The battlefield reeked of blood, ash, and broken steel. The air was thick with smoke, the ruins of the caravan and the village still smoldering as crimson embers glowed faintly in the night.
Kairo's chest rose and fell heavily, his body sore, his mind burning with fatigue. Beside him, Shiri struggled to stay upright, still clutching the unconscious boy in trembling arms.
And before them—looming like the embodiment of wrath—Karhux stood reborn. The berserk flames of the relic had fused into its monstrous frame, crimson spikes jutting from its back, claws grown long and jagged, eyes glowing like twin pools of molten blood.
The ground itself cracked beneath each of Karhux's steps. The beast no longer resembled the corrupted monster they had been fighting—it was something more primal, more destructive.
[Alert: Karhux has entered berserk mode]
[Effects: Temporary ascending to Tier 5]
Kairo's jaw tightened. "This isn't good… not good at all."
The newly evolved ghoul stood its ground. Its violet lance hummed with shadow-born energy, its cape of darkness flickering as if alive. The hero-ranked undead did not flinch before the monster's berserk fury.
The clash was inevitable.
Karhux's roar split the air like thunder, and in the next breath the beast lunged, faster than before.
The ghoul barely managed to bring its lance up in time. Claw and spear collided, sparks of violet and crimson showering outward, the impact shaking the ruins.
The ghoul was thrown back several paces, its feet digging trenches in the earth. It steadied itself, lance lowered, shadows whipping around its frame. Karhux didn't give it a moment's reprieve—already it charged again, swinging in brutal arcs that left shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
The ghoul met every strike, but it was clear: Karhux's new form had tilted the balance.
"Dammit," Kairo muttered, sweat dripping down his temple. "It's stronger… way stronger."
Shiri's eyes were wide, his breathing ragged. "It's—keeping up. But it won't last."
Kairo gritted his teeth. His mind screamed at him to do something, anything. He even considered charging in with his dagger, knowing full well he'd be torn apart in an instant. His instincts as a commander and his desperation as a human warred inside him.
But the ghoul fought on.
It weaved through Karhux's savage blows, sometimes phasing into shadows to evade, sometimes striking back with calculated thrusts. Violet light carved lines across Karhux's thick scales, though none were deep enough to slow the beast.
Karhux's warhammer-like tail swung, smashing through a broken wall as the ghoul vanished into darkness, reappearing at its flank. The lance lashed forward, biting into Karhux's ribs—blood hissed and sizzled. Karhux staggered, growling, then retaliated with a violent backhand. The ghoul was flung across the field, crashing through debris before it emerged again, already circling.
The bunnymen cowered further in the ruins, ears flat against their heads. They dared not move, dared not breathe too loudly.
Nearby, Renn the bard watched, stunned beyond words. His hands shook around his lute, eyes fixed on the duel that no mortal could ever dream to match.
"That ghoul… it's fighting evenly with that berserk beast," Renn whispered. "Just what has this stranger brought into our lands…?"
The battle raged on, sparks of violet and crimson illuminating the shattered ruins like fireworks of death.
But renn and the bunnymen weren't the only spectators.
From far above, unseen by any of them, another figure watched.
A man cloaked in blue robes hovered in the air, four radiant wings unfurled behind him. On his chest, stitched into his robes, glimmered a symbol: an eye with four wings. His presence was ethereal yet suffocating, his face hidden beneath a shadowed hood.
His voice was calm, clinical, as if noting results in a ledger.
"So… the sixth wing's choice wasn't in vain." His tone held faint amusement. "Quick decisions, adaptable tactics. Even sentimentality—though inefficient."
His hood shifted, gaze piercing toward Kairo. "You could have abandoned the naga. You could have cut off the burden. Instead, you chose to shield him. Tch… wasteful. But perhaps… correctable."
The man raised one gloved hand. The black armor upon it gleamed faintly—the same kind once worn by the angel who had summoned Kairo, long before her death.
"Enough of this test," the man said simply.
Below, Karhux's dominance grew. Each strike forced the ghoul further onto the defensive, violet sparks flying as lance and claw clashed again and again.
At last, Karhux landed a crushing blow, the ghoul thrown back, its armor cracking, shadows unraveling. The beast's maw glowed with crimson light as it inhaled, preparing to end the fight with a single torrent of flame.
"No!" Kairo shouted, stumbling forward. His legs moved on instinct, his body ignoring the certainty of death.
The ghoul steadied itself, raising its lance defiantly despite its battered state.
But before either could strike—
A blinding beam of light fell from the heavens.
It tore through the sky like judgment itself, a column of searing brilliance that engulfed Karhux completely.
The berserk beast howled, its roar cut short as its form was consumed, annihilated in an instant.
The ground quaked from the impact, a crater gouged into the ruins where Karhux had stood. Smoke and embers filled the air, silence following in its wake.
Renn's jaw fell open, his voice trembling. "A single strike… that was no mortal hand. That was…" His tone grew quiet, reverent, almost poetic despite himself. "The wrath of the heavens."
Kairo and Shiri froze, their minds struggling to comprehend what they had just witnessed.
"What—just happened?" Shiri whispered, clutching the boy tighter.
Kairo scanned the sky desperately, his eyes wide. "Who did that? Where—where did it come from?"
No answer. Only smoke and silence.
Then, the shimmer of the Command Nexus flickered before Kairo's eyes.
[Notification: Enemy—Karhux—slain.]
[Tier 3 Relic acquired: Jade of Ruin.]
Kairo stared blankly at the message. His knees weakened, relief crashing over him in a wave.
"We… we won?"
Shiri blinked, his lips parting slowly. "…We won."
Once the disbelief settled in, they both screamed,"We won!!"
Both of them laughed—half in disbelief, half in joy. Their voices rang out into the night, ragged but victorious.
And then, almost at the same time, both collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to stay conscious any longer.
The ghoul lowered its lance, violet light dimming, as it turned toward its fallen master. Its soulless eyes flickered faintly, as if guarding him even now.
High above, the robed man watched in silence.
"Rest well, chosen one," he murmured. "This was but the beginning. The true trial lies ahead."
From the darkness, a beast with wings made of jagged blades materialized, its form horrifying yet majestic. The man stepped onto its back, the creature spreading its wings wide. With a single motion, they vanished into the night sky.
The ruins grew quiet once more.
On the ground, Kairo lay unconscious.
The Command Nexus shimmered once again, its mechanical voice echoing only to him in the darkness of his mind.
[Notification: Level Up.]
[Tier Advancement: Tier 2 achieved.]
[Congratulations, Commander Kairo]
to be continued....