Chapter 559: Stubbornness

Chapter 557

Kicking off the Aberrant’s face with such speed that mist burst from beneath her feet, Trisha spun around and shot into the dust like an arrow released from its bow.

Her sword sliced through the thick cloud as she twisted her torso sideways, narrowly avoiding a punch that streaked past her and sent her pale-blue hair fluttering in its wake.

Yet, despite the danger surrounding her, determination remained etched across her face.

She sprang from one pillar to another, weaving between the relentless attacks aimed at bringing her down. Sliding beneath a claw that tore through the air just inches from her face, Trisha drove her sword through the creature’s underarm. She twisted the blade before ripping it free, then swung it around to intercept an incoming punch.

CLANG!

The collision rattled her muscles, sending a painful vibration through her arms. Gritting her teeth, she forced the massive hand aside before thrusting out her free hand and unleashing a volley of ice spikes.

The projectiles hurtled toward the Aberrant as she vaulted higher into the air, momentarily escaping its reach.

But another creature had already moved.

Reaching behind itself, the Aberrant uprooted a massive building beam and hurled it through the air toward the airborne girl.

It was coming fast.

Trisha reacted immediately, launching herself downward with one hand outstretched. The moment her fingers touched the beam, ice spread across its surface at astonishing speed, rapidly encasing the entire structure until it became a massive pillar of ice.

She landed atop it with feline grace.

Then, lifting one leg, she swung it downward.

CRACK!

The frozen beam shattered beneath the force of her kick, exploding into countless chunks of ice that burst outward before rising into the air.

The surrounding Aberrants immediately charged toward her, intent on overwhelming her before she could take advantage of the opening.

The ice fragments began falling.

They were only moments away from striking the ground when Trisha snapped her fingers together.

In an instant, the falling shards changed direction.

Their velocity surged as they shot outward in every direction, transforming into a storm of deadly projectiles that tore toward the Aberrants surrounding her.

The creatures raised their arms and swatted at the incoming shards, struggling to protect themselves from the sudden barrage.

Trisha landed smoothly on a raised pillar, her eyes sweeping across the battlefield.

A window.

That was all she needed.

Pushing off the pillar, she streaked through the air like an arrow, closing the distance before her target could recover.

An Aberrant swatted an ice shard away from its face, only for its eye to be sliced open a moment later. Blood gushed into the air as Trisha pulled her sword free and spun around the creature, tearing its nose open.

The wound exposed its beating heart.

She didn’t hesitate.

Two ice shards materialized beside her before shooting forward with deadly precision, piercing the exposed heart.

Trisha slammed her feet into the creature’s face and vaulted backward, using the impact to propel herself away as the wind howled past her ears.

Another enemy down.

But she wasn’t satisfied.

’More. More. More. I’m not strong enough... Ray shouldn’t leave me behind.’

While still airborne, she twisted her body and performed a backflip, narrowly evading a claw that tore through the air and snipped away several strands of her hair.

She was about to lunge toward the Aberrant when another creature suddenly threw itself at her from the side.

There was no time to react.

The Aberrant hurled its entire weight into her, striking with the force of a speeding train.

BOOM!

Trisha was blasted out of the air.

Her body hurtled across the battlefield before crashing into a nearby building.

CRAAACK!

The wall buckled beneath the impact, massive cracks spiderwebbing outward from the point where her body struck. For a brief moment, she remained pressed against the fractured surface.

Then blood poured from her mouth.

The AI in her ears immediately spoke.

<Vanguard Trisha Hunt has sustained multiple fractures and torn muscles. Deactivating suit—>

’Don’t you dare. Leave the suit active.’

Even in the middle of the battle, Captain Raze appeared to catch the exchange. He raised a finger to his ear, his expression turning serious.

"Trisha, you’ve pushed yourself beyond your limits. If you leave that suit active any longer, you could end up bedridden. It has served its purp—"

"—I don’t care," Trisha whispered.

She slid down the fractured wall and landed on her knees, her head hanging for a moment as pain coursed through her battered body.

Then she lifted her gaze.

Four Aberrants, along with the one that had just smashed her into the building, were charging toward her.

Their massive bodies thundered across the ground, kicking up dust as they closed in on the injured Vanguard.

"If I can’t defeat these creatures, then what good am I in your squad?" she questioned, placing one hand against the ground.

Blood rolled down her chin as she stubbornly forced herself upright.

But the moment she tried to straighten her body, a sharp wave of pain tore through her.

She staggered, one of her hands hanging at an unnatural angle.

Grabbing it with her other hand, Trisha bit down hard on her lower lip, fighting to keep the pain from breaking through her resolve.

CRACK!

Trisha twisted her injured hand sharply back into place, sending a jarring wave of pain shooting through her entire body. A scream threatened to tear its way out of her throat, but she forced it down, refusing to give the pain that satisfaction.

Her teeth sank into her lower lip with such force that the skin ruptured a moment later, allowing blood to trickle down her chin.

"Besides, if-if I can’t—"

She sucked in a sharp breath, then kicked her fallen sword by its guard. The weapon shot into the air, spinning once before she reached out and caught it smoothly.

Ice crept across the blade, coating its surface as she raised the weapon toward the charging Aberrants. Their enormous bodies thundered toward her, rapidly closing the distance.

"—If I can’t defeat them, then-then how can I ever hope for him to even look at me and acknowledge me? I can never hope to stand beside him, and I’ll always worry about dragging him down."

Tilting his head to the side to avoid a sudden attack, Raze raised an eyebrow.

’Who?’

Meanwhile, Trisha adjusted the mask on her face, ensuring it sat properly before settling into a stance. She released a steady breath, then stretched out one hand and pressed her palm against the wall behind her.

She didn’t move.

She simply waited.

The Aberrants closed in, their massive feet lifting before blurring toward her body. One after another, they unleashed their kicks as though she were nothing more than a soccer ball waiting to be blasted into a goalpost.

Trisha remained perfectly still.

Ice rapidly spread from beneath her palm, racing across the wall and covering its surface within seconds. She watched the approaching feet, calculating the moment when their attacks would reach her.

And then—

The Ice Queen moved.

Her VMS boots roared to life, spraying gas as she vaulted into the air. The massive feet slammed into the frozen wall a split second later, and the entire structure exploded outward, bursting into countless razor-sharp ice shards.

Trisha didn’t hesitate.

The fragments abruptly changed direction, lunging toward the Aberrants with merciless precision.

Hundreds of ice shards descended upon the creatures, each carrying enough force to strike like a fist. The barrage hammered into their bodies, forcing the massive Aberrants to slide backward as their feet scraped across the ground.

A cold glint flashed in Trisha’s eyes.

Mist seeped from her nose, spilling through the vents of her gas mask as she drew in another breath.

Then, with one final kick against the air, she propelled herself toward the creatures.