Slowly, the world came back.
Dust rolled like fog across a ruined landscape. Smoke climbed upward in heavy, choking pillars. When the debris finally settled, the devastation revealed itself in full.
The small mountain was gone.
In its place yawned a colossal crater, hundreds of meters deep and wide, its edges jagged and molten, the earth torn open as if something had clawed its way out from beneath the world.
A shape moved.
Shane coughed, then groaned, fingers digging into loose gravel as he dragged himself forward. His cloak hung in tatters, one sleeve completely torn away, the black fabric scorched and stiff with ash. His mask lay cracked beside him, useless. He shoved it away and forced himself to his knees, breath shallow but controlled—pain acknowledged, not indulged.
"…That," he muttered, voice rough, "was excessive."
He pushed himself upright, joints protesting, and scanned the crater. Every instinct screamed that if Klaus hadn't forced the Phantom Jump at the last possible moment, there wouldn't have been anything left of either of them to complain.
"Lucky," Shane added, brushing dust from his eyes. "Uncomfortably lucky."
A laugh answered him.
Not panicked. Not hysterical.
Amused.
Klaus was already on his feet.
His cloak and mask were gone entirely, torn away by the blast. What remained was his tattered inner clothing. Ash clung to his hair and shoulders, and there was a thin line of blood at his temple that he hadn't yet bothered to wipe away. His eyes, however, were wide—not with fear, but with a gleam that bordered on delight. His mouth hung open for half a second before stretching into a grin that carried both excitement and something far less reassuring.
Shane followed his gaze.
His eyes widened, then narrowed as he forced himself calm and stood up.
"Well," Shane said slowly, exhaling through his nose, "looks like they prepared us a good present."
At the center of the crater stood a creature that made the devastation suddenly feel intentional.
It was massive—easily twenty meters tall—its silhouette carved against the lingering smoke. Two pairs of black wings unfurled from its back, not merely wings but elongated limbs, each ending in clawed hands. When it shifted, the membranes stretched and folded like living shadows.
Its torso was thick and powerful, the front a rough brown hide scarred with arcane markings, while the rest of its body faded into deep, oily black. Its head resembled that of a bat twisted into something regal and monstrous, crowned by two pairs of horns—one long and sweeping, the other shorter and jagged—forming a grotesque mockery of a crown.
Four black eyes locked onto them.
Not curious.
Evaluating.
Klaus whistled low. "You really upset them this time."
He folded his arms casually, as if they were discussing trivial matters rather than staring down a walking calamity. "They're willing to burn people just to make sure we're dead."
Shane didn't look away from the demon. "That's Sebas Warhog for you."
His jaw tightened slightly. "Releasing a level two hundred twenty High Demon Magus like it's a kennel pet." He glanced sideways at Klaus. "Question."
"Hmm?"
"Can we kill it?"
Klaus tilted his head, considering, then shrugged. "Maybe."
A beat after.
"…Wanna run?"
Shane scanned the crater's edges, then the surrounding ruins. The forest was gone, replaced by a massive, deep hole. Two major routes are located dozens of kilometers away, not to mention small villages along the way. Letting this thing roam free would turn the region into a nightmare.
"I wish," Shane replied. "But if that thing wanders off, my goods will be delayed."
Klaus snorted. "Priorities."
"Very expensive priorities."
Klaus's grin widened. "Wanna bet?"
Shane finally allowed himself a thin smile. "Five hundred gold coins for its head."
"Cheap," Klaus said, already rolling his shoulders loose. "But better than nothing."
The demon moved.
Its wings curled inward, folding and reconfiguring to form what looked like two additional pairs of arms. Stone cracked beneath its feet as it leaned forward, mana rippling through the air like heat.
Klaus's shotgun materialized in his hands with a flicker of light.
He vanished.
Phantom Step.
He reappeared midair near the creature's upper shoulder, shotgun already angling for a point-blank blast—
—and a massive clawed fist was already there.
The speed was obscene.
"Phantom Jump."
The fist crushed nothing but an afterimage, pulverizing the air where Klaus had been. He reappeared twenty meters away, boots skidding across stone as he steadied himself.
"…Fast," Klaus admitted. "Very fast."
Above the demon, six black orbs began to form, dense with compressed mana. The air vibrated as they rotated into position.
Klaus's smile sharpened. "Alright then."
He raised a hand. "Since you're evil—"
Light washed over him.
"—I'll fight you with divinity."
Mirror Image.
His form shifted, robes of white and gold replacing ash-stained clothes. His features softened into serene calm, his presence suddenly radiant and gentle.
Priestess Illumi Webleton stood where Klaus had been.
He smiled, "Let's get the party goin'."
Then he froze.
"…Oh."
The realization hit a second too late.
Illumi was divine, yes—but her strength lay in incantation, not combat.
"Damn it," Klaus muttered as a beam of mana tore past his shoulder. "How can I forget the basics?... Skills and masteries are different things."
Another beam scorched the ground at his feet as he leapt aside.
"I should've picked Paladin Jason!"
He jumped, rolled, Phantom Jumped, and backflipped in rapid succession, white robes flaring as mana beams rained down with relentless precision.
"Does this thing have eyes everywhere," Klaus shouted, narrowly dodging another blast, "or can it predict my movements?"
Shane watched from the edge of the crater, already moving at a slow pace, calculating angles and timing.
He vanished again, reappearing behind the demon, shotgun roaring—
The blast struck a massive arm instead, sparks flying as the creature barely flinched.
Another limb swung.
Phantom Jump.
A beam followed.
Klaus barely escaped, landing hard and skidding across stone.
"…Yeah," he said, straightening, eyes narrowing. "This won't do."
He cracked his neck once.
"I need a different Keeper."
Klaus snapped his fingers.
The glow shattered.
Mirror Image — Deactivated.
White-and-gold robes dissolved into drifting motes as his body snapped back to normal mid-stride. His boots skidded across cracked stone, dust spraying as a mana beam tore past his shoulder and carved a molten scar into the ground behind him.
"Much better," Klaus muttered—then ducked.
A claw the size of a carriage swept overhead. The pressure alone flattened loose rubble. Klaus slid on one knee, twisted, and Phantom Jumped as another limb slammed down, shattering the rock where his spine had been a moment earlier.
The demon roared, the sound layered and unnatural, vibrating through bone rather than air. Above it, six black orbs shifted, tracking Klaus with mechanical precision.
Beams fired again.
Klaus zigzagged, jumped, vanished, reappeared—each movement chained tighter than the last. Sweat streaked down his temple; his grin stayed, but it was thinner now.
He lifted a hand on instinct.
"Mirror Image—"
A translucent warning flared before his eyes.
Warning:Skill cannot be activated.
Mirror Image still ongoing.
Cooldown: 23 hours, 54 minutes.
Klaus's smile cracked.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
He Phantom Jumped sideways as a beam tore through the space he'd occupied, landed hard, and barely caught himself from tumbling.
"Damn it," he hissed. "I'm stuck with Priestess Illumi."
Another swipe came. Klaus vaulted backward. His mind raced faster than his body, options flashing and dying in the same breath.
Illumi had no weapon mastery.
No reinforcement.
No combat miracles worth mentioning.
A claw crashed down, pulverizing stone. Klaus rolled, came up behind a fractured slab, shotgun already in his hands. The weapon felt wrong—too mundane, too heavy for what he needed.
Then his eyes sharpened.
"…Right," he breathed. "Divine incantation."
Klaus glanced sideways mid-dodge and caught sight of Shane casually walking towards him.
Of course he is, Klaus thought.
Calm, composed, no hesitation at all.
A beam screamed toward him. He Phantom Jumped up and over it, landed awkwardly, and slid to a stop.
"If I can't fight like a priestess," he muttered, already moving, "I'll cheat like one."