"We've arrived."
Lapland hopped down to the ground and looked at the abandoned building in front of them, surrounded by a bloody barrier.
She let Ren down and turned back toward him.
"What now?"
Ren didn't respond immediately. He turned on his communication device and tried contacting everyone.
"Texas, Exusiai, Croissant, can you hear me?"
After nearly a minute of silence, Ren, upon realizing that no one was answering, suspected that the barrier might be blocking radio signals.
Curious, Ren walked up to it and directly touched it.
Just like last time, his hand passed through the barrier effortlessly, as if it wasn't there at all.
"It seems your body is quite special," Lapland said. She reached forward to touch it as well, but her hand was stopped, just like the outer barrier.
If they hadn't destroyed it previously, she wouldn't be able to get in here.
"I honestly don't know…" Ren said. "But there might be a device inside that's generating this barrier. I'll try destroying it. Until then, I'll have to ask you to stay and guard this spot."
Lapland, understanding that she couldn't enter, sighed reluctantly.
"Alright…but please be quick. I'm not someone who can stay still for long, you know?"
Ren sighed upon seeing her mischievous smile.
"Alright…" Ren nodded casually and was about to walk into the barrier when Lapland called after him.
Turning back, Ren was about to ask what it was when Lapland tossed something toward him.
"Take this with you."
"This…" Ren looked at the object — a short blade in a scabbard engraved with a silver wolf motif.
He had seen it once in her memories, although the details were blurred. He didn't remember where it came from, only that it was very important to her.
"Just keep it, for emergencies. You might need it."
"Thank you…" Ren nodded in appreciation, not sure if it would be useful, but feeling grateful all the same.
'Sometimes she's kind in her own way…'
Ren turned back and walked into the bloody barrier.
Once inside, he turned on his communicator again.
"Texas, Exusiai, Croissant, can you hear me?"
Not long after, a voice responded.
"R… Ren… is that you?"
Though it was a bit weak at first, it soon cleared up. It was Exusiai's voice.
"It's me, Ren. Are all of you okay?"
"Not really…" she said. "We're trapped in a hall with a strange barrier. But Texas…she's been taken to the basement and is battling that shadow. Croissant injured her leg, and I'm fine, but I can't help Texas because I need to stay and protect Croissant. That shadow is sending weird creatures after us constantly, we can't find a chance to rest…"
"Hang in there. I'll come help you!" Ren said, turning immediately toward the hall.
But he was interrupted by Exusiai's voice.
"No, Ren! I want you to help Texas first. That shadow is strong… I'm worried Texas might not be able to handle it on her own…"
"We're fine…" Croissant's voice called back. "As long as you help Texas destroy that shadow, we'll be okay, too!"
Ren fell silent for a moment, unsure…
But when both insisted, he made up his mind.
"Got it! Please be careful, you two…"
"And you be careful, Ren! The basement isn't far. You can break through directly."
"Roger…"
Ren kept his communicator on, then started looking around for a weak spot in the stone floor.
Not long after, Ren found it and rushed forward, causing a stone pillar to rise and destroy it.
Boom!!
"Whoa…"
Ren fell downward with the collapsing floor.
Thud!
"Cough… Exusiai… you said it wasn't deep…"
"If I hadn't put up a barrier, I'd probably have broken a leg…"
"Hehe… oops…"
The nervous giggle through the communicator made Ren want to scold her, but instead, he got up immediately when he saw the shadow creatures closing in on Texas.
"Texas!" Ren cried, putting up a protective barrier around her and sending a stone pillar upward to destroy two shadow creatures in an instant.
The rest darted back into the shadows on the wall.
"Who are you?"
The shadow's voice came from a man wearing a mask of a wolf's head, standing under a nearby torch.
Ren remained silent. There was no need for needless conversation; instead, he struck first with a stone attack.
Boom!
"What?"
To Ren's surprise, the attack passed through the man's body as if it were a ghost.
Suddenly, many shadow creatures fell upon him from behind, creeping forward.
Texas rushed forward, tossing her last sword into the air. A rain of swords fell, piercing through the creatures and making them vanish in puffs of shadow.
She pressed against Ren's back and whispered,
"Aim for the lamps… His power comes from their light…"
"Got it…"
Ren nodded without a second thought and struck the lamps with his stone, destroying many in a single attack.
"How annoying…"
The shadow called upon numerous copies of himself to attack Ren.
Texas wanted to help, but her hands were empty.
Then Ren tossed her a sword.
"Here, Texas…"
Texas grabbed it immediately. Without asking where it came from, she noticed its power immediately — it cut through the shadow creatures' sickles effortlessly, allowing her to destroy the rest.
"…"
The shadow tightened his grip in frustration.
He changed his tactic, sending some copies to destroy the lamps and dart away in different directions, while swapping places with a shadow clone struck by Texas.
Suddenly, the real shadow appeared directly in her blind spot and struck with his sickle —
Clang!!!
…the attack was blocked by Ren's invisible barrier.
"You…"
The shadow clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Texas was hurled backwards by the shockwave and fell several meters away from Ren.
Ren, seeing the shadow up close, realized his stone attacks were not enough. His speed wasn't enough to avoid the sickle. So, this time, he tried something different — he reached forward and grabbed the shadow directly.
The shadow disregarded it. He struck again with his sickle toward Ren's neck…
but a deep, alarm-like feeling made him withdraw just in time.
Still, it was a moment too slow.
Ren's stone-covered hand grabbed his arm, and a yellow glow exploded in a shockwave.
Boom!!
The shadow's right arm exploded into pieces.
Unable to withdraw in time, his arm was gone.
"What…did you do…"
The shadow held his injured side in disbelief.
Ren, not needing to answer, raised his voice anyway.
"It's called a stone explosion. I may not know the conditions for your ability…
but you avoided attacks when you were under the lamps' shadow.
It seemed you were unharmed under a light you control…
but when I suddenly filled it with a light you hadn't mastered…
you fell vulnerable…"
"And that's probably why you drew Texas away…" Ren continued. "Because you were afraid she'd discover this weakness…"
"Hmph… clever… I thought you were just a naïve kid…"
The shadow sighed, unfazed.
He let his injured arm hang, revealing the exposed joint beneath — filled with numerous strings —
and his flesh seemed to be made of a translucent material.
"Your body…"
Texas's eyes widened in disbelief.
"It's the price I pay for power…"
"And you two… are nothing more than pawns…"
"And your lives…"
"… are just a stepping stone for the leader's next show…"
Once those words fell, Shadow's form was enveloped by the shadow beneath him. The man's body transformed into a giant wolf with sleek, shimmering black fur. His limbs turned into jointed segments like a puppet's, and his eyes were stitched with rose-colored buttons.
Above the wolf's head, a thread stretched upward, as if some force were pulling its strings from behind. At the very end of this thread, ancient floating candles hovered above the ceiling — hundreds of them — illuminating the entire underground chamber.
"Let's put an end to this boring game… Celina…Texas!!"
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Coming soon : (ZAW)Texas Character Relationship Content (4 Chapter) (Now Chapter 1)
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