Cipher sprinted forward, the Twin Stars gleaming in his hands as he rushed toward the Earth Gargoyle. The battlefield blurred around him—screeching Mold Fiends, writhing darkness, the heavy scent of rot filling his lungs. He didn't care.
He just needed to cut it down.
As he closed in, the Gargoyle's gurgling laughter echoed once more—a deep, rumbling mockery that churned Cipher's stomach. It wasn't afraid of him.
It should be.
Cipher tightened his grip, preparing to slice through the Gargoyle's massive leg—
But he never got the chance.
Something slammed into his side.
The world spun.
Pain exploded through Cipher's ribs as he was sent flying.
Before he could react, he crashed into the pit's wall.
The impact was brutal. The jagged rock caved under the force, molding around his body as if trying to swallow him whole. His breath left him in a violent gasp, the taste of iron flooding his mouth.
For a moment, everything went dark.
"It may have just been rocks falling, but a cracking sound could be heard near Cipher"
Cipher coughed violently, blood trickling down his chin. His entire body screamed in protest, sharp, burning pain radiating from his ribs. He was stuck, embedded in the stone, his limbs barely responding.
A shadow loomed over him.
Through blurry vision, Cipher saw the Gargoyle's tail retracting, twitching as if in amusement. That was what had hit him—a tail strike.
He had been so focused on its arms that he never even considered it might have a secondary attack.
Idiot.
The Gargoyle's gravelly laughter rumbled again, a deep, throaty mockery.
Cipher clenched his teeth.
This wasn't just a fight. It was entertainment to this thing.
Something inside him snapped.
Cipher had been angry before—angry at his past, at his suffering, at the people who had walked all over him. He had bottled it all up, swallowed it down, forced himself to endure.
But now?
Now the bottle had shattered.
A raw, unhinged laugh tore from his throat.
There was nothing funny about this situation. His body was battered, his bones cracked, his lungs burning—but he laughed anyway.
And he didn't stop.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he let his rage consume him.
A Storm Unleashed
With a final, gasping breath, Cipher ripped himself free from the wall. He fell forward, landing hard on the ground, but he didn't stay down.
He forced himself up.
His fingers found the hilts of the Twin Stars, and he gripped them so tightly that his knuckles turned white. His body screamed in agony, but he drowned it out, pushing Reinforcement Magic into his limbs.
The Gargoyle tilted its head, amused.
Cipher grinned—a bloody, broken grin.
He wasn't going to win. Not in a fair fight.
So he wouldn't fight fair.
Exterminating the Nightmares
The ground cracked beneath Cipher's feet as he launched forward.
The Mold Fiends in his path barely had time to react before he cut through them, severing limbs and heads in a violent dance of destruction.
One lunged—Cipher twisted and carved its torso in half.
Another came from behind—he ducked, spun, and sliced its head off in one clean stroke.
Nightmares were swarming him, but for the first time, Cipher wasn't just surviving.
He was hunting.
As he fought, DEM's voice rang in his mind.
{DEM ~ Channel the Extradict spell into the Twin Stars. If you kill them in one strike, they'll be erased instantly.}
Cipher's grin widened.
Perfect.
A Mold Fiend leapt at him—Cipher channeled Extradict into his blade and slashed through it. The creature let out a piercing shriek before vanishing into the void.
One after another, he ripped through the battlefield, carving his way toward the true target.
The Earth Gargoyle.
The Gargoyle's Game
The massive Nightmare watched Cipher's rampage with mild curiosity.
It didn't care about the Lesser Mold Fiends. They were nothing.
What intrigued it was the rage burning inside the Knight.
The Gargoyle had fought Knights of Light before. Most were righteous, burdened with a sense of duty. But this one?
This one was different.
It was angry.
It was furious.
It was fun.
The Gargoyle let out a gurgling, delighted laugh.
A Battle of Monsters
Cipher closed in.
The Gargoyle loomed above him, four times his height, its rocky body like a moving fortress. Climbing it was suicide, so he would bring it down.
The Twin Stars flashed.
He sliced through its legs, deep cuts carving into the stone.
The Gargoyle stumbled—but didn't fall.
Instead, it roared—a deafening, ear-splitting sound that shook the entire pit.
Then—it grew two more arms.
Cipher's stomach dropped.
You've got to be kidding me.
The creature charged on all fours, claws tearing through the ground as it lunged.
Cipher barely dodged as a massive fist crashed down where he had been standing. A second strike came immediately after—Cipher rolled, narrowly escaping as the ground ruptured beneath him.
{DEM ~ I have an idea. But it'll only work once.}
Cipher listened, weaving through the Gargoyle's relentless attacks.
{DEM ~ Lead it toward the wall. Scale it. Then launch yourself at its neck. It won't expect a high-angle attack.}
Cipher's eyes darted to the pit's jagged walls.
It was risky.
But he had no better option.
The Final Strike
Cipher ran.
The Gargoyle chased, swiping and lunging, but Cipher was faster. He dodged, twisted, baiting it forward.
Then—he turned and sprinted toward the wall.
At the last second, he ran up it, Reinforcement Magic surging through his legs. His body coiled like a spring.
Then—he pushed off.
A high, arcing jump.
The Gargoyle stopped, confused.
For the first time, it hesitated.
Cipher's Twin Stars glowed with Extradict as they sliced clean through its neck.
The Gargoyle froze.
It tried to move—but nothing obeyed.
Its vision tilted. The ground rushed toward it.
Cipher landed softly, turning in time to watch the Gargoyle's head separate from its body.
It fell.
A moment of silence.
Then—clapping.
A slow, deliberate applause echoed through the pit.
Cipher's blood ran cold.
Someone else was here.