In a dark circle deep within the forest, where dense trees twisted around them like ghosts, Kyle lay unconscious, his body motionless, his breath heavy as mountains.
Cloe , holding her sword with a trembling hand from exhaustion and fear, felt an unbearable weight pulling her arms down, as if she were sinking into a deep swamp with no escape.
Despite knowing that this venture could lead her to certain doom, her determination burned like fire in her heart. She was determined to succeed where Kyle had failed. She wanted to deliver words he would never forget:
"You are just a shadow; you have no right to boast of power."
Cloe (in a broken whisper):
"Why... does my body refuse to respond? As if I'm drowning in a dark swamp."
Suddenly, Bron lunged, carrying his axe, aiming at a massive fallen tree trunk. He raised it high and threw it toward Cloe , who, with incredible composure, used the skill "Accelerated Arc Slash," biting fiercely into the trunk and splitting it in half instantly.
But Bron was not so easily defeated. With an explosion of rage, he charged at her like a raging beast, swinging his axe in a devastating strike like lightning.
Cloe tried to block the blow with the skill "Blade Barrier," but the force was too much. Her sword shattered in her hands, and she was violently pushed back.
She stumbled but did not give up. She drew her spare sword and stood firm, her eyes glowing with unbreakable resolve.
The fight turned into a deadly dance, Cloe dodging Bron's powerful strikes, but the axe weighed down every move, like a merciless devil's hammer.
She saw a small gap in his defenses and decided to take a risk. She feigned a strike at his rear knee, then suddenly drew a small dagger from her clothes and thrust it toward his neck.
Bron stumbled but was not deeply wounded. He threw his axe again toward her. Cloe barely dodged it, but Bron caught her dagger and charged her toward a giant tree.
Bron (in a savage voice):
"Run, you skinny cat, before I crush your bones!"
Cloe collapsed under a barrage of punches, losing consciousness as she fell to the ground.
Bron, grabbing her hair, smashed her head against the tree:
"Look how those who call themselves warriors fall."
He tied her with thick ropes, then injected himself with a glowing blue serum. His wounds healed rapidly, but his skin cracked like glass shards.
From afar, 09 noticed Cloe 's deteriorating condition through his device; her heartbeat was dangerously irregular.
09 (in a tense voice):
"I have to get to her immediately."
He rushed to the scene, and upon arrival saw Cloe tied up. He charged toward her without hesitation, but Bron struck him with a savage punch. 09 blocked it with his hand and quickly retreated.
09 quickly analyzed the situation, linking Cloe's slowed condition and their defeat, sensing danger. He tried to leave the circle, but Bron shouted: "If you try to leave, I'll kill her!"
Bron (threatening):
"If you try to escape, you'll pay with her blood."
09 secretly smashed his watch and said coldly:
"Take me too if you want. I don't care."
Bron pretended to comply but was surprised by 09's swift attack. 09 threw his dagger at Bron's hand, knocking the axe down. He then charged, delivering rapid punches to sensitive spots.
Bron gathered his strength and grabbed him tightly, trying to reverse the tide.
In a sudden move, 09 used "Side Destruction," causing Bron to fall to the ground like a chopped tree trunk.
But Bron was not finished. He struggled to stand and threw a dagger he had held from the start toward Cloe.
09 rushed to block the stab with his arm, but Bron pushed him into a deep pit covered with leaves and branches—a trap he had prepared earlier.
Brian appeared like a flash of light, sparks flying from his shoes as he struck Bron with a stun baton.
Bron resisted, but mechanical gears on Brian's arms amplified his punch, knocking Bron unconscious while standing.
Brian (laughing sarcastically):
"Don't confuse me with those amateurs."
Bron's leg was disabled by an ether spear, making him unable to move.
09 climbed out of the pit using his ice skill and said:
"We have to carry him now, but don't trust him."
Cloe woke up in a dark cave, with Bron hanging in front of her, looking at her with contempt.
A heated argument erupted between 09 and Brian, exchanging accusations about the defeat.
Brian mocked Cloe's fall, while 09 justified that he had delayed fighting while waiting for Brian's arrival.
Cloe (angrily):
"What happened? Who took him down?"
Kyle (frustrated and blushing with shame):
"Quiet... I'm trying to rest."
09 appeared with his strange smile:
"How are you, my flower? Are you in pain?"
Cloe screamed:
"Just say you're the one who caught him!"
09 (mockingly):
"Yes, I was crushed like trash."
She hit her head against the wall and shouted angrily:
"I can't believe it was him..."
Brian (sarcastically):
"Yes, I'm the trembling chicken who took him down and saved your ass."
Cloe hit her head again, but 09 froze her, saying:
"Enough."
She shouted at him:
"How do you lose to this lowlife?"
Brian (with a sly smile):
"He lost because he was protecting a hostage."
Cloe (harshly):
"There are no hostages. There is only the mission, and slackness is a crime."
09:
"I know my priorities. If you don't like it, go complain to Moathan."
Brian:
"I have recordings from your watches that Moathan will see. I was going to stay silent for 09, but now I can't."
Cloe , angry:
"Where are the injections? I need them."
09:
"You know they will destroy your body, and we need them to keep this lowlife alive."
Kyle:
"Let's torture him for interrogation before he dies."
Brian:
"You just want to kill him. Let's move toward the city."
09:
"We can't move now; all three of us are in bad condition, carrying this beast is hard, and there is a king-level monster nearby."
Brian (terrified):
"Staying here is suicide. We need backup."
Kyle (determined):
"I'll take care of it."
Cloe (cautiously):
"Even if we were at our best, it's impossible to defeat him."
Kyle:
"Do you know the limits of my power?"
09:
"Only three people have ever taken down a monster of this level, and two of them died."
Kyle:
"Were they from our generation? What about Moathan?"
Brian (mocking):
"Neither from our generation, but Dani is the only one from our generation who did it. Moathan is incomparable. If you want to die, we can use you as bait."
Kyle puts his hand on his head, thinking deeply.