Sunny tried to rest, but his shadow tugged at the edge of his attention like a stubborn mule.
Groaning, he rolled over onto his stomach, then slowly pushed himself up to his feet. Nephis turned her head, eyes narrowing.
"What is it?"
He grimaced, scanning the area with growing unease. "I don't know yet... something feels off."
Even with his enhanced vision, he couldn't see anything unusual. The upper part of the cliffs was well above the reach of the stormy sea, forming a rugged plateau. Jagged ridges broke the line of sight, and between them were scattered piles of dirt and large, dark boulders.
Nephis rose silently and summoned her sword. "Do you see anything?"
Sunny frowned, eyes narrowing. "Not really..."
Then lightning tore across the sky, briefly illuminating the plateau. His eyes widened.
Those weren't just boulders.
Lying motionless around them, silent as the grave, were scavengers.
By the time Sunny had checked all eight of the nearest monsters and confirmed they were truly dead, his stomach churned. When he first realized those dark shapes were scavengers, he'd thought the situation couldn't get worse.
Now he knew it had.
He swallowed hard and made his way to a nearby ridge that obscured part of the plateau. Moving slowly, quietly, he climbed it and pressed himself low against the rocks. Peering over the edge—
There it was.
A dark, hulking silhouette crouched just a few meters away. It was far larger than the scavengers, its armor jagged and splattered in crimson like blood on ancient black iron. Out of each arm extended curved bone scythes—long, wicked, and sharp enough to split a scavenger in half with ease.
Sunny froze, barely daring to breathe.
Meanwhile, Miguel stirred awake, blinking as Cassie gently nudged his shoulder.
"Miguel... sorry, Neph asked me to wake you. Sunny thinks something's wrong."
Still groggy, he rubbed his eyes and sat up. "What's going on? Where is he?"
Nephis, standing nearby, answered calmly, "He's checking something out."
Before Miguel could respond, a shadow stretched across the stone, and Sunny emerged from the darkness, visibly trying to look composed. Miguel could tell immediately—it was just a front.
"What did you find?" Nephis asked.
Sunny exhaled slowly. "There are eight scavengers nearby. All dead. But that's not the problem." He hesitated. "One of those big monsters—the ones with the crimson streaks and bone scythes—it's hiding just past a ridge. Must've taken shelter from the storm."
A bolt of lightning flashed in the sky again, casting eerie light across the plateau. For a second, it looked like sparks had lit behind Nephis's eyes. Then the gleam faded, her expression calm once more.
"An awakened monster," she murmured.
Sunny nodded stiffly. "Yeah. So... what now?"
Miguel stood up slowly, his face more serious than usual. With a soft sound, he summoned Yamato, the blade humming softly in the wet air.
"I think the answer's clear," he said. "We kill it."
Sunny blinked at him, dumbfounded. "What? Are you serious?"
Miguel shrugged gently, his tone calm. "I know it sounds crazy, but think about it—if it already killed all those scavengers and its just matter of time until it find us, we won't stand a chance unless we hit first. We might not get another opening like this."
Nephis nodded. "He's right. It's not a matter of choice anymore. If we run and it sees us... that's it."
Sunny looked between the two of them, clearly conflicted. "I just—this isn't like fighting one scavenger. This is different. It's... it's a monster."
"I get it," Miguel said, softer this time. "But we're not alone in this, man. We're smarter, we have the numbers—and we fight together."
There was a short silence.
Cassie, still sitting, spoke up. "We have to try. It's dangerous, but we're not helpless. Besides... we outthink it, not outmuscle it."
Sunny hesitated for a moment longer, then sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Alright," he muttered. "Fine. Let's kill the damn thing."