I've never had any good experiences with barriers. Usually, they are walls in reality that smack straight into my face, or devious pranksters apparently solely designed to annoy me. This one is in some way the same. Yet as with all that seems to concern those water angels, it's completely blown out of proportion. Apparently, it doesn't straight hinder entrance, but rather everything that I push into the area of effect gets dissolved at an extreme rate.

"Nice trick, Nimue!" (V)

"This is a proper purification zone. Every form of corruption gets straightaway nullified and disintegrated into its base components." (N)

Did I ever mention that I take offense at being called 'corrupted' and stuff? Like, I didn't quite ask to get placed into the unholy area, but being told over and over that I'm basically spreading evil and filth has a rather unpleasant ring to me. However, while this barrier is clearly a problem, I noticed something. Overcharged tentacles last a little while longer. This means that I should be able to just create more of them and put them right into use. After all, this is my world, my realm, my body, and there are no limits!

I create a tentacle so concentrated, it shrinks to a tenth of its size while gaining an obsidian color. This one I let shoot straight into the purification zone. As I surmised, it doesn't instantly lose shape, but nonetheless, gradually degrades. Or maybe it does so rather rapidly. Yet I'm fine, as all I need is a single instant, as I'm aiming right at the newcomer, who's obviously the one maintaining this zone. As any good raid boss should, I'll focus the sup first!

"WHAM"

Yet, as any good front fighter should, Veo blasts that tendril right away with a kick. The fact that its structure got damaged makes the heavy impact all the more effective.

"That could've got you!" (V)

"Then do your job and keep them off." (N)

Well, she can try, but there's more where that came from! By now my mental processing to control all this assault became so goddamn fragmented that I require my avatar body to focus on it for my sense of self. I just have to form it back, to witness what is in front of me with my own eyes. The mere fact that it exists reminds me of who I am. Inconveniently, it comes down to my demon form, as that one comes the most natural to me. However, I make it a good bit more durable, even if I don't think that this will really prevent it from getting demolished by their attacks.

On the other hand, I think I could successfully cut them off from harming me. While this field is certainly spacious, I am already laying siege to it. My growth streams around this bubble, around its every dimension, to cut it completely off. Not a bit of room outside anymore. And if they were to punch a hole, the growth would stream right away from the surrounding dimensions, which by now have converged so much that one can move through them like water. Just one sphere to add to the formerly 3D space where we're currently battling each other in. In addition, my usual eyes and ears allow me to perceive what happens inside the bubble, and for once, I'm not too distraught at what I hear.

"Nimue, this is getting to be a little much. I'm not sure if I can keep this up forever. Yet I fear, if we teleport out and lose our stand here, that would set a bad pretext." (V)

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Hah, even together I can corner them! There's a chance!

"We are not going anywhere! That oversized flesh ball needs to see it can't define the rules as it pleases!" (N)

Excuse me?! You were the ones barging into my life, coming to me with rules whose very existence is a completely new story to me!

I form my, until now, greatest barrage of overcharged tentacles. Once enough of them grew black, I release them to pierce at the two of them. Let's see how they'll take this!

"Nimue!" (V)

"Yeah, I see it. No need to complain. I'll buy you some time! Get to work!" (N)

Wait, what!?!

For a moment, I stand confused. Nothing seems to have changed, but suddenly, Veo turns into a true whirlwind. Her form accelerating so fast, I cannot keep up from my outside perspective. I stand confused, as she doesn't even seem to have any proper form of velocity anymore, just hopping from tentacle to tentacle, devastating them faster than I can see. Just how can she suddenly move so much faster? I mean, before she was fast, but now her physics seem all wrong. As if her body moves somehow faster... than everything else! Oh damn, time dilation! It looks normal from the outside, but in truth, this Nimue added an effect that makes everything that enters the bubble slower, aside from the two of them.

Now Veo can just bide her time in destroying possible threats to Nimue, which are simply too slow to reach her in time. Worse, it seems like the purification effect now applies faster. Or rather, within far more time. Shit, they got each other a comfortable leeway through this.

At this point, all I can do is continue sending my stuff at them. At least, as long as they are in there, they won't get out and do anything to me. And so I proceed. Looking at how the two continue the fight against the endless onslaught of mine within their bubble.

It goes on. And on. And on...

Damnit, I just can't throw anything decisive at them. Also, it's crazy how they just don't seem to grow tired. I slowly start to get a bad feeling about this. Can water angels even grow tired? Can they even get mentally exhausted? What if they can continue for thousands of years in this manner without ever slowing down, being fine with putting their mind to this task? I need to spend so many mental resources on this. Can I keep this up? Could I even offload what happens here onto the backminds of mine and ignore it forever that here's a fight of monumental scale going on? I may as well try, as they don't seem to be going anywhere.

So I try to move my consciousness away, letting them fight on inside their little bubble. I only need to automate a part of my thought processes to keep up the onslaught. Yes... good, now just move away.

"Scritsh"

Something's tearing! Something that really shouldn't tear is tearing! Coming apart at the seams that don't exist!

The very material of the false reality that makes up the dream unravels. Unravels into billions of worms, which become more, the more this proceeds. It happens on so many layers that my processing can't keep up, while still concentrating on further attacks, so I'm forced to return.

When I do, they begin to form strange shapes, things I vaguely remember as they pass. The little Oompa monsters, from my first video game. A feral hound, making me think of my uncle's dog that almost bit me. Desks and books from school. All the monsters I encountered when I changed back then. And overall, countless shadows, accumulations of flesh, and dark matter, which shape into most abstract forms. All of them forming a maelstrom directed at the field in the center. The less defined ones instantly disintegrate. The more profound ones need a little longer, but even the best get taken apart by Veo, who's still a living storm.

I don't know how to stop this. Does it have to do with whatever this Nimue is doing? Is that why I'm losing control?

Can't I do something against this? Repair the damage? No, I don't think so. Yes, I can mend the damage, but it's simply too intense. Too much focus is required to keep this up. I can cope, but I can't turn away anymore. If I don't focus on this very place, I may fall apart into countless pieces of myself.

But how am I getting out of this then? I don't want to spend the rest of my time like this. Fighting, stitching myself together, while my family and friends grow old and die! I cannot keep this up forever!

Do I have to give up? Accept the shackle in return for peace? For a little bit more precious time? How would anything I do even be able to stop these two?

"Huh, those two are going quite hard at it, aren't they?"

"Yeah, they..." (I)

I look next to my rearranged body and find another young woman sitting there. She isn't pure water right now, but still, her body seems to be transcending in this direction, as if she'd slip from flesh and bones to pure water at any moment. Slightly pale, yet with a sense of warmth not quite dissimilar to Veo, who isn't just a cold being. Her genuine-feeling smile in my direction supports this impression.

"I'm screwed, aren't I?" (I)

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