Samael advanced.
At that exact moment, something whizzed past the side of his head.
An arrow.
Too fast.
Too precise.
By a hair's breadth, it missed him.
He didn't even have time to react—he only felt the displacement of air and realized just how absurd the speed of that shot was.
A little closer… and it would've been him.
Samael had no idea how skilled Elizabeth was with a bow.
But that didn't matter.
They didn't have time to learn.
The arrow struck the serpent with a dull, heavy impact.
The blow was brutal.
The massive creature staggered, its enormous body losing balance for a precious instant.
Samael didn't waste it.
He surged forward, unleashing a flurry of rapid slashes, his blade flashing as he narrowly avoided violent tail sweeps and furious bites.
"Samael, left!" Elizabeth shouted.
The warning came too late.
Instinctively, he raised his sword.
The impact sent him stumbling several steps back, his arms buzzing from the shock.
"It's advancing!" Elizabeth's voice rang out again.
This time, Samael reacted without thinking.
He rolled aside at the last second, feeling the rush of displaced air as the serpent's body passed where he had been.
He rose in one smooth motion.
Advanced again.
Fast cuts.
Precise.
Moving between bites and blows as if his body were learning in real time.
The serpent began to slow.
Wounds piled up.
Its advance was no longer as ferocious.
Then—
Another arrow.
Closer.
Deadlier.
It exploded against the creature's head, forcing it back with a distorted screech.
Samael didn't hesitate.
He lunged and drove his sword straight into the serpent's face.
A clean strike.
Decisive.
The massive body collapsed, convulsed for a few seconds… and then went still.
Silence.
Samael stepped back, breathing heavily.
That had been… easier.
Not because the creature was weak.
But because he wasn't alone.
The real difficulty hadn't been killing the serpent.
It had been coordination.
Adjusting movements.
Responding to unexpected commands.
After all, it was the first time they had fought together.
And yet…
They had succeeded.
Samael glanced briefly toward Elizabeth.
He said nothing.
Neither did she.
But something had changed.
It wasn't trust yet.
It wasn't partnership.
But it was the beginning of something essential in that world.
Affinity.
The silence lasted only a moment.
Then the rustling among the trees returned.
One… two… several serpentine silhouettes crawled up the slope, drawn by the earlier chaos.
There was no time to rest.
Samael stepped forward, instinctively placing himself between Elizabeth and the creatures.
He advanced.
As he moved toward the serpents, he summoned the Ascended Spear and hurled it with full force.
The weapon sliced through the air—only to be knocked aside by a violent tail sweep.
The serpent recoiled slightly.
Samael was already moving.
He ignored that one and charged another, delivering a rapid series of slashes, narrowly evading fangs and lateral strikes.
"Right side, Sam," Elizabeth's voice called from behind.
Without hesitation, Samael threw himself backward.
At the same instant—
An arrow exploded against the face of the serpent attacking from that flank.
Samael rolled on the ground, dismissing the spear and resummoning it in the same motion.
He threw it.
The tip pierced straight through the creature's skull, dropping it instantly.
One down.
The second was still fighting.
A third was struck by an arrow, the impact twisting its body violently.
Samael surged forward again.
He blocked a tail strike with the flat of his sword, his arms vibrating from the impact.
Another serpent lunged to bite—
Elizabeth's arrow arrived first.
It detonated against the creature's face.
Samael advanced, exploiting the opening.
Successive strikes.
Fast.
Controlled.
He felt… safe.
Fighting alongside Liz was different.
"Jump, Sam," she said.
This time, her voice was calm.
Confident.
Samael jumped as high as he could.
One of the serpents passed directly beneath him.
He came down on the creature's body and drove his sword straight into its head.
Instant death.
"Behind you!" Elizabeth shouted.
This time, Samael didn't react in time.
A tail slammed into him head-on.
The impact knocked the air from his lungs.
Pain exploded through his ribs as he was hurled down the hillside.
The serpent advanced, jaws opening for the kill.
An arrow struck it, interrupting the attack for a second.
That was enough.
Samael summoned the Ascended Spear.
Threw it.
The tip pierced the serpent's head—but it wasn't lethal.
Before the creature could react—
Another arrow.
It exploded against its face.
The serpent collapsed, motionless.
Silence.
This time, final.
Samael took a deep breath, ignoring the pain in his body, and quickly gathered the soul fragments scattered across the battlefield.
Eight fragments.
Without wasting time, he returned to the top of the hill.
"How are you?" he asked, panting. He knew how much essence she had spent.
"No essence," Elizabeth replied flatly.
Samael didn't hesitate.
He handed all the fragments to her.
"Take them."
"Thank you, Samael," Elizabeth said.
Then—
A deep, distant rumble echoed across the land.
They both turned.
The tsunami was finally hitting the forest.
A wall of water swallowed everything in its path, tearing out trees, destroying the terrain, dragging thousands of Nightmare creatures away as if they were nothing.
Within the waves, shadows moved.
Some of them… far too large.
The sea had brought more than just water.