Doomsday Pillars

Blood splashed across the floor.

Darkness was all that Christina could see.

Thump Thump Thump...

The beating of her heart reached her ear, but its sound faded away like an echo. 

Cold...

The Fenrir\'s cold breath ran across her cheeks, penetrating her skull.. 

\'Where am I? Am I dead? Is this what death feels like? It\'s cold and dark here,\' she thought to herself. "No... this coldness..."

The strange bracelet flashed a message in her mind.

[Frost Bite - Fenrir\'s Ultimate skill]

\'Ahh, yes... Now, I remember. I died facing that unbeatable monster. Every one of them... dead. No one survived.\'

The two figures of her sisters appeared; the look on their faces as they died filled her mind. \'Corrie, Maxine. I\'m sorry I let you down.\'

More images of her sisters and comrades appeared. \'Jennie, you sacrificed your life to save us, but I... I wasted it. I\'m terribly sorry... Nam, you were strong, but this monster was just too much for us to handle.\'

She recalled the time before the world descended into chaos. \'Why me though? What do they want from me? I\'m just your ordinary woman. I lived day to day life normally. I\'m only a mother caring for my children.\'

\'Kelly, my daughter, please forgive mom for not being able to save you from the plague.\'

\'Caleb, my son, sorry that mom has to leave you so soon. I\'m sorry...\'

\'Mother...\'

Thump Thump Thump...

The chill had completely covered her heart and the sound of her heartbeat was like an echo from a faraway distance. But in the center of her heart, a small flame blazed, melting the ice that was slowly eating her entire being.

Thump Thump Thump...

The image of her son waiting for her appeared. Her daughter also appeared and hugged her. Kelly\'s warm embrace, Caleb waiting for her hug. \'No, no, no! I can\'t die here! The plague took my daughter and my son is awaiting my return! Kelly! Caleb!"

Christina\'s blank eyes regained their life as she woke up from her trance. The Alpha Fenrir was right in front of her with its fangs only an inch away. It\'s cold breath still touched her cheek while its claw tightly gripped her body which was almost filled with ice.

However, despite the freezing cold, she could feel her body emitting a warm sensation that was slowly getting stronger by the second. Christina was familiar with this feeling for this was the same heat she could transfer to her weapons igniting it with flames, but this time, the heat was all over her body. 

A moment later, Christina felt the warm sensation expand and explode!

Crackk! Crackk! Booom!

The ice that had covered her body melted away and evaporated into the air. The moment Fenrir had felt the warm sensation, its instinct took over, and had to let go of Christina. 

ROOAARR!!!

Christina managed to get up and escape from Fenrir\'s grasp. With her newfound power, she believed this may be an opportunity to completely eliminate Fenrir, but right now, she still needs a weapon. 

"!!!"

And as luck would have it, right before her eyes was the protruding broken half of the sword she had pierced into the Fenrir in their fight earlier. She didn\'t have time to think much, so she dashed forward grabbing the broken body of the sword and transferred the blazing energy coursing through her entire body. 

"AAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Christina pushed the sword as she put all her anger and hope into this one attack.

Boom!

The flames burst inside the Fenrir and escaped through its orifices!

RRROOOOAARRR!

The Fenrir was still alive, but its roar had a different tone this time. Christina\'s attack seemed to finally inflict a considerable amount of pain on the Alpha Fenrir. 

Surely this predator wouldn\'t let such humiliation from its prey. It waved its two giant arms toward Christina from two different sides. It\'s sharp claws and powerful strength was still something Christina could neither parry nor dodge!

Ssppplllaattt!!! Sppllaattt!!!

Blood splashed on the ground, but it wasn\'t her blood. She looked to her side and saw that Nam was on the left while Maxine was on the right. They were still alive, but they were clearly gravely injured. 

They had woken up due to Christina\'s blast and managed to summon their last strength when they saw the injured Fenrir trying to crush Christina. They had tried to block the attack by lunging their bodies in the direct path of the Alpha Fenrir\'s sharp claws, lodging its claws tightly on their torso.

Nam spat out more blood. He looked at Christina with his pale face and said with great difficulty while holding the Fenrir\'s claw, "Finish off... this bastard monster!" 

"You can do it... Sis!"

Christina didn\'t have time to ponder where her strength was coming from, but she poured all of her wills to break through the limit of her body and push the melting broken sword to kill the Alpha Fenrir in front of her.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

The blazing flames once more spread throughout Fenrir\'s body and exploded!

BOOM!!!

ROOOAAAARRRRRR!!!

The Fenrir tried to slam the two humans holding its claw but it was too late as another wave of blaze entered its body. Its insides were boiling and a third explosion occurred!

BOOOM!!

ROOOAAAAARR!!!

"DIE!!!" Christina screamed as she pushed and gave her all being into her final attack! And then the Fenrir\'s gigantic body expanded before bursting into shreds! 

KAAAAABOOOMMMM!

Success! They managed to kill the Alpha Fenrir! 

Christina fell on her back not able to feel her body anymore. She stared at the ceiling that was full of cracks and soot, getting ready to crumble and crush her. 

"Caleb... it seems mother.. i…"

Christina didn\'t even have half the mind to think further when the strange bracelet flashed and a series of messages entered her mind. 

[The Alpha Fenrir has died]

[Class D Mission Tribulation Succeeded]

[Time Remaining: 5 Seconds]

[Congratulations. You and your party have successfully completed the first challenge.]

[Congratulations on killing Fenrir]

[Congratulations on successfully completing the mission in the first opportunity]

[Congratulations you received the highest score]

[Your success ranking is Rank: A]

[You are entitled to the reward according to your rank]

[Participant will return to the Doomsday Pillar]

"..."

Rows of messages rushed through her mind. She didn\'t have the time to digest them when a glare of light blinded her eyes and as soon as she opened her eyes she was in another place.

"This—"

She was back in the large hall with black stone walls filled with lighted carvings. The large platform in the shape of a cube was right in front of her. Christina recognized this place as the location where they had been transported from. Looking around, however, she was alone.

Christina noticed her injuries had disappeared before searching high and low, left and right; a tear dropped to her cheek. Her sisters, her team, her comrades in arms. They didn\'t come back. She was the only one left. "Maxine, Corrie, Jennie, I\'m sorry I wasn\'t able to save anyone..."

Christina stared at the ground while wiping her tears. A moment passed and then the cube suddenly flashed and rang.

ZZzzziiiinggggg

A deafening sound covered the hall and a beam of light was projected from the cube forming the unfamiliar letters. It was the same event they had experienced before being transported to the snow forest.

Christina took a step back because she vaguely recalled the words \'first challenge\'. A follow-up mission might appear as she readied herself. 

"!!!"

The strange bracelet in her hand lit up and translated the message before her. 

[Challenge completed, total participants 235 people, all participants will return in 10 seconds]

[10...9...8...]

Christina couldn\'t believe what she had just read. Was this true? She clenched her fists in the hope these words weren\'t lying. Those few seconds that felt like a very long time.

Zap! Zap! Zap!

Hundreds of rays of lights appeared in the hall. Christina looked at the lights and indeed people appeared. She looked around and in one of the rays, she saw a familiar figure. She ran and unhesitatingly hugged the person who had just appeared. "Jennie!"

Jennie was confused. She also looked to her surroundings and saw the other Firebirds\' fighters, as well as her sisters Corrie and Maxine. Of course, along with them; Nam, Chicken, the Triad members, and Inspector Tang and the Hong Kong police special forces also appeared.

Every one of them was confused and many of them were still in a state of fear. Their last memory before reappearing in this room was the terror of death.

Nam approached Christina. "Miss Christina .. Did you manage to—."

Christina smiled and said, "Yes, we did it..."

Over 200 people had just gone through the weirdest moment in their lives. Laughing started to erupt for they were happy to their comrades whom they thought were dead. 

Inspector Tang stared at Christina before pointing to the projection because the letters seemed to have changed. This time though, everyone was able to understand what was written. 

[Congratulations on completing the initial challenge, please accept your rewards!]

[First Floor Hall Level 1 Facility access have been activated]

The ground they were standing on shook and two new cubes of stone were raised in two corners of the room. Just like the first cube, these two cubes also glowed with the same strange letters, but they could understand it.

[Store]

[Training Hall]

When Christina finished reading the detailed information from the two cubes, she clenched her fists in excitement like a child who had just received the most expensive toy from their parents.