The ruined village held its breath.
Kairo could hear nothing but the distant crackle of fire and the slow beating of his own heart. Across from him, Shiri clutched the unconscious boy tighter, eyes locked on the two figures that now dominated the battlefield.
Karhux.
The Fire Manager Ghoul.
They faced each other, the air between them thick with killing intent.
The evolved ghoul raised his weapon—no longer the jagged, broken blade, but the violet lance of searing shadow. The air shimmered around it, heatless but burning with unnatural pressure. Karhux's molten eyes narrowed, fire sputtering from his jaws as his claws dug deep into the scorched soil.
With a simultaneous roar, they moved.
The ghoul lunged, violet energy streaking. Karhux thundered forward, his enormous claws glowing crimson. Their weapons met in the center, lance and claw colliding with a metallic scream that shook the ground. Sparks exploded—violet against crimson—before a shockwave forced both combatants back.
Kairo's cloak whipped violently in the gust. "They're… equal?"
But there was no time to marvel. The ghoul spun, shadows flickering across his blackened bones. He darted in again, lance thrusting with surgical precision. Karhux met him strike for strike, claws sweeping arcs through the air, the ground splitting beneath their force. Each impact rang like hammer blows, echoing through the desolate village.
Clash. Thrust. Block. Counter.
Their duel was brutal, primal, and yet terrifyingly precise.
The ghoul ducked low, slipping beneath a flaming claw and thrusting for Karhux's hip. The beast twisted, narrowly avoiding the strike, then spun his massive body and swung his warhammer-like tail with bone-crushing force.
The ghoul vanished.
Shadows swallowed him whole, his form dissolving into the void itself. The tail struck only air, tearing a trench through the earth.
Karhux's eyes widened. He turned—too late.
The ghoul erupted from the shadows behind him, lance igniting with violet fire, and drove the weapon deep into the monster's side.
Blood hissed, boiling as it hit the scorched soil. Karhux staggered, bellowing in fury, flames gushing from his mouth. He spun and swiped, forcing the ghoul to retreat, but the wound had been made.
From the sidelines, Shiri whispered hoarsely, "He hurt him… He actually hurt him."
Kairo clenched his fist. "Yes… this changes everything."
The Status Reveal
Kairo summoned the Command Nexus.
[Scanning Unit…]
Name: None
Race: Shadow-Bound Ghoul
Tier: Hero Rank (Tier 4)
Class: Shadow Reaper
Skills: Shadow Lance, Shadow Step, Black Armament, Shadow Binding
Kairo's throat went dry.
"Tier… four? Already?"
[Notice]
The lowest threshold of Hero Rank is equivalent to Tier 4.
His lips parted. "From fodder to… this? If he's truly Tier 4… then maybe—just maybe—we can win."
The Battle Escalates
The ghoul raised a hand, shadows curling around his fingers like ink. Karhux growled, sensing the shift, but too late.
Shadow Bind.
The shadows of the ruined houses stretched unnaturally, wrapping like chains around Karhux's arms and legs. The beast thrashed, roaring as his body was bound in the grip of the darkness.
The ghoul's sockets blazed brighter. He lifted his free hand, activating Black Armament.
Daggers formed—jagged black blades conjured from pure shadow. They hovered in the air, spinning in deadly arcs before launching forward.
The barrage struck Karhux with explosive precision. Shadows pierced scales, sinking into flesh, erupting in violet sparks. Karhux reeled, bellowing as blood sprayed the ground.
Kairo's heart leapt. "Yes!"
But Karhux's roar drowned everything out. Flames surged in his throat, growing brighter and brighter until the entire square glowed crimson.
The ghoul barely raised his lance in time before the torrent of fire burst forth.
A blazing inferno engulfed the battlefield.
Kairo threw himself over Shiri and the boy, heat washing over his back. The flames scorched the remnants of the village, burning broken walls into ash, melting stone into glowing cracks.
Through the blaze, a dark silhouette staggered out.
The ghoul. His armor smoldered, cape of shadows torn and flickering. His lance trembled in his grip, but the violet flames in his sockets burned brighter than ever.
"Still standing…" Shiri whispered.
The fight resumed, fiercer than before.
Karhux charged, claws swinging in wide arcs. The ghoul slipped aside, his movements blurring as he stepped through shadows again and again, striking from impossible angles. His lance carved violet lines across Karhux's scales, shallow but mounting.
But Karhux's strength was monstrous. Each claw strike tore the earth, each tail swing shattered rubble into dust. Every hit the ghoul blocked sent shockwaves rattling through his bones.
Back and forth, they clashed—shadow against flame, lance against claw. Sparks showered like meteors. The ground beneath them split, cracked, and smoldered from the sheer force of their duel.
The ghoul finally saw his chance. Shadow tendrils erupted from the ground, binding Karhux's legs just long enough for the lance to drive home—piercing deep into the monster's shoulder.
Karhux howled, staggering to one knee. Blood spilled, sizzling as it hit the dirt.
Kairo exhaled shakily. His hand gripped his chest. "He's done it. He's actually done it."
Shiri nearly collapsed in relief, clutching the boy tighter. "We… we can win."
The ghoul lifted his lance again, preparing the final strike. His sockets blazed with intent.
But then—
The Relic Appears
A green glow erupted in front of Karhux.
The battlefield stilled.
The glow solidified into a small, floating object—ornate, pulsing with ancient energy. The relic. The one Kairo had detected before.
His blood turned to ice. "No… Not now."
The relic hovered, rotating slowly, light spilling across the ruined village. Then, as if by unseen will, it lowered—straight into Karhux's chest.
The ghoul lunged, lance raised to intercept, but it was too late.
The relic vanished into the beast's body.
Karhux roared— it sound deeper, darker, more primal than before. His body convulsed, blood hissing into steam.
Red aura burst outward, a storm of heat and malice forcing the ghoul to retreat. The very air trembled as the monster's body twisted.
Spikes erupted from his back, jagged and blackened, dripping with molten fire. His claws grew longer, sharper, trailing crimson sparks with every twitch. His eyes, once molten gold, blazed blood-red.
The ground cracked beneath him as his new aura shook the ruins.
Kairo's knees went weak. "No… No, no, no!"
[System Alert]
Warning!
Relic detected.
Entity: Karhux has absorbed Relic Fragment [Designation Unknown].
Kairo's throat went dry as the system text burned before his eyes.
The ghoul staggered back, cape of shadows whipping in the gale of crimson energy. Even he seemed momentarily shaken.
Shiri clutched the unconscious boy tighter, whispering in horror, "What… what is he now?"
Kairo could only stare, mind racing with panic. He had wanted the relic—believed it would be the key to their victory. Instead, it had become their doom.
And now, Karhux stood reborn, crimson aura boiling around him, his claws carving grooves into the earth as he rose to his full height.
The fight was not over.
It had only just begun.
[System Update]
Entity: Karhux has entered BERSERK MODE.
All stats drastically increased.
Warning: Current forces are insufficient.