[Translator's Note: 3 + 3 = Sum of the chapters.]
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Jitto no longer knew how far he had run.
Though his physique was sturdier than most, his heavy frame weighed him down. Each step pounded his body like a hammer. His breath grew ragged, sweat poured from his forehead, and his legs screamed with exhaustion.
"No more… I can't… I—can't run anymore!"
He stumbled to a stop, bracing his hands against his knees, gasping like a man about to collapse.
The others, equally drained, faltered as soon as they heard him. Like a chain reaction, one by one, they stopped.
Yuhan frowned. She could have gone farther—her body was resilient, her stamina strong—but with the group halting, she had no choice but to pause with them.
"Where… where are we now?" someone asked between heavy breaths.
Only then did they realize they had wandered into a desolate, unfamiliar land.
The earth was no longer crimson—it was pitch black.
Whoosh.
A chilling breeze swept across the barren plain.
It wasn't strong, but it bit into their skin with an unnatural cold. The kind of cold that clung to the bones.
"Everyone, be careful!" Yuhan warned, her voice sharp.
The moment her words fell, the ground began to heave and churn, as though something beneath was clawing its way up.
"Ahhh!"
A shriek cut the air.
They turned to see a skeletal hand break through the soil, its bony fingers clutching a boy's ankle.
"Hold on!"
Yuhan dashed forward, her sword flashing. With a single strike, she severed the arm. The hand crumbled, and the boy stumbled back, freed.
"Th-thank you, Goddess Yuhan!" he stammered, eyes shining with adoration.
Yuhan's brow furrowed at the needless flattery, but she spared no response.
Because at that moment—
The entire plain erupted.
Crack! Rumble!
From the black soil, countless skeletons crawled forth.
Some were humanoid, others bestial, prowling on four limbs. Their forms were nothing but white bone, with no trace of flesh, but each empty skull held a pair of burning crimson flames where eyes should be.
The sight was grotesque.
The sheer number of them made it worse.
"Gh-ghosts!"
"Help us!"
"Great God Shura, save us!"
The students panicked. Some screamed until their voices cracked, some even lost control of their bladders in terror.
Most were too drained to run anymore. And worse—the skeletons kept coming, crawling endlessly from the ground until the humans were completely surrounded.
If no miracle arrived, this place would become their grave.
"Don't panic!" Yuhan shouted, forcing calm into her voice. "Back-to-back, form a circle! Hold on just a little longer—soon the Samsara Space will open!"
Her composure brought a flicker of hope. The students followed, forming a shaky ring, weapons trembling in their hands as they faced outward.
"Ahhh!"
Another scream tore through the night.
A girl froze, her legs giving out in fright. In an instant, a skeleton grabbed her and drained her body of flesh and blood.
Before their horrified eyes, her skin withered, her muscles shrank, and only bone remained.
Then, impossibly—
The girl's skeleton stood up again, red flames igniting in her hollow sockets.
She had become one of them.
Terror erupted into chaos.
The massacre began.
One after another, students were cut down. Their resistance was feeble; their fear left them helpless. Only Yuhan held the line with steady sword strikes, but her strength alone wasn't enough.
It was a slaughter.
Boom—!
Suddenly, thunder rumbled across the heavens.
Everyone's heads snapped upward.
Dark clouds churned above, lightning flashing within.
And from the distance, a blazing figure shot through the storm.
"It's Fenric!"
"The Shura God—he's here!"
"We're saved!"
Tears of joy spilled down faces moments ago twisted in despair. At last, hope returned.
Crack!
A bolt of lightning lanced down, striking the skeleton horde. The monsters shattered like fragile shells, unable to withstand the heavenly thunder.
Fenric descended like a storm, Thor's Hammer raised high.
He swung.
Boom—!
The hammer slammed into the ground, shattering the earth and leaving a deep crater.
Lightning burst out like a nest of serpents, arcing in every direction.
Zzzzt! Zzzzt!
Skeletons convulsed under the electric fury, their bones scattering across the plain.
In a single strike, an entire swath of enemies was annihilated.
Fenric stood amidst the storm, Thor's Hammer glowing in his grip, his figure wreathed in lightning. He looked less like a man and more like a war god descended to earth.
The sight rekindled the courage of those still alive.
Students screamed with newfound vigor, hacking at the monsters like men possessed.
"Belle, are you hurt?" Fenric appeared at Yuhan's side.
Her lips curved in a relieved smile. "I'm fine."
"Good. Then protect yourself. Leave the rest to me."
"Mm." She nodded firmly.
From the side, Isla watched the exchange, her heart sinking with disappointment.
Fenric soared back into the sky, summoning storm after storm. Skeletons fell by the dozens beneath his strikes.
Against ordinary humans, they were deadly. Against Fenric—they were nothing.
Only their overwhelming numbers made the battle last.
Even as he fought, Fenric's thoughts lingered on his earlier clash with the headless monster.
That thing had been a nightmare.
Hands and feet that could detach and attack from all angles. A body immune to thunder. Skin so thick even the Empyrean Divine Sword barely scratched it. And that burning, flame-spewing eye…
Had he not used Armament Haki to shield himself, he would have been crushed.
In truth, Fenric hadn't defeated it—he had bought time for the students to escape, then withdrawn. The monster was simply too powerful to face head-on.
And now, fate had driven him straight into another nightmare.
Rumble…
The earth shook violently beneath him.
From below, a massive skeletal hand, more than two meters wide, burst out of the ground.
The land itself split apart as the giant claw dragged itself free, turning the plain upside down.