~WHOOOSH!~
Maria's body was covered in ethereal light as she made her way towards the smoldering mass of Nether before her.
It felt suffocating, just looking at the imposing structure, but just like everyone else who charged for the target, she was determined not to take even a step back.
Her body was constantly being protected by the Aether she emitted, and the bluish white light was her compass in the eternal shroud of darkness that seemed to encompass everything else around.
Before long, she arrived at her own spot, noticing her comrades taking their respective positions. There was more than enough room for all nine of them to independently assault the target, after all.
'Hm…?'
Due to the influence of the Nether's overwhelming flow, she couldn't properly detect her allies, and it was a chore to maintain her pure state without suffering from Nether Poisoning.
'There's also a very strong force pulling me to the center.'
There were several things she had to account for, but Maria's expert control over her power allowed her to maintain her balance and distance without succumbing to the otherwise overpowering attraction of Nether.
Before she could completely assess the situation, however, she noticed the massive sphere opening up at a corner, and several creatures began to surge forth in droves.
Using her heightened senses, particularly her sight, Maria was able to observe the kinds of entities flying her direction at breakneck speed.
They had bulky frames, the smallest ones having a height of at least 70 to 100 meters, while the larger ones possessing meters in the hundreds.
Their bodies were obsidian black, but they possessed vein-like markings on their bodies which warbled with purple light. These veins had intricate designs on them, and it seemed the large ones had more markings like that.
They also possessed wings and tails, as well as grotesque horns that made them appear even more monstrous. Spikes were evident on their disgusting bodies, and most of them had several limbs.
A good number of had oddly deformed bodies; ranging from possessing an uneven number of limbs, misshapen heads, overly obese or overly emaciated forms, etc.
All in all, however, despite their variety, they had one thing in common.
Their identity.
'Nether Beasts. And each of them is even stronger than the last one we faced…' Maria thought back to the last expedition she had with Serah and Ana.
The Nether Beast they had fought at the end of their journey wasn't particularly strong, but it wasn't weak either. The mere fact that there were so many Beasts who were all superior to that monster told her of the severity of the Hive's danger.
'Enough thinking. I should begin the extermination.' Maria's emotionless eyes seemed to glisten with resolve, at least for a split second.
This mission was a good way to show Jared just how much she had improved over the years. She was still unaware of his strength, but that didn't mean she wasn't going to show him her level of growth.
'I'll make sure I stay on the team and remain by your side.'
And this was the perfect time to prove herself.
"[True Archangel Drive]."
The moment Maria utttered those words, her glistening body burst with ethereal energy, with luminiscent glows radiating from her single position.
For a moment, it felt like she was an exploding star.
However, this was merely the start.
Her body was instantly adorned with silver-white armor, and her head was crowned with a halo, along with a jewel-like helmet that doubled as a crown. Her blue eyes glowed, piercing the depths of darkness, and her skin grew pale white, as though frost covered the surface of her skin.
Pure white wings grew from behind her, with a few lone feathers flying all across the area, each one containing a dense amount of Aether.
"And now… Original Magic…"
Several blades appeared beside her, all in varying calors—from white to black, displaying a spectrum of nine colors.
White. Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Blue. Indigo. Violet. And finally… Black.
All blades danced by her side, awaiting command as her lips moved.
"[True Light]."
With her transformation, as well as her Original Magic, achieved in just a split second, Maria's gaze fell on the approaching foes with a determined stare.
To show Jared just what she was capable of… holding back wasn't an option.
"[White]."
The moment Maria uttered those words, the white blade that danced before her swiftly launched itself into Maria's grasp.
She held the blade tightly, and parted her lips to leak out a visible breath of misty fog. Though it was impossible to tell, but the blade's power was causing everything around her to drop in temperature beyond even an absolute degree.
Pointing her blade at the incoming swarm, Maria finally uttered her spell with emotionless conviction.
"[Freeze]"
Instantly, what could only be described as a blizzard of insurmountable proportions manifested from the tip of the crystal-like white blade.
It surged, like an unreal painting of purity, sweeping past Maria and her position, to the enemies that had almost reached her.
The Nether Beasts seemed to have realized the dangers of the incoming wave of unstoppable ice, and so they acted quickly. All of them, driven by the pure instinct to live, opened their mouths to send blasts of Nether to stop the ice barrage.
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!~
Launching their repulsive blackish purple energy at the pure white blizzard, they must have hoped to prolong their lives, at least even for a moment more.
Unfortunately for them, their opponent was not one to show mercy.
The moment Maria realized what they were up to, she increased the output of her [White: Freeze]", and everything in its path was reduced to ice.
All the Nether Beasts… and their pathetic attempts at resistance.
The blizzard consumed everything, creating nothing but a layer of ice that turned everything into unmoving frost sculptures.
Maria kept up this ice barrage for a while, constantly freezing the Nether Beasts as they kept appearing from their residence.
However, once their emerging numbers dropped drastically, she decided to simply finish off the ice statues that had now obscured so much of her sight.
As a result, she had to resort to another blade.
"Now then… [RED]."
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[A/N]
Well, that was cold.
Literally.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
