Tower of Paradise

As soon as the dragon made contact with the female monster, the mana infused in it erupted in the air, creating a blue explosion that tore off her right arm with the force of an unleashed storm. The blast caused the ground to tremble, making me stagger, and I had to lean against the wall to avoid falling.

—Arghhh! —The creature gritted her teeth and stifled a cry of agony that still reverberated through the room.

—Alma, are you okay? —Zephyr’s voice trembled with concern behind her.

—I’m fine, Zephyr —Alma replied, clenching her teeth, visibly in pain. She clicked her tongue as she injected dark energy into her right arm, or what remained of it, to regenerate it. The process seemed painful but effective.

—Zephyr! —Seeing Alice’s impassive gaze toward the boy beside her, the creature shouted firmly—. Don’t stay here! Hide!

—But…!

Before the boy could protest, Alma interrupted with a voice that, surprisingly, carried a hint of tenderness.

—Don’t worry —The female monster lowered her head and looked at him. It was astonishing how such an intimidating being could show such a gentle expression—. Mom will win.

Seeing her smile, the boy couldn’t help but obey. Running, he distanced himself from Alma and sought refuge among the room’s shadows. I kept one eye on him, just in case I needed him at the last moment.

Suddenly, the air turned frigid, as if winter’s breath had invaded the battlefield. The atmosphere’s temperature plummeted in an instant, and a shiver ran through my body. Alice had manipulated the water vapor suspended in the air, extracting the kinetic energy from its molecules.

Her hands danced with hypnotic grace, channeling a power that seemed to bend the laws of nature, slowing molecular vibration until the invisible humidity transformed into a tangible, lethal force. An icy wind lashed my skin, sharp as a thousand needles, as Alice completed her spell.

Around her, the air sparked and crackled, and dozens of glistening icicles materialized from nothing, suspended like crystal daggers. Each one, sharp as a razor and glowing with a bluish sheen, seemed to capture the fury of winter itself. The icicles floated in a deadly circle, ready to obey their creator’s will.

With a sharp flick of her wrist, Alice unleashed her attack. The ice projectiles sliced through the air with a high-pitched whistle, aimed at Alma, the steel-skinned creature standing defiantly amid the chaos. Alma responded with a frenzied dance, her fists moving in a barely perceptible blur. Each strike thundered, pulverizing the icicles into a shower of fragments that glimmered under the light before vanishing. Her skin, hard as forged steel, remained unscathed, but the fury in her eyes revealed that even she felt the threat of Alice’s icy storm.

Alma moved in an incredible flurry of fists as the icicles shattered like sand in the wind, but it was evident that this time she couldn’t afford to keep taking Alice’s attacks as if they were nothing. The cost of regeneration was starting to take its toll.

This battle was clearly beyond my current capabilities; I felt small and insignificant, while the uncertainty of victory or defeat gnawed at my heart.

But Alice wasn’t done yet. An enormous mass of ice, colossal in proportion, took shape before her. It resembled a killer iceberg, largely diamond-shaped with an extremely sharp, elongated tip, capable of piercing the crystal of doubt that paralyzed my mind.

The killer iceberg shot forward with the unstoppable force of a thunderbolt in motion. I unconsciously clenched my fists, convinced for a moment that victory was within our grasp.

Alma let out a wild laugh as a sudden flash of red light filled my vision. My eyes trembled as I realized the change occurring in her body.

A red energy, moving like electricity, radiated from Alma’s body, enveloping her in a crimson aura of pure power. She slid one leg back to establish a solid stance, and with an astonishing simultaneous rotation of hips and shoulders, she explosively extended her arm. The massive iceberg, which collided with her fist and seemed frankly indestructible, shattered into an uncontrolled rain of countless ice fragments.

I immediately recognized what had happened. The reddish hue radiating from Alma’s body was a monster ability that unleashed the full potential of her core, multiplying her strength several times and, most absurdly, without apparent side effects. The difference between a third-evolution monster and a second-evolution one was vast, thanks to this ability called “Predator Mode.” It was characterized by two things: golden eyes and a chilling reddish hue on the body. There was no mistaking it.

Fortunately, Predator Mode, despite its terrifying power, was a state that consumed too much energy, even for a third-evolution monster. Thus, creatures like her only used it when they wanted to quickly eliminate an opponent or when there was no other option. This meant we had two chances to win: survive until Predator Mode ran out or have Alice defeat the beast beforehand. Whichever happened first would determine our fate.

—I’ll rip your throat out —Alma gritted her teeth and bent her knees, preparing to fight, her voice promising a chill that froze the blood in my veins.

My breath hitched. I watched the scene from the sidelines, unable to tear my gaze from the two combatants studying each other, motionless like predators sizing up their prey.

—Do your best effort —Alice said, shaking her head as if accepting the female monster’s challenge while assuming her stance, her silver aura intensifying—. Come!