Elegy from Another World

I rushed through the billowing smoke and dust, heading towards the deepest cave on the second floor. The detection magic had already locked onto the last target, the one with the most menacing aura. He stood there, seemingly just awakened by the explosion, but his eyes showed no panic, only a beast-like calm.

Without the slightest hesitation, I waved my hand, intending to trap him with my most proficient water prison spell. However, something strange happened—the condensed water, when it approached within half a meter of him, suddenly dissipated as if encountering an invisible barrier, turning into ordinary water droplets that splashed onto the ground!

The magic was ineffective? I was startled, but I didn't stop. I pushed forward with both feet, and the short, electric blade in my hand was aimed straight at his throat!

"clang!"

A piercing metallic clang rang out. He produced a weapon, about 1.5 meters long, resembling a sharpened, rough steel bar, from who-knows-where, and precisely parried my thrust. That seemingly simple steel bar, in his hand, was as steady as a rock. Even more terrifying was his speed and power; in the instant of parrying, with a flick of his wrist, the steel bar, like a venomous snake striking, pierced my abdomen with a speed I couldn't react to!

"Ugh!" The immense impact stiffened my body. "Eternal Blaze" transformed the tearing pain into a twisting pleasure, but the tangible sensation of my organs being pierced remained vivid. Taking advantage of his unsheathed weapon, I endured the strange sensation in my body and slashed at his neck with the short blade in my other hand!

But he seemed to have anticipated my movements. As he pulled back the steel bar, he blocked again, then jumped back to create distance between us. A hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, which then turned into a deeper coldness.

I can't fall! I immediately cast a healing spell on myself, and the warm energy quickly repaired the wound in my abdomen, but it consumed a lot of magic power.

"Its vitality is quite tenacious." He spoke for the first time, his voice hoarse and flat, as if stating a fact.

The second encounter. I tried to change my angle of attack, but his strange steel bar always managed to strike first, precisely finding my opening. My vision suddenly went black, and a sharp pain (converted into pleasure) came from my left—the tip of the steel bar had pierced one of my eyes!

The same thing happened again. He parried, retreated, his calmness suffocating. I quickly healed my eyes, but my heart sank. I lacked real close combat training; I possessed an "immortal" body and a weapon formed from magic, yet I couldn't effectively convert that power into victory. I could barely make out his movements, but my body's reactions couldn't keep up with his battle instincts honed through countless trials.

The next five minutes were a one-sided crushing defeat. Although "Eternal Burn" spared me from the torment of pain and even brought a twisted "pleasure," my body was constantly being pierced and slashed open. Arms, thighs, shoulders, sides... blood soaked through my tattered clothes, and I was almost covered in blood, only managing to hold on thanks to continuous healing magic and my immortality. He, on the other hand, was almost completely unharmed, except for slightly rapid breathing.

However, it was precisely this eerie "immortality" that caused a barely perceptible unease and fear to surface in his previously calm eyes. He couldn't understand why a seemingly frail woman, after enduring so many fatal wounds, not only didn't die, but instead... her eyes grew brighter and brighter?

I caught his slight wavering, spat out a mouthful of blood, and deliberately spoke in a mocking, slightly hoarse tone, tinged with pleasure: "What's wrong? 'Powerful' Mr. Bandit... Is this all your attack can do? You can't even make me feel 'pain'... Are you just tickling me?"

My words clearly provoked him. The muscles in his face twitched, and the fear in his eyes was replaced by ferocity. "You're asking for death!" he growled, gripping the steel bar tightly with both hands. About twenty centimeters from the tip of the steel bar, the outer shell slowly opened like flower petals, revealing a complex energy-conducting structure and a crystal-like focuser inside, emitting a dangerous green light.

He's about to use his trump card!

Just then, a voice I absolutely didn't want to hear rang out from the back passage: "Miss Liscia! I'm here to help you!"

It was that girl! She actually ran up, clutching a dagger she'd picked up from some bandit, and carrying a small bag on her back.

"Don't come any closer! Run!" I was terrified. Ignoring the formidable enemy in front of me, I turned around and tried to rush over to protect her.

But it was too late.

A blazing, condensed green laser, like the gaze of death, burst forth from the front of the opened steel bar! The laser instantly pierced through my chest, leaving a terrifying hole the size of a bowl. My heart, part of my lungs, ribs, spine... everything vaporized and disappeared in the high temperature.

Without the support of my spine, I collapsed to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut, my vision blurring. I could feel my life functions rapidly declining; although my immortality would allow them to regenerate, it would take time.

The bandit leader walked over, looking down at me with a hint of regret in his voice: "What a pity, such good 'goods'." He seemed to think I was no longer a threat and was about to walk past me to deal with the "troublemaking" girl.

It's now!

At that moment when his attention was diverted and he was most relaxed, I gathered all the remaining strength and swung the short blade in my right hand!

"Whoosh!"

A flash of cold light, and his ankle was severed at the root!

"Ugh!" he cried out in pain, losing his balance and falling forward.

I coughed up blood and managed to say with all my might, "Cough... I've been waiting for this moment!"

Taking advantage of his intense pain and the sudden turn of events, I swung my blade again and severed his other leg!

Now, he had completely lost the ability to move. I dragged my remaining upper body, which was barely connected by magic, and struggled to climb onto his frantically struggling body. Amid his desperate roar, I plunged the short blade into his heart and twisted it forcefully.

All the struggles ceased.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look in the direction of the girl, but my heart instantly sank into an ice cave.

She too collapsed into a pool of blood. The deadly laser, after piercing my body, continued its momentum, striking her abdomen and creating a horrific open wound. She looked at me, her eyes beginning to glaze over.

"No...no!" I struggled to crawl over, wanting to use healing magic to save her. But the battle and the rapid regeneration after being severely injured had completely drained my already enormous magical energy. I couldn't even condense a single drop of water on my fingertips.

I could only watch helplessly as her life force faded away like a candle flickering in the wind. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she just lowered her head helplessly.

She died beside me.

Tears welled up uncontrollably, mingling with the blood on my face as they slid down. Just a short while ago, I had so vehemently urged her to cherish life, to live on…

【Death truly ends everything! Don't you want to do something for your family? Even just living on and remembering them is better than dying silently here!】

Those words still echo in my ears, yet now they feel like the sharpest irony, piercing my soul. I promised to save her, but in the end, she died because of me.

I leaned helplessly against her gradually cooling body, feeling the new heart, lungs, and bones within her chest cavity slowly but stubbornly regenerating at a visible pace. This "gift," which seemed incomprehensible to ordinary people, now filled me with immense heaviness and sorrow.

You made me realize once again how insignificant I am...

He possessed immortality, yet was powerless to protect those he cherished. He wielded immense magic, yet succumbed to the gap in skill and experience. His overconfident plan ultimately came at a terrible price.

The cave was deathly silent, save for my suppressed sobs and the faint, chilling creaking of my body as it regenerated. The revenge was over, the bandit's lair was wiped out.