Kealix darted through the ruins, boots striking cracked stone as he sprinted toward the monster's massive backside. The others were keeping it distracted—barely—but it was enough.
The creature wasn't fast. Not anymore.
Which… was strange.
For something so agile, it was moving like it was dragging the weight of its own body. Each step slow. Labored. Sluggish.
Has it really been wounded that badly? Kealix wondered, weaving between twisted steel beams and broken slabs of concrete.
Good. That'll make this easier.
But "easy" wasn't the right word. Not with this thing.
He kept running, vaulting over shattered barricades and smears of dried blood. The air reeked of dust, decay, and something worse—like iron and ash.
The monster's body seemed endless, stretching at least forty meters if you included what was left of its shredded tail. Its flesh hung in strips. Muscles throbbed beneath torn hide. Even now, it was a grotesque marvel of destruction.
After several breathless seconds, Kealix reached his position—a vantage point just behind the beast where the old buildings hadn't completely collapsed. He skidded to a halt, crouched low, and looked back toward his allies.
A cold jolt shot through him.
They weren't okay.
Nox was airborne—in the air, right above the monster. From that height, from that angle… he was practically asking to die.
Shit. Shit. Shit. Kealix's heart slammed in his chest. I have to do something. Now.
But before he could even move, something changed.
Nox began to glow.
Not just shimmer—glow. Radiant and white-hot, like a star had ignited inside him. The light bled from every inch of his body, turning him into a falling comet.
And then—he punched.
Right as the monster opened its mouth to devour him, Nox's fist slammed into the top of its skull.
Is he insane?! Kealix thought, stunned—only for that thought to collapse as the aftermath unfolded.
The creature's head rocketed downward, smashing into the fractured concrete with a deafening crash. Dust exploded outward in a massive ring. The impact was brutal—complete. The monster didn't even roar.
It choked.
Kealix stood frozen for a second, stunned. That punch wasn't just lucky—it was inhuman. For Nox to land a blow like that… he'd have to be far beyond human limits. Beyond even what Kealix thought possible.
But that wasn't all.
Lucius had moved too.
Kealix spotted him kneeling in the rubble, both arms outstretched toward the beast. Then—light.
Brilliant chains of golden energy erupted around the monster, twisting through the air like divine serpents. They coiled around the creature from every direction—binding its limbs, its neck, even what remained of its mangled tail. The monster reared up, but the chains held.
It was trapped.
Kealix's breath hitched.
We… we can win this.
Hope surged like fire in his veins. This was the moment. The others were buying time, holding the monster in place—it was his turn to strike.
He bent low, so low he could taste the grit of blood and dust on the wind.
Then—he leapt.
The ground shattered beneath him as his body soared, rocketing into the air with a force that blurred the world around him.
He rose above the battlefield. Above the monster. The beast was pinned. Exposed. Wounded.
Kealix summoned his spear—golden, gleaming, thrumming with power. He aimed it downward, eyes locking on the wound carved into the monster's side. The weak spot. The opening.
His voice came low and steady:
"Lend me your strength… Betrayal."
A pause.
Then that familiar voice rasped back with a wicked grin:
[Heh. About damn time you said my name, kid.]
In an instant, a card burst from Kealix's pocket, pulsing with dark energy. Unlike the radiant Hero card before it, this one shimmered with a malevolent black hue. On its surface was an image that made Kealix's skin crawl—a man, bound by countless chains, pierced by weapons too many to count. A symbol of torment. Of struggle. Of raw, unforgiving strength.
The card was absorbed into his body like the last, and change came swiftly.
His golden gauntlets twitched—then twisted, reacting to the card's influence. Black, rusted chains coiled around them like serpents, embedding themselves into the metal. It was the same chain that bound the man on the card—now part of Kealix's flesh and spirit.
There was no hesitation.
Fueled by raw power and grim resolve, Kealix hurled the golden spear. He didn't just aim—he committed. The weapon tore through the air, humming with power, and struck the wounded flank of the beast with bone-crushing force.
It worked.
No—it exceeded expectations.
The spear not only hit the mark—it passed through the monster entirely. It punched through flesh and sinew, emerging from the other side like a bullet fired from a god's wrathful hand.
And yet…
The monster didn't fall.
It didn't scream.
It didn't react at all.
It just stood there.
Silent. Immobile. Watching.
What the hell? Kealix froze. His heart skipped a beat. Why… isn't it reacting?
Something felt wrong. Deeply wrong.
Then—it moved.
The golden chains of light snapped like string. Before Kealix could even think to dodge, the beast surged forward with horrifying speed, mouth wide open—aiming to swallow him whole.
"WATCH OUT!!!" Nox's voice tore through the air.
The creature hadn't been stunned. It wasn't waiting for some divine moment.
It was baiting him.
Waiting for this—an opening.
A clean kill.
Kealix leapt back, adrenaline screaming through his veins, but it wasn't enough.
Too close.
Too slow.
Shit—!
Terror gripped him. Real, primal terror.
He didn't want to die. Not here. Not like this. The fear of it burned through his chest, his limbs locking up as the monster's gaping jaws came crashing down—
And then everything went dark.
From the outside, the group could only watch in horror.
The monster's mouth closed with a sickening snap, and Kealix was gone.
Swallowed whole.
Nox dropped to his knees, his body trembling. His eyes, wide with disbelief, stared blankly at the spot where his best friend had just been.
Gone.
Lucius stood still, unable to speak. Alora covered her mouth, trembling. A weight dropped on them all—heavy and absolute.
But then—
Just before the jaws had sealed shut, Kealix had heard something.
A voice.
Quiet. Almost a whisper.
[You really ask a lot of us, don't you?]
It wasn't angry. It wasn't afraid.
It was… tired. But willing.
And then—
Light.
Brilliant, blinding light erupted from inside the creature's mouth, pouring out between its cracked teeth like the sunrise burning through stormclouds.
A flash of light burst beside Nox and Lucius—sharp and sudden.
And just like that… he was there.
Kealix.
Standing in the rubble, breathing hard—but alive.
No wounds. No explanation. No clue what had just happened.
Did he teleport?Was he saved? Not even he knew.
There was no time to ask. No time to process.
Because the monster was still standing.
Still breathing.
Still ready to kill.
And this wasn't over.
Not yet.
This was war.
A battle to the death.
Kealix nodded once—sharp, determined—and the group sprang back into action.
Lucius raised his hands, channeling every ounce of energy into his chains of light, attempting once again to restrain the beast. Meanwhile, Nox leapt onto the monster's head, gripping a bent metal pipe like a makeshift weapon, his eyes locked onto its one remaining eye.
He raised the pipe—and struck.
But the monster simply closed its eye.
The blow was useless. The impact bounced off with no resistance, no damage. Just like that, hope slipped from Nox's fingers.
Damn it...! Desperation gripped him.
He needed a real weapon. Anything sharp would do. He struck again, out of sheer will—but something changed.
Kealix saw it first. A strange, bright blue hue began to glow from the pipe—faint at first, then intense. It wasn't a pipe anymore.
It was a sword.
A blade, born from instinct and desperation, formed mid-strike as if responding to Nox's resolve.
The weapon pierced the monster's eye.
A shriek of pure agony tore from the beast as its body writhed violently. Nox couldn't hold on. He was thrown off like a ragdoll, crashing to the ground, dazed. But the sword—his sword—remained embedded in the creature's eye.
The monster was now blind.
And for the first time since this battle began, true hope ignited in all of them.
Lucius didn't waste the opportunity. His hands glowed with radiant light as chains erupted from the ground and sky, wrapping around the beast with divine force. The creature strained and fought, but more chains followed—dozens, then hundreds.
The monster was dragged toward the ground, shackled in place.
But still… it had strength left.
It let out a guttural roar and shattered the glowing chains with brute force.
Then, it sniffed.
Sniffed again.
Kealix's stomach sank.
Shit. It's tracking us by scent now.
The beast turned its ruined head toward him and Lucius, blind empty eye sockets burning with rage. Its growl rumbled through the air like a tremor. Then it charged.
"dodge!" Lucius shouted.
But before the creature could reach them—a barrier flashed into existence.
The monster slammed into it with devastating force, stopped cold.
Kealix turned and saw her—Alora. One hand extended, her expression strained but steady. She was holding the shield.
"Nicely done, Alora!" he called, a rare smile tugging at his lips.
Then his expression shifted. Calm. Focused.
"Can you drop the barrier?" he asked.
She stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "Are you kidding me?! That barrier is the only thing keeping you alive right now!"
He took a deep breath, gaze unwavering. "Just trust me."
Alora's lips parted, then closed again. She didn't respond, but she didn't have to. She understood.
And Kealix moved.
He was already crouched, already prepared. He launched himself into the air with the power of Betrayal coiled around his limbs, lifting him high—directly above the monster's head.
"Now!" he shouted midair.
The barrier vanished.
The creature snarled and prepared to lunge—but it was too late.
Kealix descended like a meteor, and with the full force of Betrayal pulsing through his fist, he punched.
A crunch like splintering stone echoed as his blow smashed the top of the monster's skull, driving it down.
"Nice!" Nox yelled from the far side, already running toward him.
But hope was premature.
The creature moved again.
Faster than ever before.
It launched itself straight at Nox, jaws wide and glistening with blood.
"Nox—!"
But before the monster could close its teeth around him, a wall of fire surged between them.
It roared—not in triumph, but in pain—as flames shoved it back with unrelenting force.
The group turned to the source.
A figure stood with flames coiling at his feet and fire blazing in his eyes.
Joshua.
He had returned.
"Well," Kealix thought, heart steadying, "aren't we lucky?"
The Lord of Flames has come to assist us.