*SLASH*

*SMASH*

In a flash, the throat of a crocodile-like titan-class monster, with humanoid arms instead of legs and tail, got slit and immediately after an insanely powerful blow partially ripped the beast's head off.

"¿€"

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough for the creature to die, as it spun around and backed off while roaring in pain, spraying the yellow blood and viscera everywhere around it.

"JUST DIE ALREADY!"

*RIIIIP*

The ashen-haired girl roared from below and shot up at the monster's chin and finished her job, separating the head and the torso of the beast.

"Ahaha! Good! That one next!"

Mika laughed, not minding the gallons of yellow blood covering her from head to toe, and pointed at the beast a few hundred feet further.

"Mend... UGH!"

Mary clicked her tongue and gritted her teeth as the fingers that she tore off got reattached piece by piece at an almost sadistically slow rate.

"Sure, let's go for it, it looks like it would die in one...?"

The brown-haired girl nodded and was already prepared to launch herself at the monster when she realized what was wrong with the situation.

There was almost no fog whatsoever...!

They were in the most important part of the sea of mist and there was no mist!

*¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤*

The visibility was so good that the two of them could clearly see the beam from Shanks's rifle piercing another titan-class monster that was relentlessly attacking a group of Sloth soldiers.

*rumble*

The beast didn't even have the time to let out its final roar and fell down causing a small tremor to occur.

"...! Is he insane?! Didn't he vomited blood when he used that attack so fast without rest before?"

Mary got literally taken aback at the sight, but Mika was already charging the beast she decided to target and couldn't hear her.

...it wasn't like the ashen-haired girl would even care about the rat-faced man, to begin with...

"...that idiot! Wasn't the whole deal with the Dandelions that they wanted to survive at all cost?! What is this guy thinking all of a sudden?! He's an important character later on! Guh...! Whatever!"

Mary clenched her fists and shook her head in anger.

It wasn't like she didn't understand Shanks's reasons.

If they will fail, the world as they know it will end.

Even though a few strong people might survive when the titan-class monsters will start appearing as common spawns, who would actually want to live in a doomed world?

As long as there was a sliver of hope for the better tomorrow, Mary was going to grab onto it no matter what.

Determination in the face of deadly adversity

That was the quality that all the Hopes' were known for generations - even if they were just a middle-tier noble house and couldn't stand up to the seven main families, they were the oldest and most known middle-tier noble house!

"Screw the game, those dreams, or whatever, there will be no happy ending if I fail here...!"

Mary gritted her teeth and looked at the frenzied Mika, who attacked the titan-class monster but got swatted away like a fly because she failed to notice how many limbs the beast had.

"...I swear to the system, it better be that by the end of this my favorite capture target will love and pamper me forever...!"

She trembled, putting her shaking fist to her forehead while feeling the metallic taste of her own blood in her mouth.

"...all breaks are coming off..."

She whispered and a bloodthirsty smile bloomed on her face.

---

*CRASH*

"GHAH...!"

Mika slammed into the ground for the third time and created the biggest crater by far.

"I am the Justice...! How some mere monster dares to oppose my judgment...?! Those who are against me should all die!"

The ashen-haired girl growled, climbing her way up.

"...no one understands how important I am...! Only I can match up with those titan-class monsters without using some stupid toys or whatever...!"

She continued mumbling to herself, adding the fuel to the fire of her anger.

"...that's right...! ONLY I CAN...!"

*SLASH*

*SWOOOOSH*

Mika's mumble that turned into a furious roar got interrupted as the titan-class beast that smacked her aside before got ripped into pieces as if it was made out of paper.

"...defeat them...?"

*SMASH*

"...!"

Mika stared at the pieces of the monster crumbling down disgustingly when suddenly something crashed right by her crater with a squishy sound.

The ashen-haired girl got up and inched towards the new crash site.

---

*¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤*

A low hum resounded in the air unnoticed, and a titan-class monster far into the second defense line fell lifelessly onto the uneven ground.

---

"?!?!?!?!!! Gh-uguueeeeeeh...!

Meanwhile, Mika immediately backed off and vomited to the side when she saw the mangled piece of flesh that was left of Mary.

And what was left of the brown-haired girl was now basically just the head with a face mangled from the fall and half of a torso that had the steaming pink intestines spread all around like grotesque confetti.

There was no point in looking for the girl's arms and legs because they were simply not there anymore.

There was no way that anyone could survive such heavy damage.

---

/You are dead

/...

/Hope's unique perk - Last Man Standing activated

You are allowed to use 1 last skill

---

*¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤*

---

"...fuck off..."

"...!"

Mika flinched, missing another low hum - she could swear that the corpse of Mary just talked...!

"...MEND...!"

Because it did!

*WHOOOOSH*

Mika had no choice but to jump away from the tempest of blood and gore pulled in by some invisible force straight towards the mangled corpse of the brown-haired girl...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHH!"

Mary's furious roar pierced the heavens as her body was forcibly restored piece by piece while she felt every single cell being welded back into place.

After a few horrifying seconds, Mary plopped onto the ground wearing only pieces of the Sloth soldiers' armor that by now looked like rags.

"Ughh... I would like all the high nobles to pull the same trick as I just did...! I bet that not even the avatars of sin have a cheat skill like this!"

Mary scoffed triumphantly and smirked mockingly.

"What are you looking at? Ptfu! We're in the middle of the 9th wave! Make yourself useful or get out of my sight, you ungrateful brat!"

The brown-haired girl spat to the side and glared at the dumbfounded Mika.

*¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤*

Another low hum of the Shanks's rifle announced the death of the next titan-class monster.

"...!"

Mary froze for a moment and stared wide-eyed at the beast keeling over in the distance.

Then she concentrated on the map in her head.

All of the monsters that managed to pass the Sloth soldiers on the first and second defense lines weren't showing anymore...!

"....that crazy bastard...! He's an important character, but not one of the essential ones, he's just an optional party member! He's going to kill himself before I will have an option to add him to my party...!"

Mary clenched her fists so hard that her knuckles turned white.

*¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤*

With the next low hum filling the air another red dot that was causing the disappearance of tens of yellow dots, flickered and went out announcing the death of the corresponding titan-class monster.

"That bastard really is as overpowered as in the game in my dream...!"

*BOOOOOOM*

Mary growled and launched herself towards the closest monster without any delay whatsoever, leaving the flabbergasted Mika behind.