They poured in like sand through an hourglass—relentless, inevitable.
Kaz wasn't nearly prepared to face this many Regent Scorpions. His grip tightened as panic clawed at the edges of his mind, but then—he thought back to Ryuma's sword strikes. The effortless flow, the precise execution. He pictured them in his head, replaying each movement, each decisive cut.
And in that moment, something clicked.
His Prosper feature ignited, grasped in the nick of time.
A Regent Scorpion lunged. Kaz didn't hesitate. He drove his bone sword down, the blade piercing through its carapace with a sickening crunch. The Rift Curse echoed in his ears, barely audible over the chaos:
"You have slain a Regent Scorpion."
But there was no time to celebrate. The flood of scorpions didn't slow. They kept coming, an endless tide of writhing legs and snapping pincers.
Kaz's gaze flicked to Ryuma. He was cutting through them with ease, his sword an unrelenting blur of steel and precision.
He was fighting for his life.
And yet… he could have left. Somehow, some way, Ryuma could have abandoned this battle. But he didn't.
Kaz knew—Ryuma would do better with it than he ever could. His skills were unmatched.
In a split second, Kaz made his decision. He ripped the Eyeless Sense from himself and hurled it toward Ryuma.
Ryuma caught it mid-swing, his expression flickering with confusion.
But he didn't complain.
"Thanks, Kaz," Ryuma said, his smile—this time—seemingly more genuine.
Kaz only smirked, his blade never slowing as it cleaved through another scorpion. "Don't die, then."
Kaz moved like a whirlwind, slicing through the horde with newfound energy. His Prosper feature thrived in chaos—this was its nature, and it carried him forward, sharpening his movements, quickening his reflexes.
He didn't know why he was enjoying the thrill. Maybe because the world around him had finally descended into the kind of madness Prosper craved. Or maybe… because he craved it, too.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
The flood of creatures didn't stop. If anything, it worsened. More beasts poured in, their screeches and hisses blending into a nightmarish cacophony.
The Rift Curse whispered in the background:
"You have slain a Sand Drake.""You have slain a Basilisk."
Each new foe brought something different to the battlefield. The drakes were lizard-like tanks, their thick scales absorbing blows that should have killed them. The basilisks moved like lightning, darting between strikes, their speed an overwhelming advantage.
Kaz had only one thing keeping him afloat—his Prosper feature.
And even that wasn't enough.
He needed more.
Then, amidst the chaos, the Rift Curse rang out again—this time, different.
"You have slain a Regent Scorpion of the Aberration Rank.""You have received a Talisman."
Kaz's breath hitched.
Something had changed.
Getting distracted felt like a sin in this madness. But just as Kaz found his focus, a rock drake's tail whipped through the air, slamming into his side with brutal force.
The impact sent him flying, crashing hard into one of the altars. The sharpness of the blow left him gasping for air, the wind knocked from his lungs. The chaotic swirl of energy around him blurred as the shock reverberated through his body.
Kaz didn't have the luxury of staying down. He gritted his teeth, forced himself up, and wiped the blood from his split lip. His bone sword, shattered in the collision, lay in pieces at his feet.
Kaz's eyes burned with frustration. He couldn't afford to be without a weapon.
Summoning the Talisman, he wasn't sure what to expect. Was it armor? A weapon? He didn't know—but he needed something.
From the ether, a Jian took form, glowing with an ethereal light. It was a beautiful, dangerous thing.
But there was no time for awe.
Kaz swung the newly-formed blade into action. His movements were fierce, calculated—no longer unsure. With the wind of chaos at his back, he fought with a renewed sense of purpose.
The Rift Curse echoed its familiar, indifferent voice:
"You have slain a Basilisk."
Kaz didn't stop. He kept repeating the same sword technique over and over, the motions no longer foreign. It wasn't perfect—not by a long shot—but it was effective.
Ryuma, amidst the carnage, caught sight of Kaz's effort. His eyes narrowed, realization flickering across his face. Kaz was mimicking his style.
It didn't go unnoticed.
Soon, with the last of their strength, they reached the final push. The horde was thinning, the end in sight. The chaos around them was relentless, but Kaz... Kaz had found his stride.
And soon, it was over.
The battlefield, once choked with the bodies of beasts, fell into an eerie silence. Ryuma, still panting from the fight, tossed the Eyeless Sense back to Kaz.
Kaz fumbled, catching it clumsily—almost dropping it—but he held onto it, the strange sense grounding him as the adrenaline began to fade.
He sat for a moment, catching his breath, staring at the carnage around him. The weight of it all pressed down on him, but he couldn't afford to linger. Slowly, he rose, his legs shaking as he made his way over to Ryuma, who was kneeling, clearly exhausted.
"I thought you were going to leave," Kaz said with a slight, knowing smile. "I bet you could have found your way."
Ryuma let out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging. "I couldn't do that," he said, voice low. "Our lineage stones are here. And we can't leave them."
He paused, glancing toward the altars, his expression turning serious. "Speaking of which..."
Ryuma moved towards the chaotic spiral, drawn by the glowing stone at its center. His fingers reached out, eager to grasp it—but before he could make contact, a surge of fierce purple energy erupted from the stone, sending him hurtling backwards.
The blast knocked him off his feet, but Ryuma's instincts kicked in. With a fluid backflip, he righted himself midair, landing with a controlled roll as if he had trained for this very moment.
He sighed, a deep exhale that seemed to carry both frustration and acceptance.
"I guess the dragon one is mine," he muttered, his gaze narrowing on the stone.
Without hesitation, Ryuma walked over to the dragon-shaped altar. His fingers brushed against its surface, feeling the raw power that pulsed from within. The stone glowed brighter, reacting to his touch.
Kaz watched Ryuma, his smile bright as the two of them stood on the precipice of something monumental. But that smile, once so full of hope, faded in an instant. The Eyeless Sense flared to life, its warning shot through his mind like a lightning bolt, and he realized too late what was happening.
As Ryuma's fingers brushed the lineage stone, a surge of chaotic energy erupted. The very air around them seemed to crackle and twist. Kaz's body was hurled with unimaginable force, crashing into the chaos altar. His bones screamed in protest as the altar's surface bit into him, the impact nearly shattering him. But Prosper held steady, feeding him the strength to survive where his body might have faltered.
Dazed, Kaz lifted his head, just in time to see Ryuma's form begin to blur, to vanish—pulled from the cave with a sudden, violent force, the stone sending him home. Ryuma had been whisked away in an instant, like a flicker of flame snuffed out by the storm.
Kaz didn't have time to process it. As he struggled to rise, the shadows of the cave shifted once again, and a familiar chill crawled down his spine.
The Desert Queen Scorpion emerged from the darkness, her colossal form casting a grotesque shadow against the dim purple glow of the altar's stone. The air around her vibrated with the weight of impending doom, her pincers clicking with a sound that reverberated in Kaz's bones.
Kaz's gaze snapped to the glowing stone, still pulsing with chaotic energy. Desperation surged through him as he reached for it, his fingers closing around the cold surface. But nothing happened.
A deathly realization clawed at him. The stones—they needed sacrifices.
The Desert Queen's eyes locked onto him, a perfect void of malice, as she stalked closer, her movements calculated, predatory. The weight of her presence filled the cave, suffocating Kaz with the promise of doom.
He was alone now.
Ryuma was gone. The cave was silent, save for the click of the scorpion's deadly pincers, growing louder with each step it took toward him. The world narrowed into the cold metal of his bones, the glow of the stone, and the weight of impending death.
Kaz didn't know how much longer he could stand. The sacrifice required… would he be next?