CHAPTER 25 — When the Ground Itself Hunts You
"Let's… dance."
Zodac's voice was low, almost breathless.
The smile on his face wasn't confidence—it was exhaustion stretched thin, held together by defiance. Blood dripped from his fingers, warm and sticky against his palm as he tightened his grip.
The ground moles stopped circling.
For a heartbeat, nothing moved.
Then the stone beneath them cracked.
One leapt.
Then another.
Then all of them.
Their bodies twisted midair, compact and vicious, spinning violently as they closed in—claws out, teeth bared, the sound of tearing air screeching through the cavern.
"Tch—!"
Zodac braced himself and thrust his arm forward.
"Hectogon."
Hexagonal plates snapped into existence—one, then another, then more—interlocking just as the first mole slammed into them.
BANG!
The impact shook his bones. The shield held—but barely.
Another struck.
Then another.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the glowing surface, thin at first, then widening with every hit.
Zodac felt it in his arms, in his wrists, in his teeth.
Too many.
The shields wouldn't hold.
The moment the pressure eased—just for a fraction of a second—he dropped the formation.
The barriers shattered and faded.
Zodac moved.
Not fast—desperate.
He lunged forward, closing the distance before the moles could recover their balance. His blade cut through the first, the resistance sharp and wet, momentum carrying him into the second.
Steel met flesh.
Blood splattered across his cheek.
He didn't stop.
A third tried to twist away, claws digging into the ground to leap back—
Too late.
Zodac stepped in and stabbed downward, pinning it before it could spin.
Only then did he notice something.
Every time he pressed close…
They hesitated.
"They need space," he realized, breath ragged. "Distance to spin."
His heart pounded harder.
So don't give it to them.
He stayed close.
One leapt backward to gain range—Zodac followed. His blade caught it midair, splitting it open before its feet touched stone.
Another fell.
And another.
By the time the last one collapsed, the cavern floor was slick with blood.
Zodac dropped to one knee.
His vision narrowed.
His ears rang.
For a moment, he thought it was over.
Then the ground vibrated.
Not footsteps.
Something… heavier.
Zodac's breath stalled.
"…No."
The vibration grew stronger. The walls shuddered. Pebbles rattled loose.
A shape emerged from the darkness.
Bigger.
Far bigger.
The giant mole forced its way into the cavern, its claws gouging deep grooves in stone with every step. Its body alone blocked half the tunnel entrance.
Zodac slowly pushed himself to his feet.
Every muscle protested.
Blood seeped from his leg.
His chest burned.
Yet he still stood ...tall, defiant, and unbroken. The fire in his eyes burning brighter than the agony coursing through his veins. It wasn't madness, it was determination.
The creature's red eyes locked onto him.
"It figured out I'm here," he muttered.
He checked his panel.
Active — Draining
"Running out…"
The giant mole suddenly moved.
It leapt.
The ground screamed as it hit—spinning, drilling forward, tearing across the cavern floor in a violent blur of motion and stone.
"Shit!"
Zodac threw himself aside, the spinning body roaring past him close enough that the wind alone sent him tumbling.
The creature slammed into a wall.
BOOM.
The cavern shook violently.
Zodac didn't cheer.
He watched.
The mole writhed, claws scraping uselessly as it struggled to rise.
That delay…
He sprinted forward.
"This is my chance"
RAYGUST materialized—
Too slow.
The creature's claw snapped toward him.
CLANG!
The force ripped him off his feet. He flew—hit the ground—rolled painfully to a stop.
His arms screamed.
"It's not like the others…"
The giant charged again, this time not spinning.
Zodac jumped back.
Steel flashed too late.
Pain tore through his leg.
He screamed, collapsing onto one knee.
Blood poured freely.
Another claw came for his head.
He twisted away, the strike missing him by a breath.
A Hectogon shield formed in front of him as he backed away but one hit from the mole shatters it all instantly.
"…Yeah," Zodac muttered hoarsely. "Definitely a boss."
The creature leapt again—spin uncontrolled—crashing into the wall even harder this time.
Stone fractured.
And there it was.
Control.
It had power. Speed. Strength.
But no restraint unlike the rest the rest it has no control over its spin.
"No control" Zodac whispered.
He staggered to the wall opposite.His breathing slowed—forced—controlled.
"Hey ugly" He calls out,
The monster turned the moment it caught sight of him, it spun forward like wheel splitting through stones as it charged towards Zodac.
The ground rumbled as it came, with tremendous force he could feel it from his position yet he remained still. Every nerve, every muscle, every fibre of his being screamed at him to move, screamed at him to choose survival,
He didn't he stood still waiting for his timing.
"Not yet…"
The beast closed in.
Cracks spread along the wall behind him just as the beast was seconds away from impact.
"…Now."
Zodac leapt aside and the monster slammed into the wall with devastating force.
Immediately without hesitation—
"Hectogon."
A set of Hectogon barriers locked the creature in place, boxing it between wall and stone.
It thrashed.
Panicked struggling to rise to its feet, but Zodac wasn't going to grant it that chance.
Kogetsu appeared in Zodac's hand, he tightens his ground and. One shield faded,
Just one.
Zodac stepped forward.
And drove the blade deep.
Through skull.
Through flesh.
Into stone.
The giant convulsed once.
Then it went still.
Silence returned.
Zodac leaned against the wall, breathing hard, every heartbeat echoing in his skull.
He was alive.
Barely.