Chosa stumbled, blood dripping from his waist and staining the floor beneath him. His breath came in ragged bursts, but his spirit burned hotter with each passing second. Mimpo twirled his dagger with a sickening grace, his wild eyes gleaming like a beast savoring the kill.
"You're slowing down!" Mimpo sang mockingly, his voice lilting like a child's song. "Soon you'll dance your last step!"
Chosa gripped his blade tighter, ignoring the pulsing warnings flashing across his vision. He wouldn't die here. He refused.
Summoning every ounce of willpower he had left, he rushed forward, his movement sloppy but fueled by sheer determination. Mimpo anticipated the charge, laughing, and hurled three daggers with lightning speed. Chosa twisted his body mid-sprint—two blades nicked his side and thigh, but he deflected the third with the edge of his sword.
Almost there—just a little closer!
With a roar, Chosa feinted left, forcing Mimpo's weight to shift—and then pivoted sharply right, slamming his shoulder into the jester's chest. Mimpo staggered, genuine shock flashing across his painted face for the first time.
Without hesitation, Chosa slashed, his blade carving a brutal gash across Mimpo's midsection.
Dark blood spilled out.
Mimpo stumbled back, clutching his gut, the grin never leaving his face. "Heehee... That hurt... That really hurt!" he cackled, voice warping into a shriek.
Before Chosa could press the advantage, Mimpo jerked violently, twisting his body in ways that defied human anatomy. His skin bubbled grotesquely, and dark mist poured from his wounds, encasing him like a shroud.
Chosa took an uneasy step back.
Whatever Mimpo was becoming—it was worse than before.
Across the hall, Kaisel rose from the rubble, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His vision swam, but he forced himself upright, fixing his gaze on the jack-in-the-box creature.
The abomination loomed larger now, grotesque limbs thrashing wildly, its crystalline heart pulsing faster, brighter.
I have to end this fast, Kaisel thought grimly.
Blood trailing from his wounded arm, he sprinted back into the fray. The monster bellowed, swinging both of its massive arms downward like hammers. Kaisel dove to the side, the ground shattering where he had stood a heartbeat earlier.
Seizing the opening, he channeled his swiftness skill again and vaulted onto the creature's back, using the twisted spines along its body as handholds. It thrashed violently, but Kaisel gritted his teeth and climbed higher.
The heart was exposed.
Drawing a dagger from his belt, he plunged it into the glowing core with all his strength.
The creature let out an ear-piercing wail that shook the very air—but it didn't die. Instead, its body split apart at the seams, birthing smaller, grotesque versions of itself that slithered free, chittering like insects.
Kaisel cursed aloud. "You've got to be kidding me!"
Meanwhile, Lila braced herself as Pippo lunged again.
The twin jester was faster, more relentless now, his twin daggers a blur of steel. Lila's summoned shadow sword barely kept pace, her defensive spells flickering under the relentless onslaught.
Her mind raced. He's toying with me. If I don't change the tempo, he'll overwhelm me.
Suddenly, Pippo's dagger caught her sleeve, tearing it open and slicing a shallow wound across her arm. She hissed in pain and stumbled back, nearly losing her balance.
Pippo laughed in glee, licking the blood off his blade with a long, grotesque tongue. "Mmm... you taste like fear, little girl!"
Lila's eyes hardened.
"No," she whispered, her mana flaring violently.
Raising both hands, she unleashed a surge of magic that twisted the very shadows around her into a writhing wall of darkness. Tendrils lashed out, binding Pippo's arms and legs momentarily. He shrieked in delight rather than terror, thrashing against the restraints.
Lila wasn't done. She muttered a rapid incantation, a second spell forming—a searing ball of compressed fire.
She hurled it at Pippo's chest.
The explosion lit up the hallway, smoke and fire roaring outwards.
When the smoke cleared, Pippo stood there—his costume charred, his skin burned—but still grinning, his teeth gleaming like a predator's.
"You'll have to do better than that!" he howled, breaking free of the shadow binds with a crazed spin.
Lila staggered, sweat pouring down her forehead.
Kaisel's fighting alone... Chosa's barely holding on... We have to end this—fast!
Back at the other end, Chosa stared down Mimpo, who was now half-shrouded in darkness, his form distorting, growing jagged claws and more twisted features.
Luna's voice echoed coldly in his mind.
"Recommendation: Emergency protocol—use Berserk now. Delay will result in immediate death."
Chosa tightened his jaw.
If he used Berserk now, there was no going back.
But there were no more options.
"I guess," he muttered, wiping blood from his mouth, "I'll just have to kill you faster than I planned."
With a mental command, he activated his final trump card.
System Activation: Berserk.
A surge of unrelenting fury exploded through Chosa's veins. His muscles tightened, his vision sharpened, and the pain that had plagued him vanished into a distant haze.
With a guttural roar, Chosa charged Mimpo, the ground cracking beneath each thunderous step.
The final act of their deadly dance had begun.