Beneath a crimson sky...
The school, once brimming with life, lay unnaturally silent. Only the clock tower’s steady ticking echoed through the lifeless halls.
*CLANG!*
A sharp metallic ring cut through the air.
I stumbled backward, repelled by the Bonesoul’s counterstrike.
This talking Bonesoul was no ordinary grunt.
When its claws scraped against my Ethereal Blade, no mud-like corruption spread.
Any grayish sheen vanished instantly beneath roaring flames.
Was this two-headed hound’s fire more than just defense?
*ROAR!*
Seizing my retreat, the beast lunged!
Its flayed, rotting tail whipped through the air, tracing a circle—
Flames erupted from nothingness!
A barrage of fireballs hurtled toward me like death’s own heralds.
I steadied myself just as the inferno launched.
No time to waste—I yanked a shield-shaped card from my deck and slammed it into my belt’s slot.
Beside me, my brother’s jaw hung slack in a perfect “O”.
Speechless. Stunned.
He’d have questions later.
But not now—he knew better than to distract me mid-fight.
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**“Terra Shield!”**
The fireballs were inches from my face—
—but the skill activated just in time.
I drove my fist into the ground.
A stone slab erupted upward.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Explosions swallowed the room in thick smoke.
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Smoke meant safety.
My stone barrier had held.
I wouldn’t waste this cover.
As the belt’s chime faded, I leapt from the haze—
Ethereal Blade blazing on my arm—
and slammed downward toward the hound!
The Bonesoul’s eyes widened slightly.
Surprised I’d survived its assault.
Surprised I dared counterattack.
It wouldn’t stand idle.
Its tail slashed another circle—
—but this time, ice spikes materialized instead of fire.
**“Terra Spike!”**
I didn’t flinch.
Committing to mutual destruction, I roared the skill’s name—
even as the Ethereal Blade crushed one of its heads, impaled by a stone spike—
even as ice pierced my flesh.
*HISS!*
A pained gasp escaped my lips.
I bit down hard, swallowing the scream.
“Dongyu! Are you alright?”
My brother’s voice cut through the agony.
“I’m… fine! Run, Brother! If you stay—”
I wrenched my blade free, landing beside the beast’s flank.
“Just—”
“**YOU TORE OFF MY OTHER HEAD, HUMAN! YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS!!!**”
Before I could finish, the enraged Bonesoul summoned a denser storm of fireballs—
aimed squarely at my brother and me.
It meant to reduce this office to ashes.
**“Terra Shield!”**
I jammed the shield card into my belt again—
but this time, the slab erupted *behind* my brother.
As for me—
*UGH!*
I took the full blast alone.
Flames licked my skin, leaving faint charred streaks.
My uniform stayed intact—just singed black.
*Good fabric*, I thought absently.
*Magical girls don’t get “clothes torn” tropes outside eroge anyway.*
“Dongyu—”
**“RUN!”**
Gritting my teeth against the pain, I shoved him toward the window.
“Go! *Now!*”
He hesitated, then met my eyes—
a silent promise in his gaze—
before leaping through the glass.
“Now…” I whispered, pulling a new card from thin air.
*I know the Ethereal Blade’s limits.*
I grinned at the Bonesoul, slotting in Fimilaharde’s card.
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**“Manifest! Azure Sodium Divine Bow—Fimilaharde, Eternal Binder of Winter!”**
I grasped the bow as it materialized—
its pale blue glow cutting through the smoke—
just as more fireballs streaked toward me.
*A spellcaster, huh? Predictable.*
I nocked an arrow without hurry.
Ice met fire midair, canceling each blast.
But the hound kept summoning more.
“Time for my strongest move.”
I flipped open Fimilaharde’s deck, selecting a tested skill card.
*Starfall Judgment* was too risky here.
*Glacial Halberd*? Too slow—he’d dodge and counter.
Only one choice remained.
**Thirteenfold Fury.**
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**“Bonesoul! Return your life to God!”**
I drew the bowstring taut, eyes locked on the beast.
Losing one head had only made it fiercer—
a true boss’s second phase.
I released the string.
The arrow split mid-flight into thirteen radiant beams—
shattering every fireball and ice spike in their path.
The hound tried to dodge—
too late.
The beams converged on its chest.
**“CURSE YOU, HUMAAAAAN!!!”**
Its roar turned to a shriek.
Flames guttered out across its body, replaced by creeping frost.
Seconds later, only a massive ice block remained in the ruined office.
“Finally…”
Relief flooded me—and with it, crushing exhaustion.
My legs gave way. I collapsed onto the floor.
*That took everything I had.*
“The domain should fade now…”
If this Bonesoul created this crimson world, its death should break the illusion.
I unclipped my belt.
Waited.
The scarlet sky didn’t waver.
The silent school stayed frozen.
*It wasn’t the source?*
Dread coiled in my gut.
A terrible thought slithered into my mind—
and held tight.
