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Watching the bar above the enemy, he felt like time had slowed down. There was just a small bit of red left on the left side, nothing Aether couldn’t deal with. The previously troubled expression on his face turned to a softer, calmer one, as he slashed his sword one more time. The red was gone, the bar was now fully grey - finally, that disgusting shade of red was out of his sight. Despite how many times he had seen it, the colour made him sick. Every single time, it made him think of the countless battles he had fought in, just to protect the people around him (the majority of them he didn’t even know). It reminded him of the fatal injuries he and, most importantly, his friends had gained. It reminded him of all the losses he faced, all the people he couldn’t save.
Aether’s weapon disintegrated in his hand, just for it to appear on his back again.
He watched the hilichurl fall backwards on the floor and turn limp, all life gone from its body. Unfortunately, the mask fell from its face, revealing the ugly, sickening, and absolutely horrendous face that hid behind it. Cringing at the sight, the blond took a step back while he watched bright, tiny, red sparks fly off the monster like fireworks. Soon after, the sparks were gone and all that was left was the hilichurl’s body, all black to the point where he couldn’t make out any of its features anymore. The fur, once beige and fluffy, lost all of its volume and drooped down and turned a similar black as the rest of the body. With that, the enemy disappeared, bit by bit.