The vilge was engulfed in chaos, its once-tranquil streets now a battlefield. Smoke rose in thick plumes, curling into the twilight sky like dark serpents, blotting out the fading light of the sun. The acrid stench of burning wood and flesh hung heavy in the air, stinging the eyes and choking the lungs of those who dared to breathe too deeply. Cries of terror and anguish echoed through the narrow streets, mingling with the csh of steel and the triumphant shouts of armored padins. The holy warriors moved with brutal efficiency, their silver armor gleaming unnaturally amidst the smoke, their swords emanating a faint, golden glow that cut through the gloom.

  Fires raged unchecked, leaping from thatched roofs to fields, consuming everything in their path. The vilge elder led Yuki through the chaos, his old yet steady hands guiding her past charred remnants of homes and toppled carts. His expression was grim, his lips pressed into a thin line of determination as he pushed forward, refusing to let despair take root. Yuki followed, her violet eyes glowing faintly, their unnatural light reflecting the carnage around her.

  The two rounded a corner, and the scene before them forced Yuki to halt mid-step. A young kobold mother knelt in the dirt, clutching her child tightly to her chest. Her scaled arms trembled as she tried to shield the little one from the towering figures that surrounded her. Four padins loomed over the pair, their swords raised high, holy light crackling along the edges of their bdes. Their faces were cold, devoid of pity, their eyes filled with the conviction of those who believed they were delivering divine justice.

  “Please! Mercy!” the kobold mother cried, her voice raw with desperation.

  The padins ignored her plea. One of them, a broad-shouldered man with a deep scar across his cheek, sneered. “The goddess’s light cleanses all impurities,” he said, his voice devoid of empathy. He raised his sword higher, preparing to strike.

  “Duck!” The vilge elder’s voice rang out like a thundercp. The kobold mother instinctively obeyed, curling over her child as the elder stepped forward, his hands moving in fluid, practiced motions. Fmes ignited in his palms, swirling together into a bright, searing orb of fire that hissed and crackled with raw power. With a grunt of effort, he hurled it forward, the fireball streaking through the smoke-filled air like a comet.

  The explosion that followed was deafening. The fireball struck the ground at the padins’ feet, detonating with a burst of searing heat and light. Fmes engulfed two of the padins, their screams cutting through the chaos as they stumbled back, their armor glowing red-hot. The bst sent dirt and debris flying, momentarily obscuring the area in a thick cloud of dust and smoke.

  The elder didn’t stop to see the result of his attack. He turned to Yuki, his voice sharp. “Now!”

  Yuki didn’t hesitate. She surged forward, her movements quick and purposeful. The ominous energy that had been building within her began to surface, manifesting as bck veins that pulsed beneath her pale skin, spreading like cracks across a fragile surface. Her arms trembled violently, the unnatural power within her cwing its way out.

  As she raised her arms, the transformation began. A sickening crack echoed as the skin along her forearms split open, bck liquid oozing from the wounds. The viscous substance poured out in unnatural waves, defying gravity as it writhed and twisted. It coalesced into a mass of writhing tentacles, each one moving with a life of its own, dripping with the same inky liquid that had birthed them.

  The padins staggered back, their confidence faltering as they beheld the monstrous sight. One of them, his face pale, muttered, “What in Lumina’s name—”

  Before he could finish, the tentacles shed out with terrifying speed. One smmed into the chest of a padin, the force shattering his breastpte and sending him flying into a nearby wall. Another wrapped around the legs of a second padin, pulling him off his feet before smming him to the ground with bone-crushing force.

  The scarred leader roared in defiance, raising his glowing sword to strike, but a tendril shot forward, coiling around his arm like a serpent. He struggled, his muscles straining as the tentacle tightened, the bck liquid sizzling against the holy light that emanated from his bde. With a sickening snap, his arm twisted at an unnatural angle, forcing him to drop the sword.

  The final padin turned to run, panic overtaking his discipline, but Yuki’s tentacles shot out, spearing through his back and emerging from his chest. His body went limp, colpsing in a heap as the tentacles retracted, dripping with crimson.

  The kobold mother stared in wide-eyed horror, clutching her child tightly as Yuki turned toward her. The glowing violet eyes that met hers were cold, alien, and yet… there was a flicker of something human beneath the monstrous visage. Compassion.

  “Run,” Yuki said, her voice quiet but firm. “Go with the elder. He’ll keep you safe.”

  The kobold nodded quickly, her legs trembling as she scrambled to her feet. She fled with her child, disappearing into the smoke, leaving Yuki standing amidst the broken bodies of her enemies, her monstrous arms dripping with void-born ichor. The battle was far from over.

  The tendrils moved with unnatural speed, an extension of Yuki's will. The padins barely had time to react before chaos erupted in their ranks. One of them—a broad-shouldered warrior cd in gleaming silver—lunged forward, his sword glowing with holy light. But he was too slow. A bck tendril shot through his chest with a sickening squelch, piercing his armor as though it were paper. His sword slipped from his grasp, cttering uselessly to the bloodied ground as his lifeless body crumpled.

  Another padin raised his shield, shouting a prayer to Lumina, but the void-born tendrils were relentless. They coiled around him like snakes, squeezing with monstrous strength. His armor groaned under the pressure before shattering with a deafening crack, his screams of agony silenced as his body was crushed. Blood spttered the ground, mixing with the ink-bck liquid dripping from Yuki’s monstrous arms.

  The air buzzed with a mechanical chime as the system's voice echoed in her mind.

  [System Notice: [Harvest] has harvested the skill [Holy Shield TI] from Padin of Lumina Second Ascension.][System Notice: [Harvest] has harvested the skill [Smite TI] from Padin of Lumina First Ascension.][System Notice: [Harvest] has harvested the Trait [Holy Affinity TI] from Padin of Lumina First Ascension.][System Notice: [Harvest] has harvested 90 Vigor.][System Notice: [Harvest] has harvested 70 Magic.][System Notice: [Harvest] has harvested 30 Strength.][System Notice: [Harvest] has harvested 50 Spirit.]

  Yuki barely noticed the notifications. Her focus was on the remaining padins, whose confidence had withered into fear. They stumbled back, their eyes wide with horror at the grotesque spectacle before them. Her arms—once human—were now masses of writhing bck tentacles, dripping with inky ichor that sizzled wherever it touched the ground. Her glowing violet eyes, cold and unyielding, bore into their souls.

  Behind her, the kobold mother clutched her child tightly, frozen in fear. Yuki turned her head slightly, her voice firm but somehow gentle. “Run. Go with the elder. He’ll keep you safe.”

  The kobold hesitated, her gaze flickering between Yuki’s monstrous form and the elder. Finally, she nodded, holding her child close as she fled, her footsteps fading into the chaos.

  The elder, however, lingered. He turned back to Yuki, his expression torn between gratitude and defiance. “This is my vilge! I won’t abandon my people!”

  Yuki met his gaze, a flicker of warmth breaking through the cold resolve in her eyes. “I know it’s your vilge,” she said softly, a faint smile touching her lips despite the chaos around them. Her tentacles retracted slightly, dripping bck liquid onto the ground. “But it’s my job as a hero to protect the innocent. Go. I’ll handle this.”

  The elder opened his mouth to argue, but Yuki cut him off, her voice firm. “Please, trust me. They need you alive.”

  Before he could respond, a slow cp broke through the din of battle. A padin stepped forward, his polished armor gleaming even in the smoke-filled air. The sunburst crest of Lumina shone prominently on his chest, a testament to his rank. His face was twisted into a smug grin as he surveyed the scene, his gaze lingering disdainfully on Yuki.

  “Well, isn’t this a touching dispy,” he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. “A hero, protecting monsters. How noble… and how utterly pathetic.” He spread his arms in mock appuse. “Betraying your own kind to shield these wretches. You’re not a hero—you’re an abomination.”

  Yuki’s smile faded, her expression hardening into one of cold determination. Her glowing eyes narrowed, their violet light intensifying. “I don’t waste time talking to followers of Lumina,” she said, her voice ft, devoid of emotion.

  The padin’s smirk faltered as Yuki lunged, her tentacles surging forward like a tide of living shadows. He raised his sword, its holy light fring, and met her charge head-on.

  Their csh was explosive. The padin’s sword cshed against Yuki’s tendrils, the holy energy sizzling and cracking against the void-born appendages. He moved with precision, his strikes powerful and measured, but Yuki’s monstrous strength and unpredictable movements kept him on the defensive. A tendril snaked around his leg, pulling him off bance, but he twisted midair, sshing through the mass with a burst of golden light.

  Yuki pressed her advantage, her tentacles hammering at his defenses relentlessly. He deflected and dodged, his breathing growing bored as the battle wore on. Finally, with a powerful strike, Yuki disarmed him, her tendrils pinning him to the ground.

  The padin struggled, his face contorted with rage and defiance. Yuki stepped closer, her bde gleaming in her hand as she leveled it at his throat. “What’s your name?” she asked coldly, her voice like ice.

  He coughed, blood dripping from his lips. “I am Valen,” he spat, gring up at her with unbroken resolve. “Vice Commander of Lumina’s Hero Advancement Party.”

  Yuki’s expression didn’t change. Without hesitation, her tendrils fshed, and Valen’s body went limp, his blood pooling beneath him as his head fell of his body.

  She flicked her tendril clean and turned, her focus shifting to finding Lirien. The vilge was still in turmoil, but her senses quickly located the strongest energy signatures in an attempt to find Lirien using [Alert] to attempt to locate the wood elf.

  Some time ter and after killing more holy knights and a priestess found Lirien barely standing, her bow shattered at her feet. The elf’s body was riddled with wounds, her breathing shallow and ragged. Despite her injuries, she stood protectively in front of a group of kobold and goblin children, her arms outstretched as if to shield them from the advancing padins.

  Yuki’s violet eyes softened briefly before hardening again. As she moved towards Lirien.

  “Lirien!” Yuki’s voice cut through the chaos like a knife as she sprinted toward the elf. But she was too te. A towering padin cd in golden armor raised his massive sword, the holy sigils etched into the bde glowing with an otherworldly light. The weapon came down in a brutal arc, crashing into Yuki just as she reached Lirien.

  The impact was devastating. Yuki barely had time to throw up her monstrous arms in defense. The force of the blow sent her hurtling across the scorched ground, her body skidding to a halt mere feet away from Lirien and the terrified children. Dust and debris swirled around her as she groaned, her breath ragged. Her monstrous arms, once pulsating with void energy, had taken the brunt of the attack, their surface cracked and oozing bck ichor.

  Lirien, battered and bloodied, tried to crawl toward her. The elf’s emerald eyes, once sharp and fierce, were now filled with worry and guilt. “Yuki… you’re hurt…” she rasped, her voice trembling with exhaustion.

  “Stay down,” Yuki commanded, her tone firm yet tinged with kindness. She pushed herself up, her muscles screaming in protest. “You’re injured. Stay with the kids. I’ll protect all of you.”

  The kobold and goblin children huddled closer to Lirien, their small bodies trembling as they clung to her for comfort. The elf hesitated, her hands trembling, but she nodded, her voice barely a whisper. “Be careful…”

  Yuki forced herself to her feet, her knees threatening to buckle. Blood dripped from her lips, but she ignored it. She couldn’t afford weakness now. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, she summoned the power within her. [Void Resonance TI] roared to life, as cracks manafiested and spread across over body before taking the form of a terrifying and monstrous bck armor. More bck liquid then erupted from her back and arms in a violent torrent, twisting and writhing as it took shape. The void-born mass grew, forming monstrous appendages that pulsated with an evil aura. Her violet eyes burned brighter, their glow piercing the ink bck haze that enveloped her form.

  She charged the padin, her body a blur of void-infused fury. The ground cracked beneath her feet as she moved, her monstrous limbs shing out with devastating force. One tendril struck the padin’s shield, shattering it into fragments. Another coiled around his arm, yanking him forward with bone-crushing strength. And just as Yuki is about to strike the padin with all her tentacles some one speaks the words "Judgement" unleashing a wave of holy energy that surged toward Yuki like a tidal wave.

  The impact was catastrophic. The golden energy smmed into her with unrelenting force, engulfing her in blinding light. Yuki screamed as the void within her reacted violently, writhing and recoiling like a wounded beast. The bck liquid seeped back into her body, leaving her trembling and vulnerable. She colpsed to the ground, gasping for air, her vision swimming.

  The padin stood tall, his armor gleaming despite the blood and soot staining its surface. He sneered down at her, lowering his bde as though she were no longer worth the effort. “Pitiful,” he spat, his voice dripping with contempt. “You didn’t need to interfere, head priestess Liora” the padin said, turning toward the source of the magic. Another figure stepped forward, her silhouette graceful and commanding against the smoky backdrop. “I had everything under control.”

  The newcomer’s movements were unhurried, almost deliberate, as she closed the distance. Her long coat billowed around her, revealing intricate armor beneath that shimmered faintly with magical wards. Her expression was unreadable, but her tone carried an air of authority. "You say that however you where just about to die to her. Head Padin Caden".

  “Why aren’t you with the hero?” the padin asked, his tone sharp but tinged with respect.

  The woman’s gaze swept over the battlefield before nding on Yuki, who was struggling to rise. Her voice was calm, almost detached. “The hero needs experience,” she said simply. “She can’t lead an army without understanding the realities of battle.”

  The padin hesitated, his grip tightening on his sword. “And this... abomination?” he asked, gesturing toward Yuki.

  The woman’s eyes narrowed slightly, her expression hardening. “She’s not your concern. Focus on the mission.”

  Yuki gritted her teeth, forcing herself to her knees. The void within her stirred again, hungering for release despite the searing pain it brought. She wasn’t done—not yet. Her violet eyes locked onto the newcomer, a flicker of defiance igniting within them.

  “I don’t care who you are,” Yuki growled, her voice low and ragged. “If you stand in my way, I’ll destroy you too.”

  The woman raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a faint, amused smile. “Bold words for someone on the brink of colpse.” She tilted her head slightly, as though assessing Yuki. “Let’s see if you can back them up.”

  The tension in the air thickened, the battlefield falling silent as the two women prepared to csh. The children’s whimpers, the crackling of distant fires, and the faint cries of the vilgers seemed to fade into the background.

  And then, with a deafening roar, the fight resumed.

  She stepped aside with a grace that seemed almost otherworldly, her every movement deliberate, calcuted. The dim light from the burning vilge cast flickering shadows across her face, and for a moment, Yuki froze. Her breath hitched as her gaze locked onto the woman’s features.

  It couldn’t be.

  The curve of her jaw, the way her dark hair framed her face, and those piercing eyes—sharp yet carrying a depth of emotion Yuki had thought she’d never see again on a face that she thought she would never see again.

  Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, each beat a deafening echo in her ears. The void within her stirred uneasily, reacting to her spiraling emotions. For a brief moment, the chaos of the battlefield seemed to fade, leaving only the suffocating weight of her recognition.

  Yuki’s voice cracked “H-Haruka?”