Merilin, Vance, and Kaelin sprinted down the hallway. Their boots thundered across the polished floorboards, but something had changed.
There was no groaning above them now.
No scent of rot.
Only silence.
Merilin's heels clicked sharply as she slowed to a stop—her eyes scanning the corridor ahead. She froze.
Bodies.
Dozens of them.
Lifeless maids and armored guards sprawled in unnatural stillness—limbs twisted, eyes wide, expressions caught somewhere between shock and serenity.
Her breath caught. She clutched her chest with one gloved hand, trying to steady it. The silence pressed in from all sides like cotton stuffed into her ears. Her vision swam slightly.
Kaelin and Vance halted just behind her.
She whispered to herself first, then louder—trying to anchor the words in her throat like a rope against the cold.
> "Dear God, this... I shouldn't have invited my nephews if I knew this nightmare would come."
She swallowed, her voice brittle but hardening.
> "I will never forgive those accursèd Everest faithful again. Even if Lord Sabeth himself asked me to offer them sanctuary, I'd rather kill myself."
Her hand dropped from her chest. Her eyes burned—fury held on a knife's edge.
"I need to find the other artifacts. Those bastards and their mess of a god probably have at least one already."
She turned, teeth clenched.
"Vance, Kaelin—do you know anything about my niece and nephew?"
Vance stood quiet for a moment, then with a fake smile said, "Considering this all started with the Everest Church, there's a strong possibility she's at that secret meeting with a group of dormant people… but I'm just guessing."
Merilin leaned against the wall, wiping away tears as they formed.
"Oh dear… this is just terrible. What about the artifacts? Do you know where the other two are?"
Kaelin and Vance both answered, "No, ma'am."
Merilin wiped her tears one last time and said in a shaky, commanding voice, "Let's get a carriage. I think the other two artifacts are at the old mansion; the Seer must be headed there. And if, by any chance, I find Arnold, he will die… no—if he's an Everest priest, I'll torture him until he dies of old age."
Vance said, "Ma'am, shouldn't we go there as well? After all, she did say there is someone who could greatly help us survive that thing."
Merilin paused for a moment and said, "Yes, you're right. We should trust the Seer. God, I'm such a mess. It's hard to think straight."
---
Andreas turned toward Lilith.
"You good to leave? I could carry him if you don't want to leave your brother."
She nodded silently, rising to her feet. The pink gown she wore dragged along the dusty floor, stained and torn, but her eyes were clearer now—like glass after rain.
"No, it's okay. If you move him too much, he might actually die."
Andreas took a step toward the warehouse doors. The captives watched him and Lilith, while one of them untied the last bound prisoner.
Then the air changed.
Heat.
A wave of dry pressure rolled in. The metal beams above groaned. Cracks splintered up the columns like spiderwebs scorched in fire.
Andreas stopped walking.
He turned slowly—sword forming in wisps of gray mist.
The far wall exploded inward.
A figure stepped through the falling rubble, wreathed in crimson steam.
Kizanari.
His long robe smoldered at the edges. From his forearms downward, his skin was replaced with obsidian armor, jagged and glowing with rivers of molten fire. His hair was swept back, stuck with ash. One eye burned deep orange-red, like magma behind glass.
"Bastard… even after fighting me, you didn't choose to run," Kizanari said, voice rough with smoke.
Andreas raised an arm, forcing the captives behind him.
"Of course you came back. Couldn't take the loss like a real cultist, huh?"
The hell is wrong with this guy? I wiped the floor with him and his friends.
Kizanari smiled faintly, then slammed his palms together—a pulse of flame cracked the ground beneath him.
His eyes slid toward Lilith. "Lilith will be leaving with me, Normy."
Andreas started, "Over my dead..." then stopped mid-sentence, blinking. "'Normy'? Seriously? That's your insult? Wow… okay."
A spear of flame swirled around Kizanari. His body grew larger—obsidian armor crawling over him—and in one hand, a jagged longsword of black glass formed.
"RUN!" Andreas barked, with a faint smile.
Damn, that's so badass.
In a whip-like motion, Andreas attacked Kizanari, his blade cracking against the molten armor and exposing fire beneath.
Kizanari ignored the hit and struck down toward Andreas, dashing forward. Andreas blocked with his newly formed round gray shield, dodging slightly. Sparks hissed and popped as gray mist curled around the point of impact.
Kizanari's obsidian longsword slammed into the floor with surprising force. Their boots screeched across the scorched boards. Heat shimmered between them, the air warping as if reality itself wanted to get out of the way.
Andreas hugged Lilith with one arm and leaped back, almost landing at the back edge of the stage.
"My guy… didn't I wipe the floor with you and your friends already? What makes you think those slow moves will work?"
Kizanari snarled. "Yes—and you're oh so kind to dodge and block my attacks."
Andreas let go of Lilith, but she immediately clung to his pajama shirt.
Andreas glanced at Lilith, awkwardly trying to sound calm. "Hey, Lilith… maybe you should find a safer spot?"
Bright white sparks flew as Kizanari's sword slammed into Andreas, breaking through the wall. They collided hard, rolling several meters across the concrete floor—Lilith still in his grasp, shielded from the impact.
Andreas groaned, pushing Lilith off his chest and forcing himself to stand despite the pain.
Kizanari was already charging.
"Lilith, run!" Andreas barked.
Tears welled in her eyes. "Andreas, please don't die! We should run away together!"
He smirked, blocking another blow.
"Yeah… well, he's a decent training dummy, at least."
Kizanari's teeth clenched. He swung harder, faster—the obsidian blade leaving trails of molten sparks. Andreas parried almost absentmindedly, glancing back at Lilith.
"Don't wait for me," he called. "Go. I'll be right behind you."
She hesitated, then bolted toward the warehouse's gate, her gown snapping in the heat.
Kizanari's eyes widened. "She's mine!" he roared, stepping past Andreas.
In an instant, Andreas hooked a tentacle into Kizanari's neck and yanked him sideways, almost playfully. "Hey, eyes on me, sparring partner—don't get distracted."
Kizanari slammed a fist into the floor, obsidian shards bursting upward in a ring of fire. Andreas leaped toward the gate, placing himself between Lilith and Kizanari.
"Let me ask you something," Andreas said, twirling his battered shield. "How can you transform like that?"
Right. Different world. Magic stuff. Maybe I should just… enjoy this? Do something dumb that might get me killed? But… can I? I never even went out for fun back home…
Andreas continued to look at Kizanari, his expression shifting from excitement to boredom.
I hate this feeling. I should give myself a goal, maybe that will fix this… and I need to fix my head. I'm not usually this much of a mess… yeah? I think I wasn't.
As Andreas drifted into thought, Kizanari leveled his longsword at him and hissed, "Worm… Normy… do you take me as a joke? Fight me seriously or you'll regret it."
"Sure thing," Andreas said after a short pause.
Kizanari stayed silent for a moment, watching Andreas as several captives ran past. Then he looked toward the fleeing Lilith.
"So you won't take this seriously… then how about we strike a deal?"
Andreas said under his breath, Giving up already? Did I break his will to fight?
"…Dormant warrior, you want to know how to transform like me? If you accept, you won't just transform… you'll also awaken."
"That's a tempting offer, but I've been in the military long enough to know it's not so easy to awaken. So, no thanks. Just because I said I want to transform doesn't mean I'll accept an offer like that."
Flaming wings sprouted from Kizanari's back as he launched himself toward Lilith, who had already passed the gate.
Shocked, Andreas ran, easily catching up to Lilith and the captives.
The chase began.