Maddy folded both her hands in front of her chest, fingers locking tight as mana surged wildly around her. The air vibrated, sand lifting and spinning as if caught in an invisible storm.
"Ulti—" she started, jaw clenched.
"Don't," Shalotte blurted out, stumbling forward and grabbing Maddy's sleeve. "Don't use it, Maddy. It's pointless."
Maddy snapped her head toward her. "Pointless? Are you blind? We're getting shredded out there!"
Shalotte swallowed and pointed with his staff, hands shaking but eyes focused.
"Look."
Maddy followed her gaze.
Shane's body lay in two cleanly severed parts on the sand—at least, it had been severed. Black threads oozed out from both halves like living veins, writhing and stretching across the ground. They latched onto the other half, tugging and pulling, dragging flesh and bone together with sickening, wet sounds.
The pieces reconnected.
The wound sealed.
Shane stood again.
Maddy's mouth tightened. "…You've got to be kidding me."
The sand wyrm roared, its massive head snapping toward Petra with pure fury. Blood poured from its severed limb, dark and steaming as it soaked into the sand. The beast slammed its tail against the ground, sending tremors through the battlefield.
Shalotte let out a long, tired sigh.
"Let's trust Petra can handle both of them for now," he said quietly. "Until the wyrm is dead."
He adjusted his grip on the staff and added, almost apologetically, "Beasts are immune to my ultimate. I can't do anything meaningful until the wyrm is gone… then I'll deal with Boss."
Maddy stared at the battlefield for a few seconds longer. Her hands slowly lowered, the unstable mana dispersing into the air. She reached down and pulled the daggers from her waist belt, their hilts familiar and reassuring.
"…Fine," she muttered. "Then I'll give them a hand or two."
And with that, she dashed forward.
Petra smirked as she faced the sand wyrm head-on, purple aura rolling off her like heat. She cracked her neck, eyes locked on the beast.
"Are you angry now?" she taunted.
She charged again, boots tearing through the sand, scythe dragging behind her as she pulled it back for another heavy strike.
The wyrm answered with flames.
Petra didn't slow.
"Eclipse!"
She spun her scythe, a black shield blooming in front of her just as the flames crashed into it. The impact shoved her backward, but she dug her boots in—
—and then the wyrm's tail slammed in from the side.
Petra saw it at the last second and jumped.
That was when Shane hit her.
He lunged mid-air, claws slashing down. Petra barely managed to block, but the force ripped through her armor. Metal screeched. Pain tore through her arm as blood sprayed into the air.
"Gah—!"
Shane followed up with a brutal kick that sent her flying. He roared, a sound without reason or recognition.
Petra slammed into the sand, skidded, and crashed hard against a rock formation. One jagged stone punched through her armor and pierced her side, pinning her in place.
She coughed, blood spilling from her lips.
Her eyes lifted.
Shane was already gone—now clamped onto the wyrm's neck, his jaws biting down with monstrous strength. Cracks spiderwebbed across the wyrm's scales as it thrashed violently, trying to shake him loose.
Petra chuckled weakly.
"…Not bad, Boss."
A transparent panel flickered into existence before her vision.
Your health dropped below 50%.
Initiating Passive Skill: Berserker's Blood (Stage Five).
All attributes increased by 250 points.
Her aura shifted, deepening into a violent purple. Petra grabbed the rock impaling her, gritting her teeth, and yanked herself free.
Blood poured down her side.
She smiled anyway.
She charged—faster than before.
The wyrm noticed her and reacted instantly. One massive claw skewered Shane and hurled him like a weapon toward her.
"Tch."
Petra kicked Shane mid-flight, the impact echoing like thunder. His body flew past her, smashed through the rocks, and finally stopped at the edge of the glassy crater.
The wyrm roared and unleashed another wave of flames.
Maddy appeared on its shoulder in a flash of blue light.
"Aetherblade!"
Her glowing dagger struck—but only sparks flew as the blade scraped uselessly across the scale.
"…Seriously?" Maddy snapped.
"Get out of the way!" Petra shouted.
Maddy didn't panic. She leapt back just as Petra swung.
"Moonblade!"
The purple crescent sliced through the flames, cutting them cleanly in half, then slammed into the wyrm's body. The beast staggered, its massive form collapsing to one side.
Maddy retreated in a blur, landing safely as the attack passed.
Petra clicked her tongue.
"You idiot," she barked. "Just watch. You can't do anything here but be a liability."
Maddy bristled. "I am helping!"
The sand beneath Petra suddenly surged.
The wyrm's tail erupted upward, but Petra was already moving. She swung her scythe in a clean arc, severing the tail mid-motion.
The wyrm screamed.
It began to rise again, its throat glowing dangerously bright.
Petra didn't hesitate.
She never did.
"Still breathing?" she muttered, baring her teeth in a grin. "Then shut up already."
She charged straight at it.
Sand exploded under her boots as she sprinted forward, aura flaring violently around her body. The wyrm's head tilted back, flames surging upward, ready to swallow her whole.
Petra leapt.
Before the fire could reach her—
"Moon Fang!"
Her scythe screamed through the air. A massive purple crescent tore free from the blade, stretching wider than Petra herself. It sliced cleanly through the wyrm's body, passing through flesh, scale, and bone as if they were paper, before continuing onward into the open desert.
For a single heartbeat—
Everything went silent.
Then the horizon exploded.
A deafening blast rippled outward, sending shockwaves through the dunes. Sand rose like a tidal wave, and the wyrm's body stiffened before its head slid free and crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom.
The corpse collapsed.
Petra landed lightly, boots sinking slightly into the sand. She didn't turn around. She didn't sigh in relief. She didn't even smile.
A transparent notification flickered into existence in front of her.
You've killed Level 233 Sand Wyrm.
She dismissed it without a glance.
Instead, her eyes locked onto another figure.
Beyond the shattered rocks, Shane was standing up again.
His body twisted unnaturally as black threads crawled across his flesh, stitching torn muscle and shattered bone back together. His mouth stretched wider than it should, jaw creaking as it opened into a grotesque, satisfied grin.
Petra rolled her shoulders, blood still dripping from her wounds, and lifted her scythe.
"…Think your regeneration can keep up with my cuts, Boss?"
Shane answered with a roar.
Both of them charged at the same time.
Before they could engage in a battle.
A voice cracked through the air.
"WAIT—!"
Shalotte leapt forward, nearly tripping over his own staff as he jumped. He flailed for balance mid-air, eyes wide.
"Ultimate skill—Metamorphosis!"
A bright pinkish glow erupted outward, slamming into the battlefield like a sudden wall. The light forced both Petra and Shane to halt mid-charge.
Shane tilted his head slowly, sensing the strange power with his sewn, sightless eyes.
As the glow faded, a new figure stood between them.
Not Shalotte.
At least… not entirely.
A seductive fae hovered above them, pointed ears twitching as butterfly wings fluttered gently behind her back. Pink dust drifted from her wings, sparkling faintly in the air.
It was Shalotte's ultimate form.
She—or he—smiled faintly and spoke in a soft, enchanting voice.
"Dream World."
The pink dust scattered wider, settling over Petra and Shane. Both of them stood completely still, eyes unfocused, bodies locked in place.
Maddy jogged over, daggers resting loosely in her hands. She looked Shalotte up and down, then whistled.
"Honestly," she said, shaking her head, "I'm kind of jealous of that body of yours, Shalotte."
Shalotte groaned. "I hate it."
Maddy blinked. "What? Why? That's an amazing skill."
"It only brings trouble," Shalotte replied flatly, wings drooping slightly. "All we need to do now is wait until Boss's ultimate wears off."
Maddy crossed her arms. "How long?"
Shalotte thought for a moment. "…If I remember correctly, thirty minutes."
Maddy's face fell. "Thirty—are you serious?"
Shalotte ignored her and turned toward Petra. Blood continued to drip from Petra's side, soaking into the sand.
"Morning Dew," Shalotte said.
A small flower bud sprouted from the ground in front of Petra. It slowly opened and floated upward, hovering near her lips. A single drop of golden liquid formed and touched her mouth.
Petra gulped instinctively.
Warmth spread through her body. The wounds across her side began to knit together, flesh closing, pain fading.
Shalotte nodded, clearly relieved. "That will be enough."