The sound of Raiven's bowstring snapping reverberated through the cavern as he unleashed a torrent of arrows into the encroaching swarm of monstrous beasts. Each arrow struck with deadly precision, piercing eyes, throats, and limbs, yet the sheer number of creatures barely faltered.
As Raiven whistled sharply, the arrows shimmered with faint, magical light, reversing their flight path to return to his quiver, ready for another volley.
"Thanir!" Raiven barked, his voice raw with rage and desperation. "Where in Aeons are the rest of those fucking slaves?"
Thanir, struggling with all his might, had both arms braced against the jaws of a hulking beast trying to clamp down on him. The monster's jagged teeth gleamed inches from his face as he grunted, veins bulging in his arms. "I don't know! They're gone!" he spat, barely managing to hold the beast back.
Nearby, Aeloria stood trembling, her staff raised high, casting a dome of light that flickered like a dying flame. Her face was pale, sweat dripping down her forehead as her mana reserves dwindled. With every passing second, the strain of maintaining the light spell—while deflecting the occasional stray beast—became unbearable.
A stray claw grazed her shoulder, ripping her robe and drawing blood. She winced but kept the light steady, knowing the group would be blind without it.
Lirien, her blade a blur, deflected the whip-like tails of the monsters closing in. Each strike reverberated through her arms, the steel tails nearly unyielding against her blade. She growled under her breath, slashing with precision to keep the horde at bay. Suddenly, a guttural roar of pain tore through the chaos.
"Milner!" Lirien shouted, her head snapping toward the source.
Milner stood in the middle of the fray, his massive frame swarmed by the beasts. Claws, teeth, and tails tore into him from every direction. His axe swung wildly for a moment before a monstrous tail drove through his chest. Blood sprayed across the cavern as his lifeless body crumpled beneath the frenzied onslaught.
Thanir cursed violently, his voice echoing through the chamber. "This place is a damned death trap!" Without hesitation, he bolted toward the sealed stone doors, his desperation overriding reason.
"Thanir, get the fuck back here!" Raiven roared, loosing another volley of arrows as he turned toward him.
Thanir ignored the command, his focus singular: escape. But as he neared the door, a tail shot through the air, piercing his back and pinning him to the ground. He let out a heart-wrenching scream, blood pooling beneath him. "I don't want to die! I don't want to die!" he sobbed, clawing at the ground.
Raiven gritted his teeth, fury and panic intertwining as he realized the scale of their predicament. Thanir's idiocy had cost them dearly, and now the situation was spiraling out of control. His sharp eyes darted to Lirien and Aeloria, the only two left standing beside him.
With a flick of his wrist, he fired a strange, viscous arrow at their feet. Sticky slime exploded across the ground, immobilizing them both.
"What the hell are you doing, Raiven?" Lirien demanded, her voice laced with anger and disbelief as she struggled against the adhesive substance.
Aeloria's wide eyes filled with tears as the realization of his betrayal hit her. "You… You're going to leave us here?" she whispered, her voice trembling. The tears streamed down her cheeks as she clutched her staff, her light spell faltering.
Raiven didn't meet their eyes. He dashed past them in a blur of motion, his aura flickering like a storm around him. His voice was cold and detached as he said, "Luck wasn't on our side from the beginning."
Lirien screamed after him. "Raiven! You coward!"
But he didn't turn back. His mind raced as his feet carried him past the massive pool of water that dominated the chamber's center. If I can just get past the water… there has to be another way out… he thought, his pulse pounding in his ears.
Behind him, the cries of Lirien and Aeloria, the roars of the monsters, and the wet sounds of Thanir's death faded into the background. All that mattered now was survival. The monstrous horde surged closer, but Raiven's singular focus remained: escape.
Lirien gritted her teeth as she drove her sword into the ground, using it as leverage to free her feet from the sticky trap Raiven had left them in. The viscous substance resisted, holding her fast while chaos erupted around her. Her aura flared golden, a fiery determination surging through her as she fought to protect what little they had left.
Nearby, Aeloria trembled, her light flickering weakly as her mana reserves dwindled. Tears streamed down her face, but she managed a faint smile at Lirien, her last bastion of hope.
"Stay with me, Aeloria!" Lirien growled, yanking her feet free just as a hulking monster lunged at Aeloria.
The mage didn't scream—her voice choked in her throat as the beast's serrated teeth sank deep into her shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound, staining her robes crimson.
"No!" Lirien roared, her golden aura blazing like a dying star. With a desperate cry, she swung her sword in a wide, arcing slash. The blade shimmered as it carved through a dozen beasts, severing limbs and heads in a single devastating strike.
The creatures fell away, but the cost was steep. Lirien staggered, her body trembling from the exertion. Drawing in the surrounding mana and refining it into aura had drained her completely. She fell to her knees, cradling Aeloria's limp form.
"Stay with me, Aeloria," she whispered, tears mixing with the blood streaking her face. "Please… just stay with me."
Aeloria's eyes fluttered open, her lips trembling as she tried to speak. But before she could, a piercing scream tore through the chamber.
Near the pool, Raiven clutched his arm—or what was left of it. His entire limb was gone, severed cleanly at the shoulder. Blood sprayed across the floor as he writhed in agony, his screams echoing off the cavern walls.
Raiven's wide eyes darted to the water, where something enormous and otherworldly rose from the depths. The creature's massive, scaled body shimmered under the dim light, its glowing crimson eyes locking onto him. Its jaws snapped shut, still dripping with his blood.
Lirien's heart sank as she glanced from Raiven to the beast. Her aura flickered and dimmed. Exhaustion clawed at her, and the hopelessness of the situation weighed heavily on her shoulders. She looked down at Aeloria's pale face, tears streaming as a single, desperate thought consumed her.
I can't lose her… Please… Someone, anyone…
"Please!" she sobbed, her voice breaking as the monstrous horde approached them. Their glowing eyes and salivating jaws promised a swift, brutal end.
A beast's massive tail swung toward them, intent on crushing them in one blow—
But a sharp gust of wind and a swirl of gray smoke interrupted the attack.
Standing before them, Yomi appeared, the beast girl cradled effortlessly in his arms. His calm, commanding presence cut through the chaos like a blade.
"Hōdanka" (放弾火) — Ki Bullet Blaze.
He murmured, his voice low and resolute.
He crouched, meeting the nearest monster eye-to-eye, and extended his fingertips. A concentrated orb of Ki formed rapidly, its energy crackling with raw power.
With a sharp release, the orb streaked through the air, tearing through the monster's head in a single, devastating blow. Its body crumpled to the ground, lifeless, as Yomi stood, his eyes cold and calculating.
The beasts hesitated, their instincts warning them of the new, deadly presence. Yomi turned to Lirien and Aeloria, his expression unreadable.
"You begged," he said simply, his voice devoid of emotion. "I answered."