The scene shifted — to the fleeing adventurers.
The forest was no longer quiet.
Branches snapped. The earth cracked. Mana pulsed violently through the air.
At the front ran the leading black-armored girl — moving like a shadow cutting through chaos. Her armor was light, flexible, designed for speed rather than defense. Every step she took was precise—calculated. In each hand she held a blue blade, their edges glowing faintly as if infused with mana. Monsters that dared cross their path didn't survive long enough to scream.
A skeletal beast lunged from the left—
Blue light streaked across the air.
It fell in two pieces.
A corrupted tree tried to block the path—
She spun low, blades crossing in a sharp arc, carving a perfect path forward.
Behind her, the golden-armored man charged forward, carrying the injured woman securely in his arm. His breath was heavy, armor cracked, but he didn't slow down.
"Don't stop!" he shouted.
Then—
The ground trembled violently.
Not once.
Twice.
A thunderous roar tore across the sky, so powerful it shook the distant mountains. Birds scattered. Dust rained from trembling branches.
Two massive shadows rose from behind them.
Undead salamander dragons.
Their elongated skeletal bodies were wrapped in dark, scorched bone. Black flames burned inside their hollow eye sockets — not bright, but suffocating. Each step left scorch marks on the earth.
Without warning, both dragons leapt.
They soared over the fleeing trio, enormous skeletal frames blocking out the dim light above.
Then—
They crashed down in front of them.
The impact shattered the ground. Shockwaves rolled outward, splitting tree trunks and throwing debris high into the air.
The adventurers skidded to a halt.
The dragons raised their heads slowly, black flames flickering within their empty gaze.
The black-armored girl didn't hesitate.
Her eyes sharpened.
In an instant, dark mana erupted around her body like a living shadow. It wrapped around her limbs, sharpening her presence, silencing her aura.
Then—
She vanished.
Not truly invisible—
But too fast to follow.
In a blink, she appeared above the nearest dragon, her twin blue swords glowing intensely. With a flawless cross-slash, she carved through the creature's skull and spine mid-air.
For a single heartbeat—
The dragon froze.
Then its body split into multiple pieces, collapsing in fragments before even hitting the ground.
She landed lightly.
But the second dragon was already moving.
With a furious roar, it swung its massive skeletal tail toward her from the side, the air itself splitting from the force.
She reacted instantly.
Both swords crossed in defense.
Steel met bone.
The impact exploded outward.
Even with her perfect block, the raw power was overwhelming. The shockwave blasted through her guard, and she was thrown backward dozens of meters, skidding through dirt and shattered wood.
Trees snapped behind her as she was hurled across the forest floor.
But—
She flipped mid-air.
Twisted.
Adjusted her center of gravity.
With athletic precision, she landed in a low crouch, boots digging into the soil, blades still raised.
Dust settled around her.
Her breathing remained steady.
Almost unharmed.
Across from her, the remaining salamander dragon lowered its massive head, black flames intensifying.
Behind the trees—
High above—
Solaris watched silently.
His eyes gleamed.
"…Not bad."
---
The black-armored girl's composure finally cracked.
Still holding her stance against the salamander dragon, she shouted over her shoulder—
"You useless piece of shit! Don't just stand there—do something! I'm almost out of mana!"
Even as she spoke, dark energy flickered unevenly around her body. The shadow coating her armor was thinning.
The golden-armored boy clicked his tongue, completely unbothered.
"So dramatic," he said with a lazy smirk. "Who's the real useless one here? And since when does anyone need mana to defeat a C-rank salamander?"
The injured woman dangling from his arm suddenly twisted, smacking his shoulder weakly.
"Then stop talking and kill it already!" she snapped. "And unhand me, you moron! I am not a sack of potatoes, you fool—"
She tried to pry his grip loose.
He sighed.
"Yeah, yeah…"
Without warning—
He casually tossed her toward the ninja girl.
"WAIT— AAAAAA— YOU—!"
The black-armored girl's eyes widened, but her reflexes were sharp. She caught the airborne woman smoothly, turning her body to absorb the momentum before landing in a controlled slide.
Instead of dropping her, she shifted her into a proper carry, holding her securely and elegantly, as if she had done it countless times before.
"You're impossible," she muttered.
Meanwhile—
The golden-armored boy finally moved.
With deliberate calm, he drew his sword.
It was extravagant—refined golden lines ran along the blade, forming intricate patterns. Small magic circles glowed faintly along its fuller, humming with compressed power.
The air around him sharpened.
Then—
He vanished.
Not a blur.
Not a dash.
A disappearance.
In the next instant, he reappeared directly in front of the salamander dragon.
The undead creature barely had time to react.
A flash of gold streaked horizontally.
Four clean lines traced across its legs.
A split second later—
All four limbs severed simultaneously.
The massive skeletal dragon collapsed violently, crashing into the forest floor and sending debris flying.
Before it could even roar—
He was gone again.
Reappearing above it in midair.
Wind twisted around him. Aura condensed into his blade. His dark blue eyes began to glow, no longer lazy—now focused. Cold.
He raised the sword high overhead,
"HEAVY SLASH."
He descended.
Not falling—
But crashing down like a meteor.
The impact was catastrophic.
BOOM.
The ground shattered upon contact. A circular shockwave blasted outward, flattening trees and scattering shattered bone fragments in every direction.
The salamander dragon didn't merely split—
It exploded.
Its entire upper body disintegrated under the overwhelming force, bones fragmenting into countless pieces before dissolving into dark particles.
Dust filled the air.
Silence followed.
As the debris slowly settled—
He stood there.
Unharmed.
Not even a scratch on his polished golden armor.
In his right hand, he held the dragon's core—a pulsating black crystal radiating dense, corrupted energy. It throbbed like a dark heart, leaking faint wisps of shadow into the air.
Around him, the remaining fragments of bone trembled slightly… rattling against the ground.
As if something inside them refused to fully die.
---