While Klaus was recovering some distance away, the battlefield around the sand wyrm turned into a different kind of chaos.
Petra, Maddy, and Shalotte thought they were helping Shane.
In reality, they were mostly trying not to get killed by him—while also fighting a giant sand wyrm at the same time.
"Boss! Shane! Stop moving like that!" Maddy shouted, even as she ran.
She already knew it was useless, but yelling at him made her feel a little better.
Shane—if he could still be called that—no longer showed any sign of recognition. His abomination form loomed over the battlefield, towering and uneven. Black threads crawled over his torn flesh, stitching deep wounds shut with wet, unnatural sounds. Metallic claws dragged through the sand, carving long scars into the ground. His eyeless face turned slowly, aimlessly.
Friend. Foe. Wyrm.
To him, everything was just something to hit—or bite.
Maddy clicked her tongue and forced herself to focus. If Shane wouldn't listen, then fine. She darted forward, mana flooding into her dagger until it extended into a humming aetherblade. The heat from the wyrm rolled over her face as she aimed for its exposed side, teeth clenched.
"Hold still for one second, you overgrown lizard—"
She struck.
The blade scraped against the wyrm's scales with a sharp screech, sparks flying. The impact rattled up her arm, and when she pulled back, she saw the result.
Scratches.
Barely scratches.
"…Oh come on," Maddy hissed. "That's it?"
Before she could strike again, a crushing pressure slammed into her senses, instinct screaming danger.
"—Maddy!"
Shalotte's warning rang out, high and panicked.
Too late.
Shane lunged from her blind side, his massive arm swinging down in a brutal arc. Maddy's eyes widened.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME—"
She twisted hard, the claws missing her by inches. Sand exploded where she had been standing. Without thinking, she planted a foot against Shane's shoulder, using his forward momentum as a springboard. She flipped backward, coat snapping in the air, and kicked off him with all her strength.
Blue light flashed.
Her heart hammered as she vanished.
Fifty meters away, Maddy reappeared in a low crouch, boots digging into the sand as she slid to a stop.
"…Okay," she panted, hands on her knees. "This new skill is officially my favorite thing ever."
She barely had time to breathe before she looked up again.
Just in time to see the sand wyrm's claw slam straight into Shane.
The impact sent his massive body flying like a broken doll. He skipped across the sand, carving a deep trench before crashing into a dune in a cloud of dust.
Maddy winced despite herself."Oh gods. Boss, you idiot… stay down for five seconds, will you? We need to kill the wyrm, not each other."
Petra didn't wait for anything else.
"Move!" she barked.
She charged.
Her boots pounded against the sand, each step heavy and aggressive. She dragged her scythe behind her, sparks flickering where the blade kissed stone. Her eyes burned with impatience, frustration sharpening into reckless excitement.
"Moonblade!"
She leapt and swung with everything she had.
The scythe's curved edge glowed pale white as it struck the wyrm's back. The impact landed solidly, and a visible crack spread across one of its scales.
The wyrm roared.
It wasn't serious damage—but it was damage.
Petra grinned wildly."You worm!" she shouted. "Did you feel that?!"
The wyrm turned.
Too fast.
Its massive tail whipped around like a living battering ram.
"—Tch!"
Petra barely had time to brace before the tail slammed into her side. She was hurled backward, crashing into a cluster of rocks with a loud, ugly crack.
"Petra!" Maddy shouted.
Petra slid down the stone, coughing hard. Blood trickled from her forehead, dripping onto the sand. For a moment, she stayed still.
Then she laughed.
A transparent panel flickered into existence in front of her.
Your health dropped below 80%.
Initiating Passive Skill: Berserker's Blood (Stage Two).
All attributes increased by 100 points.
Her crimson aura flared darker, thicker, wrapping around her body like living fire. Petra wiped the blood from her brow and pushed herself up, eyes gleaming.
"That was a good hit," she said, smiling.
And then she charged again.
From a distance, the dune exploded.
Shane stood up.
His left arm and shoulder dangled unnaturally, a wound so deep it nearly split him in half. Blood poured freely, flesh twitching and pulsing. He tilted his head, then smiled—a twisted, empty grin.
Black threads surged.
In a second, they stitched the wound shut.
Shane lifted his arm, rolling the shoulder slowly, as if testing whether it worked properly. Then he roared—raw, violent—and leapt high into the air toward the wyrm.
The wyrm focused on Petra first. Flames gathered in its throat, heat distorting the air.
Petra planted her feet and spun her scythe in front of her."Eclipse!"
A black, rotating shield bloomed into existence, just in time to block the torrent of fire. The impact forced her backward, boots carving trenches as she gritted her teeth and held her ground.
Then the wyrm shifted.
It snapped its jaws shut and redirected the flames toward Shane, who was still mid-air.
Shane didn't dodge.
The fire engulfed him.
At the same time, the beast's tail lashed toward Petra again.
Petra jumped, twisting in the air, scythe swinging behind her as crimson aura surged.
"Moon Fang!"
The aura stretched outward, forming a massive crescent of red light. She grinned through clenched teeth.
"Taste this, bastard."
The wyrm noticed too late.
Burned but still charging, Shane slammed into its side just as Petra's crescent blade tore through the air. The beast panicked, sweeping Shane sideways—
—straight into the path of the attack.
The crimson blade cleaved through both Shane's body and the wyrm's limb in one violent arc.
Sand, blood, and fragments exploded outward.
Shalotte stared, frozen, staff shaking in his hands."…I—I think," he said weakly, "this is getting out of hand."
Maddy groaned and rubbed her temples. "Yeah," she muttered. "That sounds about right. I think I might use my ultimate now."