[DANRYU'S POV]
He clutched his hand, eyes wide. The blade didn't stay.
It shivered once—then yanked itself back, sliding out clean and fast as it zipped through the air and disappeared into the mist.
He screamed as it left—his hand ripped wider from the withdrawal.
The wound pulsed deep.
"Who—" he managed, through clenched teeth.
That's when we heard it.
Laughter.
Three voices.
Slow. Unbothered. Casual.
They stepped out from the trees like they'd been watching all along.
The first was wrapped in a shimmering, dark-gray cloak that rippled like smoke. His face was hidden by a featureless black mask—no eyes, no mouth, just an empty canvas.
But the air around him warped. Bent. Like even the light refused to touch him properly.
The Phantom Cloak.
The second was broad, stone-heavy. Not tall, but solid like a fortress wrapped in muscle. He had a thick gauntlet on one arm, connected by roots and stone plates that pulsed like veins. Dust trickled from every step he took.
The Golem User.
And the third—he was already grinning.
Twin blades danced between his fingers like they were weightless. His hair was tied back, and he walked like someone used to applause after blood. The one who'd thrown the blade.
The Blade Dancer.
The one who'd made Katxu bleed.
He caught the blade out of the air, twirled it once, then pointed it at us casually.
"Oops," he said. "Was aiming for your throat."
"We've been watching you since earlier," the Blade Dancer said, his voice smooth, almost mocking.
Twin blades spun lazily around him, orbiting his body like predators waiting for the command to strike. "You fight well... for a Normal."
His smile never touched his eyes.
Then came the Golem User—his voice a grinding rasp, broken by that same sickening laugh.
"Hee-hee-hee-hee... This'll be fun. Shall we crush them now, boss?"
His thick fingers twitched and steepled together, like he was imagining the ways he'd tear us apart.
Katxu cursed under his breath, pressing his bleeding hand tighter against his side.
"Tch... Dammit. More freaks crawling out of the mud," he muttered, trying—and failing—to sound unfazed.
The Golem User laughed again, the sound scraping across my nerves like rusted nails.
"Hee-hee-hee-hee... Keep barking, boy. We'll see if you're still so loud when you're begging."
He turned to Phantom Cloak, almost bouncing in place with excitement. "Boss... boss... come on. Let's snap 'em now."
Phantom Cloak finally spoke, his voice low, empty, final.
"Not yet."
His head tilted slightly, like he was studying prey that hadn't finished dying yet.
"Let them heal."
His words slid across the clearing, cold enough to leave a scar.
"I want a real fight."
"Huh. Normal," the Blade Dancer sneered, circling slowly. His blades still spun lazily around him like vultures. "Only relying on your little paper tricks to fight.
What now, huh? Looks like you burned through all your talismans already."
He wasn't wrong.
Katxu had used up everything in the last fight.
And now another enemy showed up.
Katxu was right—these monsters just kept coming at the worst possible times.
But even bleeding, even cornered, Katxu just smirked like a lunatic, like he wasn't two seconds from collapsing.
He acted brave.
But I could see it.
He knew exactly how bad this was.
I cursed under my breath and threw a small vial at him.
"Hey, idiot. Drink this!"
A basic healing potion—not much, but it would at least stop the bleeding.
I couldn't summon another Lifebite Seed yet. It was still on cooldown.
We were screwed.
Phantom Cloak stepped forward, his voice low and calm.
"Good. Heal yourselves," he said, his head tilting just slightly. "I want to see exactly how long you can stay standing."
The Blade Dancer chimed in, spinning one of his knives on a fingertip.
"Yeah, patch each other up real nice. Makes it more fun when we tear it all back open."
The Golem User let out another one of those disgusting, wheezing laughs.
"Hee-hee-hee-hee... The little healer thinks he can fix broken meat. How cute."
Phantom Cloak's masked face didn't move, but somehow, I could feel the amusement rolling off him like a storm.
"Tell me, healer," he said, his tone sharpening, "how many times can you fix him before your own body gives out?"
I clenched my jaw, forcing the potion down Katxu's throat and ignoring the boiling anger clawing up my spine.
Another second. Maybe two.
We needed a miracle.
And miracles weren't exactly growing on trees today.
Katxu wiped the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand, smirking weakly.
"Heh... is this seriously the best you monsters can offer?" he muttered, voice rough but steady.
He forced himself to stand straighter, even though his legs were shaking from blood loss.
"You talk like bosses..." Katxu continued, dragging the words out just enough to mock them, "but all I see are three desperate nobodies who need a three-on-two just to almost win."
He chuckled low in his throat, shaking his head.
"That only shows how weak you really are."
His gaze lifted, locking directly onto the Phantom Cloak, a crooked grin twisting his battered face.
"You think you're predators?" Katxu spat to the side, blood hitting the dirt. "You're just scavengers... picking at what's already half-dead."
He tilted his head slightly, like he was genuinely pitying them.
"And here I thought real awakeners earned their kills."
"You little shit!" the Golem User roared, slamming his massive feet into the dirt as he launched himself toward Katxu's position.
Katxu had really pissed him off.
"Stone Knuckle!" the Golem User bellowed again.
His arms swelled grotesquely, morphing into two huge, boulder-sized fists. The ground cracked under their sheer weight as he charged, stone grinding against stone with every step.
Without thinking, I slammed my palms onto the ground.
"Cage Vines!"
Thick, twisted vines exploded from the soil right in front of Katxu, weaving into a barrier just in time.
The Golem User slammed into it full force.
CRACK—!
The vines held — barely — before splintering apart, snapping like dry branches.
But it bought enough time.
Katxu kicked off the ground, flipping backward to safety as the Golem's massive fist tore through where he had just been standing.
"Are you crazy?!" I shouted, my heart pounding.
"You don't even have any talismans left — and you're still trying to piss them off like you can fight barehanded?!"
Katxu landed in a crouch, his wounded hand still clutching his side, but that same reckless grin never left his face.
"Relax, Back Princess," he muttered under his breath, standing up slow. "I've fought uglier things than this."
"Watch this!" Katxu barked, grinning through the blood on his teeth.
He took a deep breath, his muscles tensing, his body shifting slightly—nothing monstrous, but just enough that the lines of his arms and back looked sharper, stronger.
His presence changed.
Before the Golem User could react, Katxu pushed off the ground—faster than before.
He closed the distance in a blink.
"Pulse Palm!"
Katxu slammed his open palm into the center of the Golem User's stone-covered chest.
A dull, brutal shockwave burst from the point of impact—like a cannon blast trapped inside the body.
The Golem User's heavy frame actually staggered backward, dust blasting from his shoulders, his stone armor cracking slightly from the inside out.
Katxu landed smoothly, feet digging into the dirt, a wild look in his eye.
"Tch. Didn't think you'd budge that easy," Katxu muttered, shaking his hand slightly from the recoil.
Katxu grinned, his muscles tensing up slightly, his body more defined now.
He darted forward, Phantom Step making a blurred afterimage behind him.
The Golem User growled, swinging hard.
Katxu ducked under it, slipped inside, and slammed a Pulse Palm straight into the Golem's chest.
"Ugh—!" the Golem grunted, his body rocking back from the force.
"Hee-hee-hee-hee! Where did you get that strength, huh, Normal?!" the Golem barked, his face twisted into a snarl.
Before Katxu could press, the Golem roared—his right arm ballooning twice its size.
"Hammer Punch!"
He swung his massive stone fist downward like a hammer.
Katxu barely reacted—he raised both forearms, blocking the hit with a hard grunt.
The impact cracked the ground under him, his legs sliding half a step back.
"Shit—" Katxu hissed under his breath, feeling the sting run through his bones.
Gritting his teeth, Katxu twisted his stance, pushing the Golem's arm aside with a hard shove and countered fast—
"Rib-Crush Hook!"
His fist slammed into the side of the Golem's ribs with a dull thud.
The Golem grunted again but spun fast.
"Stone Twister!"
His whole body whirled, arms spread wide, kicking up a heavy whirlwind of dust and broken dirt.
The wind smashed into Katxu's side before he could dodge clean.
"—Ghk!" Katxu gasped, skidding sideways across the dirt, coughing.
The Golem laughed low. "Hee-hee-hee! Thought you were tougher than that!"
Katxu wiped his mouth, grinning anyway. "I was just letting you breathe a little."
He stomped down, resetting his stance.
The Golem charged, fists ready.
Katxu stayed calm, letting him come.
As the Golem swung again, Katxu dropped low—
pivoted behind him—
grabbed the back of the Golem's neck and belt—
"Spinebreaker Toss!"
With a roar, Katxu flipped him up and over, slamming him hard into the ground.
"Ugh—!" The Golem wheezed as the earth cracked under him.
Katxu didn't stop.
He leapt high—
spun midair—
and dropped his heel straight down.
"Skull Comet Kick!"
The Golem barely raised his arms to block, but the force still slammed him deeper into the dirt.
The Golem groaned, struggling to rise, stone cracks spreading along his gauntlet arms.
Katxu landed lightly beside him, panting but smirking.
I could see it.
The Golem was slower now.
The damage was stacking.
From the side, we heard it—
Blade Dancer twirling a blade, smiling like a kid seeing candy.
"Boss, can I join them? This seems fun!"
***
I barely had time to catch my breath before the Blade Dancer spun toward me.
Fast. Fluid. Like a damn storm wrapped in knives.
Without a word, he flicked his wrist—
Two blades shot out, slicing the air.
I sidestepped the first by a hair.
The second nicked my cheek, a shallow cut burning across my skin.
"Tch..." I wiped the blood off with my thumb, keeping my glare steady.
The Blade Dancer smiled, spinning lazily like he was warming up.
"You bleed prettier than I thought," he said, voice almost playful.
I didn't answer.
No point wasting words on clowns.
He lunged—
One blade aimed low, the other curving high in a clean arc.
I dropped low and rolled under the swing, slamming my hand into the ground.
"Whip Vines!"
A snap of green vines shot up, slashing toward his legs.
He danced through it—twisting, sliding between the attacks like he was weightless.
Then—
He spun again.
"Cyclone Cut!"
His blades blurred in a full-body whirlwind.
The air around him bent—sharp and slicing.
I couldn't dodge clean.
A shallow cut opened across my cheekbone. Another nicked my shoulder.
I grunted, stepping back fast.
He laughed lightly, "What's wrong, tree boy? Roots not fast enough?"
I clenched my jaw.
Annoying bastard.
He charged again—
Both blades arcing like fangs.
I shifted my stance, grounded low.
Waited.
When he came close—
I snapped my hand out.
"Verdant Catch!"
A hidden vine shot from under the dirt, catching his ankle mid-spin.
His eyes widened for half a second.
I yanked hard.
The Blade Dancer stumbled—just enough.
I stepped in, fast and brutal.
"Verdant Thorn Spike!"
A burst of thorns erupted under him—forcing him to jump away clumsily instead of attacking.
He flipped back, landing unevenly, his breathing faster now.
Still smiling.
But I saw it.
He was tiring.
I flicked a needle from my belt between my fingers.
"You're fast," I said, voice flat. "But you waste too much movement."
The Blade Dancer tilted his head. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just toying with you."
I narrowed my eyes.
Then he rushed me again—
both blades flashing.
I sidestepped sharply, spinning low.
My vines lashed out from under his blind spot.
"Snap Root Trap!"
It grabbed his left ankle mid-attack—
he twisted his body to slice the vine off, but it threw off his balance for a second.
And that second was mine.
I moved in.
"Verdant Spikes!"
Sharp thorns burst in a line, forcing him to block with both blades.
His arms shook slightly from the force.
I didn't stop.
I grabbed his wrist mid-deflection.
"Thorn Chain Grasp!"
The vines from my gloves wrapped around his sword arm—locking it halfway up.
His smile finally cracked.
I yanked him forward and drove my knee into his gut—hard.
"Ugh—!" he gasped, finally losing that smug tone.
He stumbled back, tearing free from the vine grip, but slower now.
We both stood panting—blood trailing down my cheek, dirt and cuts all over him.
Across the field, Katxu and the Golem User were locked down too.
The Golem staggered to one knee, breathing heavily.
I planted my feet firmly, feeling the pulse of the ground under me.
The Blade Dancer readied himself, but his arms were trembling slightly now.
Weakening.
Both of them.
Good.