Noble slashed at the monster, cutting him in two with the Zenith. How many creatures was that now?
She has lost count hours ago.
When no more came, Noble gritted her teeth.
"Again. And make it more challenging this time."
The sky above her rippled slightly as a voice permeated the air.
"It's already on the highest setting, ma'am. The simulations are geared towards Sleepers. Beyond that, we don't have enough data on higher-ranked creatures to create reasonable facsimiles."
Noble furrowed her brow.
"Daiki, is that you?"
"Yes, professor."
The floating warrior blinked.
"When did you arrive?"
There was a slight pause. "About a half hour ago."
"About?" Noble tilted her head toward the sky.
"Closer to an hour, ma'am," Daiki answered.
"But that would have been three simulations ago!" Noble couldn't believe her ears.
After the encounter with Helie, Noble had fled the party and returned to the Academy. Her emotions were a mess.
So, rather than patch into the Dreamscape to spectate, Noble had done the only logical thing to vent her frustration: battled Nightmare Creatures.
Since there were no gates actively expelling monsters in the NQSC, Noble had resorted to slaughtering the simulations that the Academy had to offer.
However, the flood of Nightmare Creature blood did nothing to wash away the heaviness in Noble's soul. She could still feel the intensity of Helie's grief.
Grief Noble had caused.
Even months later, the sting of mourning for 'Bel' was still there.
'I should have told her. I should have come clean. She shouldn't have to hurt on my account.'
Deep down, Noble knew that even if she had the chance, she would have done the same. Her family came first, and she needed to do all she could to avoid the war.
'Stupid war! Stupid Sovereigns! I shouldn't have to choose between friends and family like this.'
The cycle of frustration, fury, and fearsome fighting had lasted late into the night and now into the morning. Noble had been so focused that she hadn't even registered the staff's shift change.
Had it really been so long?
"This would be the fourth simulation since I arrived." The technician raised a sun across the landscape in Noble's simulation.
"It's later than I thought." The warrior lowered her sword. "I suppose I should get on with my day."
"If I may, is everything alright?" Daiki's calm voice felt strange against the turmoil in Noble's soul.
She allowed a small smile. "When is everything ever alright?"
"Fair enough," came the response. "Well then, I might have one more thing before you go."
The landscape shifted to a world of grey. Even Noble's lustrous armor and hair seemed to be sapped of their hues.
"What are you...?" Noble didn't have time to finish her question as she raised her Zenith. A colossal creature manifested from the gloom with a fist big enough to crush her several times over.
The giant hand came crashing down, splitting the ground just as Noble darted out of the way.
"Quite an introduction."
A determined smile formed on Noble's face. She cut at the stone giant, making a small gash in the weathered rock. Noble blinked. Was it her imagination, or was the spot below the cut glowing?
There was no time to contemplate. The other fist followed the first in its quest to obliterate the flying Saint. She cut at the first joint of the forefinger, jabbing her blade into the wrinkly crack there. Leveraging her weight, she sheared off a chunk of rocky flesh.
The giant was large but very agile for its size. Noble felt like the being could warp the space around it to move faster, making it harder to time her strikes.
'Hard, but not impossible.' Between avoiding being swatted at and stepped on, the seasoned warrior sliced at any weak point she could find.
Soon, a net of cracks formed on the weathered skin of the stone colossus. Noble continued to spin around the giant, her sword sparking as it struck against the grey rock in an even greyer world.
'Almost there.'
The floating warrior could feel her time was almost through. Unlike ones involving only people, these types of simulations had a start and an end. If she wanted to complete the task, she needed to act fast.
'Go for the jugular...'
That was assuming the monster had one. Other than the soft glow, she hadn't seen the creature bleed.
From close to the ground, Noble took off at top speed toward the creature's head. She spun in an ascending spiral, carving out pieces of the rock like a master sculptor.
Coming around the left shoulder, she sank her sword deep into the creature's throat. It turned to bite her with its terrible grey teeth, but it was too late. The twist only served to expedite what Noble had already begun. The crack she had carved widened, severing the stone head from its neck.
The rest of the stony skin began to fracture, and the glow underneath grew stronger.
Released from its prison, the light burst forth, obliterating the rest of the stone and bathing the world in glorious color. The grey was chased away like the darkness at the dawn of a new day. The result was a kaleidoscope of saturated hues.
"It's beautiful." Noble was filled with awe as she lowered to the ground. "All of this was inside that monster?"
Daiki appeared beside her. "No matter how bleak things look, there's always a bit of color hidden somewhere."
"Thank you for the reminder." Noble smiled.
He was right. Things were grim right now, but that didn't mean that they would always be.
Seeing Helie reminded Noble of the future she desired. She would survive the war, and then she would find a way to make up for her deception.
Her shoulders felt a little lighter. She sighed.
"You always make the most beautiful things, Daiki."
The technician gazed wishfully at the landscape. "It's nice when there are people who will appreciate them. I took inspiration from a sketch of a statue that was seen back on the forgotten shore. I added the head myself, though. I'm glad to see it had the desired effect."
"It did."
Daiki stood beside her, waiting for the last bit of color to permeate the ground. He sighed. "Ah, that's it then. I suppose you need to go?"
The floating woman nodded. "I hate to leave, but I have an appointment to keep."
"An awards ceremony?" Daiki tilted his head.
"The very same. Will you be able to come?" Noble hadn't invited any people, but now she wanted the support.
"My shift won't be over before then, but I can watch the replay. Best of luck!" Daiki offered his hand.
Noble shook it. A moment later, she found herself in the inverted pod with the lid open.
She climbed out and waved at the glass on the far side of the room. "Thanks again!"
A short time later, Noble was dressed in a modest suit and being led through a crowd of people by an aide who had been too focused on his task to introduce himself.
Noble listened to his instructions carefully as they made their way to the stage.
It was almost time for things to begin