The battlefield was silent.
Silent except for the crackling of flames from the Hollow Warg's corpse, the faint hiss of the Ashen Reaper Mantis' dissolving shell, and the choked sobs of those still alive.
The ground was torn apart — gouged craters, trees ripped from their roots, blood staining every stone and blade of grass. It was no battlefield anymore. It was a graveyard.
---
> "The System's Cruel Reminder"
A sudden 'ding' echoed in the air.
A faint, glowing frame appeared before Mori's unconscious body, shimmering blue against the ruined battlefield. Everyone flinched at the sight.
> "\[Quest Complete: Eliminate the Three S-Rank Beasts]"
>
> "Reward Distributed:"
> – Party Experience: +200 Points (divided)
> – Rank Progress: Minimal increase
>
> "Kaien Mori: Contribution Detected – Direct Kill (1 Beast)"
> – Bonus Reward: +1000 Points
> – "Rank Up: E → D → C → B"
The frame flickered, then disappeared, leaving only its cold truth behind.
Kaida Ren clenched his fists. His voice cracked with bitter anger.
"B-rank? He… he skipped all the way to B while lying unconscious? Tch… damn it, Mori…"
Takumi stared at the ground, whispering quietly.
"…The system… it favors the killer. Even if we bled here, even if people died… It rewards only the one who lands the final blow…"
Haruka shook her head, tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she pressed her hands against Renji's side.
"No… don't say that! Don't talk like it was useless! Everyone fought with everything they had!"
Renji coughed, wincing, blood staining his lips. He gave her a faint grin, weak but alive.
"Oi, oi… Don't cry, Haruka. You'll make me… look like I'm dying or something."
"Shut up, you idiot!" Haruka snapped, tears dripping onto his hand as she tried to stop the bleeding. "You nearly— you nearly left us all behind! You think a joke will fix that?!"
Renji chuckled weakly.
"Well… it's either I joke, or you cry harder. And I like the first option better."
---
> "Grief of the Kurogane"
Nearby, Emi Kurogane knelt on the ground, clutching her brother's lifeless body. Akio's blood still stained her hands, his chains shattered, his once-defiant eyes now open but empty.
Her voice broke into screams that clawed at the night.
"BROTHER!! YOU PROMISED ME—YOU PROMISED WE'D SURVIVE TOGETHER!!"
She slammed her forehead against his chest, sobbing violently.
"You liar… you liar… I hate you… but I— I can't live without you…"
Kaida turned his face away, unable to watch her grief. Miya bit her lip, her fists trembling, sparks of lightning crackling faintly around her body — not from anger at Emi, but from her own frustration at being powerless to save him.
Even Kenta, usually brash and loud, said nothing. His fists were clenched, his flames weak and sputtering in the night.
---
> "The Shadow Warrior's End"
Not far away, the other fallen warrior — the nameless protector of the Shadow World — lay in the dirt. His stomach torn, his blade shattered beside him, yet his face still carried a strange peace.
Daichi lowered his head respectfully.
"He fought like a titan… one of the strongest I've ever seen. If he hadn't been here, none of us would be alive."
Takumi muttered softly, as if speaking to the fallen.
"…He carried all of us. Until the very end."
Saki Fujimoto, her body trembling with blood loss, spoke with uncharacteristic softness.
"He wasn't fighting for glory. He was fighting for hope. That's why… even dying, he smiled."
Her eyes drifted toward Mori's unconscious figure. A thought she didn't dare voice clenched in her heart: 'Because he saw the same hope in Mori that he once saw in someone else.'
---
> "The Battlefield Seen in Silence"
The group gathered themselves slowly, broken and bleeding, eyes sweeping the battlefield.
The Hollow Warg's body burned in silence. The Mantis' remains twitched, split in two. The Serpent lay headless where Mori had annihilated it in his awakening.
The smell of death suffocated the air. The earth itself looked wounded.
Kaida whispered, his voice hollow.
"…This is what it means to fight an S-Rank…"
Miya gritted her teeth.
"And we barely survived three. What if more come…?"
No one answered her.
---
> "The Path North"
Emi Kurogane finally rose, her face pale and her right sleeve soaked in blood from her missing arm. Her body trembled, but her eyes burned with fire. She turned toward the group, her brother's body slung carefully over her back despite her injuries.
"…Follow me," she said, her voice hoarse from screaming.
"We can't stay here. Not with corpses of S-Rank beasts rotting in the open. Others will come."
Kaida frowned, stepping closer.
"Where are we going?"
"The "Northern District"," Emi replied, her voice heavy but steady. "To my home… to the last village that still stands against the beasts. The "Village of Tsukigakure.""
The name echoed through the battered survivors.
Miya's eyes widened.
"Tsukigakure… I've heard of it. A hidden stronghold. One of the last safe havens in this cursed world."
Emi's gaze hardened.
"It isn't safe. Not truly. But it's the only place left for you now. If you want to live… you'll follow me."
The group exchanged weary, broken glances. Then, one by one, they nodded.
Takumi lifted the fallen warrior's body, carrying him silently on his back. Kaida and Kenta helped Renji walk. Saki staggered but kept herself upright, refusing to show weakness.
And at the center of it all, unconscious, was Mori — carried carefully by Daichi, his expression unreadable even in sleep.
---