Neo cursed under his breath as the system’s cold rejection echoed in his mind. Negative. Maybe next time. He forced the frustration down and slammed into Lord of the End mode. Power flooded his limbs. Muscles in his arms and legs tightened. Broad shoulders squared. He raised the Sword of TBATE high, the blade humming with dark energy, and lunged straight at the winged horse.
The creature lifted into the sky. Its wings snapped open wide. Electricity crackled around its head, charging fast. A divine holy bolt tore down from the clouds, aimed straight at Neo’s skull. His reaction time saved him. He whipped the sword up and blocked. The force drove his knees and feet deep into the dirt. The ground cracked under him. Neo felt the impact rattle through every bone. If a demon of the same level had taken that hit unprotected, it would have died on the spot. That explained how this horse walked free.
He pushed off and rushed again, legs pumping hard. He closed the distance, jumped, and slashed. The blade cut deep into the horse’s side. Blood sprayed. The horse’s eyes flared bright yellow. A barrier of yellow electricity snapped around its body and shook Neo off like a rag. He flew backward, slammed into the ground, and rolled. His skin burned where the electricity had touched him. The horse dove, long horn aimed at his chest.
Weakness hit Neo hard from the sword’s drain. The horn punched into his shoulder and drove deeper, tearing a hole. Pain flared white-hot. He grabbed the horse’s head with both hands, forced the Sword of TBATE against its skull, and kept cutting. Slash after slash. The horse roared. It yanked the horn free and shot upward. Its eyes opened wider this time. Three full seconds longer than before. Another divine bolt began to form.
Neo staggered up and ran. The bolt was already halfway to him. Too late to dodge. His mind raced. He poured TBATE energy into a thin barrier just above his skin. The bolt struck. Light and force exploded around him. When the flash cleared, a massive crater surrounded the spot where he stood. The center stayed untouched. Neo stood in the middle of it, breathing hard.
Nara’s voice cut through the chaos. "Thank you for buying me enough time."
She came in like a red-and-black blur, moving faster than most eyes could track. She reached the horse, murmured the Black Rose technique, and a clean energy slash took its head. The body dropped. Nara walked over and held out her hand. Neo took it and let her pull him up.
"Thank you for your effort," she said.
"Likewise."
They turned back to the factory. Stronger monsters poured in waves. Neo fought beside her, blade and fists working in rhythm. He noticed something new. Before, Nara had bristled every time his eyes lingered on her. Now he could look freely. She noticed, then simply ignored it and kept fighting.
Neo grinned as he watched her move. Those wide hips snapped side to side with every sharp turn and cut. He shook his head. Not now.
Then Nara called out. "Neo! Help me. This one’s dangerous. I can’t take it alone."
He nodded and sprinted to her. One look at the creature and his heart dropped. A seventeen-star plant demon. Thick veins covered its body. They shot out at high speed, whipping toward Nara. She jumped sideways, twisting to keep clear.
"Those veins are poisoned with paralysis!" she shouted. "Don’t let them touch you!"
Neo nodded and scanned for an opening. His eyes widened as a plan locked in. He switched into Torch Man mode and fired a beam of pure fire energy. The flames tore into the demon. It burned, but the veins coiled together and formed a massive plant hammer. The hammer rose high. More veins shot out, wrapped around Neo, and sank their poison in. Paralysis locked his limbs. The hammer swung down fast.
Nara’s eyes went wide. She slashed through veins as she ran toward him. The hammer smashed down. Dust and debris exploded. A moment later Neo rose from the crater, completely unscathed. A thin film of TBATE energy coated his body. The veins that had tried to coil around him had burned away on contact and vanished.
"Don’t worry," Neo said. "Special move. Barrier that blocks everything."
Nara nodded and went back to cutting. Neo watched her for a second, then realized something. He could transfer the ability. His eyes widened. He focused and sent the same film over her body. The barrier settled on Nara like a second skin. She was protected the same way he was.
The cost hit him immediately. Controlling TBATE energy drained him hard. Concentration slipped. Strength leaked away with every second. He estimated three minutes at most before he collapsed.
His mind raced again. The vein monster had no fixed attribute. It was wood in form, but its body was its own. He had seen vein monsters carry fire, ice, even void. This one felt wrong.
"Nara, attack now!" he shouted. "We only have three minutes. Hit it together!"
She lunged without hesitation, cutting with everything she had. Wide gashes opened across the demon. Most of its veins fell away in smoking piles. The creature sensed death coming. It pulled the remaining energy into a dense ball of pure void.
"Get away!" Neo yelled.
Too late. The void ball shot forward, already locked on Nara. Neo’s eyes widened. He slammed his palm toward her and forced the space spell of the Calamity Demon through his body. The teleport finished just in time. Nara vanished from the path of the attack and reappeared in his arms.
He held her and checked her over. Wounds covered her body. Something darker clung to her skin and blood. He inspected closer and felt the truth settle like ice. The curse of void.
Neo cursed. While he had been holding her, the vein monster had already formed another void ball. It fired straight at him.
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