That was the method I would use to turn Onna from my enemy, into my confidant.
“How?” she asked. The interest was in her eyes immediately. “Krvavi Lagoon is surrounded by a deadly mist that makes it impossible to navigate through. There is also the toxic laughing fog and the endless number of Mistlings, and Giggles is said to be as strong, if not stronger than Leader Erzili – ”
“You’re saying you don’t believe you can do it?”
“I said no such thing.”
“Then, we shall triumph.”
I clinked my armor into place.
“For Erzili – you said you would do anything?”
The frost-woman nodded. “Anything.”
“Then, follow me, and let us test the true power of your devotion.”
/∞/
In my second life as the creature known as Janus, I’d undergone a series of battles. My first was the Fight Against the Fire Ant, which I lost horribly, as I was a worm. My second was Battle Against Agkistrodon, which I won by sheer determination after being swallowed. Following that, was my Assault Against the Ant Colony. I conquered an entire colony of fire ants and earned my [Genocidal] title for it. The following battle was the Assault on Refuge Rock, where I lost, was killed, by the Kadulja of the Druids, and thus became an undead creature.
In terms of the number of victories versus losses, I seemed almost even. Except, it wasn’t true. I had failed, a thousand times more than I had succeeded. [Duality] was the power to fail and try again. The power to learn from your mistakes, and attempt a second try. For every victory I earned, there was at least one prior loss.
Approaching Krvavi Lagoon with Onna behind me told me instinctively that I would not be able to win without first suffering a humbling defeat. The fog was unbelievably, disgustingly thick. Thick enough for me to have to rely on my High Ghilan senses to navigate, and even that was not enough. [Thermal Sensing], [Serpent Olfactory Sensing], [Greater Rabbit Ear], and [Wolf’s Tracking] were applied judiciously to give me the ability to navigate through the fog. My World Map was blurred over as well, meaning that only someone with an absurd number of navigational abilities would ever stand a chance in making their way through.
Fortunate for me, unfortunate for anyone else.
“Don’t let go of my hand.”
Onna couldn’t see in the fog. I could make her out, thanks to [Thermal Sensing] as an overwhelmingly blue, feminine shape. My gaze could also make out other, smaller blue shapes in the fog. The nightmares were called Mistlings. Small, tiny little devils with ugly faces, sharp teeth, claws, and a perpetually present laugh.
They vanished and reappeared, vanished and reappeared, a large group circling Onna and I. They were what one had if one mixed imps with ninjas and smokescreen. Utilizing the fog to their benefit, they could disappear and turn invisible within the mist, and then reappear behind you, sharp claws and fangs ready to tear you to shreds.
For the most part, they had not attacked yet, and instead, were only watching. That was good.
“I can’t see anything.”
“Focus on the mist. Try to sense it.”
“Sense? Do I look like a hunting dog?”
“Your Epithet Skill is [Frigidity] isn’t it? Use it.”
“How did you know that?”
I blinked. How did I know that? I knew what her Epithet Skill was without her ever mentioning it. Was it because she was a nightmare in my Domain?
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you haven’t been using it to its full extent. Watch.”
[Ice Manipulation] was my reward skill from killing Onna in a previous timeline. I rose my hand into the air, focusing, hard, on the fog. Fog and mist were still water at the end of the day. [Ice Manipulation] allowed me to control ice and all its other derivatives. I willed the fog, to clear and backed it up with as much MP as I could spare.
The Mistlings ran, letting out angry desperate cries as the fog pushed away from them, swirling like a tornado of clouds and letting the environment become visible.
[Flanking Immunity Activated]
My body spun without my input. My right hand swung out grabbing the neck of the Mistling that tried to attack me from behind. I clenched and the tiny creature’s neck snapped like it was made of bamboo. I tossed it into the air, waiting until it was at the right speed before punting it with my right leg into the horizon.
[Mistling x1 Killed]
[4,000 Experience Points Gained]
[The title {Genocidal} has come into effect for the species {Mistling}]
[25 Genocide Points Earned]
“Watch your back. The Mistlings don’t take kindly to me clearing the weather.”
Onna stared at my hand. “You can control the fog?”
“So can you.”
“All I can control is ice. Freeze things and create things but nothing more. I can’t turn my ice into water. I’ve tried several times to no avail.”
Well that’s odd. [Ice Manipulation] that allowed me to control water was most definitely a skill I got from Onna. I wagered either she was not yet at a level high enough to do so, or she did not have the necessary amount of MP to do so.
“If you can’t control the fog, focus on getting rid of the Mistlings –”
“I can’t even see them –”
Cackling sounds erupted from around us. Traveling through the mist. The Mistlings possessed a primitive sort of intelligence, as they were not named creatures. Yet, even that primitive intelligence was enough to understand the simple strategy of eliminating the weakest link.
“Look out!”
[Diamond Bullet] filled the fog with the echo of supersonic cracks. Two more Mistlings fell, and Onna turned just in time to see them. I aimed, again, listening for the cackling, searching the fog for the signatures of life, and fired. One more fell from bullet
