Rui slashed through the air, sending wave after wave of cutting wind toward the Demon Rhino. Each strike crashed against its azure horn— only to be cleaved apart by the beast's chi-infused blade.
"Dammit..." she hissed. "Let's try this."
Reaching behind her, Rui gripped one of her own wings, tearing it free. The feathers shimmered and hardened into a glowing sword of compressed wind. With her remaining wing, she dove from the sky— as fast as sound— and carved a deep gash into the rhino's shoulder.
"Tch— tough ass hide!" she spat, unleashing a flurry of rapid slashes that sparked and whistled through the air.
The Demon Rhino bellowed, its horn erupting in azure chi, stretching longer— sharper— like a blade forged from pure energy. It charged, tearing the ground apart beneath its hooves. Rui met it head-on, their blades colliding with a blinding flash.
In an instant, she was behind the beast— skidding to a halt, sword in hand.
Blood splattered the dirt.
Her eyes widened as cuts split across her turtleneck, crimson soaking through the fabric. She staggered, coughing blood. "It... was faster than me?" she whispered, clutching her stomach.
The rhino snorted steam and pawed at the ground, preparing another charge.
Rui drew a shaky breath and raised her sword toward the heavens. The wind howled, the air pressure around her twisting violently. Her blade shifted to a blue-green radiance, her eyes glowing with fierce determination.
And just as she was about to unleash it—
SHLIK!
Heartz's massive sword slammed into the rhino's flank, tearing open its hide. "Put that down!" he shouted. "You know what that move does to you!"
Rui froze mid-motion, her breath ragged. Heartz wrenched his blade free and swung again, cleaving another deep wound through the beast's side.
She exhaled sharply, dismissing the sword as her torn wing reformed. "Took you long enough! Where's Erenyx?" she called out, flaring back into the air.
Heartz backed up, keeping his distance from the thrashing monster. "She went to help the new boy— so it's just you and me now."
Rui grinned, her voice electric. "Alright then, let's end this quick, babe."
She gathered wind into her palm, the pressure distorting the air around her as she hurled it toward the roaring Demon Rhino.
....
Loretta staggered to his feet, brushing the blood from his mouth. His fiery golden eyes sharpened — the Evil Eye flaring to life.
The King Ape roared, its fists igniting in hellish flames as it thundered forward. Loretta bolted straight toward it, the ground shattering under his steps. At the last second, he twisted— graceful as a dancer— and redirected the beast's own fire back into its face.
The Ape bellowed, clutching its eyes in pain. Loretta didn't waste the opening—his palm glowed as he launched himself forward, slamming it into the monster's chest with enough force to lift the massive creature off its feet.
"Damn, you're tough!" he yelled, spinning in midair and cracking a kick across its ribs before landing hard on the ground.
A faint mist seeped from the soles of his boots— the raw essence of motion itself— and in a blink, he dashed forward, driving a brutal kick into the beast's knee. Bone crunched. The Ape howled, raising both blazing fists overhead— ready to crush him.
But before the blow could fall—
"KAMINARI!"
Erenyx's voice thundered through the forest.
Lightning exploded from above like a god's wrath, swallowing the King Ape in a storm of electric light. The massive creature convulsed, its flames snuffed out as it crashed to its knees, smoke rising from its charred fur.
Erenyx landed beside Loretta, sparks still dancing across her arms. "You alright there?" she asked, keeping her distance as the King Ape struggled to rise.
Loretta wiped sweat and ash from his face, grinning. "That was gnarly, mate. Think you can crank out another one of those?"
She scoffed, rolling her shoulders. "Hell no. That move burns through all my stored lightning. I'll need Cirrus up there to feed me more before I can spark again." She pointed upward as the jet-black thunderbird screeched from a stormcloud, crackling with energy.
Loretta chuckled, lowering himself into a ready stance. "What, think I'm tapped out too?"
Erenyx drew her massive twin axes from her bag, lightning still faintly pulsing through their handles.
"Wouldn't put it past you."
Loretta's smirk widened. "C'mon, mate — I'm more than just a pretty face."
They turned in unison, eyes locked on the recovering King Ape — steam rising from its battered form. The next round was about to begin.
...
Heartz spun with blinding speed, his blade cutting through the air in perfect harmony with Rui's swirling wind. In one decisive strike, he cleaved the Rhino's horn clean off.
The beast howled— a deafening, guttural sound that rattled the ground beneath them. Its massive body convulsed, veins glowing with a sickly black light as its skin rippled and warped. Heartz staggered back, coughing through the thick, corrupted air.
"What... what is that?" he managed to say, eyes narrowing as the creature's form began to twist beyond reason—its flesh ballooning, shrinking, and reforming all at once.
In moments, it doubled in size. Two new heads burst from its shoulders, and a fresh horn—larger, darker, sharper— emerged from its skull.
"Heartz, back the hell up!" Rui shouted, her expression twisting in disgust.
He obeyed, stepping back as all three heads began to drool a tar-like ichor, their discordant growls scraping through the air like metal against bone.
Rui trembled but tried to steady her voice. "Maybe I should've used that move while I had the chance..."
Her trembling hand reached back and grasped one of her wings, ripping it free as it shimmered into a blade of pure windlight. She drifted down to the ground beside Heartz, her landing silent despite the chaos around them.
"Still can't fly with one wing, babe?" Heartz asked, forcing a grin through his nerves.
Rui gave a quick nod, never breaking eye contact with the monster.
Heartz tightened his grip on his blade. "Now I really wish Erenyx came with me."
He sank low into his stance; Rui mirrored him, her lighter sword held in both hands.
Then— they charged.
Rui's movements were blinding— her blade carving streaks of light through the air as she unleashed a flurry of cuts. Heartz followed, bringing his greatsword down with all his weight.
CLANG!
The blade bounced off uselessly, leaving only a shallow mark.
Their eyes met for a heartbeat. Heartz's look said everything.
Rui leapt backward, channeling everything she had. The winds screamed— trees bent, debris lifted into a swirling storm. The very air around them began to distort as chi flooded the battlefield.
Heartz dug his blade into the earth to anchor himself as the forest's spirits fled, leaves tearing from branches and vanishing into the gale. Rui's sword gleamed, its hue shifting to a blue-green burn, like oxidized copper catching divine light.
Her lips parted, breath steady now.
"Verdigris."