I Died and Received an SSS-Rank Unique Ability-Chapter 54: A Chance

"There!" Vale’s voice rang out as he pointed at the creature looming above them.

More icy spears rained from the sky, but the group didn’t hesitate. They charged toward the jagged rock where the monster stood. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Then—just before they could reach it—the creature vanished.

"What—" Vale’s words were cut short as the banshee-like figure reappeared right in front of him.

He ducked, barely evading the incoming spear, then rolled forward, absorbing the momentum with practised ease.

Springing to his feet, he had no time to recover—the creature was already upon him.

Clang!

The sharp sound of metal striking ice echoed around them. Dain’s gauntlet had intercepted the long, frozen weapon.

But before he could counterattack, the creature shifted again. Without warning, a massive spear of ice materialized below him and shot upward—impaling the towering student’s leg.

Blood burst from the wound, a sudden bloom of warmth trailing down his leg—but Dain didn’t linger.

With a growl, he swung his gauntlet wide. The silver fist crashed into the creature... Or so he thought.

His strike passed through it harmlessly, as if the monster were nothing more than a flickering illusion.

"What?!"

Confusion flashed across Dain’s face, but he had no time to think. The spear came again, slicing through the air and racing toward him.

Suddenly, a paper-thin sheet of translucent bubble surrounded Dain, catching the spear mid-flight before it could pierce him.

Klein had activated his artifact’s enchantment.

The shield dissipated just as Vale surged forward, the blade of Hellfire slashed toward the creature. He triggered its enchantment—orange flames erupted along the weapon’s edge as it collided with the monster’s spear.

At that moment, Ayla emerged from behind. Her dagger sliced through the air at an unnatural speed—straight into the creature’s side.

But once again, the weapon passed clean through.

"What the fuck is going on?" Vale’s mind raced. Questioning how the creature can attack, but take no damage.

With no answers in sight, the students shifted their focus to defence, only daring to strike when they hoped to learn something new.

Beyond its ghostly form, the creature’s speed was overwhelming. Even with all four of them fully focused, they were barely managing to hold it off.

Icy spears continued to rain down from above, while the monster delivered rapid, unpredictable strikes from below. None of them questioned how it had killed so many people—its power was undeniable.

Vale called upon his spirit. In an instant, the silhouette of a dark knight materialised, intercepting one of the sudden attacks.

Now five against one, the tide of battle began to shift—if only slightly. The extra breathing room allowed them to study the creature more closely.

"It shifts—right before it gets hit!" Ayla shouted, just after her blade failed to connect once again.

Armed with this new idea, Vale struck.

Just like before, Hellfire passed harmlessly through the creature. But that wasn’t the point of his strike. He has now seen it too.

Right before impact, the creature’s body seemed to flicker—replaced by a phantom copy. It looked and moved the same, but it wasn’t real. Then, just as quickly, it reappeared to strike back.

The transition was seamless. Too seamless. The way it phased out of reality—timing it perfectly against every attack—was beyond anything they had seen. Even their chained strikes couldn’t catch it off guard.

But now, Vale had a different question burning in his mind.

"Where the hell was it vanishing to?"

The terrain was now littered with jagged ice spears, making moving hard. Dodging the relentless assault was growing harder by the minute. Vale could feel the pressure mounting—time was slipping through their fingers.

Then—something unexpected happened.

During one of the creature’s attacks, the dark knight lashed out with its sword, a move Vale had stopped paying attention to. Until...

The blade connected.

It cut deep into the creature’s torso.

"How...?" Vale blinked, barely avoiding another falling spear as confusion flooded his mind.

But there was no time to process.

"Change of plans!" he shouted, urgency sharp in his voice. "Create openings for the knight!"

The group adapted instantly, slipping into a new rhythm with a practised ease. They were no longer focused solely on defending or trying to decipher where the creature vanished to. They pressed harder and faster than before, pushing the monster back, exposing it for the spirit’s blade.

But it was easier said than done.

Beyond its ability to phase out of existence mid-attack, the creature could disappear completely—vanishing and reappearing wherever it pleased.

Wounds began to accumulate across the students’ bodies.

Meanwhile, the monster remained nearly unscathed. The knight’s sword had landed only twice, leaving little more than shallow scratches across its menacing form.

The creature showed no signs of slowing.

Then—just as the tide of battle began to shift against the group—something changed.

Amid the chaos of the battle, Ayla found herself trapped between spears cascading from above and the creature’s relentless onslaught from the front.

Vale, already nearby, dashed forward. His breath caught, his jaw clenched, and his mind raced for a way to strike. They couldn’t last much longer. Every heartbeat felt like a countdown.

Then... an idea emerged in his mind.

He shouted inwardly, reaching for his bond with the dark knight—his spirit—and commanded it to send him his weapon. The black blade tore through the air like a shadow-born comet, streaking toward him as he sprinted forward.

Vale caught it with both hands just as he slipped behind the creature. With a fierce cry, he spun and slashed in one fluid motion. The dark blade carved a wide arc, releasing a streak of living shadow that screamed toward the monster’s spear-wielding arm.

A sharp crunch echoed through the frozen battlefield. The sound of snow and ice shattering put everything to a halt—the creature’s severed arm collapsed to the ground, along with its weapon.

Heavy silence fell upon the battlefield—everyone and everything froze in place.

"It worked"

To Vale’s surprise, it wasn’t the knight—but the weapon itself—that could harm the monster. He could feel an eerie power surge throughout the tilt of the weapon. His eyes drifted toward the blade, studying it with a perplexed expression, before turning his focus back onto the battlefield.

He could finally damage the monster.