The forest, once beautiful and majestic, now lay under the terrifying control of a being who bent the laws of nature to his will.
About three kilometers of forest hovered eerily in the sky, suspended as if time itself had frozen. At the heart of it stood a creature made entirely of stone and rock silent, unmoving, yet overwhelmingly alive.
Its gaze was locked.
TWIPP
A massive tree blasted through the air toward Sukiro.
"Getting insane already?!" Sukiro thought as he barely rolled away in time, bark shards slashing across his shoulder.
"I might not be able to dodge the next one..."
The Levitator observed him, emotionless, calculating.
Without warning, five more trees lunged through the air, slicing the sky like wooden spears.
Sukiro had no choice.
His daggers ignited with power as he slashed through the trunks. Each cut sent vibrations through his bones, the force launching his trembling body backward.
That's when he saw it
The creature smiled.
It wasn't avenging anything.
Not for the scout, or any creature
It was enjoying the hunt.
The floating forest loomed above the rest of the world like a haunted kingdom. The sun struggled to pierce through, casting faint rays onto the moving party.
"What have you become?!" a strange voice echoed in Sukiro's head. Unfamiliar… and yet, it felt known.
THRASH!
A tree struck Sukiro's chest. The force was thunderous.
Blood exploded from his mouth. Darkness took him.
"Elijah, can't you use your magic to locate him?!" Sebastian barked, desperation creeping into his voice.
"I'm trying, but it's no use! I need more time!" Elijah stammered, sweat pouring down his face.
"He's going to be okay, right?!" Sapphire shouted, panic cracking her voice. "He is… right?"
Silence. Heavy, suffocating silence.
Sukiro's body hit the ground like a broken doll.
He coughed blood, pain painting every inch of his consciousness.
Then more trees.
The forest rained agony.
He rolled instinctively, dodging one, then another. His arms scraped bark. His back tore against roots. His legs slashed open. He barely escaped death, again and again.
One tree fell with a thunderous crash, giving him the chance to stand.
His body screamed, but he rose.
A boulder, massive and fast, barreled toward him.
He braced. Folded his arms. Took the hit.
CREAK
Another boulder shot from behind.
"It's trying to crush me from both sides?!"
He plunged his daggers into the boulder in front of him, using them as leverage. With all his strength, he launched himself upward
THRASH!
The boulders collided.
"If I was still there… I'd be pulp," he exhaled.
But no breath came easily. The battle wasn't over.
Levitators weren't ordinary monsters. They were smarter. Sharper. Crueler.
And now
Water.
Suspended in the air like a false sky, a vast mass of water gathered.
A single wave, merging into a monstrous bubble.
It moved.
Before Sukiro could react, it engulfed him.
A perfect sphere formed around him.
No air. No voice.
No escape.
His limbs flailed. His lungs screamed. The world blurred.
Darkness.
"He should be somewhere around here!!" Sebastian shouted.
Sukiro flailed, tied down by thorny branches, his breaths ragged.
Then he stopped.
A voice. Clear. Familiar, yet unplaceable.
His vision dimmed.
D-Rank Skill: Slash Unlocked.
The earth surged. A pillar of ground launched him skyward, delivering him face to face with the levitator.
The water receded.
He lay still, breathless, lifeless.
The levitator approached, a sinister grin twisting across its jagged face.
STRIKE!
D-Rank Skill: Slash Activated.
Sukiro's daggers glowed with blazing mana as they cut through stone, creating sharp bursts of light.
"Got you!" he shouted.
Only to see
A scratch. Barely visible.
The levitator stared down. Unflinching. Unmoved.
Its eyes burned with rage.
DUMP!
A massive rock slammed into Sukiro's gut, flinging him into the skies.
"This is bad! How do I get off?!" he thought as the rocks took him to the skies
He jumped.
Another rock caught him.
"It's toying with me... It wants me to fall!"
He was too high. Jumping meant death. He clenched his teeth.
The rocks froze.
Then they dropped.
"No... no no no!"
The ground raced toward him.
Death. It was real. Inevitable.
Then
Levitation Magic.
He stopped. Inches from the ground.
His body hovered gently, untouched.
The levitator stared, confused.
Then it felt it
A presence.
Behind.
Terrifying.
SLASH!
A beam of light tore through the air. The levitator barely dodged.
"You piece of shit."
A dagger pointed at its throat shining