Taoreta's POV

  Leap!

  The cloud of smoke with the glowing eyes rushed towards us with great speed.

  Csh! Csh!

  The cshes of bdes to cws made my whole body tremble as I tried my best to keep up with the others.

  Ssh!

  From where I could see, Kuma was being attacked from the left while David was attacking from the right. With every swing of their swords, I could see their white breath appearing with every exhale from their noses and mouths.

  David twisted his body and turned himself into a human tornado.

  Spin, spin, spin.

  A twirl.

  Unspinning and then sshing horizontally. With his boots in the air as his upper body faced the ground due to something called gravity, David managed to get the monster to focus on him instead.

  But the strangest thing about this was that the cloud of smoke hadn't disappeared around its body. Almost as if it was sealing itself and not revealing its true form.

  But thinking about it wouldn't change anything!

  "I'm going in!" I heard Kishi as he slowly took out his weapon.

  "Don't!" I shouted at him.

  "Why?!" Kishi shouted at me with a sad expression.

  "J-just..." I trailed off from my original thoughts.

  Csh! Csh!

  Some more cshes were heard from behind me. I looked back and saw Kuma and David moving quickly.

  For example, Kuma lightly nded and dodged an upcoming dive attack from that monster that was covered in smoke. Before it could adjust and attack again, David leapt towards it and brought his stone sword back with all his might. It was almost as if he was bringing a baseball bat, getting ready to hit a ball and make a home run.

  Ssh!

  I heard the sword cshing against something. But all I saw was David's sword connecting to the clouds.

  Did it turn into another material or something?

  No, it couldn't be that.

  But standing here like a statue wouldn't do me any good.

  I looked at Kishi with my eyes narrowed.

  "Kishi, please stand back until the moment is right."

  "This again?!"

  "Kishi, please. I know being in here made you a little impatient. And I know David and Kuma mean a lot to you as well. But please, just this once, listen to me. Please, for me..." I rested my hands on Kishi's strong shoulders. I could tell from here that Kishi didn't seem to back down even for me. And I understood where he was coming from.

  But still...

  Kishi closed his eyes in sadness.

  "Again... why am I... so useless...?"

  Those words made me freeze in pce. I didn't mean to make it sound like he was useless. If we weren't on the mission, then I would've tried to at least comfort him. And I really wanted to do that badly. But... David and Kuma were in danger. But Kishi was also feeling bad for himself.

  I was so conflicted on what to do.

  I lowered my hands and took a step back. I continued to stare at Kishi as I could hear the battle continuing from behind. I lowered my eyes and stared at the ground.

  I really shouldn't have been worried about something like this. We were on the battlefield after all. Nothing about this would help us in the long run. Nothing about Kishi's situation would help mankind escape faster.

  I knew. I knew all of that, but still... I just didn't care enough to ignore him!

  My heart wouldn't allow it! I wouldn't allow myself to keep my heart closed to him. Not again.

  So, with resolve in my heart, I did what anyone would do in a time like this...

  Hug!

  "Ah!" I heard a sound from my red-haired best friend.

  I embraced him tightly.

  In the middle of this snowy field, where the battle was taking pce. A person who was meant to fight for the race of their kind. For someone who was meant to help others on the battlefield. For someone who only looked at a boy who took care of her as a child.

  Taoreta, a girl who only thought about her best friend's needs over her own. Someone who only thought about him and him only over her very mission.

  Taoreta was someone who'd been spoiled by the boy in front of her. And she would do anything for him. But right now... all she could do was comfort him.

  "I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you somehow," I whispered in his ear.

  "Tao?" I heard him whisper back.

  "But for now... please wait for Jir to get back and for your role. For me... please..."

  I slowly looked into Kishi's eyes. Those Sunstone eyes never ceased to ck beauty. All the more for me to hug him tightly and keep him safe.

  But I felt like there was more to it than that.

  ...No. No, it couldn't be.

  Kishi was just a friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

  After frowning at that thought process, I gently let go and turned around. Any more of this and I might lose my mind. Not in a bad way, but still. I needed my head in the game...

  Csh! Csh!

  I turned my head slightly to speak, but I swallowed my words. Any words, and I'd regret the actions that would happen next.

  Inhale.

  Exhale.

  I slowly narrowed my eyes and readied my sword.

  You can do it, Taoreta!

  I slid my feet and looked at the battlefield. From this distance, I could see Kuma and David continuing their battle against the monster.

  I was ashamed that I had focused my priority on Kishi and him alone instead of the mission.

  But I didn't regret staying by his side.

  With that in mind, I felt some kind of resolve swelling from within me.

  I gritted my teeth. I could feel my body shaking a bit.

  The Super Codes were keeping our skins warm enough so that we wouldn't stop functioning.

  Good. That meant that we could still win this thing.

  As much as I didn't want Kishi to be involved with this, having him do the final strike was a sound pn.

  Since he was a concept of death, we could kill this thing. The only thing we needed was an opening.

  And since we needed an opening and a signal to do it...

  Kishi can tell whatever I'm trying to say with anything I'll do.

  Indeed, with that in mind, I believed we could win this now.

  "I'm going now, Kishi. Please wait for me..." I smiled at him with my cheeks burning.

  "Huh? Wait, what are you-?"

  Stomp!

  I stepped forward, and my boots sank a bit with a few cracks appearing from the ground.

  Whoosh!

  A huge wind pressure appeared around my body. My cape was blown by the wind as my clothing moved as well. I brought my sword back, almost as if I were on a softball team waiting for the ball to arrive.

  With my body leaning forward a bit-

  "Holy sword. Awaken from slumber," I whispered, and my eyes felt hot.

  Wong!

  Like a wrench hitting a phone line to make a strange noise due to the metal and electronics flowing back and forth, my sword made that sound.

  Dash!

  In the blink of an eye, my body moved forward.

  Like a bird flying in the sky, as it spread its wings and let the wind take it to its destination, I was off the ground and speeding towards the smoke that was covering the monster's true body.

  My eyes were burning. I assumed they were glowing now that I thought about it. But that didn't matter right now.

  I slowly brought the sword forward as the wind pressure was higher than normal due to how fast I was going.

  "Holy sword..." I began saying softly.

  I widened my eyes and shouted:

  "...Heavily roar!"

  Boom!!!

  I let out a beam of light. It struck the cloud of smoke that was hiding the monster from within.

  This slowed down my speed, and I used my boots as brakes when I touched the ground smoothly.

  Almost as if I was floating down from the heavens. Like an angel, you might say.

  Dust and clouds formed when my boots made contact with the snow underneath. It didn't take long before I slowed down and stopped fully.

  Once I wasn't sliding anymore, I slowly stood up straight and swiped the air with my sword.

  My sword, which was still glowing, left a trail of light when I swung it.

  "Holy sword. Rest."

  My sword stopped glowing, and I lowered it.

  Silence.

  That was all I was hearing from where I was standing.

  But I knew for sure that this windy, snowing pce alongside this monster wasn't finished. Oh no, far from over.

  That was why Taoreta would take her stand and use her life to work together with Kuma and David, who were behind me based on the aura I felt the moment I nded, to create an opening and protect someone who meant the world to me. Kishi.

  "Damn Taoreta! You did a number on that freak!" I heard David, who seemed to be right next to me on my right.

  "Nice one, Tao!" I heard Kuma from my left.

  "Save the thanks for when we get out of this mess alive..." I said in a calm tone.

  "Damn, when did you get serious?" David asked in a pyful way, as usual.

  "The moment Kishi set foot in this frozen hell hole," I said coldly and faced David.

  I quickly turned my head back as I could sense something sinister coming our way.

  "Here it comes..." Kuma readied her sword.

  "Tch!" David raised his stone sword and rested it on his shoulder.

  "...!" I narrowed my eyes as I felt my body become heavier.

  I hadn't expected it to recover so quickly. I knew that attack wasn't going to do anything, but still.

  I guessed this monster was more troublesome than I had thought.

  We needed to find an opening, and fast!

  For both our sake... and Kishi's sake!