After a few minutes, they arrive at the entrance of the cave, noting its darkness within.
Man: Well, here's the cave.
Ohma: (Looking inside) It sure is dark.
Kono: Do you know how deep it goes?
Man: I haven't ventured far in, so I'm not sure.
Himitsu steps closer to the cave entrance, scanning the surroundings.
Himitsu: Yeah, we're definitely going to need a light source. You can hardly see anything.
As he speaks, Akira scans the ground and discovers a thick stick. She picks it up, leaving the others puzzled.
Gram: What are you doing, Akira?
Akira takes a deep breath and ignites the stick with fire.
Man: (Surprised) What the!? How can you do that!?
Akira approaches Kono with the burning stick.
Akira: Here, take it.
Kono: O-oh. Alright.
Kono accepts the stick from her as they prepare to enter the cave.
Daru: Alright. Let's find this ring.
Kono steps into the cave first, followed closely by the others. They look around, observing only rocks and debris.
Himitsu: So what were you hoping to find in here?
Man: Something valuable to sell. It's hard to make a profit these days with the surge and everything.
Gram: Doesn't that Froog person help you out?
Man: Froog has done a lot for our community in the past few years. It would be selfish to ask for more.
Daru: Is he even trying to stop the black surge?
Man: He has been, and he still is. I guess he just hasn't found a way to stop it yet.
As they venture deeper into the cave, the man and the others notice some equipment scattered on the ground.
Kono: Is that someone's gear?
Zodiac approaches and bends down to pick up a blood-stained sword.
Zodiac: This has blood on it. (Looking at the man) Is it yours?
Man: (Nervous) O-oh yes, it is!
Zodiac: But I thought you ran away from the creatures?
Man: W-well, before I fled, I was trying to defend myself, but there were too many of them. That's when I ran.
Akira: Who cares about the sword? Where's that stupid ring you dropped!?
Man: (Scared) I don't know! I'm still looking.
Just then, they all hear a strange sound emanating from deeper within the cave.
Gram: What was that!?
Man: That must be them!
Daru: (Looking at the man) Did you go any further than this point?
Man: N-no. I pretty much stopped here.
Daru: And your ring is nowhere to be found.
Man: I guess one of the creatures took it.
Zodiac: Really...
Man: Yeah? I think.
Ohma: Well, why don't we keep going to see if one of them has it?
Man: I don't know. Maybe we should just forget about it.
Ohma: Huh?
Man: There's no point in risking our lives over a stupid ring, right?
As the man turns to leave, Akira steps in front of him and grabs his shirt, lifting him off the ground.
Akira: You're not going anywhere! Get back to finding the ring!
She throws him to the ground in front of the others.
Kono: Akira!
Akira: He was clearly going to run off. I'm not coming all this way for nothing.
Zodiac: I agree.
Daru: Okay, well, you heard her. Let's continue.
The man rises and continues to walk forward, his legs trembling. The rest follow as they hear the strange sound again.
Ohma: There's that sound again!
Himitsu: And it's getting louder!
Kono: Whatever it is, stay cautious.
As they move forward, they enter a large area, and the noises cease.
Gram: Uhhhh, I don't hear anything anymore.
Man: (Anxiously) Guys, can we please get out of here? I don't feel comfortable.
Zodiac: Well, suck it up because we're not going anywhere.
Akira begins to sniff the air, detecting an unusual odor.
Kono: (Looking at Akira) What are you sniffing?
Akira: Something smells dead.
Kono: What?
As Akira speaks, a creature leaps into the air, targeting Zodiac.
Himitsu: Zodiac, behind you!
As the creature approaches, Zodiac swiftly turns around and draws his dual blades, stabbing it in the chest.
Gram: What the!?
Zodiac: So these are the creatures.
The creature was small, with sharp claws and teeth and black skin. Zodiac then decapitates it with his other blade, flinging its head to the ground. As he does so, more creatures emerge from hiding, revealing six of them.
Man: T—that's the one that attacked me!
Ohma: (Taking out his nunchucks) It's okay, sir! We'll take care of them!
Daru: (Cracking his fist) It's been a while since I fought anything.
Himitsu: (Drawing his sword) Now I get to see what my sword can really do!
Akira: Let's hurry and eliminate these weaklings.
Zodiac sheathed his blades on his back and began to walk away to take a seat.
Akira: (Looking at Zodiac) What the hell do you think you're doing?
Zodiac: I'm not wasting my energy on these worms. You guys have fun.
Akira: What?!
Daru: Fine by me.
Daru stepped back and positioned himself near Zodiac as the others assumed their fighting stances. A few seconds passed, and all the creatures began charging toward them, screaming. The first creature attacked Daru, attempting to punch him. It struck Daru's chest but ended up breaking its own hand.
Daru: Pathetic.
Daru delivered a swift, powerful punch to its chest, creating a large hole as it collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Man: H—he killed it with one punch!
The second creature lunged at Ohma, swinging its claws. Ohma dodged and countered, striking it across the face with his nunchucks. He then unleashed a barrage of attacks, with the final blow crushing the creature's head. The scene shifted to Akira, who was confronting the third creature. As it charged, she crossed her arms and opened her mouth, releasing fire. The creature was engulfed in flames, causing its entire body to disintegrate.
Akira: Tch, I don't have time for this.
Next, we see Kono, who fired energy projectiles from her large gun at the fourth creature. Kono intentionally missed, targeting the ground around it. The creature smiled, seemingly unfazed.
Kono: (Smiling) You won't be smiling for long!
The ground began to glow as the creature looked beneath it, shocked, resulting in a massive explosion. Then, we see Himitsu deflecting and blocking the fifth creature's attacks. While evading, Himitsu delivered a quick slash to its arm, severing it and causing the blood to be absorbed into his sword. He followed up with a 360-degree attack, slicing the creature's throat as it fell to the ground.
Man: (Shocked) Wow! Just how strong are you guys?
The man glanced back at Zodiac, who was meditating on a rock.
Man: What are you doing?
Suddenly, the last creature lunged at Zodiac with a claw attack.
Man: Look out!
As the attack nearly connects, Zodiac employs sudoshi and vanishes, leaving the creature bewildered. It then shifts its attention to the man and charges at him.
Man: Someone help!
Moments later, the creature is staggered by a blade piercing its chest, the tip inches from the man's nose as he sees Zodiac.
Man: Ugh…
Zodiac: Get over here.
Zodiac yanks the chain of the blade embedded in the creature's chest, pulling it toward him and turning it around. When it gets close, Zodiac delivers a punch to its face and slams its head into the ground.
Ohma: That was a cool move, Zodiac!
Daru: Always showing off.
Gram emerges from behind a rock, visibly relieved.
Gram: Good job, guys.
Akira: Good job? You were hiding the whole time.
Gram: What? No! I was formulating a plan.
Zodiac: After everything we've been through, you're scared of these things?
More creatures suddenly appear, ready to attack.
Gram: No way, there are more!?
Daru: Less talking and more action.
Everyone continues to fight off the creatures, taking them down one by one. After a few minutes, they manage to defeat them all.
Himitsu: (Wiping his forehead) I think that's the last one.
Gram: I hope so.
The man stares at the ground, pale and silent.
Kono: (Looking at the man) What is it? Did you find your ring?
The man remains silent, focused on the ground.
Daru: (Upset) Okay, I've had enough of this!
Daru walks over to the man and pushes him aside to see what he was looking at. He puts on a shocked expression, causing concern among the others.
Ohma: What is it, Daru? Is it the ring?
Daru: No, something worse.
Everyone approaches Daru to see what he has discovered: dead corpses with body parts scattered across the ground.
Himitsu: What in the world…
Akira: I knew I smelled something dead.
Daru looks at the man and grabs him, pinning him against a wall.
Daru: What is this? This isn't the ring you were talking about!
Man: (Scared) I—I—
Daru: SPEAK!
Man: Okay, okay! I haven't been honest with you all.
Zodiac: Yeah, we can see that.
Man: The truth is, I never lost a ring. I never went cave diving alone.
Kono: Really?
Man: Yes. It was me and three others. We planned to go cave diving yesterday, but we started late.
Himitsu: Late? What do you mean?
Man: We went out well after noon.
Daru: Just get to the point.
Man: Fine. While we were in the cave, we got ambushed by those creatures you fought earlier. That explains the bloody sword you found.
Zodiac: So they did the fighting, not you.
Man: Yes. I was in the back, watching them fight the creatures. I'm not a fighter; I don't have any combat skills.
Akira: Or perhaps you're just a coward.
Man: Regardless, while they defended themselves, I looked toward the cave entrance and saw the sun setting.
Kono: Don't tell me you—
Man: Yes, I ran for it.
Ohma's anger intensifies, and his tone becomes serious.
Ohma: So you are a coward then.
Man: What?
Ohma slowly approaches the man as Daru releases him and steps aside. Ohma gets right in his face, staring into his eyes.
Ohma: Only a coward would abandon his companions.
Man: (nervously) Y-you don't understand! The sun was setting, and knowing the black surge exists—
Ohma: You left those people to die!
Man: I had no choice! It was either stay back and die with them or run back to the city before the black surge came!
Ohma throws a punch near the man's face, creating a hole in the wall.
Ohma: A true man never abandons his people, even when his life is at stake.
Gram: Holy crap, Ohma.
Himitsu: It's like he's a whole different person.
Ohma turns away and walks off.
Kono: So the story is that you went cave diving with others, were ambushed, and ran for it?
Man: That pretty much sums it up.
Zodiac: (annoyed) I told you this would be a waste of time.
Daru: I guess it was a waste of time.
As Daru prepares to walk away, he notices more holes in the ground near the city.
Daru: Wait, there are more holes.
Himitsu: Huh!?
They all turn to see what Daru is pointing out, observing the holes as well.
Gram: There are definitely more. It must be the black surge's doing.
Himitsu: Come to think of it, did the creatures kill the people, or was it the surge?
Kono: Good question. Wait, Akira, can you do that thing where you see how a person died, like at the school?
Akira rolls her eyes and approaches the deceased bodies.
Akira: Yeah, I can't do that. I need the head and brain intact, and as you can see, that's not the case.
Daru: Judging by the holes and the bodies nearby, it's definitely from the black surge.
Zodiac: Great. Can we just get out of here? It's starting to smell.
Man: I'm sorry if I wasted your time. I just had to check if they were still alive.
Akira: Then you're an idiot.
Kono: It's fine. At least we found more holes to note. Let's get out of here.
Gram glances at Ohma, who is beginning to calm down.
Gram: You alright, Ohma?
Ohma: Yeah, I'm good. I just hate seeing people lose their lives.
The group exits the cave and makes their way back to the city. Inside the cave, it focuses on the lifeless creatures strewn across the ground. Moments later, heavy footsteps resonate, signaling the approach of something formidable. A massive creature emerges, resembling the others but clearly an adult. It surveys the fallen bodies and emits a loud growl, exposing its large, sharp teeth. Enraged, it charges toward the cave entrance and bursts outside, sniffing the air until it detects a scent and races off in that direction. Meanwhile, the group approaches the city.
Gram: (Stomach growling) Man, can we eat something? I'm getting hungry.
Ohma: Same here!
Kono: For sure. We'll head back to our lounge and grab some lunch.
Suddenly, a piercing scream echoes from behind them.
Man: What the heck!?
Himitsu: That sounded like the creatures we fought, but scarier.
Akira: I sense a strong energy approaching us.
They turn around to see a massive creature, similar to the others but taller and more muscular, charging toward them at full speed.
Gram: (Terrified) AHHHH! WHAT IS THAT?!
Kono: I don't know about you guys, but I have a feeling that might be the parent of those creatures we killed.
Akira: It seems to know what we did, judging by how furious it is.
Daru spots the creature and begins to smile as he walks toward it.
Zodiac: What are you doing, Daru?
Daru: Going to fight it, obviously. You guys stand back; I've got this.
Himitsu: What! That thing is huge!
Daru: Makes it even better. You know what they say: "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."
Daru continues to approach the creature, cracking his neck.
Zodiac: This guy is such an idiot…
The creature notices Daru and accelerates, closing the distance while demolishing everything in its path.
Daru: (With arms outstretched) Now let's see how much damage I can take!
As the massive creature approaches, it delivers a powerful punch to Daru, propelling him into the city and leaving a trail of destruction.
Kono: Daru!
Akira: Why did he let himself get hit? Is he a moron?
Zodiac: (Shaking his head) That's just how he is.
The creature leaps over them again, moving closer to the city, where shocked citizens begin to panic at the sight of the advancing monster.
Person 1: What is that!?
Person 2: That creature is about to attack the city!
Daru rises from the ground, shaking off debris.
Daru: (Smiling) Now that was a solid hit! But you'll need to do much more than that.
Gram teleports them with his spell book in front of the creature, as everyone else prepares their weapons.
Kono: Get ready!
The creature charges at them as they rush forward. Akira unfurls her wings and ascends into the air, targeting a dive kick. The creature swiftly grabs her leg and hurls her away.
Akira: You!
Zodiac leaps into the air and executes a slash attack. The creature raises both arms to block. Zodiac activates the tattoo over his eyes, causing his dual blades to glow and transform into a greatsword. He utilizes sudoshi to appear behind the creature, aiming for a slash at its back. The creature looks back and jumps away, narrowly evading the attack. In the air, Kono takes aim with her gun, firing projectiles as before. The creature absorbs the hits and counters with a powerful punch directed at Kono. Ohma quickly pushes her out of the way, blocking the attack with his nunchucks as the ground beneath them begins to crack.
Ohma: Wow! This thing is strong!
While Ohma defends against the attack, Gram stands nervously in the background.
Gram: This thing is huge! Will my spells even work?
Akira: Move out of the way!
Akira flies toward Gram just as he dodges to avoid being struck.
Gram: Hey! Watch where you're going!
Akira transforms her hand into a dragon's claw and delivers a powerful strike to the creature's face, causing it to crash to the ground.
Ohma: Nice hit, Akira!
Akira: Just shut up!