The Jungle's Maw
The jungle swallowed them whole.
Laine's boots hammered against the mud, snapping roots beneath his weight as he carried Airi through the suffocating fog. His lungs burned like fire, his chest heaved in agony, but he didn't slow. He couldn't.
Behind them, something worse than exhaustion hunted them—a killing intent so heavy it pressed down like the sky itself collapsing. It wasn't sound that chased them, but presence. A storm, steady and suffocating, creeping closer with every heartbeat.
The soldier was coming.
"Laine…" Airi's voice was muffled against his chest, trembling, weak. "He's… he's following us, isn't he?"
"Yes." His answer was sharp, clipped, forced between clenched teeth. He didn't waste another breath.
But deep inside, dread whispered. They weren't outrunning him. They were only delaying the inevitable.
The soldier wasn't even chasing them at full speed yet. Laine could feel it in his bones—that suffocating aura wasn't exerting its limit. The gap between them wasn't wide. It was infinite.
The air shifted. The weight doubled. Branches cracked overhead, creatures scurried in silence.
And then—
"Found you."
The voice slithered through the fog, cold and sharp as a blade.
A figure stepped out of the shadows. His armor gleamed faintly, untouched by the mud, his eyes glowing with cruel amusement. Calm. Predatory. He had been enjoying this chase.
Laine skidded to a halt. He set Airi behind him, drew the Berserker Sword in one sharp motion. The blade thrummed with hunger, a violent hum that cut through the choking fog.
The soldier tilted his head, lips curling faintly. "Running already? Savage Tier, wasn't it? And yet…" His gaze swept Laine up and down like one might measure cattle. "…you scurry like prey."
Laine's jaw tightened. His instincts screamed don't fight. But there was no choice.
"Stay behind me," he muttered.
Airi clutched his robe, trembling, her face drained of blood. But she nodded, even as her lips quivered.
The soldier lifted his hand casually. Sparks of energy coiled at his fingertips, a predator playing with its food. "Don't worry, little girl. I'll deal with him first." His smile widened slightly. "Then I'll make sure you don't suffer long."
Airi froze, horror painting her wide eyes.
Something inside Laine snapped. The suffocating weight twisted into fire.
"You'll lay a hand on her…" His voice shook, low, dangerous. "…over my corpse."
The soldier chuckled softly. "If that's what you want."
And then he moved.
A blur. Too fast.
Laine barely managed to raise his blade. Steel shrieked against steel, sparks scattering like fireflies. The force rattled his bones, pushed him back, carved trenches in the soil beneath his feet.
Too strong. Too fast.
The soldier pressed harder, his tone mocking. "You can't win. Your power crawls in the dirt."
The Berserker Sword vibrated violently, its hunger rising, but even that roar was crushed under the soldier's suffocating strength.
With a single shove, the soldier broke free. His boot slammed into Laine's ribs, sending him crashing against a tree. Bark splintered. Blood burst from his lips. His vision blurred.
"Laine!" Airi's scream tore through the night.
Her voice drew the soldier's gaze. His amusement darkened.
He turned toward her.
The blade swung—lightning-fast, cruel, inevitable.
"No!" Laine's scream ripped from his throat. His battered body launched forward, ribs screaming, blood spraying. Too slow. He saw it—the blade arcing toward her fragile frame.
Something deep inside cracked.
The mask pulsed.
Black veins burst across his face, spreading like wildfire. Its crimson orb ignited, a demonic glow tearing through the dark.
Shadows exploded outward, violent, alive, writhing like serpents unbound. His chest burned, his mind warped, and a monstrous voice roared inside him.
"PROTECT. DEVOUR. BECOME."
Laine's scream shook the air. His aura erupted, crushing the earth, rattling the trees.
The soldier's blade froze mid-swing. His eyes narrowed. "…What?"
From Laine's body, shadows lashed outward. They split into chains of writhing darkness, binding the soldier's arms, chest, throat in an instant.
The soldier snarled, power flaring. "What trickery is this?!"
But the chains tightened, feeding on his resistance, dragging him down. The soil groaned as his boots sank.
Laine's voice carried two tones now—human and inhuman. "Shadow Burial."
The earth split, swallowing the soldier waist-deep. His aura cracked trees, split stone, but the shadows only constricted, hungrier with every thrash.
Laine stepped forward, sword raised. His eyes glowed crimson, his breath a beast's snarl. "You threatened what's mine."
The Berserker Sword plunged into the soldier's chest.
The scream that followed wasn't human. Shadows surged through the blade, ripping not flesh but soul. Pale light burst from the soldier's body, dragged into Laine in violent waves.
The soldier convulsed, his eyes wide with terror. His scream broke, cracked, dissolved into silence.
The chains slackened. His body collapsed into dust.
Laine stood amid the ruin, chest heaving. Shadows writhed around him like serpents, his veins black, his aura monstrous.
Airi stared, her lips trembling. "…Laine?"
He didn't answer. His head turned slowly, predator-like.
The mask pulsed. Its hunger hadn't ended.
Her soul, it whispered. Take it. Stronger. Feed.
Laine stepped forward. His shadow stretched toward her. Chains slithered up her ankles.
Her breath hitched, her tears fell. "L-Laine…?"
His hand rose, trembling violently. Crimson locked onto her like prey.
Devour.
Airi shook her head, stumbling back. "N-No… you're not a monster… you're not…"
But the shadows tightened.
Deep inside, Laine's voice fought, broken, desperate. His jaw clenched, his body trembled. "St—…Stay… away…"
The mask blazed brighter, drowning him.
Devour.
Airi sobbed, trapped by the chains. Her voice cracked like glass. "Please… don't leave me…"
His body convulsed, shadows writhing, his mind a battlefield. For one flicker, his crimson eye trembled, fighting.
And then—
Everything went black.