Lunis lay motionless behind them, blood soaking into the ground beneath his fur. His breathing was shallow, uneven. He was alive, but barely.
One of them was already out of the fight.
Only five remained standing before Xekar.
The Reconstructed Demon stood at the center of the open ruins, his body constantly shifting, flesh knitting back together in a way that made their stomachs twist. Burned skin regenerated. Torn muscle reformed. Even wounds that should have been fatal vanished as if they had never existed.
No matter what they threw at him, he simply recovered.
Each of them felt the same thought rising in their minds.
There has to be a way to kill him.
Yet standing there, watching his body rebuild itself again and again, that thought felt empty. Useless.
Xekar rolled his neck once, crimson veins pulsing beneath his charcoal skin. His red eyes swept over them slowly.
"Come at me," he said calmly. "I don't have time to waste."
The air grew heavy.
Alex stepped forward first, gripping his pickaxe tightly. Wind magic surged around his arms, spiraling into the weapon.
"Axe-elerate!"
He lunged forward in a burst of speed, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he swung straight toward Xekar's chest.
The impact never came.
From Xekar's arm, another arm burst out, metallic, unnatural, ending in three sharp claws. It slammed into the side of Alex's pickaxe, deflecting it completely. Sparks exploded into the air as the force of the collision sent Alex skidding backward.
Alex barely managed to keep his footing as he slid to a stop, his arms numb from the impact.
Xekar didn't even look impressed.
Before Alex could recover, Movern moved.
"Silent Fury."
Magic gathered around his katana, his presence fading for a split second. In a single step, he crossed the distance between them, appearing right in front of Xekar. His blade flashed in a clean horizontal slash aimed at Xekar's torso.
The sound that followed was not metal cutting flesh.
It was a crunch.
From within Xekar's abdomen, a grotesque mouth opened, rows of jagged teeth snapping shut around Movern's katana. The blade shattered instantly, fragments flying through the air.
Movern's eyes widened.
Xekar didn't give him time to react. A powerful kick slammed into Movern's chest, sending him flying backward.
Caelus rushed forward and caught him before he hit the ground.
"I'm sorry," Movern said through clenched teeth, staring at the broken remains of his weapon. "I couldn't do much… and now my katana is gone."
Caelus shook his head firmly. "Don't worry," he said. "We'll take care of him."
Darius moved next.
"Ember Scoop!"
He dug his shovel into the ground and flung the torn earth forward. Flames ignited instantly, turning the debris into a blazing projectile that soared toward Xekar.
Xekar glanced at it and leapt aside with ease. The flaming mass exploded behind him, fire scattering across the empty ground.
Caelus took that moment to focus. He tried to reach out, to connect with the spirit of the ruins themselves.
Nothing answered.
The corrupted energy at the center of the battlefield was too strong. Too thick. It drowned out everything else.
Xekar moved again.
"Darkness Shine."
Dark energy gathered inside his mouth, twisting the air around him. The space itself seemed to glitch, as if reality was rejecting what he was about to unleash.
It didn't matter.
Xekar forced the energy forward.
A beam of pure darkness erupted, tearing across the battlefield. Anything it touched was corrupted instantly, burned, twisted, then reduced to ash.
They scattered desperately.
Alex rolled across the ground. Darius dove behind a barrier of fire. Caelus pulled Movern away just in time. Lucien barely avoided the beam as it scorched the space where he had stood moments earlier.
When the beam finally ended, they were gasping for breath.
For just a moment, there was silence.
Xekar didn't allow it to last.
He vanished, and reappeared directly behind Lucien.
From Xekar's mouth, multiple dark tentacles shot forward.
"Lucien!" Darius shouted.
Darius rushed in, fire flaring around his shovel as he swung at the incoming tentacles.
Too late.
Some of the tentacles had pierced Lucien's body by then, one through his side, one through his forearm, another through his shoulder, and one through his calf.
Lucien collapsed instantly, blood spilling onto the ground as pain overwhelmed him.
Xekar pulled the tentacles back and laughed, the sound deep and cruel.
"Now," he said, "do you finally realize how futile your resistance is?"
Lucien lay unmoving. Another one down.
Caelus stepped forward, raising his sword. His eyes slowly closed as he took a stance.
Alex didn't understand what he was doing, but instinct told him to move. He stepped in front of Caelus, standing between him and Xekar.
In what felt like only minutes, the battlefield had changed completely.
From five fighters… only three could still stand.
Caelus.
Alex.
Darius.
Darius clenched his teeth, his mind racing. He replayed every moment of the fight, every attack, every reaction, searching desperately for a weakness.
Xekar cracked his neck. Then his shoulders split open.
From them emerged two massive, serpent-like structures, each ending in a wide jaw filled with sharp teeth. They whipped through the air violently, striking from a distance.
Alex met them head-on, using his pickaxe to deflect each snapping attack, careful not to let the jaws clamp down on the weapon.
Nearby, Movern watched from the ground, fists trembling. Uselessness weighed heavily on him.
Then... a voice echoed inside him.
I shall be your weapon.
Blood flowed into his hand, forming a katana made entirely of crimson liquid. Movern's eyes widened.
He smiled.
Without hesitation, he stood and rushed back into the fight, joining Alex to defend Caelus.
The serpent jaws clashed repeatedly against Alex's pickaxe and Movern's blood-forged blade. Their coordination was sharp, instinctive.
Xekar clicked his tongue, clearly annoyed. He pulled the structures back into his body.
"Don't you value your life?" Xekar said, staring at Movern. "You had a chance to stay down… and yet you returned."
His gaze dropped to the katana. "And that sword… it's not metal."
His eyes narrowed.
"That girl," he muttered. "A useless failure… so she betrayed me."
A twisted smile spread across his face.
"So be it. I'm very happy… that I get to kill you both at once."
He lunged.
Claws formed over his hands as he attacked Movern in a rapid storm of strikes. Movern dodged desperately, parrying what he could. As blood floated into the air, which parried away the attacks that Movern couldn't.
Alex saw an opening.
"Desert Dragon Drive!"
He leapt into the air, spinning as wind and sand magic fused together around him. His pickaxe came down with tremendous force.
Xekar reacted instantly. A hard shell formed across his back.
The impact cracked it anyway.
Xekar staggered forward slightly.
"Tch."
Anger flashed across his face.
As his body regenerated, Movern slashed across Xekar's stomach. Xekar turned toward him, but Movern had already retreated.
Alex followed up with another strike to Xekar's arm.
This time, Xekar didn't let go.
Another arm burst from his mouth, wrapping around Alex's throat and lifting him off the ground.
Movern rushed forward, Xekar fired dark energy from his palm, forcing him to dodge.
Darius charged in and slammed his shovel into the arm gripping Alex. The hold broke, and Alex fell free.
Xekar's eyes burned with fury.
"You," he snarled. "All of you. Why don't you just give up?"
His mouth opened wide again. "Darkness Shine."
This beam was larger. Stronger. It fired instantly.
Alex couldn't move in time.
The beam hit, an explosion of darkness and smoke swallowing him whole.
Xekar closed his mouth.
"See," he said calmly. "One more down."
Then the smoke shifted.
A figure stood within it.
Caelus.
He stood in front of Alex, sword raised. The aura around him felt different, fresh, calm, yet overwhelmingly powerful.
Xekar's eyes widened slightly.
Caelus opened his eyes and spoke softly.
"Welcome to my home," he said.
"Welcome to my dream."