Nula and Peeros were high in the sky with the Bat Decadent. Peeros drove his longsword into the Decadent's wing, causing the creature to falter and begin plummeting. Some of the laborers watched the battle unfold from below. As the Decadent's grip loosened, Nula seized the opportunity and swung his weapon into its gut, spilling its entrails midair.
As the three of them fell, Nula thought:
"Shit, even a Huntsman would die from this height. I've got to break my fall!"
He activated his weapon's properties. Vein-like patterns crawled along its surface as he scanned for a tall enough building. Spotting one, he stabbed the blade into its side, bracing with all his might.
The embedded weapon dragged along the wall, breaking his momentum as it cut through brick and stone. Sparks flew. His descent slowed—sideways—until he crashed into the concrete below, shattering the ground on impact.
Thanks to his superhuman strength, he survived.
Peeros, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. He had aimed for the lake—
and landed with a thunderous splash.
"Shit," Nula muttered as he ran toward the lake, spotting Peeros' unconscious, floating body. He quickly took off his jacket and scanned the area, waiting to see if they had attracted any Decadents. After confirming the coast was clear, he stabbed his weapon into the ground and dove into the water to retrieve Peeros and his gear.
Checking for a pulse, Nula let out a breath.
"Good. You're still alive."
He sat beside Peeros for a few minutes, resting, until Peeros finally stirred and opened his eyes.
"You're finally awake," Nula said, standing. "Let's go. We're far from our designated post. Probably the furthest any of us have ever been... which means this place is crawling with Decadents. Stay sharp."
Peeros pushed himself up. "A-alright. Should we go back?"
Nula shook his head. "There are probably some weaker Decadents around here. Let's take a few out on our way back. As for Bolca... I don't give a shit if he dies."
They began walking. An awkward silence hung between them as they checked corners for potential threats.
"Hey," Peeros finally said, "why are you like that?"
Nula raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"
"You're always so cold. So indifferent. You never even try to talk to us," Peeros muttered, then added under his breath, "Plus, you're really rude to me."
"Some people just want to keep to themselves."
Peeros was quiet for a moment before asking, "Is it because you like Vina too?"
Nula blinked, confused. It took him a few seconds to register what Peeros had said. Then he chuckled—breaking his usual cold demeanor. He tried to suppress it, but failed and laughed again.
"Wh-what's so funny?!" Peeros asked.
"Lucky for you, I don't see Vina that way. But if you want a shot with her, you'd better grow some muscle—and maybe buy a mansion once this is all over. Girls love money."
Peeros looked slightly shocked. "Huuuuh?? Have you even been with a woman before?"
"A lot."
"But have you ever been in a relationship?"
That question struck a nerve. Nula paused, then answered.
"Look. The only thing that matters are the things you have, and the things you're getting. That's the only way people see value in you. My dad taught me that... and he got pretty far living by those words."
Peeros frowned. "I-Isn't that... kinda sad?"
The two walked in silence until Nula suddenly asked, "Did you see it too?"
"Yeah," Peeros said.
High above them, the Bat Decadent perched atop a building, watching like a predator. It smiled, toying with them. They quickly slipped into a nearby house, out of its line of sight. Inside, they sat down to catch their breath.
"So... what about you?" Nula asked. "Have you had a relationship?"
"Yeah. A few," Peeros said.
"How many is a few?"
"Four."
"FOUR?!" Nula blurted out.
"Okay, I was kidding. Just three. The first one doesn't count—we were nine."
"H-how old are you now?" Nula asked.
"Nineteen."
"You've got to be shitting me," Nula muttered. Peeros looked confused—until realization hit.
"Y-you've never had a real relationship, have you?"
"I had—" Nula started.
"Escorts don't count," Peeros cut him off.
Nula sighed. "No... It's just... my relationships never really went far—aside from the bedroom."
Another moment of silence passed.
"Geez... what kind of people were you surrounded by?" Peeros asked. Then he hesitated. "A-also... about Bolca."
"What about him?" Nula replied.
"There's a rumor going around... that there's a traitor among us. And, well... because of your background, he's gotten suspicious."
"I see," Nula said flatly, lifting his weapon. "Do you hear that?"
"Yeah... it's circling us," Peeros replied.
Tension filled the air. The two readied their weapons.
"I think this is the first time we're the ones being hunted," Peeros said.
The house trembled as the Decadent landed on the roof. Silence. Then, in a sudden crash, it burst through, claws outstretched. It lunged at Peeros—but Nula shoved him aside, taking the hit himself. The Decadent grabbed Nula and took to the skies.
"NULA!!" Peeros shouted, running after them.
Nula, still gripping his weapons, tried to hack at the Decadent's leg. In response, it slammed him against building after building, trying to knock him out. Peeros caught up, leapt, and drove his blade into the creature's back. All three soared through the air, the Decadent squirming violently.
Finally, it flung Nula from its grasp. He plummeted, crashing through a three-story building and vanishing into rubble.
"NULA!!" Peeros screamed. He dislodged his five-foot blade from the Decadent's back and dropped onto a nearby rooftop. Blood and viscera poured from the creature—but it wasn't dead yet.
Peeros sprinted toward where Nula had fallen, only to find him unconscious... and surrounded by two Decadents.
One of them was a giant face with a massive mouth—its only limbs were its legs. It opened wide—
...to reveal a head surrounded by fingers—dozens of them. From a distance, they looked like worms writhing and twitching.
Off to the side stood something almost human in shape: a small, Four-foot-tall beast with a snake-like tail. It had no eyes—just a wide, grinning mouth and massive, twitching ears. And it wasn't alone. The commotion had drawn more.
Two more Decadents arrived: one was a lanky blue man with three eyes and four arms. The other was hulking, its shield-like arm seemingly made of jagged bone.
Above them, the Bat Decadent still roamed the skies, circling like a vulture.
"This is certain death," Peeros thought.
Then came another thought, darker and quieter:
"I could just leave him... They'd understand, right? No one even likes him."
He looked down at Nula, unconscious and battered.
"I-I'm sorry, Nula…" he whispered.
But he couldn't move. Not because of fear. It was something deeper—stronger. His sense of morality, of humanity, anchored his feet to the ground.
"I-I can't move," Peeros said, frozen in place as the Finger Decadent let out a shriek. Hundreds of fingers shot toward him at incredible speed, stretching like tendrils to snare him.
He sidestepped just in time—the fingers slammed into the wall like bullets, then disintegrated into thin air.
Peeros had no time to breathe.
The Tail Decadent darted around the battlefield with terrifying speed, its movements barely visible. Before he could react, it dashed forward and delivered a crushing front kick, launching Peeros through the air.
He slammed into the Shield Decadent.
It didn't hesitate—it raised its jagged, shield-like arm and aimed to impale him. But Peeros twisted his body just enough for the blow to hit his hunter straps, the enchanted bandages absorbing the brunt of the attack.
Using that brief window, Peeros countered with a stab—but the beast parried and bashed him backward with its shield.
Then something sharp pierced his side.
A bone-like projectile.
He turned his head—behind the three Decadents stood the blue, four-armed one, arms raised as floating bone spears hovered above its back. It launched them like machine-gun fire, each shot whistling through the air toward him.
Peeros ducked, rolling behind cover. He glanced toward Nula.
"Looks like... all four of them are focused on me," he muttered, gritting his teeth.
"It's not that I can't move… It's more like… I can't leave Nula behind!"
In that moment, a glimpse of his father flashed through his mind—
Back before all of this.
His father never asked for wealth.
He didn't care if Peeros became a millionaire, gained political power, or etched his name into history.
He only asked one thing of his son:
"Be kind. And be strong."
Peeros clenched his jaw.
"So that's why… If I leave Nula now, I'll be betraying my father's last wish."
Tears welled in his eyes, but his resolve burned hotter than ever.
He stabbed his blade into the ground, and a wave of raw presence erupted from him.
Even the four Decadents flinched—just for a second.
Peeros stood tall.
"The five of you… I'm taking your heads as trophies."