The Clash of Monsters

Moments before tragedy struck...

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡KRAAA-BOOOOOOOM—KRRRRRRRR...!!!!!!!!)

The deafening blast of the lightning storm shook the foundations of the clearing, suddenly illuminating the faces of Clotilde and the other women.

(¡¡¡SHRRRRRR-VROOOOM-KRRRR-SHHHHH!!!)

Looking up by instinct, their pupils contracted as they witnessed an immense luminous field deploying high in the firmament, containing the electrical storm that threatened to pulverize them.

"Is it an attack?!"

"No, it's the Goddess!"

"She's blocking the sky!"

(¡¡¡CLANG-CRASH!!!)

At the same time, almost in parallel, the violent metallic crash of Silver repelling the colossal mass of earth resonated in the distance, sending a sharp shockwave that swept the mud around them.

"Take up your weapons!"

"Defensive positions, now!"

Thanks to that, the stupor vanished instantly, replaced by the sharp survival instincts of those who had once been warriors.

"All on guard!!"

And immediately, under Clotilde’s orders, they quickly drew their weapons and adopted combat stances in an improvised formation.

(¡¡CRIC... CRIC... CLAC...!!)

However, at that moment, amidst the tension, an unnatural and chilling sound descended from the clouds, as if the very air were freezing and shattering at the same time.

(¡¡¡¡SWIIIIISH—SHHIAAA!!!)

And immediately, the light was extinguished...

(¡¡¡FZZZZZZ-CRASH-TK-TK-TK-TK!!!)

Unable to see clearly through the dense gloom and distance, the only thing that reached their ears was the echo of a brutal and ruthless crystalline bombardment impacting high above.

"Look... The barrier...!"

Only for the enormous golden dome that protected the clearing from the lightning to flicker violently before their stunned eyes...

(¡¡¡FWOOOOSH!!!)

...Before vanishing, while a golden flash, resembling a small incandescent meteorite, was forcefully repelled and plummeted in another direction into the forest, lost in the darkness of the storm.

"Damn it, how dare they blaspheme...!"

Faced with such a scene, desperation, indignation, and fury invaded everyone present, raising their guard with an unsettling hostility, ready to attack.

"Please, wait!"

However, in the midst of the chaos, only one maintained her calm...

"If we charge without coordination, we will be exterminated!"

To the naked eye, she possessed the harmless appearance of a quiet student; her dark hair was rigidly tied up, framed by a straight fringe over her eyebrows, and subtle freckles dotted her cheeks and the bridge of her nose.

"Then what do you propose?!"

But that illusion of docility was completely shattered upon observing the cold analytical sharpness of her eyes, in stark contrast with the loud, ultra-tight pink leotard that enveloped her figure, outlining the lethal build of a combatant ready to act.

"Maintain the formation."

Before obtaining that human body through the skin suit, she had been a proud elven strategist in her homeland, a brilliant mind accustomed to planning and predicting the actions of others.

"Right now, we are clearly under a coordinated attack."

However, all her dignity crumbled when she naively fell into that imp's trap.

"There is no defined command hierarchy, all of us present have had very little time to truly know each other, and we even lack familiarity with these bodies..."

Thanks to that, she was turned into a mere masturbator, a living object deprived of freedom and a voice that for years remained trapped and helpless, watching time pass without being able to interact.

"Are you suggesting we retreat and leave our benefactors behind?!"

But instead of breaking, she used that eternal isolation to think, analyze, and deeply reflect on her mistakes.

"Of course not."

Those years of forced confinement sharpened her cognitive abilities to the limit.

"What I propose is to act in a way that keeps us from being exterminated!"

For that very reason, while the others lost their minds by letting themselves be carried away by their impulses, she—despite feeling the same indignation and anger—was able to understand the bigger picture before anyone else.

"Listen to me carefully! This is a siege ambush. They used the lightning from the sky as bait to force our Goddess's shield, and as soon as she exposed herself, they hunted her from the flanks with that burst of ice. They are reading our movements and cutting down our defenses one by one."

Because of that, she commanded with a firm voice, devoid of fear, cutting through the collective hysteria with coldness.

"Then what can we do?"

Through experimentation during the feast, she had already evaluated the brutal limitations to which they were exposed.

"The answer is simple: maintain formation and do not separate..."

As a result, she knew they were physically inefficient in those human vessels, but she had also discovered that their magic had not been affected in the slightest.

"Do not try to charge or rely on the strength of your legs; these bodies will not respond in time, and we wear no protection whatsoever."

And adjusting her posture, she pointed at everyone present in swimsuits, underwear, and even some with nothing on their skin...

"However, we still have weapons, but despite that, we must forget about close-quarters combat, because our defensive power is almost non-existent with these bodies and garments..."

Having said that, and pointing her weapon forward, she gave the definitive guidelines based on the only advantage they had left.

"So rely solely on magic! Those with mystical affinity, channel your spells from the rear to raise elemental barriers. Those with weapons from the inn, stay together to protect the core of casters. If magic is still functioning at one hundred percent, it is our only chance to provide support!"

But it was at that exact moment...

(¡¡¡KRRRRRR-CRAAAASH!!!)

...That tragedy struck.

"¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

A desperate, heart-wrenching scream resonated, tearing through the dead atmosphere of the clearing like a shriek of pure torment that completely buried the roar of the storm and the crunching of the ivy.

(¡¡¡................!!!)

And immediately after, an absolute, deathly silence settled over the entire place...

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡THU-DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!)

...Only to immediately give way to the arrival of an overwhelming, colossal, and monstrous pressure that propagated far beyond.

"Ah... ugh..."

It was not an elemental change, nor a measurable flow of energy.

"I... can't... breathe..."

Instead, it was like a gravitational force so dense, oppressive, and titanic that space itself seemed to bend and groan under its weight, far exceeding any display of power ever seen in the history of the planet.

(What... is... this...?!)

In the mud of the clearing, the strategist's guidelines and the magical formation that had barely begun to rise were completely nullified in a fraction of a second.

(.................)

At the same time, for a moment, all attacks in the clearing suddenly ceased as each of the women dressed in the ridiculous bunny and nurse outfits fell to their knees in unison, their faces slammed against the cold mud, unable to lift even a finger.

(No. No, no, no. What is this? Why am I running out of air?)

(My chest... my chest is going to burst.)

(Get it out of me! There's nothing there, I don't see anything, so why am I dying? Something is wrong...)

(...Something is coming... Help... Please, someone tell me what's happening to me... I can't breathe...)

And immobilized on the ground, a unified feeling began to course through the souls of everyone present, seeping through their pores like an icy poison.

(This body is not mine. My hands are shaking so much they don't feel like mine. What is this cold?)

(I don't know what it is; it has no shape, it has no name.)

(Get it out of me!)

However, unfortunately...

(¡¡¡SHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!!!)

The effects of that oppression were not limited to the forest.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Instead, in every single corner of the world of Ky'lar, there was a reaction.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡FWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

High above, the underlying wind currents of the entire planet suddenly shattered into chaotic whirlpools that howled furiously with no direction, churning the skies in a violent dance.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡PLAAASH-CRAAAASH-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-MUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

In the distant oceans, the waves halted their natural course and suddenly rose in a monstrous, chaotic surge, crashing with titanic force against continental cliffs in a savage demonstration of the sea's turmoil.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡GROOOOOW-GRRRRRR-AWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-KRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

And in the depths of forests and mountains, the collective roar and lament of thousands of beasts and animals of every species resonated in unison as they cowered in their dens, trembling uncontrollably beneath the earth.

(Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate...)

Every living existence upon the face of the world experienced at that very instant a primal terror, a visceral chill that paralyzed their heartbeats before the fear of something that no one in that world could rationally explain or comprehend...

(Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT. GET THEM OUT!)

...But which, nevertheless, every conscious soul had experienced in the absolute darkness of their worst nightmares.

(Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Burn. Burn. Burn. Burn. Bu-rn. Bu-rn. Buh-rn. Buh-rn. Buh-rn. B-uh-rn. B-b-uh-rn. Bbuhrn. Bbuhhrn. BBUHHRN. BBUHHRNN. BBUHHRRNN. BBBHHUUHHRRRNNN. BBBHHUUUHRRRRNNNN. BBBBBHHHHUUUUUUUURRRRRRRRNNNNNNNN.)

From the very epicenter of the accumulated pain, a massive, turbid, dark, and deeply twisted emotion was released into the cosmos, staining everything with a corrupt and suffocating tint.

<...You... You truly are a monster...>

The air did not just feel heavy; it became thick, viscous, and heavy with a resentment so pure and overflowing that it distorted the light in its wake.

<Do hate me? you>

Like threads of a twisted, purple blackness, this surge of pure emotional turbidity expanded all at once, devouring the colors of the firmament and covering the clouds with a corrupted chromatic mantle, crawling like a cursed tide that claimed everything.

"¡¡¡¡¡GWRAAAA-SHWIIIING-GROOOOOOOOO-GWAARRRGHHH-AAAAAAARRRGHHH!!!!!"

And at that moment, both heaven and earth split in two as a hybrid, monstrous shriek echoed throughout the entire world.

<... Because I, to you...>

It had begun...

<...hate you.>

.... The clash between monsters.