The cultist charged again, dark energy crackled around its blade like living shadow, and the air itself seemed to recoil from its presence.
I can't do this! Haruto's mind screamed, every instinct telling him to run, to hide, to wake up from this nightmare. But the system's instincts steadied his grip, the warmth in his chest spreading down his arms like liquid steel, and he thrust the spear forward with desperate strength.
The iron tip caught the cultist's arm, punching through whatever passed for flesh beneath those robes. Black ichor sprayed across the crimson sand, hissing and steaming where it landed. The creature screeched, a sound that wasn't quite human—too high, too sharp, like metal grinding against glass.
The noise scraped against Haruto's eardrums and made his teeth ache. Up close, he could see that the thing beneath the robes was wrong, twisted, as if humanity had been stretched and warped into something else entirely.
"Move!" A fiery voice cut through the chaos like a blade through silk. Seraphina leapt between Haruto and the cultist in a single fluid motion, her boots barely touching the sand. Her sword flared with sudden brilliance, white-hot flames wrapping around the blade like a living thing.
The cultist didn't even have time to scream before it burst into ash, its form dissolving in seconds until nothing remained but a dark stain on the desert floor.
She landed in front of him with predatory grace, so close he could smell ash and lavender on her skin—an intoxicating combination of battle and femininity that made his head spin. Her amber eyes locked onto his, fierce but searching, and for a moment, time slowed, the world narrowing to her scarred, defiant face. Those eyes held depths he couldn't fathom—pain, determination, and something else that made his chest tighten. A thin line of soot marked her cheek, and there was blood on her armor, but she stood like a goddess of war, untouchable and magnificent.
"You okay, outlander?" she asked, her voice sharp but tinged with genuine concern. The way she said 'outlander' wasn't mocking—it was curious, almost protective.
Haruto nodded, breathless, his heart racing from more than fear. She saved me. The realization hit him like a physical blow. This incredible woman, this warrior who fought like fire given form, had risked herself to protect him—a stranger who could barely hold a spear. The system pulsed, warm and insistent, flooding his awareness with information he didn't want to process right now.
[ATTRACTION POTENTIAL: SERAPHINA PHOENIXBORN]
[STATUS: +1 ATTRACTION]
His face burned hotter than the desert sun. Not the time, system! "T-thanks," he stammered, clutching the spear so tightly his knuckles went white. The weapon felt more natural in his hands now, as if saving his life had forged some kind of bond between them.
"Don't thank me yet." Seraphina's eyes flicked to the caravan, where more cultists were gathering like vultures around carrion. The flames reflected in her gaze, making her look both beautiful and terrifying. "We're not done."
The remaining cultists formed a circle around the burning wreckage, their masks gleaming in the firelight. They moved in perfect synchronization, like pieces of some dark machine, and began chanting in a language that hurt to hear. The very air seemed to thicken with malevolent energy, and Haruto felt his skin crawl as shadows began to coalesce between them.
A tall figure emerged from the smoke, robed in black that seemed to absorb light rather than merely block it. His bone mask was different from the others—older, more ornate, with silver runes that pulsed with their own cold luminescence. When he spoke, his voice was like a cold wind carrying the promise of death.
"The Fire Princess burns brightly," he intoned, each word precise and cutting. "But all flames must die. The Shadow God will claim your fire, and through it, claim this realm."
"Shadow Cult," Seraphina snarled, her sword flaring brighter in response to the darkness. The flame seemed to have a mind of its own, reaching toward the cult leader like a living thing hungry for battle. "You picked the wrong day to crawl out of your holes."
"Princess?" Haruto whispered, still reeling from the revelation. An actual princess? Here? Fighting beside him?
"Exiled," she snapped, not looking at him, but he caught the flash of pain in her voice. "Stay down unless you want to die."
[CRITICAL THREAT DETECTED]
[ENEMY LEVEL: FAR BEYOND CURRENT CAPABILITIES]
[SHADOW CULT LEADER: ESTIMATED LEVEL 25+]
[OBJECTIVE: IMMEDIATE ESCAPE REQUIRED]
The system's warning sent ice through Haruto's veins, but his mind was already working. Years of watching anime had taught him that sometimes the most obvious solution was the right one. His eyes darted to a burning wagon nearby, where oil was pooling beneath the flames, creating a growing lake of potential destruction. The merchant's goods were scattered around it—barrels, sacks, and what looked like more oil containers. Anime logic—explosions fix everything.
"Can you make that blow up?" he asked, pointing at the wagon.
Seraphina's gaze followed his gesture, and for the first time since he'd met her, a spark of genuine approval lit her amber eyes. Her lips curved in what might have been a smile under different circumstances. "Clever. Get ready to run."
She grabbed his wrist, her touch warm and firm, calloused from years of swordwork but surprisingly gentle. The contact sent electricity up his arm that had nothing to do with the system. She pulled him toward the dunes, and as they ran, she hurled a fireball back at the oil with casual precision. The explosion lit the desert like a supernova, a pillar of fire that reached toward the violet sky and scattered cultists in a wave of superheated air and blazing debris.
The cult leader stood untouched in the center of the inferno, his mask glinting with reflected flames. "You cannot flee the Shadow God, Phoenixborn. We see you now. We know where you run." He vanished in a swirl of dark energy, his laughter echoing across the desert like the sound of breaking glass.
The desert fell silent except for the crackling of flames in the wreckage.
[COMBAT COMPLETE]
[GAINED: 300 VALOR POINTS]
[LEVEL UP: LEVEL 2]
[REWARD: BASIC COMBAT SKILLS UNLOCKED]
[BOND OPPORTUNITY: SERAPHINA PHOENIXBORN]
[STATUS: FIRST MEETING SUCCESS]