Apocalypse with my SSS Harem Beauties-Chapter 140: Targeted

From one of the half-collapsed buildings overlooking the yard, hidden within dense clouds of orange Ether mist, a woman with long red hair stood in silence.

Her outfit was minimal and refined, fabric clinging lightly to her slender yet busty frame without a single unnecessary ornament.

The air around her remained perfectly still despite the violent heat below. No Ether fluctuation revealed her presence or showing distortion in the air that betrayed her position.

She was certain of one thing.

There was no possibility that humans from a lower realm like this could sense her existence.

She did not know that among them stood someone who did not truly belong to that lower rank. She has no idea about Lilian right now.

For now, the red-haired woman remained unaware.

Her crimson eyes focused on the battlefield below.

The burning guardian clashed against the coordinated human formation. Sparks and flames erupted with every collision.

That creature...

She had granted a fragment of power to the human who once stood there. A very small portion. Barely enough to elevate him beyond his natural limit.

But his soul had failed to contain it.

Instead of ascending to a stronger being, he had collapsed inward and mutated into that unstable abomination of condensed fire and distortion.

"Hmmm... the quality of souls in this realm is truly pathetic," she murmured softly. "I intended to give them a chance to fight. To evolve. Instead, they just become another monsters."

She shook her head slowly, almost disappointed.

Yet her gaze sharpened.

The group fighting below was not entirely disappointing.

They coordinated well. They rotated pressure properly. They advanced without hesitation.

They did not retreat or paralysis because of fear.

"Is this because of the Etherfall?" she muttered.

Humans who once knew nothing of this magical energy were now adapting to it. Absorbing it, and weaponizing it.

Perhaps those who survived this disaster were simply the best specimens among their kind.

Perhaps the Etherfall itself was a natural selection imposed by the universe rather than a disaster.

In the end, only the strongest would remain.

A wide smile spread across her lips.

This was becoming interesting.

Her attention settled on the young man at the very front.

He has two black blades. He had controlled movements, and calm eyes despite overwhelming pressure. She could see all that clearly.

"Hm... interesting," she whispered again.

—

Deep within the battleground, the temperature climbed even higher.

Heat distorted the air into visible waves. The blackened glass ground glowed faintly beneath the guardian’s steps.

Myles, Michael, and the others continued their assault. Blades and hammer strikes, shield hold the impacts, Ether shots from afar.

The attacks rained without pause.

Yet the guardian’s flame armor absorbed most of the damage. Cracks formed on that armor but regenerated almost instantly. Suppression effects reduced its stability but not enough to break it decisively as fast as they wanted.

Michael’s group began to feel it.

Darius adjusted his shield more frequently with a grimace on his face. Selene’s breathing grew heavier. Rafe’s movements became slightly more cautious.

Doubt crept in his heart. Were they truly capable of defeating this thing?

But Myles’ group showed no such hesitation.

They had already faced a far more terrifying mutated special monster before. Compared to that memory, this pressure felt survivable.

Myles charged again.

He stepped inside the guardian’s reach, crossed his blades, and carved another pair of slashes across its torso.

Bleeding effects stacked along fractured lines in the flame armor. Weakening debuffs layered through destabilized Ether currents. But the Bleeding effects didn’t have much effect on this burning creature.

Before the guardian’s arm descended and reached him, he moved back cleanly. No wasted motion.

George, Victor, Kade, and Clara followed his rhythm.

George attacked with crushing force whenever an opening appeared with his hammer. Victor targeted the back joints of the armor with the wide swing of his greenish cleaver. Kade exploited rotational gaps and threw some punches. Clara thrust her spear with precise timing.

They did not think about retreat. They thought only about killing it.

Then George noticed something. Daniel noticed it almost at the same time.

Every time Clara’s spear pierced the armor, the reaction was different. Frost spread across the contact point.

The fire did not regenerate immediately.

The cracked armor did not close as fast.

Clara’s ice-element spear was visibly suppressing the flame regeneration more effectively than any other weapon on the field.

The moment that realization formed, they shout to Myles.

"Clara’s frost is effective, Myles!" George said.

Of course! Myles had already sensed the irregular regeneration pattern since it was ice damage.

The moment frost spread, the flame armor slowed. They all thought that mere ice elemental wouldn’t do much since it was fire armor made of Ether. Turns out, it actually working.

"Okay!" he said sharply. "Clara becomes the spearhead. Everyone, open a path for her!"

His voice cut cleanly through the heat and din.

He shifted immediately, stepping in again to draw the guardian’s focus. Fangblade carved across its chest. Noctyrix followed with a tight upward slash.

The impact forced the monster to respond to him instead of turning toward Clara.

Victor widened his arc and attacked high to keep its upper body engaged. George slammed his hammer low against its knee joint to destabilize its stance.

Kade dashed in and out, punching and retreating to maintain pressure.

Clara met Myles’ gaze for a split second. She nodded.

Her grip tightened around her spear. Frost gathered along the blade’s edge when she manipulated her Ether into the weapon, thin crystals forming and dissolving in rapid succession as Ether circulated through the shaft.

Michael’s group reacted quickly to the shift in formation. Darius advanced half a step to guard Clara. Selene repositioned to intercept any sudden sweep. Rafe angled himself to block potential charge lines.

Without needing full explanation, they understood.

Clara was now the core.

Then suddenly something happened.

"Khehehe..."

A hoarse, grinding laugh echoed from the guardian.

The sound did not resemble the previous roar. It carried intent and awareness.

Every movement froze for a fraction of a second.

"Khehehe... nice weapon you got, little girl."

The voice came directly from the burning figure.

Clara’s eyes widened.

The twin blazing orbs within the guardian’s hollow sockets shifted and locked onto her.

The air pressure changed instantly. The guardian lifted one massive foot and slammed it down.

BOOM!

The blackened glass ground shattered outward in a circular eruption. Flames exploded upward in a violent wave. A shock of compressed fire burst from beneath its foot and spread across the yard.

"Back!" Myles shouted.

Heat crashed into them like a wall.

Myles felt his skin sting as fire brushed past him. Minor burn damage accumulated across their exposed areas.

The guardian straightened slowly.

Its gaze never left Clara.

—