Wounded Beast and Natural Judgment

There is a vast difference in how a beast acts depending on its state.

<¡¿?! >

On one hand, an ordinary beast attacks with caution. It measures its prey, seeks the opportune moment, and guards its own body; if it foresees coming away badly wounded, it prefers to retreat.

(... That thing... It took my arm...)

Its priority remains keeping itself alive.

"¡¡GRRRR!!"

A wounded beast, however, is different...

<....>

When pain corners it, prudence vanishes entirely.

(... Just as I thought... It is unraveling the natural energy that composes my arm upon contact...)

In that state, it no longer cares about sustaining damage, nor does it care if its own muscles tear upon striking.

(It reacts instantly to attacks with evasive maneuvers... It destroys upon the slightest contact...)

There is no intention to flee nor to protect itself; its entire being is reduced to a single, blind impulse to destroy whatever lies before it before falling.

(... Space ripples around it... It is immune to time... Tangible elements cause it damage... But everything conceptual has been rejected...)

The Spirit Queen knew this...

(It is also fast, agile, and destructive.)

Yet, precisely because she understood better than anyone how a wounded beast was far more dangerous and unpredictable than one could ever imagine, she maintained her composure.

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

And thanks to that, she was able to analyze her situation.

(¡¡¡¡¡FSHHHHHHH—ZRAAAAK...!!!!!)

At the same time, in a fraction of a second, emerald sprouts and vibrant filaments of light erupted from the clean wound of her torn shoulder, instantly intertwining like a living web.

<... As long as the core remains untouched, restoration is instantaneous.>

And immediately after, without averting her sockets of an abyssal green from the chimeric figure roaring on the ground, the Queen altered the surrounding environment.

(¡¡FSSS-CRRAAASH-SHH-VROOOOOMM!!)

As a result, in response to her will, a furious tide of volcanic fire, peaks of crystallized ice, torrents of hyper-compressed water, and layers of atmospheric pressure condensed in a spiral around her, weaving an impenetrable defensive cocoon that vibrated in perfect synchronization.

(¡¡¡¡¡ZWUUUUUUUU-KABUUUUUUUUM...!!!!!)

Nevertheless, in response to the elemental barrier, and without granting her the slightest breathing room, the chimera wrapped her silhouette in a storm of unstable, golden lightning that made the ionized air crackle...

(¡¡¡¡¡RATATATATA-KRAK-SHRAGH-BOOOM!!!!!)

And immediately after, using the compressed air as invisible footholds, she launched herself in a display of pure three-dimensional mobility; zigzagging at impossible angles across the axis of the firmament, vanishing and reappearing on the queen's periphery like a fleeting flash.

(¡¡¡SHWIIIING—PLAS-TZZZZZZZZ...!!!!)

Following which, she unleashed a continuous bidirectional onslaught, projecting simultaneous slashes with her claws of electric sky-blue.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡WHAP-KRA-KRA-KRAZZZZ-TSHHH-EXPLOSH!!!!!!)

However, responding in the very same microsecond by transforming her hands, claws of dense magma intercepted them, triggering a high-speed chain of thermal detonations, scattering arcs of static, boiling steam, and fragments of incandescent rock in all directions as both forces collided without yielding a single extra millimeter.

<¡¡!!>

Yet as the magma claws blocked the onslaught, the Spirit Queen reacted without losing her composure, abruptly multiplying the surrounding gravity to crush the beast against the ground.

(¡¡¡¡¡FSHU-FSHU-ZUNNN-KRAK~!!!!!)

At the same time, she simultaneously combined the entirety of her elemental domains, unleashing blades of hyper-compressed wind, stakes of concentrated ice, and lashes of heavy water that erupted in crossfire from every blind spot, weaving a suffocating net throughout the area.

"¡¡GRRRR....!!"

However, facing the density of the siege, the beast simply adapted.

(¡¡¡FZZZZ-VROOOOOOMM!!!)

In an instant, Mireya's sky-blue claws ignited in a whirlwind of spectral violet flames.

"¡¡¡GGGRRR-GWUAAAAAA-ZRRRGGGGHHH!!!"

In that moment, guided by instinct, the beast evolved, and by fusing the spiritual lightning with the scorching fire of the curse, a single layer of concentrated energy generated a devastating edge...

(¡¡¡DZIII-SWHUIP-VROOO-KRRR-SHRRR...!!!)

And in turn, upon perceiving the slightest intent or hostility before it could materialize; guided by the combined instincts of the divine beast cat, the ferocity of the dragon, and the nature of the demon, the chimera's body reacted ever more rapidly, contorting in midair as the intensity surged.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡RATATATATA-KRAK-SHRAGH-BOOOM-ZUT-ZUUUMMM!!!!!!)

As a result, the firmament turned into a canvas of pure destruction, as both entities swept across the entire perimeter of the battlefield at a speed that reduced the suspended rain to inert static, crossing the air in an unbroken sequence of collisions.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡BZZZZZZ-FROOOSH-SNAP-POP!!!!!!)

On one side, Mireya plummeted like a meteor, tearing through the defensive barrier with slanted slashes that combined sky-blue lightning and violet flames.

(¡¡VHVVV-ZCHHH-KRRR-BUMMMMM!!)

While on the other, against every claw strike, the Spirit Queen responded by erecting instantaneous ramparts of incandescent basalt and crystallized ice peaks, analyzing how existential corrosion and the heat of entropy disintegrated the rocky matter into dust and rancid smoke upon the slightest contact.

(There are differences in the speed at which they degrade.)

Yet despite that, without stepping back, the Spirit Queen channeled threads of water at atmospheric pressure that launched like ballistic whips against the chimera's flanks.

(¡¡¡SCHWRIFF-KRAK-VROOOSH!!!)

However, before the currents could impact, the beast contorted in impossible spins in mid-air, counteracting the wind stakes with direct bursts of her entropic breath, dissolving the attack into abyssal nothingness.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡KRA-TOOOOMMM-ZVUUU-FSHHH-CRASHHH!!!!!!)

Following which, both collided once more...

(... There was a slight delay when she counterattacked.)

In that manner, the clash shifted from the center of the sky toward the periphery of the forest in a fraction of a second.

<Let's put it to the test.>

And on the spot, the Spirit Queen began to manipulate gravitational mass in micro-zones to alter the beast's trajectory to attack.

"¡¡¡BRRR-GUOOOOOOO-AAAAAARRRGH!!!"

Yet in response, the chimera, utilizing the very pressure fluctuations as propulsion platforms, bounced off the curved space to execute continuous charges from every blind spot.

(Still ineffective...)

Thus they continued clashing without respite.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡ZHHH-KRRRRR-VREEE-BOOOM-DZIN-DZIN!!!!!!)

In microseconds, each exchange generated concentric shockwaves that cracked the earth meters below and pulverized the clouds above, trapping both forces in a fierce cycle of attack and instantaneous evasion where neither would yield a single step.

(¡¡¡ZZZ-FSHHH-KABOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!!!)

However...

(.... It is happening once more.)

In the midst of the whirlwind of collisions, while the air of the clearing threatened to collapse under the weight of the impacts, a subtle yet drastic alteration began to mark the difference in the rhythm of combat.

<It's accelerating.>

And the Spirit Queen was the first to notice the rift in the beast's balance.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡ZUT-ZUT-KRAK-SHRAAGH!!!!!!)

With every second that elapsed in each incessant burst of exchanges, the chimera's acceleration did nothing but multiply, rendering her trajectories nearly impossible to pinpoint in physical space.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡DZIII-FSHHH-ZUUUMMM!!!!!!)

However, along with her physical speed soaring toward an absurd limit, the nature of her energy was undergoing a critical metamorphosis.

(Something is wrong...)

The golden glimmers of pure lightning and the divine spark that bathed Mireya's claws and wings began to lose intensity, gradually weakening until extinguishing into small, dying sparks.

(¡BZZZZZT-ZAP... kzzzt... pft!)

As the golden flashes of the sacred attribute died away, the chimera's body was no longer bound by the stability of divine light.

(Here it comes!)

The vanishing of the radiance yielded absolute control solely to pure corruption, demonic miasma, and unbridled entropy.

"¡¡¡WRRRRAAAAAAAARRGGGHHH!!!"

As a result, far from slowing down, her speed amplified to overwhelming levels; where each flicker of the beast was a quantum leap shortening the distance in microseconds, leaving behind a trail of psychedelic light.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡CLANG-VREEE-SHUUU-ZUUUUNNN!!!!!!)

And alongside that unhinged acceleration, the Spirit Queen's instinct began to ring like a suffocating alarm.

<¡¿Tsk..?!>

In that moment, every fiber of her being warned her of the exact same thing...

(I must not allow her to advance a single meter more.)

Thus, making an instantaneous decision, the sovereign did not retreat in panic, but with strategic calculation.

(... So far nothing has worked... However...)

While her magma and ice defenses intercepted or deflected the strikes of voltaic fire aiming for her thorax, the Queen extended her will toward the limits of the firmament, taking direct control of the natural energy that sustained the very dimensional barrier sealing the forest.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡VROOOOOOMM-KRRRR-SHHHHH!!!!!!)

At the same time, forcing the trajectory of the combat, she drew the chimera's attention and shifted the battle toward the farthest and most unpopulated edge of the dome, distancing the threat from the center of the territory.

(... Until now, she has primarily focused on countering or blocking attacks that make direct use of natural energy.)

And once there, in the upper corner of the firmament, the Queen opened her pale hands wide while her elemental barrier bought her a few fleeting seconds.

(Why didn't she evade the attacks like the rest...?)

Immediately after, utilizing the flow of the network that connected the natural energy through the dragon veins in the barrier, the Spirit Queen manipulated the energetic flow that composed it...

(... If it is as I suppose... Then...!)

With which she unleashed a torrential rain of purified natural energy.

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

As a result, spears, projectiles, and threads of hyper-compressed emerald light fell from above in a massive and continuous bombardment, designed to crush, bury, and definitively exterminate the entropic anomaly before she finished breaking her own limits.

"¡¡¡GROOOOAAARRRGGGHHH!!!"

As such, natural energy was the primary life force that the planet itself generated organically.

<¡¡You will not!!>

It was the pure essence that sustained every sprout, every breath, and every cycle as a primeval source of vitality capable of purifying and suppressing any anomaly foreign to the laws of the world...

<¡¡Fauna Cage!!>

Precisely for that reason, in its purest state, natural energy lacked an inherently hostile or murderous intent; it was not born of hatred, but of the principle of life's preservation.

(¡¡¡FSSSHHH-CRACK-KRRRSHHH!!!)

And it was that exact detail that caused the defensive flaw in the chimera.

"¡¡¡¡¡¡...!!!!!!"

Since there was no malicious intent or direct impulse of hostility floating in the atmosphere, the magical girl's empathetic magic that served as an intuitive radar for Mireya sounded no alarm.

(¡ZUUUM-SHWIIIP... ¡CLACK!)

The crisis evasion simply failed to activate.

(¡¡¡CROOOAK-SHRRRIIIP-ZAK!!!)

Because of that, by the time the beast reacted to the mere physical presence of the attack looming from above, the time to dodge had expired entirely, forcing her to attempt a head-on interception.

(¡¡¡¡¡FSHU-FSHU-CRASH-SHHH-KRRR...!!!!!)

However, the Spirit Queen granted her no such opportunity.

"¡¡¡GYAAAAAAOOOORRRRGGGH!!!"

Taking advantage of that fraction of a second of hesitation, the sovereign manipulated the forest's vegetation seeking to momentarily "restrain" her; as gargantuan vines of hyper-dense wood and living root filaments erupted omnidirectionally, surrounding and trapping the chimera by her limbs and immobilizing her torso in a suffocating grip that halted her advance for a decisive instant.

(¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM—KABUUUUUUUUUM...!!!!!!!!!)

Following which, the torrential rain of pure vitality crashed directly upon the trapped beast, burying the entropic mass under a colossal pillar of emerald energy that echoed throughout the entire edge of the firmament.