Ulon glanced to his right and snorted.
Shalotte and Maddy were technically winning—but only because the sand worm in front of them looked just as confused as he felt.
Maddy darted forward, daggers glowing faintly, then suddenly stopped short as Shalotte's Muddy Arms blocked her.
"Your timing was off," she snapped. "I almost had it."
Shalotte, standing on top of a narrow stone pillar he had raised himself, flinched. "I told you already," he said, arms spread for balance. "You're too unpredictable. Your movements are too—ah—awkward."
"Awkward?" Maddy repeated, offended.
The sand worm burst from the ground between them, its massive head lunging forward. Maddy yelped and jumped sideways, barely dodging the charge. She twisted midair, but her foot clipped the stone pillar Shalotte had placed as a trap. She stumbled, arms flailing, and only barely managed to land on top of the same pillar.
"…Seriously?" Maddy said flatly. "Do you want to finish the worm, or finish me?"
Shalotte winced. "I—I'm sorry! I thought you were going left!"
"I never go left!"
The sand worm slammed its massive head straight into the stone pillars.
CRACK—CRACK
Shalotte shrieked as his footing gave way, arms flailing wildly before he wrapped himself around the top like a frightened cat.
"I—I'm slipping!" he cried.
Maddy was already moving. She hopped down just in time. Dust filled the air as she rolled to a stop and shot Shalotte an angry look.
The worm pulled back, screeching, and prepared to charge again.
Nearby, Ulon watched the scene unfold and slowly shook his head, disappointment written all over his face, like a tired father watching kids set fire to a booth at a festival.
"…Amazing," he muttered.
He placed his palm over the deep wound on his side. Warm blood stained his fingers.
"Heavenly Grace."
Soft white light bloomed from his hand. The glow spread gently, sealing torn flesh and stopping the blood as if it had never been there. Ulon exhaled, shoulders relaxing slightly.
"Still stings," he said. "But I've had worse hangovers."
Then he looked left.
Petra stood alone in the open desert, boots planted firmly in the sand. The wind howled around her, carrying dust and heat, and the ground in front of her began to move.
Two sand worms burst out at the same time—one from her left, one from her right. Their enormous bodies rose high like living towers, sand cascading off them in roaring sheets.
Before Petra could even take a step, clusters of sand spears launched from all around their bodies.
"Tch… so annoying," Petra muttered.
She spun her scythe in a tight arc.
Clang—crack—shatter.
Each spear was sliced apart with brutal precision. Sand exploded outward as Petra advanced step by step, eyes locked on the worms' massive heads.
"Come on," she growled. "Don't back off now."
She was halfway to them when the worm on her left lashed out.
Its tail slammed into her ribs like a battering ram.
Petra's breath burst out of her as she was hurled across the sand. She skidded dozens of meters, carving a shallow trench before finally stopping. More sand spears rained down immediately.
She rolled, sprang back to her feet, and hissed, clutching her side. Her armor was cracked, and sharp pain flared with every breath.
Ulon cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey! You need help or what?!"
Petra shot him a glare sharp enough to cut steel. "With who?!" she shouted back. "You, the injured one, and your unreliable partner? No thanks. I can handle this myself."
"Wow," Ulon laughed. "That hurt a little."
Kiel hurried over and stretched out a hand. "Uh—here."
Ulon grabbed it and stood up with a grunt. "You walking paradox," he said, ruffling Kiel's hair. "Let's rest a bit before we help the unsynchronized couple over there."
Kiel blinked. "Aren't we going to help them now?"
Ulon kept one hand on his chest. "My wound isn't fully healed yet. And they won't die, even without us."
Petra cracked her neck and tightened her grip on the scythe. The two worms towered over her, sand vibrating as more spears began to form.
She wiped blood from her mouth and grinned, glancing at the glowing bar in her vision.
"Tch… two of you," she muttered. "Yet you hit like a toddler."
The worms screeched and attacked together.
Petra lunged forward. "Bring it on."
Sand spears rained down. She spun her scythe, cutting each one apart while continuing to advance. A tail charged from her blind side—but she anticipated it, leaping forward with her scythe raised behind her, aiming for the worm on the right.
Before she could reach it, a massive cluster of sand slammed into her left side.
She was thrown dozens of meters away.
Kiel sucked in a breath. "Oh… that might hurt. Should we help her?"
Ulon folded his arms. "No need. She'll get fired up soon."
Petra stood up slowly, smiling.
"So you play perfectly," she said. "But that wasn't enough."
A chime rang above her.
"Your health dropped below 90%."
"Initiating Passive Skill: Berserker's Blood (Stage One)."
"All attributes increased by 50 points."
Her body glowed crimson.
Petra grinned. "Now, it's my turn."
She charged again—faster.
Sand spears flew, but instead of blocking them, she dodged each one as if she already knew where they would land. She leaped toward the right worm as another massive cluster rushed at her.
"That won't work twice."
She twisted in midair, body folding and turning with practiced violence as the massive cluster of sand rushed past where her head had been a heartbeat ago. Grains scraped her armor, sparks flashing briefly as sand met steel, but none of it touched flesh.
Her boots hit the air sideways.
Petra didn't panic.
She raised her scythe.
"Moon Fang."
The words came out low and sharp, almost bored—but the world answered anyway.
Crimson light surged from her grip, racing along the curved blade like liquid fire. The aura didn't stop at the edge. It kept going, stretching outward, growing wider and heavier, until the scythe no longer looked like a weapon—but a massive red crescent hanging in the air. Ten meters of condensed killing intent hummed violently, warping the heat around it.
Petra swung.
The arc tore forward in absolute silence for half a second—then the desert screamed.
Sand was carved apart as if sliced by an invisible god. The crimson wave passed cleanly through both sand worms, their towering bodies split before they could even react. The force didn't slow. It gouged a long scar across the battlefield, flattening dunes and sending sand blasting outward in a wide shockwave.
Petra landed lightly, boots sinking just a little into the warm ground. She straightened, resting the scythe on her shoulder as the crimson glow faded from her body.
She didn't look back.
"What a disappointment," she said, clicking her tongue. "I only unlocked Stage One, and it's done."
Behind her, the two massive worms froze mid-motion.
For a brief moment, they seemed untouched.
Then a thin, perfectly straight line appeared across each of their necks.
The heads slid free.
Both enormous skulls hit the sand with thunderous crashes, bodies collapsing a second later in heavy, lifeless waves. Sand poured over the remains as the desert finally fell silent again.
Petra exhaled slowly and kept walking, not sparing the corpses even a glance.