The basin at the edge of Doom Forest felt like a cauldron about to boil over. Roots rose from the black soil like ribs, and the twilight sky churned with heavy clouds streaked with pale lightning. Every tree hummed faintly, as if the land itself feared what was coming.
Twenty-five adventurers formed a wide crescent. Five squads, five banners. Yoshiya's team stood near the center, shields planted, bows half-drawn. Beside him Omina adjusted her new sword, the blue mana stone in its hilt flickering. Kenji crouched, eyes narrowing. Akane's red hair glinted in the dying light, her twin daggers ready. Kaito rolled his shoulders, his black-and-crimson armor creaking.
A low tremor rolled underfoot, then the monster arrived.
It was even larger than the rumors—nearly twice the size of the berserker boar they'd fought before. Its hide was yellow-gold veined with crackling blue, tusks curved like white scythes wreathed in sparks. Each exhale smelled of scorched ozone. When it stepped into the basin, the air thickened; static raised the hair on everyone's arms.
"Positions!" a guild officer barked. Shields locked. Arrows lifted.
The Thunder Boar King bellowed and charged. Tanks of Team 5 braced with tower shields. For a heartbeat it seemed the wall would hold—then the beast slammed through, sending men tumbling.
Seikaku's archers fired from the canopy. Dorobo and Kokoro's traps detonated under its hooves. Sparks sprayed, but the monster only staggered.
Then the first thunderstorm hit.
A blinding burst of electricity ripped outward from the Boar, bolts slamming into the ranks. Eight adventurers fell instantly—most of them lower-rank fighters, two of them healers who had been running forward to help. The smell of burnt cloth and blood filled the basin. Panic rippled down the line.
Yoshiya's heart hammered. *Too strong… even faster than before.* His shield vibrated as stray arcs snapped against it. Omina's eyes widened but she stayed steady.
Kaito roared, voice cutting through the chaos. A red aura burst from his body like rising flames.
"**Undying Rage!**"
He blurred forward, speed and power multiplying. His blade left red streaks through the air as he struck, cutting a shallow line across the Boar's flank. Sparks and blood sprayed, but the beast twisted aside and bolted toward the healers. Even Kaito's sudden burst couldn't keep up.
"Tanks, block it!" the officer yelled. They scrambled, but the creature ducked and leapt with impossible agility, tusks slashing sparks from metal.
High above, Seikaku's team clung to the canopy, waiting. "Not yet," he murmured. "Wait for the opening."
The Boar reeled back on its hind legs, lightning crowning its tusks. The second thunderstorm exploded.
Another three adventurers dropped where they stood—including Kokoro. She had been setting another trap when the bolt struck her squarely. Her body collapsed beside the half-buried stakes.
"KO-KORO!" Dorobo's scream was almost animal. He tore free of his team, ignoring orders, charging straight at the Boar with daggers drawn. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
"No—!" someone shouted.
The Thunder Boar lowered its head and charged. Tusks caught Dorobo mid-lunge, hurling him into a tree with a sickening crack. His body fell limp.
Everyone panicked again. The line broke; healers scrambled, shouting. Even Kaito staggered at the sight, his aura flickering.
Yoshiya forced himself to breathe, forced his feet to stay planted. "Hold!" he barked to Kenji and Akane, though his own voice shook.
The Boar's eyes blazed, storm building a third time. Static prickled across every surface. The third thunderstorm burst outward—the strongest yet. Four more adventurers were thrown back, smoke rising from their armor. Akane, caught mid-dash, took the brunt of a bolt. Her daggers fell from charred fingers as she collapsed, eyes still burning with that fierce light.
"AKANE!" Kenji's voice cracked.
All around them, low-rank fighters screamed or bolted for the tree line. Healers knelt over the fallen, their magic frantic. The battlefield had become a nightmare of smoke and lightning.
Yoshiya's hands ached on his shield. He risked a glance at Omina—her fingers trembled near the necklace at her throat. The gem pulsed like a living heart.
"Not yet," he whispered, though he wasn't sure she could hear him over the ringing in his ears.
The Boar pawed at the ground, steam rising from its nostrils. It was stronger, faster, wilder than ever, but its hide bore cuts and arrows now. Blood streaked its flanks. It still lived, still thundered, but it had been hurt.
Kaito planted his sword and snarled. "Even Undying Rage isn't enough."
Kenji's eyes were wild, his quiver half-empty. "We're losing everyone—"
Omina closed her eyes, feeling the necklace's heat surging through her palm. Shizuka's warning echoed: *it must be dispelled or it will burn you out.* She clenched her jaw. Around them healers screamed. The Boar pawed again, preparing another charge.
She tore the chain free.
Red-gold light burst outward as she pressed mana into the gem. Power slammed through her veins, wild and hot. Her eyes opened, glowing like molten sunlight; her hair lifted in an unseen wind.
"Omina—" Yoshiya began.
She moved. One heartbeat she was at his side; the next she was already striking, blade whistling with unnatural speed. Each slash left a streak of burning mana across the Boar's hide. The monster reeled, surprised for the first time. Sparks of its own lightning curled away from her instead of striking.
"She's berserk," Kenji breathed.
"Then follow her lead!" Yoshiya shouted, bracing his shield.
Kaito's aura flared in answer. "Together!"
They attacked in a storm of steel and light—Omina's berserk strikes, Kaito's red-tinged blows, Kenji's arrows punching into open wounds. Yoshiya anchored them, deflecting tusk strikes with his new technique—letting the force slide off instead of taking it head-on.
The Boar shrieked, sparks bursting from every wound. The ground shook with each step. Even berserk Omina could only drive it back, not down. It lunged again, slamming into Yoshiya's shield hard enough to crack the earth under his feet. Kaito counter-slashed but was shoved aside. Kenji rolled clear, loosing another arrow into its eye.
Across the basin Seikaku's archers finally fired, enchanted shafts bursting on impact with searing powder. Smoke veiled the beast's head. For an instant it faltered.
"Now!" Yoshiya bellowed.
Omina vaulted forward, blade flashing like a comet. She slashed across the Boar's crown, sparks raining. The monster bellowed and lashed out with a tusk, catching her mid-air. She twisted, landed hard, skidding through churned earth but springing back up, eyes still blazing.
The Thunder Boar King staggered, but its storms had not ended. Electricity crawled along its tusks, gathering for something even larger. The air went deathly still; every survivor felt the hair rise on their necks.
Yoshiya planted his shield. "It's not finished."
Kaito's jaw tightened. "Then neither are we."
Omina raised her sword, red-gold aura boiling around her. The monster lowered its head, lightning crowning it like a king. Between them the scorched ground steamed, a no-man's-land of roots and ash.
And then they all charged—heroes and beast colliding once more, steel against storm.