again.
Each strike shook the walls.
Each breath burned.
Samaya staggered, barely keeping his footing.
Behind him—
The doors burst open.
Neel rushed in first, mana flowing steadily around his arms.
Bloody followed, teeth bared, eyes sharp.
Three Horn slammed his hooves against the marble floor, the stone in his head glowing faintly.
"Samaya!" Neel shouted. "We're here!"
Samaya didn't turn.
"Stop," he said.
Neel froze.
"What?"
Samaya blocked another attack, sliding back across the floor. Blood dripped from his mouth, but his voice stayed firm.
"Don't help me," Samaya said.
"Help them."
Neel's eyes widened.
Samaya glanced briefly toward the iron doors lining the palace walls.
"The people locked in the cells," he said.
"Free them."
The boss laughed loudly.
"Still playing hero?" he mocked.
"You think freeing slaves changes anything?"
Samaya tightened his fists.
"It changes everything."
Neel clenched his jaw.
Then nodded.
"You heard him," Neel said.
Bloody barked sharply.
Three Horn lowered his head and charged.
⸻
Scene Shift – The Prison Halls
Chains rattled as Neel slammed his fist into the first cell door.
Mana surged.
The lock shattered.
Inside, villagers stared in disbelief.
"You're free," Neel said. "Run."
Bloody tore through guards that rushed in, his movements fast and precise.
Three Horn unleashed another sonic burst, collapsing walls and breaking locks down the corridor.
Cell after cell opened.
People stepped out.
Weak.
Shaking.
But alive.
Among them—
The tiny girl stood frozen, staring toward the palace hall.
"That man…" she whispered.
"He's fighting alone."
Her fists clenched.
"He's not alone," she said suddenly.
"He's our savior."
Neel looked at her sharply.
"No," he said.
"He's just someone who refused to look away."
The villagers began to move.
Some ran.
Some helped others stand.
Some picked up fallen weapons.
Hope didn't roar.
It spread.
⸻
Back to the Boss Chamber
The boss wiped blood from his mouth.
"Oh?" he said, smiling wider than before.
"You're still standing."
Samaya charged again.
Their fists collided.
The shockwave shattered pillars.
Samaya pushed forward, teeth clenched, screaming with effort.
"This ends now!"
The boss was driven back—step by step—until his heel hit the edge of the platform.
For the first time—
His smile faded.
"You think this is victory?" the boss said quietly.
The ground beneath him cracked.
Mana exploded outward.
The boss stood straight.
Stronger.
Larger.
His aura crushed the air itself.
"This was only the first stage."
Samaya was thrown backward, slamming into the wall.
Outside the chamber, people screamed.
Neel felt it.
"Everyone out!" he shouted. "NOW!"
Villagers fled the palace.
Guards ran.
Walls collapsed.
The chamber doors slammed shut.
Silence.
Inside—
Only two remained.
Samaya, struggling to stand.
And the boss—reborn in power.
The boss stepped forward slowly.
"Now," he said calmly,
"let's see how long hope lasts… when it stands alone."
Samaya wiped the blood from his eyes.
He raised his fists.
"I don't need hope," he said.
"I am it."
The next strike came without warning.
Samaya didn't even see it.
A violent force slammed into his chest and sent him flying across the chamber. His body crashed against the broken wall and fell hard to the floor.
Blood splattered across the stone.
His vision blurred.
His ears rang.
Samaya tried to move—but his body refused.
Pain flooded every nerve.
He coughed.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
The boss stood above him, aura raging wildly.
"So fragile," the boss said calmly.
"This is what happens when hope stands against power."
Samaya's fingers twitched.
But he couldn't rise.
⸻
The Rescue
The palace doors shattered.
Neel charged in first, eyes blazing.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
Bloody leapt forward, teeth sinking into the boss's leg.
Three Horn followed, slamming the ground as a sonic wave tore through the room.
The boss was forced back.
Neel skidded beside Samaya, dropping to his knees.
"Samaya—stay with me!"
Bloody growled fiercely, standing in front of Samaya's broken body.
Three Horn positioned himself beside them, stone glowing brighter than ever.
All three stood together.
Against the boss.
Samaya watched through half-open eyes.
They're fighting… for me.
His chest tightened.
I can't even stand.
Neel took a heavy hit and was thrown aside.
Bloody yelped as mana blasted him across the floor.
Three Horn staggered, the stone flickering dangerously.
Samaya's breath shook.
"No… stop…" he whispered.
Tears mixed with blood on his face.
I can't protect them.
I'm useless.
⸻
Something Changed
Then—
The pain shifted.
It didn't disappear.
But it focused.
Samaya felt heat surge through his veins.
Mana—raw and violent—began flooding his body.
Not from outside.
From within.
"What…?" Samaya gasped.
His heartbeat thundered.
The wounds on his body burned.
His hands trembled.
Mana overflowed uncontrollably, cracking the floor beneath him.
Neel noticed first.
"Samaya…?"
Bloody turned.
Three Horn's stone reacted—glowing in resonance.
Samaya forced his palms against the ground.
Slowly—
Painfully—
He stood.
Blood dripped from his mouth.
His body screamed for rest.
But his presence changed.
The boss narrowed his eyes.
"That pressure…" he muttered.
Samaya raised his trembling hand.
He snapped his fingers.
Snap.
The air froze.
The boss's body locked mid-motion—suspended in the air as if reality itself had grabbed him.
"What—?!" the boss shouted, struggling.
His mana didn't respond.
He looked down.
Samaya was standing.
Alive.
Smiling faintly.
⸻
The Counterattack
Samaya vanished.
In the next instant—
BOOM.
His fist crashed into the boss's face.
Another punch.
Another.
And another.
The palace shook with each impact.
The boss was driven backward, smashed into pillars, slammed into the ground.
"Impossible!" the boss roared.
Samaya didn't answer.
He kept moving.
Punch after punch.
Faster than before.
Stronger than before.
His body was broken—
But his potential had awakened.
The boss laughed suddenly.
Blood ran from his mouth.
"Good," he said.
"Very good."
His form began to distort.
His body faded.
"No matter," the boss continued calmly.
"This was… entertaining."
In a flash of warped mana—
The boss vanished.
Silence fell.
⸻
Aftermath
Dust settled.
The palace stopped shaking.
Samaya dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
Neel rushed to him.
"You did it," Neel said softly.
Villagers slowly stepped back inside.
They stared at Samaya.
Wide-eyed.
Whispering.
"He defeated the boss…"
"That boy…"
Samaya looked down at his shaking hands.
"I didn't win," he said quietly.
"He escaped."
But the chains were broken.
The guards were gone.
The village was free.
Bloody leaned against Samaya.
Three Horn lowered his head beside him.
For the first time—
Samaya wasn't alone.
And for the first time—
The world had noticed him.
End of Chapter 6