Ethan's breath hitched as he looked down, his stomach twisting at the sight of a writhing tentacle burrowing through him.
A sharp, bitter taste filled his mouth as he spat out another mouthful of blood.
His body trembled, but he forced himself to glance over his shoulder. The monster loomed behind him, and to his own surprise—he was still alive.
"I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU UNLEASHED THAT POWER, BUT I WON'T FALL THAT EASILY!" [Karnixm growled, his voice strained. He spat out a thick glob of green liquid, his wounds oozing the same eerie substance. It dripped relentlessly, pooling beneath him as he stood his ground.]
"YOU'RE INDEED POWERFUL. I'VE FOUGHT COUNTLESS WARRIORS AND HUMANS, BUT NONE HAVE EVER GIVEN ME THIS MUCH TROUBLE." [He continued.]
With a swift motion, Karnixm retracted his tentacles. Ethan had already severed them all—at least, that's what he thought. But he had missed one.
Ava and Clara stepped back as Karnixm rose once more, their bodies trembling, fear unmistakable in their eyes.
"Everyone, move out immediately!" [Daniel commanded, his voice ringing through the chaos.]
His words echoed, but no one moved. They stood their ground—not out of hesitation, but because this time, they were ready to protect Ethan.
"I—I won't leave my son alone this time." [Alicia said. Her voice trembling.] "Even if it costs me my life."
Her words struck deep. Moved by her resolve, Sara, Lily, and Emily stepped forward, their bodies shaking—but still, they stood beside Ethan.
Daniel's gaze shifted to Ethan. Blood continued to pour from his wound, staining the ground beneath him.
"YOU ARE INDEED POWERFUL. I CAN'T REGENERATE MY DAMAGED BODY PARTS—YOUR AURA SWORD IS TRULY FORMIDABLE. BUT NOW, I'LL KILL YOU… AND NOT JUST YOU, BUT YOUR LOVED ONES AS WELL."
Karnixm sneered, licking his shark-like teeth. Despite his own grievous injuries, he stood tall.
Ethan's gaze shifted to the sword lying beside Karnixm. During their previous fight, he had dropped it there, forgotten in the chaos.
"I need to grab that sword and attack him again. But how can I do that? The sword is lying beside him, and if I move toward it, he'll attack for sure… Think, Ethan, think."
Ethan's mind raced, filled with possibilities and plans taking shape. He took note of Karnixm's wounds—he had hurt him badly.
"His movements are slow because of his injuries. But he still has one writhing tentacle left. It can stretch several meters. I need to think quickly... If someone can just focus his attention –"
Suddenly, Ethan glanced at Daniel out of the corner of his eye, an idea striking him. If Daniel understood his plan to distract Karnixm, he could grab the sword.
Ethan kept his focus on Daniel, never letting his guard slip. He then glanced at Ava and the chair beside her, nodding slightly. Without hesitation, Ava grabbed the chair and hurled it toward Karnixm.
Karnixm dodged the chair, but in the blink of an eye, Daniel activated his "Light Steps" and closed the distance between them.
Karnixm didn't grasp the plan in time and tried to strike Daniel, but before he could react, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. The green liquid poured from his mouth, thick and uncontrollable.
It was then that he realized—Ethan had already stabbed him. It had all been Ethan's plan from the start, and Daniel and Ava had executed it perfectly, without a single word of communication.
Ethan drove the sword deeper into Karnixm's stomach…
"YOU PLAYED YOUR GAME VERY PERFECTLY." [Karnixm Snarled.]
"THAT GIRL THREW A CHAIR TO DISTRACT ME, WHILE DANIEL USED HIS 'LIGHT STEP' TO DRAW MY FOCUS AWAY. AND THEN, WHEN YOU HAD THE CHANCE, YOU CAME CLOSE, GRABBED THE SWORD, AND STABBED ME…"
"YOU REALLY OUTSMARTED ME." [He spat out a gush of green liquid.]
Suddenly, Karnixm seized Ethan by the shoulder. His grip tightened around Ethan's shoulder.
"YOU REALLY ARE STRONG, BUT FIRST, YOU NEED TO CUT OFF MY LAST TENTACLE." [Karnixm snarled, digging his claws into Ethan's shoulder flesh, as his last tentacle hovered dangerously toward Ethan's face.]
Ethan growled, pain coursing through him.
"YOU REALLY OUTSMARTED ME THIS TIME, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, YOU CAN'T CONJURE AN AURA IN YOUR SWORD NOW. OR SHOULD I SAY YOU NEVER LEARNED HOW TO. IT WAS PURE LUCK BEFORE, WASN'T IT?" [Karnixm said with a grin.]
Daniel watched in shock as Karnixm pulled the sword from his stomach with the help of his last writhing tentacle. Karnixm's wound began to regenerate at an alarming rate.
Ethan growled in pain, his breath hitching. "Ahhhggkkkhhh…"
Alicia saw the pain in her son's eyes and rushed forward to help him. Karnixm noticed her movement and, with a swift motion, threw the sword toward Alicia.
"Noooo…" [Ethan yelled; his voice filled with desperation.]
Alicia, startled by the incoming attack, closed her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek. Meanwhile, Ava, Sara, and Clara watched, fear evident in their eyes.
After a tense moment, when nothing happened, Alicia slowly opened her eyes. To her surprise, Daniel stood in front of her, the sword firmly in his hands. He had caught it just in time.
Sara and Lily rushed forward, grabbing Alicia by the arm, pulling her back as they moved away.
Ethan's growl of pain grew louder as Karnixm's claws dug deeper into his shoulder, tearing through the flesh. Blood now covered Ethan, staining his body.
"E – Ethan…" [Alicia cried, her voice breaking as she watched her son in agony. She felt helpless, unable to do anything despite watching him suffer.]
Without wasting a second, Daniel rushed toward Karnixm, his focus sharp. He immediately formed a red aura around his sword.
The aura surrounding the sword was now a dark, blood-red, crackling with raw power. It was far stronger than before when it had been a lighter shade of red.
Anger surged through Daniel as he watched Ethan groan in pain. The aura around the sword grew even darker, the red hue crackling with intensified power.
Daniel lunged forward, swinging his sword at Karnixm.
Karnixm reacted instantly, hurling Ethan aside. Ethan crashed a few meters away, but before he could hit the ground, Ava rushed forward, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him back to safety.
Alicia, Sara, and Clara ran toward them without hesitation, their focus now on Ethan and Ava.
Karnixm attempted to block Daniel's strike with his last tentacle, making it difficult for Daniel to land a clean hit. But to his shock, Daniel roared and sliced through the tentacle in a single swing.
Karnixm staggered backward. The once-small, peaceful home that belonged to Ethan was now drenched in blood, littered with torn flesh and lifeless bodies.
He tried to regenerate—but failed. For the first time, fear crept into his mind. He quickly realized that Daniel was evolving mid-battle. His dark red aura sword was now just as powerful as Ethan's dark aura blade.
"You… you've become powerful like him." [Karnixm muttered, a hint of fear creeping into his voice.] "The first time we fought, you didn't show this much strength. Even your aura sword was a lighter shade. But now… look at you."
[His gaze locked onto Daniel, whose rage burned like an unrelenting fire.] "In your anger and fury, even the color of your aura sword has darkened—deep red, surging with power"
In Daniel's grip, the sword crackled with raw energy, radiating an intensity that made the air around it hums.
…
Meanwhile, Alicia, Clara, Sara, and Ava hurriedly moved Ethan toward the exit. His wounds were severe—he needed immediate treatment.
Blood continued to pour from his shoulder and stomach, soaking his clothes.
"We… we need to treat him as soon as possible," [Ava stammered, her voice trembling. Tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision.]
"Y-Yes," [Alicia replied in a shaky voice, holding onto Ethan tightly as they pressed forward.]
Just as they reached the door, Clara suddenly froze. Her eyes widened in horror before she quickly shut the door.
"W-What is it?" [Alicia asked, wiping her tears, though more kept falling.]
[Clara's voice wavered.] "Th-There are… monsters outside. A lot of them."
Ava, Alicia, and Sara's breath hitched as they stared at Clara, their mouths slightly open in shock.
They were trapped. Inside, Daniel was still fighting Karnixm. Outside, a horde of monsters awaited. And Ethan… was unconscious
…
Daniel kept up his relentless assault, his strikes faster and stronger than before. Karnixm dodged as quickly as he could, but his body was already failing him.
The injuries he had suffered from Ethan had weakened him, and now, facing Daniel's overwhelming power, he knew he was at a disadvantage.
He managed to avoid several blows, but he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. One solid hit, and it was over. Worse, his body wasn't regenerating like before—Daniel's power had grown too much.
Then, Karnixm's eyes narrowed. Daniel was panting.
A slow, cruel grin stretched across Karnixm's face. His shark-like teeth clenched together, grinding with an eerie sound.
Daniel kept pushing forward, his attacks forcing Karnixm backward. The monster dodged where he could, but his movements were getting more desperate
And then—he hit the wall.
Karnixm had run out of space…