Hunnt's voice tore through the chaos.
"All out!"
It wasn't shouted in panic, but with purpose — deep, calm, commanding. The words carried a weight that reached through the roaring inferno, steadying hearts and igniting spirits all at once.
Kael and Alder reacted instantly.
Kael moved first, the world blurring around him as Soru shattered the ground beneath his feet. In a blink, he vanished into the smoke, his figure flickering like a phantom between pillars of fire. He rolled under a sweep of Vulcarion's tail, the molten air licking at his armor. The beast's shadow engulfed him — but Kael's Observation Haki flared, sensing the rhythm of heat and pulse beneath that volcanic shell.
He whispered, "Got you."
Kael's finger squeezed the trigger.
His light bowgun barked with a thunderous crack — a line of light spearing through the haze and striking the beast's neck vent. A blast of molten steam erupted as the projectile detonated. For a heartbeat, the wyvern flinched, the mountain itself recoiling with it.
Alder charged through that opening, his Heartflare Great Sword blazing crimson. He moved without hesitation, without fear. Every step shook ash loose from the cliffs above. The veins of molten steel across his armor pulsed in time with his heartbeat — the rhythm of a hunter charging toward hell itself.
"Move, Kael!" Alder shouted.
Kael dashed aside as Alder's blade cleaved down. The strike slammed into Vulcarion's armored flank — sparks and molten shards exploded outward. The hit didn't pierce all the way through, but it cracked the hardened shell for the first time.
The wyvern bellowed, the sound rippling through the air like a thunderclap. The shockwave threw boulders skyward and bent trees into the ground.
Kael slid backward, shielding his eyes from the heat. "It hurt it! Keep going!"
Alder raised his sword again, stance wide, sweat streaming down his face. "It's about time!"
Far behind them, Hunnt was already drenched in the blood and heat of battle. The lesser monsters — molten-skinned creatures born of Vulcarion's fury — swarmed around him. Each was no larger than a hound but twice as vicious, their claws sparking as they scraped across rock.
Hunnt's gauntlets gleamed black, Armament Haki coursing through them like liquid steel. He ducked under a lunging beast, fist glowing faintly red, and smashed upward. The impact split the creature into molten fragments.
Another came from behind — Hunnt pivoted, planted his heel, and Redirected its momentum with a sharp twist. His gauntlet drove into its abdomen, shattering its molten chest with a single blow. A third beast leapt from the ridge, claws first — but Hunnt's eyes flicked toward it an instant before it struck.
Observation Haki.
A shimmer of intent in the heat.
He turned, drove his elbow into the creature's jaw, and followed with a Pulse Drive to the chest. The explosion rippled through the valley like a drumbeat, sending bodies flying.
Hunnt stood at the center of the carnage, the ground scorched black around him, smoke curling from his gauntlets. He exhaled slowly. "All out means everyone — including me."
Then he looked toward the horizon where Vulcarion towered like a god of flame. Kael's bullets streaked across the field in arcs of light, Alder's great sword carved through smoke, and Seren…
Seren was still standing.
Her knees shook under the weight of her armor, the edges of her shield melted to slag. Her breathing came ragged, the metal around her shoulders glowing faintly orange. But she refused to fall.
She uncorked her potion and drank, wincing as the bitter liquid poured down her throat. It burned like swallowing sunlight, but the pain dulled — her vision steadied. Then she reached for her second Cool Drink and drained half the flask. The cold hit her like lightning, racing through her veins and cooling her armor's heat.
Steam hissed off her pauldrons. She rolled her neck, adjusted her grip on the lance, and rose again.
Ahead of her, Hunnt dashed across the battlefield. Soru blurred his form, leaving trails of heat distortion behind him. He leapt onto a rising ridge, launched forward, and collided with Vulcarion's outstretched claw. The impact detonated in a thunderclap of pressure and flame.
Hunnt skidded back, boots gouging trenches into the rock. Vulcarion's eyes — molten gold — locked onto him, its chest glowing brighter. The heat from its breath alone could have melted armor.
"Good," Hunnt murmured, teeth bared in a grin. "Come at me."
He dashed again, spinning low, his fists striking in rapid bursts. Each punch echoed like a hammer against an anvil, black lightning arcing off the impact points.
Alder joined from the opposite flank, his great sword drawn back. "Move!"
Hunnt dropped low as Alder's swing cut through where he stood. The strike landed square into Vulcarion's vent seam — sparks exploded outward, followed by a blast of molten air. The wyvern screamed, reeling back from the combined force.
Kael was already in motion, flipping midair, his shots perfectly synchronized to hit every exposed crack Alder's strikes created.
Each bullet exploded with pinpoint precision, chipping away molten armor bit by bit.
The wyvern staggered.
The mountain trembled.
The flames dimmed for only a moment — a brief silence between roars.
Hunnt glanced over his shoulder at Kael and Alder.
"That's it. Don't stop."
He turned his head slightly, sensing movement in the distance — Seren, slowly standing, her silhouette framed by the burning horizon.
Her hand tightened on her lance. The golden light of the flames caught the reflection of her eyes — fierce, unbroken. She began to walk, each step heavy but sure, toward the raging wyvern.
In that instant, Hunnt understood something unspoken — she wasn't fighting just to win. She was fighting to protect.
Kael and Alder launched their next coordinated strike.
Kael slid forward, Kami-e twisting his body just past a swing of Vulcarion's tail. He fired point-blank into its underbelly. Alder leapt high, channeling every ounce of his strength, and brought his sword down like falling thunder.
The Great Sword bit into the cracked shell, carving deep. Lava spurted from the wound like geysers of blood.
Vulcarion screamed, its roar shaking the mountainside.
Hunnt braced himself, his gauntlets glowing red-hot. He launched forward again, fists pounding into the beast's forelimb, forcing it back another step. Every strike exploded in bursts of flame and pressure.
The wyvern stumbled — but it didn't fall. Instead, it slammed both wings outward, creating a wall of fire that sent everyone sprawling.
When the smoke cleared, Seren was still on one knee, lance planted in the ground to steady herself. The flames flickered across her armor, outlining her like a statue forged in war.
She looked up, eyes fierce despite the burns across her cheeks.
Ahead, Kael reloaded; Alder rose again, sword dragging molten dust behind him. Hunnt stood between them, gauntlets raised.
They moved as one.
Not by command, not by words — but by trust.
Vulcarion reared back, its chest glowing bright enough to blind. The air warped, the lava hissed, and the light of its molten core spread across the battlefield like dawn.
Kael fired first.
Alder struck second.
Hunnt's fists followed — a trinity of motion against the heart of the beast.
And through it all, Seren's voice — soft but resolute — reached them.
"So this is… the Eternal Wanderer."
Her whisper was nearly lost beneath the roar, but the meaning carried.
It was the echo of belief. Of unity. Of purpose.
Vulcarion Basal bellowed again, flames erupting across its body as its veins burned white-hot. The mountain's rage returned tenfold.
Kael looked up, grimacing. "It's not done yet."
Hunnt's grin widened, the fire reflecting in his eyes.
"Good."
He clenched his fists, feeling the pulse of power rise through the gauntlets.
"Then neither are we."
The mountain shook. The roar became a storm.
And the Eternal Wanderers charged once more.