At the outer edges of the battlefield, the 3rd Head of the Guardian Holders was in bad shape. Blood dripped from his many wounds, and his left arm hung uselessly at his side.
Suddenly, Lyla appeared. "So, will you give up on your own? Or should I make you?"
The 3rd Head spat on the ground. "Like hell a kid like you can make me quit. Even hurt, I'm strong enough to kill you!"
He charged, but Lyla only sighed. She tossed a handful of seeds onto the dirt. Instantly, massive vines burst from the ground, lashing out at the 3rd Head. At first he slashed the vines and charged towards Lyla but suddenly he saw that the vines he cut produced more seeds which in turn grew to bind him.
He scrambled back, trying to escape into the nearby forest, but the woods themselves turned against him. Branches moved like arms, grabbing and striking at him. He tried to cut them down, but the branches grew as quickly as he cut them. He knew that without rooting them out of the ground, he would be unable to the attacks of the vines and could see that it was a losing battle.
Terrified, the 3rd Head fled deeper until he found a clearing with no trees. The forest behind him curled up and closed like a wall, trapping him in the empty space. "Who... who was that girl?" he gasped, trembling.
Meanwhile, Astarte was sprinting toward the cliff to help Piers. She didn't get far before a Navarion blocked her path: Tenko.
"Get out of my way!" Astarte shouted, her eyes burning with rage. Tenko didn't move; he only growled, his own eyes full of resolve.
Astarte paused, sensing his spirit. "I see. You're just like me—loyal and devoted to your master. But only one of us can save ours."
Tenko's body began to shift. Stone claws grew from his paws, and wings of pure wind sprouted from his back. He lunged. Astarte unleashed her devil energy, her sword clashing against his claws. They moved so fast that their strikes sent out shockwaves, slicing nearby trees into splinters.
Astarte fired waves of dark energy, but Tenko countered with a blast of fire and dust, causing a massive explosion. Astarte jumped through the smoke, slightly burned but still fighting. Tenko met her head-on, his stone claws clashing against her blade.
Neither would back down. Astarte sent a flurry of slashes, but Tenko used his wind wings to dance around them before summoning a blizzard. Astarte cut through the ice and snow, launching more energy beams. Tenko blocked them with an earth wall and fired a stone cannon.
"Enough!" Astarte screamed. Red tattoos spread across her skin, and her eyes began to glow a bright, haunting red.
Tenko responded by unleashing his true power. Wind and clouds swirled around him, transforming him into a massive, white Navarion. Lightning crackled across his fur, and a divine scarf (hagoromo) floated behind his back. The ground beneath him began to melt from the sheer pressure.
They charged one last time. When they collided, a massive explosion rocked the land for ten miles. When the dust settled, both were unconscious. Tenko had Astarte's sword buried in him, and Astarte's body was covered in severe burns.
Kaiser felt the shockwave but didn't stop. He finally reached near a fountain and saw a black-haired boy standing and watching the fountain, with his back turned at Kaiser.
Behind the falling water was a statue that looked like the picture of a king from a deck of cards however the only difference was that the upper half looked like a benevolent god in ancient robes holding a shield, and the lower half a malevolent demon lord in ancient robes holding a sword. It was the waterfall of 2 paths.
"Rei! I'm here to save you!" Kaiser called out.
The boy turned around slowly. "I am Piers," he said coldly.
Kaiser flinched. Piers was glowing with an intense, terrifying light. Because he was so badly injured, his Devourer's Ring had activated. It was pumping him full of so much power that Kaiser felt goosebumps all over his arms. Piers looked like a god of destruction.
Kaiser gripped his weapon. He knew Piers was at his strongest right now, but he had to win.
In Astria, within the Verdant city. Daina, Bart, Ava, and Eugene finally reached the 11th floor of the local dungeon.
"This is new ground for us," Daina warned. "Stay sharp."
"How deep do these floors go anyway?" Bart asked, adjusting his gear.
"I've heard over 340 floors," Ava said.
"Not that many," Eugene corrected. "Probably around 300."
Daina said "I told to stay alert guys."
Suddenly Eugene said "everyone on mark."
Daina took out her sword while Bart made 2 golems with his gauntlet scepter and Ava took out her wand.
"Formation 1!" Daina commanded. She rushed to the front alongside Bart's stone golems. Ava and Eugene stayed back with Bart. Ava blasted the monsters with fire and ice, while Bart built earth walls to protect their backs. Eugene worked as the support, buffing his friends' strength and making the monsters weaker with his magic.
Soon, giant monsters appeared.
"Formation 3!" Daina yelled.
"Finally, some fun!" Bart shouted. He covered his body in rock armor and created a massive stone axe. Eugene used holy barrier concept and made projections of the sword. He and Eugene charged the giants. Bart's golems grew blades on their arms and stabbed themselves into the giants, turning into permanent earth spikes that locked the monsters in place.
Bart climbed up a giant's back and started hacking at its face with his axe. Ava combined wind and fire magic to create a blowtorch-like flame that roasted the enemies. Daina moved like a blur, her sword techniques cutting faster than the monsters could heal until their heads rolled on the floor. Eugene used his holy magic to create stairs made out of holy barriers, running up into the air and using a giant sword projection to slice a monster clean in half.
When the last monster fell, the group sat down, completely exhausted.
"Good work," Daina panted. "Let's collect the loot and head back to the surface."
"I need a nap," Ava groaned.
"And a bath," Bart added, sniffing his arm. "I stink of monster blood."
Eugene laughed. "That's because you were literally slashing at their faces like a madman."
"Worth it," Bart grinned. With that, the team began the long walk back up to the surface to rest.