They were already surrounded.
Marcus and the others also tightened their grips on their weapons, sweat forming on their brows. This was the first time they had faced such a large-scale battle outside of the game, and while part of them still felt excitement, reality pressed down harder than ever. Here, if they were struck down, there was no revival, no second chance. An injury might even cripple them and worse a death here would be permanent. Their eyes darted toward Kaito, the only one they could rely on.
Kaito noticed their gaze. A bitter smile touched his lips.
"Listen," he said, raising his voice over the roars. "I'll deal with the mine spirit leader, but I need time. You all must hold off the rest. That includes the Rank 1s. I know it's dangerous, but we have no choice. If I don't destroy the leader, we'll be buried here."
Marcus and the others exchanged uneasy looks. Until now, they had managed to handle the unranked and Rank 0 spirits, but facing Rank 1 mine spirits was another matter. Hesitation flickered in their eyes.
Kaito cut them off. "There's no time to doubt. Even if you don't want to fight them, you must. If we delay any longer, we'll be crushed before I can finish the leader."
His firm words left no room for argument. Marcus clenched his jaw and nodded. Elias lowered his bow, steadying his breath. Lucas and Calvin tightened their grips on their swords, determination settling in their faces.
Seeing their agreement, Kaito turned back toward the massive figure of the leader. The surrounding spirits had already started closing in. If he didn't act now, they would all be swallowed.
He took a deep breath, steadied his body, and used Wind Veil Steps. His figure blurred, weaving through the horde. He had trained himself on this movement countless times, and now he layered it with a new insight. Earlier, when he fought the Wraith General in Glory, he had studied the monster's battle rhythm. Now, in reality, he imitated those motions, testing whether the techniques he learned in the game could cross into this world.
To his surprise, it worked seamlessly. His steps bent and curved like flowing wind, slipping through gaps that seemed impossible to pass. Unranked spirits clawed at the air but only caught empty space. Rank 0 mine spirits swung their stone arms but struck only air. Even the Rank 1 mine spirits that guarded the leader failed to pin him down as he danced past them, his path a blur of precision.
Marcus and the others could only gape for a moment at his movement, but before their astonishment could settle, the horde surged at them. Forced back into action, they quickly formed their practiced formation, back to back, guarding one another as they fought. Elias loosed arrow after arrow, targeting joints and cracks, while Marcus's staff smashed into rocky skulls with powerful swings. Lucas and Calvin's blades gleamed, cutting down spirits that tried to break their line.
Ahead, Kaito emerged from the swarm, already at the foot of the leader. His focus sharpened.
The mine spirit leader had been watching his approach with blazing orange eyes. And the moment Kaito entered its reach, it reacted. Raising one massive arm, its stone palm opened wide, and it swung down with crushing force, intending to squash him like an insect trespassing into its domain.
Kaito's breath caught. He had expected slower movements from something this massive, but the leader was even faster than the Rank 1 mine spirit he had fought earlier. The arm's descent was so swift it left the air howling.
Dodging wasn't possible.
So instead, Kaito braced himself. He first instantly sheathed his sword then instead of meeting the attack with his weapon, he clenched his right fist and thrust it upward.
Stone met flesh.
The collision exploded like thunder. A shockwave burst out from the impact, rippling in a circular wave that shook the cavern. Dust fell from the ceiling, small rocks tumbling as the sound echoed outward.
Kaito's arm trembled under the force, but his body held firm. The strength he had cultivated through the Azure Thunder Meridian Art surged through him, reinforcing his limbs with a power that matched the leader's blow. The impact split the ground beneath his feet, but he did not falter.
Across from him, even the mine spirit leader seemed momentarily surprised. Its glowing eyes flickered, as if it could not comprehend how the small human had met its strike head-on without crumbling.
Kaito didn't give it the chance to recover.
With his left hand, he pulled his sword free in a single smooth motion. In the same breath, he shifted his weight forward and lunged, closing the gap between them. His blade swung in a sharp arc, fast and precise, aimed directly at the leader's neck.
The orange fire in the spirit's eyes flared. It moved quickly, raising its other massive arm across its body. Stone clashed with steel as the leader blocked his strike, the impact ringing out like iron on rock.
Kaito's sword bit into the arm but didn't cut through completely. Sparks burst as the blade scraped against the hardened stone surface.
Although the mine spirit leader had managed to block Kaito's sword strike, the blade still bit halfway through its massive arm. Cracks spread across the stone surface where the sword had cut, showing that even if his strike had been stopped, it had dealt damage.
But Kaito didn't waste the momentum. Before the force of his swing faded, he twisted his body and slashed toward the opposite side of the leader's neck. The sharp blade gleamed as it cut through the air.
Enraged, the mine spirit leader roared and moved to counter. The arm that had been guarding its neck now swung down like a giant hammer, aiming to crush Kaito.
Kaito reacted instantly. Rather than avoiding the strike entirely, he stepped onto the enormous stone hand as it descended, using it as leverage. In a fluid motion, he ran up the arm, closing the distance to the leader's head. With a fierce cry, he plunged his sword directly into the creature's skull.
The sword sank in, but not deeply. Even with the strength of a Rank 1 high-grade blade, the mine spirit leader's defense was formidable. The weapon only managed to pierce a short distance before being stopped by the creature's stone-hard resistance. Still, the attack was enough to make the leader roar in panic, its orange eyes flaring as it flailed wildly.
Both of its massive hands rose, trying to grab Kaito off its head. But Kaito moved with agility, dodging each swipe. He pushed off, leaping high into the air, leaving his sword still lodged in the leader's skull. As he fell, he landed briefly on one of its stone hands, using the rebound to launch himself higher.
Then, twisting his body, he dropped straight down. His heel struck the hilt of his sword with tremendous force.
The kick drove the weapon deeper into the skull. Stone cracked under the blow, and the mine spirit leader let out another agonized roar that shook the cavern.
The cry echoed across the chamber, and every mine spirit fighting Marcus and the others froze for a brief moment, their green eyes flickering toward Kaito. The connection between the leader and its followers was undeniable.
Knowing he had to end this quickly, Kaito stayed on the leader's head. Instead of retreating, he raised his fist and hammered it down repeatedly against the hilt of the sword, striking it again and again. Each blow pushed the weapon deeper, widening the crack in the leader's skull.
The monster flailed, its huge body jerking in desperation. One massive hand swung up to slap Kaito away, but he dodged again at the last moment. The strike missed him and instead struck its own head.
The force of the blow even drove Kaito's sword even deeper, burying the sword almost entirely until only the handle remained visible.
Kaito's eyes lit up with fierce joy. He clutched the handle of the sword and swung his body down, using his weight to pull the sword sideways, trying to split the leader's skull in half. The jagged crack grew wider, and the mine spirit's roars became a deafening howl of pain.
But the creature's survival instinct surged. Writhing in agony, the mine spirit leader managed to clamp its massive hand around the embedded sword. With a violent yank, it tore the weapon free, the motion flinging Kaito off in the process.
Kaito was hurled across the cavern, his body smashing into the hard rock. With his sword, still in his hands, clattered as he struck the ground.