"Dammit!" Jolly scread, running away from a massive rock covered in lava. "Why is such a powerful monster here, no, a better question is, why the hell did I end up in such a scary area!" She narrowly evaded the attack, falling on her face due to her inexperience with using this mana.
’Shit, who knew mana could be this different. Corrupted mana is dense, this one is like trying to control water.’ She got to her feet and continued running, but the monster appeared right in front of her, punching her away. She blocked at the last second, but the impact still sent her crashing through the trees.
"Tch, I cannot believe I got such a weak one. I was hoping to face the one that killed the queen. This is a waste of my ti." He summoned another rock of mana and threw it at Jolly.
She crashed through branches before slamming into a thick trunk, the impact knocking the wind from her lungs. Every part of her body scread in protest as she forced herself to move, barely rolling away as the flaming boulder obliterated the tree behind her.
’Think, think!’ Her mind raced while dodging another barrage. The mana flowing through her felt like trying to cup water in her hands—the mont she thought she had a grip on it, it slipped away. Nothing like the thick, syrupy corruption she was used to.
"At least put up a fight!" the guardian bellowed, his massive form flickering into existence above her. "Is running all you can do?"
She gritted her teeth, channeling mana into her legs as she darted between the trees. She needed distance, needed ti to figure this out. But the guardian’s laughter echoed all around her, taunting.
’Wait...’ A desperate idea struck as she felt the mana flowing through her. If she could not control it perfectly like the corruption, maybe she did not have to.
The guardian appeared in front of her again, his palm blazing with energy. "Enough gas."
She did not try to dodge this ti. Instead, she let the mana surge through her wildly, focusing only on pushing it outward rather than controlling it. The resulting burst was ssy, unpredictable—more like a splash than a focused attack. But it caught the guardian off guard, montarily disrupting his focus.
"What the—" he stumbled back, more surprised than hurt.
She did not waste the opening, imdiately changing direction and sprinting away. She might not be able to beat him, but she just proved she could at least throw him off balance. Sotis survival ant taking the small victories where you could get them.
"Lucky shot," the guardian snarled behind her, his voice hardening with anger. "But luck runs out, little girl."
’Yeah,’ she thought, preparing another wild burst of mana as his heavy footsteps thundered closer, ’but so does arrogance.’
Dodging and weaving through the trees, her breaths ca in ragged gasps. Each wild burst of mana she released bought her precious seconds, but the guardian was getting visibly angrier with each "sloppy" attack. His massive form kept flickering in and out of view, appearing closer each ti, his attacks becoming more vicious and less controlled.
"Stand still and face your death with dignity!" he roared, sending a wave of molten rock that reduced several ancient trees to ash. The heat alone made her skin prickle painfully.
"How about no?" she shot back, channeling another burst of mana through her arms. The energy sprayed out like a garden hose with too much pressure, forcing the guardian to shield his eyes. It was not much, but it was sothing.
He responded by slamming his fist into the ground, sending shockwaves that knocked Jolly off her feet. She rolled with the fall, years of training kicking in despite her exhaustion.
"You are not even worth killing anymore," the guardian sneered, stalking toward her as she scrambled back to her feet. "Just a scared little girl playing with powers she does not understand."
Jolly’s back hit a boulder, and a grim smile crossed her face. "You know what is funny about that?" She gathered mana into her palms, letting it spiral and churn chaotically. "You are right—I do not understand these powers yet."
The guardian raised an eyebrow, flas dancing across his stone-like skin. "Finally accepting your fate?"
"Nope." Her smile widened. "Just pointing out that if I do not understand them... I am probably really unpredictable right now."
She released another burst, this one aid at the ground between them. The guardian laughed as dirt and debris exploded upward, creating a temporary screen between them. "Running away again? How predictable—"
His words cut off as she burst through the debris cloud, sliding under his guard. She might not have mastered this new mana, but she still knew how to fight. The guardian’s eyes widened in surprise as she slamd her palm against his chest, releasing a point-blank burst of raw mana.
The blast sent them both flying in opposite directions. Jolly crashed through underbrush, barely managing to turn it into a controlled tumble. The guardian recovered faster, his laughter booming through the forest.
"Finally showing so spine! But that attack was pathetic—you barely scratched ." He cracked his neck, flas intensifying around his form. "Let show you what real power looks like."
The air itself seed to thicken as he gathered his energy, the temperature skyrocketing. She pushed herself up, legs shaking with exhaustion. She had one shot at this, and timing would be everything.
"Die knowing you were nothing more than an insect beneath my feet!" The guardian thrust both hands forward, releasing a massive beam of concentrated mana.
Jolly gathered everything she had left, every wild, untad drop of mana in her system. The energy fought her, trying to spray in all directions, but she held it together through sheer willpower. Just before the guardian’s attack reached her, she released it all—straight up into the sky.
The vertical blast pierced the canopy, erupting into a brilliant explosion that lit up the forest like a second sun. The guardian’s attack slamd into the spot where she had been standing, but she had already dove to the side, rolling behind a massive tree trunk.
"Hahaha!" The guardian’s laughter echoed through the woods. "Your final attack, and you missed completely! I knew you were pathetic, but this—"
She stepped out from behind the tree, breathing hard but grinning. "Who said I was aiming at you?"
The guardian’s eyes narrowed. "What—"
A shadow dropped from above, moving so fast it was barely visible. The guardian looked up just in ti to see a fist connecting with his face. The impact was devastating, sending the guardian crashing through multiple trees before embedding him in a cliff face.
"Thanks for coming," she said, finally letting her legs give out as she slumped against the tree.
Vell landed beside the crater his punch had created, cracking his knuckles as the guardian struggled to extract himself from the rock. "Sorry for the wait. Nice signal flare though—saw it from far away."
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