The ground trembled as if under the weight of an enraged god. Daylight had nearly vanished, swallowed by the thick smoke of fires and the black mass of the monster that now towered over the battlefield like a fortress of flesh. Six tentacles remained, each wider than the trunk of a century-old tree, armed with bony hooks and glowing veins of a sickly light.
The silence was shattered by a cry from the monster's depths—a guttural vibration that resonated in the bones of everyone still standing. The fighters, wounded and exhausted, were only a handful now, but their eyes had lost none of their fire.
Oren, arms hanging, muscles trembling, planted his feet into the earth. He was covered in blood, dust, and ash. And yet, he stood tall. He was the rock. The last wall.
"We end this," he said in a hoarse voice. "Now."
Kubira, crouched on a cracked stone, let out a nervous laugh.
"It's not just a beast. It's a curse in motion."
"Then we exorcise it," Kohaku muttered, clenching her fists.
A portal opened beneath her feet, and she vanished.
The others followed without a word. Orders no longer mattered. Only the will to finish it remained.
The first tentacle slashed through the air. Rhan deflected the impact with a wall of compressed air. Behind him, Tobias touched the monster's flesh, making it sizzle. Keita, his eyes glowing, struck directly at the base of the limb. The tentacle yielded under their combined assault.
The monster's scream was followed by a heat wave—a circular blast erupting from its chest. Ayra and Lima together raised a dome of stone and ice. Fire licked their barrier, cracked it, but it held.
Second attack. Ezra, propelled by one of Kohaku's portals, struck diagonally. Kubira emerged from the opposite side, cloaked in lightning, and finished it.
Two arms down.
The monster retaliated with a new power. The ground warped beneath it. Stones cracked. Legs buckled. A manipulation of gravity—or worse, space itself.
Keita staggered. Hiro placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I can amplify your power. Want me to?"
"Do it," Keita murmured.
He launched forward. His blow rocked the third tentacle. Ezra delivered the final strike. Three.
Still, the beast did not fall. A shrill, almost inaudible scream sliced through the air. Eardrums burst. Nerves screamed. A third power: resonance.
Despite the agony, Oren leapt forward like a human shield. He grabbed a limb—and tore it off with his bare hands.
Four.
The last five fighters attacked in perfect sync: Kohaku, Hiro, Tobias, Ezra, and Keita. They struck in a whirl of light and portals.
Five.
One arm remained.
Yuna ran forward despite her fear. She had no powers—but she screamed. Just a scream. Pure. Human. The monster recoiled for a second. Keita seized the moment. Hiro launched him.
And the blade of energy sliced the final tentacle.
Six.
But the battle wasn't over.
The monster's body began to pulse. Eyes opened one by one. Its skin split. Black light seeped from the wounds left by the severed limbs. It didn't scream. It transformed.
The fighters, trembling on their knees, had no strength left. But their eyes didn't waver.
"It's not over yet," Keita whispered.
And they all understood that the worst… was only beginning.
The silence after the last tentacle fell lasted no longer than a heartbeat. The monster, though mutilated, did not collapse. On the contrary, it slowly backed away, each step shaking the earth. Its body shifted from within. Dark veins began to pulse under bloated flesh, and a purple vapor seeped from the gaping wound left by the final severed limb.
Everyone felt it: something had changed.
A chill ran down Keita's spine. He glanced at Kubira, who was clenching his teeth. Kohaku, breathless, watched the enemy warily, ready to open a portal at the slightest threat. Hiro, silent, studied the air. A weight was pressing down on them.
Then, the monster lifted its deformed head and roared.
A scream of inhuman power shattered the air. The ground split beneath the sonic wave, windows exploded from meters away, and some fighters clutched their ears. An invisible wave of heat followed, warping the air. Everything within reach burned in seconds. The earth itself seemed to melt at a single point.
"Fire!" Hiro shouted. "It's releasing thermal pressure!"
The group scattered instinctively, but the heat spread in a cone, forcing many to dive to the ground to avoid burns. One of the youngest fighters stumbled. The blast was about to hit him directly—but a shape shot forward.
Oran.
With a blur of speed that left a trail of dust, the master of Kubira, Hiro, and Kohaku grabbed the boy and whisked him out of range. A second later, the ground where he'd stood erupted in flames.
"First rescue..." Oran muttered. "Here we go."
But the monster gave no pause. It raised its left arm—severed moments before—and with a supernatural gesture, made the very air tremble. An invisible spiral formed around its legs, and gravity itself reversed. Several fighters were lifted off the ground, flung across the field—caught just in time by Oran, who caught them one by one.
"Second... third..." he gasped. "You're gonna wear me out."
On the ground, Kubira fired a bolt of lightning. Kohaku opened a portal to divert an incoming strike. Hiro charged the monster's left flank, trying to blind it.
But it was useless. The monster moved with terrifying ease. It anticipated, countered, leaped. Its central eye tracked every motion with chilling precision.
A new attack emerged: a beam of pure heat emitted from a newly grown protrusion on its chest. Like a living glassblower, it spewed a cone of fire straight at a small group.
"No!" Keita shouted.
Oran appeared in a flash, grabbed two people by the collar, and jumped away. The ground ignited beneath them.
"Fourth... fifth..." he gritted. "No time to teach them how to dodge."
Panic began to spread. Some backed away. Others launched weak attacks. A few just screamed. The creature advanced—unstoppable, unfazed.
And yet, no one fell. Not yet. Thanks to Oran.
But Oran himself was slowing. Breathing harder. His left leg bled. His right eye flickered. Even he had limits.
The monster sensed it.
It turned its head and fixed its gaze on the exhausted master. Its deformed mouth twisted into a grin. Another wave was building—this time vibratory, aimed to split the very air. A sound barely audible, but enough to crack concrete.
Oran clenched his teeth. He was ready to take the hit—but a hand touched his shoulder.
"It's our turn, Master," said Hiro, eyes burning with resolve.
Beside him, Kubira electrified his arms. Kohaku, her gaze dark, opened multiple portals at once. Even Keita, worn and shaking, clenched his fists.
"We'll hold the line. You've done enough."
Oran looked at them—his three disciples. Then stepped back, letting the next generation take over.
But in the burning shadow of this nameless monster, they all knew one thing:
The next assault would be decisive. And this time, no one could save them.
The monster seemed to purr in pleasure, as if it were feeding off their fear and fatigue. Around it, the earth scorched, the air vibrated, and nearby structures melted under the relentless heat. It no longer had tentacles—but its new form was stronger, faster, more deadly.
Its central eye, surrounded by smaller globes, pulsed like an enraged heart. With every beat, a low vibration rippled through the ground, making it hard for the weary fighters to stay on their feet.
Hiro channeled his energy into his arms, trying to focus every last amplification.
"We can't let it keep the pace," he murmured.
"Too late," Kubira panted. "It already has."
The monster leaped. In a single bound, it landed behind Keita. Its massive fist fell like an anvil.
"Keita!"
A rush of wind preceded the blow. Oran appeared between Keita and the strike, arm raised. He blocked it. The ground cracked beneath his feet. He groaned in pain—but held.
"Again him," murmured Kohaku.
Oran stepped back, barely upright. His breath was ragged. His left arm dangled, limp. He had just taken more than any body could bear.
But the monster wasn't done. Its mouth opened wide, unleashing a torrent of black flames. Everyone scattered.
Lima conjured a wall of ice to protect a group. It melted instantly. Behind her, Ayra raised a second layer of stone. The heat carved through it in seconds.
"We can't tank this forever," Tobias growled.
"And we can't dodge it forever either," Soojin added.
A flash shot through the air. Keita, launched by Hiro, struck the monster's upper eye. The impact made it stagger. Kubira followed with a precise electric blast to the left flank. Kohaku opened a portal beneath herself, appearing above to slash its neck.
But the monster turned at the last second. A pulse of vibration exploded. Hiro and Tobias were thrown back. Ezra caught Tobias mid-air.
And still—Oran appeared wherever hope seemed lost. He blocked a surprise strike aimed at Yuna. Caught Keita as he fell. Saved Ezra from a fire burst. Charged in to stop the creature from stomping on Soojin.
He wasn't fast anymore. He was everywhere.
But it showed. His body trembled. His muscles were torn. Blood dripped from his nose. Every step was a struggle. And yet he moved. Again. And again.
The fight had settled into a loop. The monster attacked. The others dodged, countered, resisted. Oran intervened. The cycle continued. Relentlessly.
But a scream shattered it.
"HE'S GOING TO EXPLODE!" Kohaku shouted.
Everyone froze.
"Oran is nearly in overload," she added, her voice tight. "He's exceeding his limits."
Keita clenched his fists. Hiro looked up at their master. Kubira stepped back.
Their ultimate shield was breaking.
And the monster… was smiling.