Ulon burst out laughing. His silver-coated body was completely unscathed, not even a dent on him.
"Hahaha! Wyrm or ghost, no matter!" he boomed. "Whatever it is, I'll still pray for his passing!"
Kiel glanced at him and frowned.
"Are you sure it was he? Not she?"
Ulon waved a hand dismissively.
"Doesn't matter. All genders are equal to me." He grinned widely. "I'll beat any of them into pulp."
Petra and Maddy were still engaging the shifting sand ahead, trying to predict where the creature would surface next. The ground rippled unnaturally, like something swimming just beneath the surface.
Shalotte swallowed hard, gripping his staff too tightly.
"I–I'll try to hold it!"
Then, the opportunity came, the creature lunged toward Petra.
"Muddy Arm!"
The sand surged upward, forming a massive arm of wet earth that slammed down and wrapped around the creature's moving form. For a moment, the wyrm was pinned, its shape struggling against the grip.
"That's it!" Maddy said sharply. "Now!"
She and Petra moved at the same time, flanking the trapped shape. Maddy tightened her grip on her dagger, mana flaring along the blade.
"Aetherblade!"
Petra raised her scythe, hands shaking but eyes focused.
"M–Moonblade!"
Both attacks struck—
And passed straight through.
The arms collapsed, splashing harmlessly into loose sand. There was no body. No resistance. Nothing but drifting grains falling back to the ground.
Maddy landed and spun around, eyes blazing.
"What the hell?!" she snapped. "Where did it go?!"
Petra froze.
Her eyes widened as she saw it—a mound of sand racing across the ground, fast and low, charging straight toward Shalotte.
"SHALOTTE!" Maddy screamed.
Shalotte turned just in time to see a massive maw tear open from the sand, rows of jagged teeth forming as it rose to swallow him whole.
"I—WAIT—!"
Before the creature could reach him, something shining crashed down from the side.
CRACK.
Ulon's mace smashed into the wyrm's head, sending sand and force exploding outward. The creature screeched, its body twisting unnaturally before sinking back into the ground and vanishing once more.
Ulon landed with a heavy thud and looked down at his mace. Dark blood—thick and real—dripped slowly from its head.
He grinned.
"So he's not a ghost," he said cheerfully. "A ghost never bleeds."
Shalotte stared at him, then at the disturbed sand, chest rising and falling fast. He lifted his head and shouted, voice shaking but firm.
"W–we need to be careful! Watch each other's backs!" he said. "The wyrm is smart. It knows when to retreat and when to attack—and it knows who to attack!"
Kiel nodded slowly, tightening his grip on his bow.
"…Great," he muttered. "A smart, half-invisible sand monster."
Maddy exhaled sharply, eyes scanning the battlefield.
"Everyone, stay close," she said, worry slipping through her nagging tone. "And Ulon—if you charge off again, I will stab you myself."
Ulon laughed.
"Worth it."
The sand beneath their feet shifted again. he mound they had been watching slowly turned, its surface rippling like a coiled muscle beneath skin. Grains slid downward as it gathered itself, ready to strike.
Ulon stepped forward eagerly, planting his feet.
"Come to papa, baby," he said, raising his shining mace. "Meet my beautiful—"
The mound surged.
It rushed him head-on, exploding upward in a spray of sand. Ulon swung with all his strength—
WHAM.
His mace smashed straight through a cluster of loose sand.
"…Huh?"
The ground beneath him shifted violently.
Ulon glanced down just in time to see the mound slip past his legs, reforming behind him and racing toward the others.
"PETRA!" he shouted.
Petra moved without hesitation, hands tightening around her scythe. Her shoulders were stiff, but her eyes were focused straight ahead.
Before the creature could reach her, Shalotte slammed his staff into the ground.
"S–Stone Pillar!"
A pillar of rock burst upward beneath the rushing sand, launching the creature into the air in a twisting arc.
Shalotte pointed shakily.
"Petra! Maddy! N–Now!"
They leaped.
"Aetherblade!"
"Moonblade!"
Maddy's dagger flared with light as Petra's scythe carved a glowing arc through the air—
But the creature fought back.
Its massive sandy tail whipped around with terrifying speed.
Maddy twisted her body mid-air, barely dodging as the tail sliced past her ribs. Petra wasn't as lucky. She raised her scythe to block—
CRACK.
The impact sent her flying.
She hit the sand hard and rolled, skidding dozens of meters away before coming to a stop.
"Kiel—!" Maddy shouted.
Kiel loosed an arrow instantly, but the creature melted back into the ground, the arrow striking nothing but empty sand.
Maddy landed and spun toward Petra.
"Petra! Are you okay?!"
For a moment, Petra didn't answer.
Then she slowly pushed herself upright. She sat down heavily, breathing unevenly, and reached up to unfasten her helmet. As she pulled it off, blood trickled down from her forehead, cutting a dark line across her cheek.
But her expression—
The timid, gentle look was gone.
Her eyes burned with something sharp and wild. Fury. Excitement.
Ulon winced.
"Uh-oh," he muttered. "The berserk Petra's awake. This is bad."
Petra rose to her feet, completely ignoring the blood. Her gaze swept over the battlefield—and then over her teammates.
"You bunch of useless buffoons," she said coldly. "You can't even defeat a single enemy properly."
Kiel's mouth fell open.
"H–Hey—!"
"I'll handle this," Petra continued, lifting her scythe.
Shalotte took a step forward despite himself, hands trembling.
"Y–you can't," he said. "We're a team."
Petra turned her head slowly toward him.
"Team?" she repeated flatly. "I don't have a useless team."
She took one step forward, killing intent leaking into her voice.
"Get in my way," she said, "and I'll kill you."
Maddy felt a chill crawl up her spine.
"Petra," she said carefully, forcing her voice to stay sharp instead of shaky, "that's enough. You're bleeding, you're angry, and you're not thinking straight."
Petra didn't even look at her. She rolled her neck once, slow and deliberate, as if loosening stiff joints before a hunt.
"Not thinking straight?" Petra replied. Her lips curled into a thin, dangerous smile. "I've never been clearer."
Ulon scratched the back of his metallic head, peeking at the shifting sand, then back at Petra. "Okay, not gonna lie," he said loudly, "this version of you is terrifying. Kinda impressive. Mostly terrifying."
"Shut up," Petra snapped.
Kiel swallowed and leaned closer to Maddy, whispering far too loudly, "Is… is she always like this when she gets hurt?"
Maddy hissed back, "Yes. I hate it when this happens."