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---
Chapter 68
The first Mabeast leapt from the darkness.
Ram did not retreat.
Neither did Link.
The Wolgarm emerged between two tree trunks with its front paws extended, jaws open, strings of saliva hanging between its fangs. Its red eyes did not settle on Ram or on the spirits faintly illuminating the path.
They went straight for Link.
The scent of its miasma reached him before its claws did.
Damp.
Bitter.
Rotten.
It did not smell exactly like the presence surrounding Subaru. Subaru's was dense, dark, clinging to his body like a second shadow; unpleasant to almost any sensitive creature, yet strangely familiar to Link.
This was different.
It was hunger turned into scent.
It was flesh that should not exist feeding on mana.
It was something one part of his body recognized as food.
All four kagunes opened behind him.
The first extension struck the Wolgarm in midair.
The impact bent the animal's body around the reddish surface and hurled it into a tree. The trunk cracked. The Mabeast bounced off, landed on its paws, and growled again.
—Tough —Link murmured.
Ram raised her staff.
—It is a Mabeast. Ram expected the gardener to have learned that after adopting six.
—Mine have better manners.
Three pairs of eyes appeared to the right.
Five more to the left.
Leaves began rustling all around the path.
Link opened and closed his right hand.
—All right.
Something dark covered his fingers.
Ram saw it.
It was not one of the gloves he normally used while gardening. Nor did it belong to the equipment Rem had prepared.
It was a rigid piece made of brown leather, metal plates, and small segments of polished stone. It covered his hand, wrist, and part of his forearm. Several engraved lines ran across the back until they converged on an ochre lagmite embedded over the knuckles.
The stone pulsed.
Ram looked at the glove.
Then at Link.
—What is that?
—Safety equipment.
—Ram inspected the backpack.
—It wasn't in the backpack.
—Where was it?
Link did not answer.
Ram followed the direction of one of his kagunes.
Its tip had opened slightly.
Inside was a small compartment.
—The gardener hides tools inside his extremities.
—It's practical.
—That is another word for clandestine.
The first group attacked.
Link struck the ground with his fist.
The lagmite lit up.
—Dona.
A wall of earth surged up in front of him.
It did not rise slowly. The ground exploded upward, forming an irregular barrier of compacted rock that intercepted three Wolgarms. Two crashed headfirst into it. The third managed to propel itself over the surface.
One of Link's kagunes caught it around the belly.
He slammed it into the ground.
Ram extended two fingers.
—Fura.
The current was invisible.
Its consequences were not.
A line appeared across the Wolgarm's neck. Its head separated and rolled among the leaves while the body collapsed several steps farther ahead.
The scent of blood spread.
Link inhaled reflexively.
His stomach contracted.
Not hunger yet.
Not true hunger.
Only recognition.
Ram rotated the staff.
—Do not get distracted.
—I didn't.
—You looked at the corpse.
—I'm locating targets.
—With your stomach.
Link decided not to answer.
Two Wolgarms circled the wall.
A third creature appeared behind them.
It was smaller, resembling a hairless hyena with bone plates covering its back and three eyes distributed across its face. It ran almost flat against the ground.
Link extended his gloved hand.
The lagmite released another current.
—Dona.
Several stones tore themselves free from the path.
They floated for a fraction of a second.
Then shot forward.
The first pierced the front leg of a Wolgarm.
The second struck one of the three-eyed creature's eyes.
The third missed.
It ricocheted off a rock.
And came back toward Ram.
She tilted her head.
The projectile passed beside her headdress.
Silence.
Link looked at the point of impact.
—The forest altered the trajectory.
—The gardener built a weapon that attempts to murder his supervisor.
—That was the first combat discharge.
—Ram hopes the second one selects its enemies more carefully.
The maid disappeared.
Not through spatial magic.
Her body propelled itself forward on a wind current that sent leaves spinning around her. Her dark skirt opened behind her as she crossed the space between the Mabeasts.
The staff moved once.
Fura accompanied the motion.
An invisible blade opened the wounded Wolgarm's side. Ram used the corpse as a foothold, planted one boot on its back, and jumped before the three-eyed creature could bite her ankle.
The tip of the staff descended.
Compressed wind pierced the Mabeast's skull.
Ram landed.
Crimson Heart rested against her throat, partially hidden beneath her traveling clothes. The red lagmite maintained a constant glow, insulating her body from the cold of the night.
Link smiled.
—The collar suits you when you fight.
—Ram does not require aesthetic opinions while working.
—I was only saying—
A Wolgarm appeared behind Link.
Ram raised one finger.
—Behind you.
He tilted his body.
The jaws passed over his head.
Link struck with his elbow.
The Mabeast's snout deformed.
The creature was hurled away, spun twice, and crashed into the earthen wall.
—Thanks —he said.
—The gardener possesses four additional limbs. Use one to watch your back.
—I was watching yours.
Ram stared at him.
Link realized how that sounded.
—For safety.
—Naturally.
Another growl traveled through the trees.
The conversation ended.
The Mabeasts advanced.
They did not attack all at once.
The first ones tested them.
Approaching, retreating, probing the angles between the kagunes and Ram's wind currents. Behind them, more eyes appeared whenever one of the bodies fell.
Link planted two kagunes in the ground.
The other two extended toward the sides.
The lagmite in the glove lit again.
—El Dona.
A current of Earth mana traveled through the path.
The first Mabeasts felt the vibration.
Too late.
Dozens of spikes erupted from beneath them.
Not all struck vital organs. Some pierced legs. Others tore through bellies or threw bodies into the air.
Link moved his kagunes.
The extensions swept through the suspended animals.
Ram launched three consecutive cuts.
Blood fell over the freshly raised earth.
The lesser spirits spread themselves around the battlefield.
The Red Flame illuminated the right side.
The Bluish-White Sphere maintained a thin mist close to the ground, revealing silhouettes attempting to approach through the bushes.
The Ember Bird flew above the trees, dropping tiny sparks wherever it detected movement.
The Golden Light remained close to Ram.
Luci sat on Link's shoulder.
—Right —she said.
Link turned.
A kagune impaled the Wolgarm trying to leap from a rock.
The Mabeast remained hanging.
Link felt the warmth of its body around the extension.
Blood ran down its surface.
The smell hit him harder.
His stomach tightened again.
The kagune threw the corpse away.
—Good —Luci said.
—Good warning.
Ram used a gust to throw two animals onto the spikes.
—The supervisor weighs less than a cup and does more work than the gardener.
—I'm not competing.
—Because you would lose.
Link struck the ground.
—Dona.
Two pillars appeared beneath a pair of Mabeasts.
They launched them upward.
One kagune caught the first.
Another struck the second.
Both flew in opposite directions.
—I'm testing the glove.
—When did you make it?
—A few days ago.
—How many?
—An amount.
Ram's staff struck his shoulder as she passed.
—In combat.
—That was unnecessary.
—Ram corrected your posture.
—My posture was fine.
—Now it is better.
Link had no time to continue arguing.
The ground trembled.
Not from his magic.
Something heavy advanced between the trees.
Branches snapped before they could move aside. The thinner trunks bent. A deep snort made the path vibrate.
Two red eyes appeared higher than those of the Wolgarms.
The creature emerged.
The Wagpig possessed the body of a hippopotamus distorted into monstrous proportions. Its black skin looked as though it were made of plates of rock joined over enormous muscles. Its legs were short and thick. Its mouth occupied most of its head, filled with flat teeth capable of crushing bone and wood with equal ease.
It opened its jaws.
The roar kicked up dust.
Link studied its size.
—I want one.
Ram cut down another Wolgarm.
—No.
—It could pull the carriage.
—You already have six Mabeasts.
—None are that big.
—You also have a three-meter dragon hidden inside a room.
—Charizard is no good for pulling carriages.
—What a terrible limitation.
The Wagpig charged.
Link extended the glove.
The lagmite shone more intensely.
—Al Dona.
The ground beneath the creature exploded.
A mass of compressed rock and soil struck the Wagpig's lighter-colored underside. The several-ton body rose just enough for its feet to leave the ground.
Its charge lost direction.
The Mabeast fell onto its side.
The impact shook the trees.
Link drove two kagunes forward.
Their tips struck the underside.
The skin gave way.
Not completely.
The Wagpig roared and twisted with unexpected speed. Its head caught one kagune between its teeth.
It bit down.
The red extension cracked.
Link grimaced.
—That hurts.
Ram appeared on top of a rock.
Her staff descended.
—Fura.
The slash struck the Wagpig's eye.
The Mabeast released the kagune and shook its head.
Link took advantage of it.
All four appendages wrapped around its neck, front legs, and belly. He pulled in opposite directions.
The skin endured.
The muscles did not.
Its body was immobilized.
Link jumped.
He landed on the Wagpig's head.
Raised the Earth glove.
—El Dona.
The punch struck the skull.
The magic did not explode outward.
It went in.
The rocky skin trembled.
A network of cracks spread from the point of impact.
The interior received the pressure before the surface did.
The Wagpig collapsed.
Its eyes lost their light.
Link remained standing on its head.
—The glove works.
Ram examined the corpse.
—Ram admits it is not completely useless.
—Was that praise?
—Do not abuse it.
—Want one?
—No.
—I could make you one for Wind—
—Ram already uses Wind without needing scrap metal.
—This would amplify—
—No.
Link climbed down from the Wagpig.
Smoke leaked through the seams of the glove.
The lagmite remained intact.
The surrounding metal had changed color slightly.
—It needs cooling.
—It needs to cease existing.
—Beatrice can correct it.
—Does Beatrice-sama know?
Link looked at Luci.
The quasi-spirit turned her face away.
—Not yet.
Ram closed her eye.
—The gardener constructed another secret artifact after three ancient beings established rules specifically to prevent this.
—The rules were created yesterday. The glove existed before them.
—You exploit temporal loopholes.
—That is legal intelligence.
—That is Barusu behavior.
The insult was strong enough to make Link stop smiling.
—Don't exaggerate.
Ram walked around the Wagpig.
She examined the terrain.
The tracks.
The corpses.
The direction the first packs had come from.
—Something is wrong.
Link could feel it too.
The animals had stopped attacking.
The eyes remained there.
Dozens.
Perhaps more.
But they stayed away, watching from the darkness.
—They're waiting —he said.
—No.
Ram closed her eye.
Raised two fingers.
The wind around them weakened.
Her breathing slowed.
Clairvoyance did not manifest through visible light. The change occurred in her gaze.
Her open eye stopped focusing on the forest.
For an instant, she looked somewhere else.
A small nocturnal bird rested on a branch several hundred meters away. Ram took its vision. The world changed in height. Dark trees. Leaves. Silhouettes moving below.
She jumped to another perception.
A rodent hidden between roots.
The earth trembling.
Feet.
Many.
Another.
A bird that had taken flight because of the smell of blood.
The forest opened beneath her from above.
Ram stopped breathing.
Link saw her fingers tighten around the staff.
—What is it?
She did not answer.
She changed again.
A smaller Mabeast ran among the pack. Through its eyes, she saw bodies gathering behind the first line of trees.
Wolgarms.
Wagpigs.
Armored creatures.
Serpents as thick as trunks.
Low shapes moving beneath the vegetation.
They were not four separate groups moving independently.
They were all converging.
Ram returned to her own body.
Her eye required a second to focus.
A red line appeared at the corner.
—There weren't fifty.
Link looked into the darkness.
—Sixty?
—No.
—Eighty?
Ram shook her head.
The growls multiplied.
The forest seemed to breathe.
—Far more than that.
—A hundred?
—Ram could not count them.
Link stopped smiling.
If Ram could not count them from above, it was not a pack.
It was a tide.
—They are approaching —she continued—. All of them.
—Because of us?
Ram looked at the corpses.
Blood had soaked the path.
The Wagpig's body released a thick smell.
—Perhaps because of this.
The ground exploded behind Link.
He did not see the second Wagpig.
He felt it.
A black mass burst from the bushes and struck his side before the kagunes could close around him. The impact tore his feet from the ground.
Link went through a bush.
Struck a rock.
The stone broke.
His body bounced and fell several meters farther away.
—Link!
Ram cast Fura.
The wind blade struck the Wagpig's face.
It left a shallow mark.
The Mabeast continued advancing.
Link stood.
The ribs on his left side were fractured.
They were already rebuilding.
He spat blood.
—I'm fine.
The Wagpig opened its mouth.
Link ran toward it.
Ram expected him to dodge.
He did not.
He jumped.
The Mabeast's jaws tried to close.
Two kagunes held the upper jaw.
The other two caught the lower.
Link landed between them.
One foot planted on the creature's tongue.
The Wagpig tried to crush him.
The kagunes held.
Rows of teeth remained only centimeters away.
Link raised his knee.
The strike hit the underside of the jaw.
The entire skull lifted.
Its teeth slammed together.
The Wagpig lost its balance.
Link jumped out.
Twisted in the air.
The next knee struck directly against one side of the snout.
The sound was dry.
The enormous body flew off course.
It rolled.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
It knocked down several trees before coming to rest on its side.
Subaru would have shouted something about physics.
Ram merely stared.
Link landed on his feet.
One knee touched the ground.
He immediately stood.
—That was for distracting me.
Ram appeared beside him.
—The Wagpig was not participating in the conversation.
—Then it was for interrupting.
—The gardener continues arguing with animals.
The eyes in the forest advanced.
They were no longer waiting.
The first line emerged between the trees.
Then the second.
The third could not yet be seen.
Bodies occupied every open space.
Link looked at the glove.
The seams were still hot.
—It'll have to hold.
Ram raised the staff.
—The forest closed behind us.
—We can open it.
—Without Explosion.
—I wasn't planning to use it.
—Nor Cruel Sun.
—I know.
—Nor a new spell.
Link turned his face.
—How do you know I have one?
—You always have one.
A creature leapt.
The conversation died under the first impact.
What followed was not an orderly fight.
There were no lines.
No front existed.
The Mabeasts came from every direction.
Link raised two Dona walls, creating a narrow corridor between the trees. Ram used the barriers to limit the angles and turn the numerical superiority into a sequence of bodies forced to advance together.
Fura passed through the center.
The first row fell.
The second jumped over it.
Link planted his kagunes into the earth and lifted a mass of corpses to use as a wall. The Mabeasts crashed into their own dead.
—Left —Ram said.
Link extended the glove.
—Dona.
A pillar struck a serpent descending from a branch.
The creature flew.
Ram cut it before it landed.
—Above.
Link looked up.
Three winged beasts were diving.
The Ember Bird launched itself at them.
It could not defeat them alone.
It could mark their wings with fire.
Link fired stones.
One pierced the chest of the first.
The second lost balance.
The third continued.
Ram raised the wind.
The creature was split in two.
Dark blood fell over both of them.
Link felt one drop near his lips.
He wiped it away with his shoulder before it could enter his mouth.
The smell caused another contraction.
Stronger.
His body had spent months feeding on Wolgarm meat.
Broth.
Dried meat.
Rem-prepared leftovers meant to sustain regeneration.
He had eaten without fear.
Without measuring.
There was no scale for this.
Not even Beatrice could say how much energy his body absorbed from one Mabeast.
The food possessed no RC cell count like ghoul flesh did.
There were no records.
No other members of his race he could ask.
He had assumed his body would handle it.
So far, it had.
A Wolgarm bit one of his kagunes.
Link lifted it.
The Mabeast hung suspended, still clinging to the extension.
Another kagune struck the neck.
It released him.
—Behind —Ram warned.
Link turned.
An armored creature rammed him with its head.
The bone plate broke before his ribs did.
Link caught it by both sides.
Lifted it.
Threw it into the group.
—How many are left?
Ram activated Clairvoyance again.
Only for an instant.
An aerial view.
Movement between the trees had not decreased.
—Too many.
—That isn't a number.
—It's the only one available.
The glove lit again.
—Al Dona.
Earth Magic concentrated beneath one group.
The explosion tore young trees, rocks, and Mabeasts from the ground. A mass of bodies was hurled into the darkness.
The metal of the glove cracked.
One plate lifted.
—One more —Link said.
—No.
—It can handle it.
—Ram was not talking about the glove.
Link did not answer.
The kagunes moved constantly.
Piercing.
Striking.
Grabbing.
Throwing.
The first red drops began running across them.
Every contact strengthened the smell.
Every opened corpse made it harder to ignore.
The hunger still did not dominate.
It was pressure.
A fist closing inside his stomach.
A reminder that his body was not made only of mana and Oni nature.
There was another half.
One that had remained quiet because it had received enough food.
Or so he had believed.
Two Wolgarms leapt toward Ram.
She cut one.
The second broke through the current and reached her arm.
Its fangs never touched her.
A kagune wrapped around the Mabeast's body.
Tightened.
Bones cracked.
Link threw it.
—Careful.
Ram looked at her unharmed arm.
—Ram had the situation under control.
—It came too close.
—And now it is dead.
—Exactly.
She looked at him.
Link's kakugan had spread to his left eye.
Black sclera.
Red pupil.
His right eye remained human.
—Your eye.
—I know.
—Hunger?
—Not enough.
—That wasn't the question.
A roar interrupted them.
Another Wagpig charged from the right.
Ram propelled herself onto a wall.
Link struck the ground.
The ochre lagmite released a spark.
—El Dona.
Spikes appeared beneath the Wagpig.
The first broke against its skin.
The next lifted its belly.
The creature lost speed.
Link ran.
One kagune buried itself into a tree.
He used it to change direction and reach the flank.
His fist struck the pale section.
The magic entered.
The Wagpig's body swelled from within.
The abdominal plate burst open.
Hot blood sprayed under pressure.
Link closed his mouth.
The stream passed beside his face.
None entered.
He landed.
The glove went dark.
The lagmite had reached its limit.
A crack ran through its center.
—Finished —Ram said.
Link ripped off the glove.
Threw it toward a rock.
—Beatrice can repair it.
—First you will explain why it exists.
—After we return.
—If we return.
Link looked at her.
Ram did not use unnecessary dramatics.
The Mabeasts had closed off the entire area.
Luci's light revealed bodies beyond the first group.
The lesser spirits were beginning to lose intensity.
Ram had used Fura too many times.
Her breathing remained controlled.
Her mana did not.
Without her horn, every spell demanded more than her body could recover.
Crimson Heart preserved her temperature.
It did not refill her Gate.
—Stay close —Link said.
—Ram does not take orders from the gardener.
—It wasn't an order.
—It sounded like one.
—Then it was a request.
—Worse.
Even so, she moved behind him.
Link extended his kagunes.
Ram raised her staff.
Wind and red flesh closed the space between them.
The next wave arrived.
The battle shifted between the trees.
Not by choice.
The Mabeasts pushed them.
Link opened a path through trunks and bodies. Ram protected the angles his extensions could not cover.
A serpent bit Link's shoulder.
Its fangs pierced skin.
He grabbed the head.
Ripped it off.
The wound closed.
A winged creature buried claws into his back.
One kagune caught it.
Slammed it into the ground.
A Wolgarm bit his leg.
Link kept walking with the animal attached until Ram cut its neck.
Blood covered the earth.
Their shoes.
Their clothes.
The kagunes.
The smell no longer allowed one creature to be distinguished from another.
Miasma.
Blood.
Mana.
Flesh.
Link's stomach burned.
Not ordinary hunger.
Pain.
A stabbing pressure growing beneath his ribs.
He ignored it.
He had felt worse.
An amputated hand.
His abdomen torn open.
Bones dragging two thousand tons.
Prometheus burning from within.
He could keep going.
—Link —Ram said.
—I'm fine.
—Ram did not ask.
—You were about to.
—You're slower.
—They're faster.
—Liar.
Link struck a Wolgarm.
Its body flew away.
Three more took its place.
The kagunes swept them aside.
One extension took a fraction longer to return.
The pain had started there too.
At the bases.
As though something were pushing from inside.
Not an injury.
Growth.
Link clenched his jaw.
He could not stop to examine it.
—Front —Ram warned.
Two Wagpigs appeared.
One smaller.
The other almost as large as Charizard.
The first charged Link.
The second circled around.
Ram turned to intercept an armored creature.
Link planted two kagunes into the ground.
Caught the first Wagpig with the other two.
The force of the charge dragged him several meters.
His boots carved furrows.
The kagunes tightened.
The huge mouth snapped shut beside his head.
Link struck the eye.
The Mabeast roared.
Its body twisted.
Link was thrown.
He fell.
Stood before he finished rolling.
—Ram!
The second Wagpig had changed direction.
It was not going for Link.
It was coming in behind the maid.
Ram was finishing a slash.
The armored creature's body had not yet fallen.
The Wagpig opened its jaws.
Link extended two kagunes.
They would not reach.
—BEHIND YOU!
Ram turned.
She did not retreat.
The staff drew a horizontal line.
—Fura.
The wind came out.
Compressed.
Thinner than her previous slashes.
It crossed the space between them and struck the Wagpig's pale belly.
The creature kept advancing.
For one instant, it seemed as though the spell had failed.
Then its upper half slid aside.
The body separated.
The front crashed to Ram's right.
The rear continued two steps and collapsed to her left.
Blood came out like a wave.
Ram raised the wind to push it aside.
Not all of it obeyed.
The liquid struck Link as he ran toward her.
Some covered his shirt.
More covered his face.
One drop entered his open mouth after the shout.
Only one.
Warm.
Thick.
Bitter.
The world stopped.
Link did not manage to close his lips.
The taste touched his tongue.
His body reacted before thought did.
His stomach contracted so violently that it bent him over.
The kagunes struck the ground.
White pain tore through his abdomen and climbed his spine.
—Link.
Ram took one step.
He raised one hand.
Not to stop her.
Because something had begun opening inside his back.
All four kagunes trembled.
The red surfaces cracked.
They were not being destroyed from outside.
The pressure came from the center.
Link dropped to one knee.
The second kakugan appeared.
Black.
Red.
The veins around both eyes became pronounced.
The taste of Wagpig remained inside his mouth.
It was not only flesh.
It was concentrated miasma.
A greater amount than what the smaller Wolgarms contained.
A trigger.
The final stone placed on top of something that had been accumulating for months.
The memory came between pulses of pain.
Kaneki.
Ghouls.
RC cells.
A body capable of maintaining itself as long as it consumed what it needed.
A body that changed when it received too much.
Mutation.
Kakuja.
No.
He did not respond to RC cells.
His anatomy only resembled theirs.
His was something else.
Mana.
Oni nature.
Miasma.
He had eaten Wolgarm flesh for weeks.
Concentrated broth.
Dried meat.
Portions intended to sustain the work around the manor, regeneration, training.
There was no measurement.
He did not know how much miasma each meal carried into him.
He had forgotten that half because it had never punished him.
Until now.
A crack ran along the first kagune.
Something black appeared underneath.
—Ram...
His voice sounded wrong.
Too low.
Ram saw the kagunes' surfaces darkening.
—What is happening?
Link gripped the earth.
His fingers sank into it.
The pain reached his head.
The voices of the Mabeasts vanished behind the heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
His heart accelerated.
The surrounding miasma entered him.
Not through the horns.
Through the kagunes.
Through his mouth.
Through his skin.
His body called for it.
—Run —he said.
Ram did not move.
—Link.
He raised his face.
Both eyes were kakugan now.
There was not enough time.
He could not explain.
Could not warn her properly.
The pressure inside his back exploded.
—RUN!
Consciousness went out.
It did not fade slowly.
There was no darkness closing in from the edges.
Link was there.
And then he was not.
His body fell forward.
His hands touched the earth.
Ram moved toward him.
The first kagune opened.
It did not attack.
It split lengthwise.
The red flesh separated and allowed a new extension to emerge, thinner, darker, and covered by something that did not look like skin.
Miasma.
Jet black.
Dense.
It clung to the kagune like fur made from solid smoke. Every filament moved without wind. Dark sparks jumped from its surface, disappearing before they touched the ground.
The second kagune divided.
Then the third.
The fourth.
Four became six.
Thinner.
Longer.
Their tips opened.
Not like claws.
Like mouths.
Rows of solid-mana fangs appeared along both sides. Some sections also developed white protrusions, small points mimicking teeth emerging through the miasma.
Ram stepped backward.
—Link.
The head rose.
The face was still his.
Almost.
Kakugan occupied both eyes.
The red pupil had narrowed.
His teeth looked sharper.
The lines of his horns burned beneath a black veil beginning to cover their edges.
The body breathed.
Once.
Air entered as though it had never breathed before.
All six kagunes extended.
They did not move the same way.
The original four had struck like powerful limbs: direct trajectories, sweeps, charges.
These stalked.
Two circled the trees.
One disappeared beneath leaves.
Another coiled around itself.
The last two remained behind the body, swaying erratically, changing direction without completing any motion.
The Mabeasts hesitated.
Link's miasma had changed.
He no longer smelled only like food.
He smelled like a predator.
A Wolgarm attacked.
Link's body disappeared.
Ram barely saw it.
A step.
No.
A contraction.
The earth sank where he had been and the figure reappeared in front of the animal.
His hand struck its muzzle.
The head turned completely around.
Before the corpse could fall, three kagunes attacked in different directions.
The first pierced an armored creature.
The second opened a Wolgarm's belly.
The third raked the side of a serpent without stopping.
Black marks remained inside the wounds.
Not blood.
Symbols.
Small cursed lines spread beneath the skin.
Ram recognized them.
She had seen a similar form on Subaru.
A curse.
The kagune moved again.
Every hit left another.
A Mabeast received a shallow scratch across one leg.
The mark appeared.
Another was struck with the side of an extension.
The curse spread from the point of contact.
It did not require a bite.
It did not require time.
All six kagunes attacked.
Too fast.
Bodies began falling.
Link did not use fire.
He spoke no spells.
He showed no emotion.
He killed whatever moved.
A flock descended.
Two kagunes opened like whips.
The mana mouths bit through the air and closed around wings. Bodies were dragged downward.
A Wagpig charged.
Link met it head-on.
He did not use the kagunes.
He placed both hands against its snout.
The creature pushed.
The ground cracked.
He did not retreat.
The muscles in his arms tightened.
The skin on one shoulder split.
It healed before the tear finished forming.
Link twisted.
The Wagpig lost its footing.
The entire body was lifted and thrown into a row of Mabeasts.
His strength had increased.
Not slightly.
Ram understood by the way the creature vanished between the trees, breaking trunks that had previously stopped its charge.
Link's body leaned forward.
The kagunes extended toward the animals that had been marked.
The red pupils glowed.
The curses responded.
The first Mabeasts stopped.
Not because they wanted to.
Their legs stopped supporting them.
Mana left their bodies in black currents.
The energy traveled through the marks, emerged from the wounds, and was drawn toward the six kagunes.
The animals convulsed.
Their breathing became heavy.
The glow in their eyes faded.
One creature fell.
Then another.
Five.
Ten.
Ram felt the mana being drained.
Something else too.
Life.
The hearts stopped.
Bodies became still.
The absorbed energy traveled through the extensions and entered Link.
His wounds disappeared.
The pressure of his mana increased.
The remaining Mabeasts tried to retreat.
He followed.
He did not run like a person.
The kagunes buried themselves into trunks and earth, launching him from one point to another. His trajectory changed in midair. One extension pulled. Another pushed. The others attacked without waiting for his body to land.
Impossible to predict.
Stalking.
Erratic.
A black flash between the trees.
Ram raised her staff.
—Link!
No answer.
The Red Flame moved in front of his face.
Link's body attacked.
A kagune struck the spirit.
The little flame was knocked away.
Not destroyed.
Simply dismissed as though it meant nothing.
Luci descended.
—Link.
The quasi-spirit moved between them.
The body stopped for a fraction.
The red eyes looked at her.
No recognition.
A kagune moved.
Luci managed to evade.
The fanged tip pierced the place where she had been.
—Bad —she said.
The body turned toward the next movement.
A Mabeast.
It impaled it.
Ram understood.
Anything that moved.
It did not matter what.
—Luci, up.
The quasi-spirit looked at her.
—Now!
Luci ascended.
The other four spirits followed, moving beyond the kagunes' reach.
Ram retreated.
She needed distance.
There was no escape.
The first pack had surrounded the path.
New Mabeasts continued pouring in from the west, drawn by the smell of blood and the released miasma.
Link killed the ones in front of him.
The others closed around the flanks.
Ram used Clairvoyance.
An aerial view.
The result was worse.
The tide filled the entire area.
She could not run toward the manor.
Not without crossing hundreds of bodies.
Nor could she remain close to Link.
The unconscious body began turning toward her.
Ram ended the technique.
Blood ran from the corner of her eye.
—Link.
All six kagunes stopped.
Not because of his name.
Because she had moved.
Ram held the staff in both hands.
The wind rotated.
—Ram knows the gardener is stubborn.
The body tilted its head.
—But this is excessive even for you.
No answer.
Two Mabeasts leapt from behind him.
The kagunes killed them without Link taking his eyes off Ram.
One received a slash.
The other was impaled.
The black marks appeared.
The draining began.
Link absorbed the energy.
The pressure increased again.
Ram felt the hair on her arms rise.
The creature in front of her was already faster than she was.
Every consumed body widened the difference.
—Luci —she said without looking away—. Get help.
The quasi-spirit remained overhead.
—Link.
—Go to Rem.
Luci hesitated.
One kagune struck the ground.
Earth exploded.
Ram propelled herself to the side.
The extension passed beside her waist.
The miasma grazed her cloak.
A black mark appeared on the fabric.
Ram tore it away before it could touch her skin.
The fragment fell.
The curse consumed it as though searching for a body to drain.
—Go!
Luci shot east.
The Golden Light followed her.
The other three spirits remained higher in the air, unable to completely abandon Link.
Ram could not verify it.
The second attack came.
Three kagunes.
One from above.
Two from the sides.
—Fura.
Wind struck the extensions.
It did not cut them.
It deflected the first.
The second changed direction in the middle of the motion.
Ram ducked.
The mana fangs closed on several strands of pink hair.
The third struck the ground behind her.
Ram used the staff as support and jumped.
A current lifted her body.
Link appeared above.
She had not seen him jump.
His fist descended.
Ram created a wind barrier.
The blow broke through it.
The shockwave threw her into a tree.
Crimson Heart maintained her body at the correct temperature.
It did not protect her bones.
Her shoulder struck the bark.
The air left her lungs.
She dropped to one knee.
Link landed.
All six kagunes moved around him, scenting the space despite having no noses.
A Mabeast tried attacking him from behind.
Two extensions tore it apart.
Another curse.
Another current of mana.
Ram stood.
She could not defeat him.
Not there.
Not without her horn.
Probably not even with one if the growth continued.
Her task was not to win.
It was to survive until Luci reached the manor.
And prevent Link from continuing to feed.
—How troublesome —she murmured.
A line of blood descended from her eye.
Link advanced.
Ram used Fura against the trees.
Three trunks fell between them.
The kagunes punched through.
The body did not slow.
Ram launched another gust into the ground and propelled herself backward.
A serpent appeared along her trajectory.
Her staff struck its head.
Ram used the body as a foothold.
Jumped.
A kagune bit the serpent.
The curse appeared.
Link activated the drain.
The Mabeast dried out in seconds.
—Stop eating —Ram said.
The red eyes fixed on her.
Perhaps her voice reached something.
Not enough.
The distance vanished.
Ram raised the wind.
Link passed through the current.
His shoulder received a cut.
The wound closed while he advanced.
His fist struck the staff.
The reinforced wood broke.
Ram released the remains.
A kick struck Link's ribs.
The impact would have sent an ordinary man flying several meters.
He only leaned sideways.
His hand caught her ankle.
Ram released a gust directly into his face.
Link released her.
He moved back half a step.
Ram twisted in the air.
Landed.
A kagune came from below.
The fanged tip aimed for her abdomen.
Ram jumped backward.
The extension corrected its course.
Followed.
Another appeared on the left.
The third from above.
Ram condensed all the Wind mana she had left.
—Fura.
The explosion opened space.
Two kagunes were thrown into trees.
The third buried itself in the ground.
Link remained inside the blast.
His hair whipped around.
His clothes tore in several places.
His skin received cuts.
Every one closed.
The gust ended.
Ram breathed heavily.
Her Gate hurt.
Her fingers trembled.
Crimson Heart gave a warm pulse against her throat, compensating for the cold created by her loss of energy.
It could not restore mana.
The next wave of Mabeasts arrived behind Link.
Ram sensed them before seeing them.
Link did too.
All six kagunes temporarily abandoned her.
They extended.
The black tips opened.
Mana fangs glowed.
A single sequence impaled seven creatures.
Others received scratches.
The marks spread.
Link raised his head.
Every curse activated.
The Mabeasts fell.
Mana entered him.
The dark pressure grew heavier.
The miasma covering the kagunes thickened, forming longer filaments. Black sparks multiplied.
Ram stepped backward.
The body turned toward her again.
There was nothing in his gaze.
No recognition.
No hatred.
No pleasure.
Only the selection of the next movement.
Ram held the broken half of the staff.
—Rem is going to be angry with you.
The kagunes extended.
—Very angry.
The earth sank.
Link vanished.
Ram saw the attack through Clairvoyance.
Not through some distant animal.
For one fraction of a second, she synchronized with a tiny creature hiding inside a hollow trunk.
From that angle, she saw the black silhouette entering through her blind spot.
She canceled the technique.
Turned.
The broken staff deflected one tip.
The second kagune curled around her waist.
Ram used wind to loosen the contact before the fangs could close.
The extension tore through her clothes.
A black mark tried to form.
Crimson Heart pulsed.
The curse did not reach her skin.
Ram fell.
Rolled.
Rose onto one knee.
Link stood in front of her.
Too close.
One kagune rose behind his shoulder.
Its tip opened.
Rows of white fangs appeared inside the miasma.
Ram saw the trajectory.
Her chest.
Straight toward the heart.
She did not have enough mana to stop it.
She could not dodge.
—Link.
The extension launched forward.
Crimson Heart reacted.
The red lagmite ignited until it turned white.
Ram felt heat.
Not the gentle warmth that had accompanied her since the Snow Festival.
A warning.
Pressure against her throat.
The collar detected the trajectory.
The force.
The cursed point less than an instant away from piercing a vital organ.
A crack crossed the lagmite.
Ram opened her eye.
—What...?
Crimson Heart exploded.
A small red-and-white detonation appeared over her chest.
It did not burn her.
The shockwave struck her entire body and hurled her sideways.
Ram was thrown through leaves and old snow, ripped out of the trajectory before the kagune could reach her heart.
At the same time, the air where she had stood froze.
Ice surged from the ground.
Legs.
Skirt.
Torso.
Arms.
Short hair.
An exact replica of Ram appeared in less than a heartbeat.
The statue occupied her place.
The kagune pierced the ice chest.
The fangs closed.
The figure cracked.
Its frozen face preserved the maid's calm expression.
Link's body remained motionless before it.
For a fraction of a second.
The curse found no mana.
No life.
The statue exploded into fragments.
Ram struck the ground several meters away.
The air vanished from her lungs.
The collar hung broken around her neck.
The lagmite was gone.
Only blackened metal remained, along with tiny fragments of ice melting against her skin.
Ram raised her head.
Link slowly turned.
All six kagunes rose behind him.
Their tips opened.
The kakugan found the creature that was still moving.
Her.
And this time, there was no Crimson Heart left between them.