A cold wind swept across the scarred battlefield, brushing past crumbling stones, severed roots, and the flickering remnants of magical wards.
All around, the gathered adventurers and knights stood in heavy silence, their armor rattling faintly in the dying breeze.
Time felt as though it had stopped. The world had narrowed into a single, terrible moment—frozen in fear and disbelief.
Malraketh loomed at the center of it all.
The creature's shadowy form crackled with volatile energy, its twin cores pulsing like malevolent hearts trapped within metal and mist. Shattered light from the fading sky reflected off its smooth, obsidian frame. Wings of shifting darkness spread behind it, blotting out what remained of the sun.
It stood over Belle's broken body, unmoving but not idle.
A quiet menace lingered in the air, like a blade waiting to fall.
Then came the voices.
Soft at first, disbelieving.
"…She lost…?"
"No… that's not possible. That thing is stronger than her?"
"I thought… she was our last hope…"
Muttered despair rippled through the ranks. The realization that Belle—the girl who had held her own against the impossible—was now lying crumpled in the dirt was like a fracture spreading through glass.
It wasn't just her body that had been struck down. It was their hope.
A grizzled knight dropped to one knee, not from pain, but the weight of helplessness. A young adventurer beside him clutched his staff so tightly his knuckles went white, lips trembling.
"She… she's not moving…"
"No one can get close," another whispered. "We'll die before we reach her."
Malraketh moved.
It was a slow, mechanical motion—its arm rising with inhuman precision, the cannon embedded within glowing to life.
A low hum began to vibrate through the battlefield, the sound unnatural, like the scream of something buried beneath the earth. Arcane runes flickered along the cannon's length. The very air seemed to vibrate in dread anticipation.
A knight stepped forward instinctively, only to freeze in place, paralyzed by the monstrous pressure exuding from the creature.
They hesitated.
They wanted to get Belle out of there, but their feet couldn't move. They understood the power difference. They knew it would be like a mouse entering a lion's den.
"She… she won't survive another hit…"
Malraketh adjusted the cannon slightly, locking its aim with precision upon Belle's unmoving form.
The core within its chest flared—red like molten hatred.
KRA-KSHHH—!!
A streak of red fire tore across the battlefield, a searing arc of light that cut through the haze like the wrath of a vengeful god.
The beam of heat and flame hissed as it split the air, aimed directly at the side of Malraketh's charging cannon.
Malraketh's head snapped toward the incoming attack.
In an instant, the energy gathering at its cannon's tip faltered. With a smooth, reactive motion, it pivoted, retracting the firing sequence as its blade-cannon twisted to deflect the fiery arc.
The two forces collided.
BAAAAAAAANG—!!
An explosion of heat and pressure burst outward, engulfing the immediate area in swirling embers and fractured light. The ground cracked beneath the shockwave. Miasma peeled away like smoke caught in a gale.
And through the dissipating flames, a voice rang out—raw, furious, and defiant.
"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HER, YOU UGLY BASTARD!"
A figure burst forth from the wall of heat—his silhouette sharp against the burning haze.
Kai.
His crimson ponytail whipped violently in the wind, like a banner soaked in flame and fury. His eyes—usually sharp with mischief—now burned with singular purpose. His clothes were scorched, his knuckles bloodied, but he didn't waver.
He ran straight at Malraketh with reckless speed, katana already sliding back into its sheath. Fire trailed behind him, coiling like a living serpent.
And then—he vanished.
SHHHHHK—!
A streak of light cut through the air.
"Crimson Fang: Iai—!"
In a single, explosive motion, Kai drew his blade, unleashing a blazing crescent of fire that cracked the very ground beneath him.
Malraketh raised its arm to block.
CLAAANG—!!
The impact rang like thunder. Sparks showered the battlefield as the two forces clashed.
The force of the slash sent Malraketh skidding several meters back, claws digging into the earth to stabilize its weight. Its wings fluttered to stabilize itself.
Kai landed hard, crouched low, katana steaming in his grip. His chest heaved as sweat dripped down his temple.
Behind him, chaos reawakened.
"Healers!"
A familiar shout—firm and commanding.
"NOW! Get to the girl!"
Roderic.
The Captain of Dawnstead Knights stormed onto the field, greatsword already drawn, a force of will given form. His silver and navy-blue armor glinted beneath the fading sunlight, tainted with some scratches and scorched marks.
His voice cut through the confusion like a warhorn, galvanizing the mages and clerics stationed behind the frontlines. White robes moved in a flurry as healers rushed forward, weaving holy incantations, pushing past the wall of fear to reach Belle.
Roderic joined Kai's side, skidding to a halt, panting.
"Kai!" he barked. "What the hell happened down there?! Where have you been?! What is that thing?!"
Kai didn't look at him.
His eyes were locked on Malraketh, who had now righted itself and stood once again.
"Sorry, it took me a bit to climb my way back out," he spat. "I could've been here sooner if I was stronger."
Roderic's brow furrowed.
"Explain."
"We fell into the final floor in the dungeon, miasma was everywhere, dense. The air was suffocating. I was too weak to help her. The miasma was choking me, even the potions barely worked. But when that thing left the dungeon… it took the miasma with it. I could finally breathe again. Heal. Move."
Roderic clenched his jaw.
"Then what is that thing?"
Kai's expression hardened.
"That thing… is the dungeon. A full manifestation of the core itself. It absorbed all the miasma inside."
He gestured toward Malraketh with his blade.
"This is what happens when a core becomes sentient. But its form was different when it first manifested."
Roderic's eyes widened.
"A sentient core…? That's not supposed to be possible."
Kai's expression darkened.
"Well, it is now."
He looked down at the ground—at the cracks left by his own attack.
"And by the time I got back up here… she was already on the ground."
Roderic turned toward the healers. They had formed a circle around Belle, radiant light pouring into her chest and limbs, desperately trying to repair what they could.
Her silver hair was matted with dirt and blood. Her skin looked pale. Fragile.
Malraketh moved again—its cannon hissing with renewed energy. Its wings slowly unfurled, casting a great and terrible shadow over them all. The core at its chest beat faster—an ominous rhythm that echoed across the battlefield.
Kai stepped forward, flames sparking across the length of his katana.
"We need to keep that thing busy for a while."
Roderic looked at Kai. "What do you mean?"
"If we leave that thing, it is going to kill everybody here." Kai answered with seriousness on his face.
Roderic turned his head towards Belle again.
"But even Belle can't defeat it, what chance do we have?"
Kai gave him a crooked, battle-worn grin.
"We don't have to defeat that thing. We just have to stall it."
Roderic blinked. "Until what?"
"Until she gets back up. And when she does, she's going to turn that garbage into scrap metal."
Roderic raised his greatsword beside him. He smiled softly.
"Then what's the plan?"
"Don't die."
Just two words came out from Kai's mouth.
Roderic laughed softly, shaking his head. "You always were a reckless bastard."
Kai smirked. "You know me. Besides, she had been pushing herself too hard since we entered the dungeon. Let her nap as much as she wants."
The miasma began to shift again, thickening.
Malraketh's body shimmered, shifting slightly, as if preparing to adapt once more.
And yet, the two men stood tall—one bathed in fire, the other in steel.
"Alright… let's do this again…"
Kai's voice was low, barely audible, like a prayer lost in the roar of distant thunder. His fingers tightened around the hilt of his katana, knuckles white beneath leather gloves. His eyes narrowed, pupils sharp with focus.
"Feel its presence… separate it from the mana…"
He exhaled. A sudden stillness overtook him—like the calm in the eye of a hurricane.
FWOOOM.
His aura ignited—a roaring blaze of crimson flame enveloping his body in a pillar of heat.
The ground beneath his feet cracked, steam hissing from fissures that opened beneath his boots. His hair whipped wildly behind him in the updraft, glowing embers swirling like fireflies caught in a storm.
The katana in his hand radiated molten heat, its edge quivering with restrained energy. The air shimmered, bending and warping around him like a mirage.
Across the field, Malraketh stood still as death. Unmoved. Unblinking.
An obsidian titan.
Roderic stepped forward beside Kai, armored boots thudding heavily into the earth. A subtle hum surrounded him—the afterglow of an enhancement barrier layered by the rear guard mages. The sigils on his greatsword pulsed rhythmically with mana, their glow deepening as he tightened his grip.
"You sure you're ready for this?" Roderic asked without turning.
Kai smirked, a faint trail of smoke curling from his lips.
"Doesn't matter. Ready or not—we're the only ones who can buy time."
The atmosphere thickened. Every heartbeat echoed like a drum. The very air vibrated with tension—a fragile, volatile pressure on the edge of detonation.
BOOM.
Malraketh vanished.
The ground where it had stood exploded from sheer force.
"—Left!!" Kai shouted.
He moved before the sound even finished leaving his mouth.
Malraketh reappeared in a blur of motion, its blade-cannon cleaving through the air with impossible speed. A deep wail of pressure followed in its wake, like steel crying out under strain.
Roderic pivoted hard, greatsword swinging to intercept.
CLAAAAANG!
The impact shook the earth. Sparks burst like fireworks, blinding in their intensity.
Roderic was thrown back like a cannonball, armor scraping across stone as he tore through the battlefield. A crater opened where he landed.
"Gkh—!!"
The echo of that blow hadn't even faded—and Kai already vanished in a flash of fire.
"CRIMSON FANG—FLASH PIERCER!!"
He reappeared above Malraketh, mid-air, katana stabbing down with a focused spiral of flame trailing behind him like a meteor's tail. The sheer heat distorted everything in its path.
CLANG.
The katana met Malraketh's armor—and stopped.
Didn't even scratch it.
The shock from the clash surged through Kai's arm like a lightning bolt.
"What the hell—?!"
WHRRRRR—CHUNK.
Malraketh's cannon rotated and discharged point-blank.
BOOOOOM—!!!
The resulting shockwave tore across the battlefield, a nuclear blast of kinetic force.
Kai was launched like a ragdoll, his body slamming through two pillars of jagged stone before tumbling into a heap of dirt and dust.
"KAI!!"
Roderic's voice thundered as he recovered, leaping toward Malraketh with a roar. His greatsword came down with divine fury.
Only for Malraketh to catch it. With one hand.
The high-pitched grind of metal-on-metal echoed like screaming spirits. Sparks erupted.
WHOOOM!!
A single beat of Malraketh's corrupted wings released a cyclonic blast, hurling Roderic like a ragdoll across the field.
He smashed through the debris, bouncing off stone, coughing blood as he hit the ground in a pile of cracked armor.
From across the field, Kai groaned.
Steam hissed from his scorched jacket. His skin was scraped raw, blood trickling down his cheek and arm. His katana trembled—both from impact and his weakening grip.
"…Damn it…"
But even through the haze of pain, a spark reignited. Not on his blade—but within his core.
A small flame. Then two. Then a roaring torrent compressed to a pinpoint.
His eyes flared open.
Fire coiled around his body—not wildly, but tightly, precisely. It flowed like molten steel, not flame—not rage—but discipline.
His stance shifted. Feet grounded. Blade aligned. Breathing slow.
A swordsman—not a brawler. Not a wild beast.
"Crimson Fang: Ember Phase."
Malraketh tilted its head in eerie stillness.
Kai disappeared.
He moved like a flashfire, weaving left, right, low, high. He dashed across the field, each step a burst of sparks.
Malraketh's sensors couldn't trace him.
Kai feinted a strike.
WHAM!
From behind—Roderic appeared, blood running down his temple, but eyes burning.
"Heaven's Divide!!"
He brought the greatsword down with the force of an earthquake. The glowing runes exploded in golden light.
BOOOOOOOM!!
The ground beneath them gave way.
Malraketh staggered, pushed back half a step. The first mark—a single dent in its armor.
It stared down at the damaged shoulder. Its core pulsed.
Then it moved. Faster than ever before.
Kai barely registered it.
A blur—Roderic's chest caved inward as Malraketh reverse-kicked him, sending his body hurtling into a cliff. The entire cliff cracked under the force.
"GAAAAAAAAAH—!!"
Kai dashed in with a furious X-slash, flames spiraling outward.
It landed—but once again, it failed to penetrate. The fire danced harmlessly across its obsidian skin.
Malraketh's blade shifted into a short-edge form—cutting faster, cleaner.
SLASH.
Kai was clipped across the arm. Blood sprayed.
He winced, flipping backward, rebalancing. His breaths came sharp and shallow.
Malraketh's core began pulsing.
Kai's eyes widened.
"No time to dodge—!"
The cannon aimed straight at him.
CLANG.
A massive tower shield crashed in front of him, planting into the ground like a wall. The incoming energy beam collided with it.
BOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
The beam split on impact, shearing off in two directions. The ground around them scorched black, smoking, cratered beyond recognition.
Kai blinked in shock.
Standing between him and death—shield planted firmly, armor smoking—was Garron.
His shield arm trembled, legs bent under the pressure, but he didn't move.
"…That was one hell of a shot."
Garron grunted, glancing over his shoulder.
Kai stared—then grinned through bloodied lips.
End of Chapter 73