, it obeyed me.

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

  The ground split open. Stones scattered.

  And the choking Julioes, hands clutching his throat, barely gasping for air—

  —saw it rise.

  His eyes went wide. Not wide enough.

  THUMP!

  Twirlflower struck his chin, snapping his head back. His mouth clamped shut. His feet left the ground.

  Then, he soared.

  I needed to make it use the flowers—but—

  Suddenly, my mind went blank. My own thoughts erased. Replaced.

  No, not just replaced—overridden. Not thoughts. Minds. A flood of alien consciousness smothered me, and I—

  I wanted to kill.

  Everything needed to die.

  Everything had to suffer.

  The bird flipped midair and crashed into the ground.

  Twirlflower swayed, twitching, its body trembling with something unnatural. Then, its gaze shifted.

  It looked at everyone.

  Emill and Ferzan narrowed their eyes, realization dawning in their eyes.

  It smiled.

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

  I had to stop it, but how?

  Then I got hit with an idea. A stupid, reckless idea.

  I raised my head. Then, I slammed it into the nearest hard surface.

  Pain exploded across my skull.

  I did it again.

  And again.

  And again.

  My forehead split open. Warm blood snaked down my eyebrows. I ignored it.

  Again.

  Again.

  Twirlflower’s eyes went wide.

  The flower attack stopped.

  The only sound left was the dull, relentless thud of bone against metal.

  Then—

  Everything blurred.

  Gravity shifted.

  My legs gave out.

  I collapsed onto the bird’s nearly limp tongue.

  The monstrous voices—the suffocating thoughts—were gone.

  My own thoughts felt weak, fragile, barely pieced together. Still, I clawed my way toward Crusbull, struggling not to pass out.

  Damn, it hurt.

  Finally, I reached it. Its eyes were open, barely moving. I placed my hand on its body and absorbed it back into my seal.

  A faint relief washed over me. Not nearly enough.

  Gasping, I clutched my head, forcing my healing aura to work. The flickering glow resisted, flickering away every time I called upon it. Like it hated me. Like it feared me.

  It didn’t matter. I forced it back every time.

  Minutes passed.

  The bird began stirring.

  I had recovered just enough to try standing. My balance was wrecked. I used the inner mouth wall to brace myself and stumbled toward the beak.

  I knocked.

  The battle was over so keeping me inside made no sense.

  A moment later, the beak cracked open. Wet strands of saliva stretched between the edges.

  Darkness faded and light welcomed me.

  And Ferzan was right there, worry clear in his eyes. "Your damn head. What the hell happened?"

  He extended his hand. I took it, stepping out of the creature’s mouth.

  I winced, rubbing my temple. "Had to get the monsters under control, so I hit my head against the bird’s mouth."

  Ferzan cringed. "You... did good. You should rest, though."

  He picked me up and laid me on a dark brown bench—uncomfortably hard.

  "Thanks," I told him.

  He nodded. "Yeah, of course."

  Emill had an oddly impressed expression. She was saying something to Abella—I couldn’t make out the words, but it seemed like some kind of recollection. Then she turned back to me and said, "You won, and you won by fighting with your brain. Keep it up."

  Half-joking, half-frustrated, I muttered, "I’d rather get something instead of just praise..."

  She heard me. Damn woman had sharp ears.

  "Yes, you're right..."

  A watery eclipse formed in her hands, and from it, she pulled out a metallic silver briefcase, about the size of a standard business bag.

  She tossed it to Ferzan, who caught it with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't this illegal for her to have?"

  Oh, give it to me.

  "Give it to her."

  He sighed and handed it over. I clutched it to my chest. "Um, thank you."

  "No need." She turned her attention to Ferzan. "Your turn, Ferzan."

  I was about to open the briefcase when something caught my attention—the slave.

  He was breathing hard, still gently caressing his neck. I felt bad for him, wondering how he had ended up in this situation. It probably wasn’t anything complicated. Even Jer-kal said she had been trafficked into Terrafall.

  Maybe he was a victim of that too. The difference was that Jer-kal had been saved by Our Vanquishers. He hadn’t been so lucky.

  And worse—Emill was a Starlight. She likely had a lot of influence back in Yellowbrim, the homeland of the Starlights. A home for Starlights and only Starlights. Even though the Stars were worshipped only in Terrafall, the world still knew about them—respected and 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 make a big deal of it. Because there was a God protecting the Starlights.