Chapter 34 – The Dance of Fools and Flames
The cavern trembled with every breath the Revenant took.
Each exhale rolled through the Hive like molten thunder — hot, suffocating, and alive. The creature's towering frame was a grotesque monument of Qi and decay, molten veins crawling under its crimson skin, its eyes two blind furnaces that saw through everything.
Alicia stood near the broken ridge, her barrier quivering under the creature's sheer pressure. Sweat glistened on her forehead, her breath uneven, her mind screaming at her to retreat — but she couldn't. Not while the two in front of her stood their ground.
Vaibhav's blade glowed faintly, the residual aura flickering between blue and crimson, mirroring the storm in his veins.
And beside him, standing like a man who'd lost his mind and found his purpose in madness, was Shin.
The Revenant took a step forward — the ground caved beneath its heel. Qi bled out of its body like wildfire, the air warping from the sheer density of its presence.
Vaibhav muttered through clenched teeth, "We can't overpower that thing."
Shin twirled his baton lazily, his grin stretching wider.
"Good. Then let's outsmart it."
He clicked the side of his baton. A faint metallic ring echoed — and the weapon split open, revealing a slender blade inside, the edge lined with condensed flame.
> Shin: "Time for the Art of Distraction and Deception — Comedic Combat Style!"
The moment he moved, the air itself seemed to stumble.
Shin darted forward, zig-zagging like a drunk acrobat, leaving trails of laughter echoing behind him. His every motion was ridiculous — exaggerated spins, absurd leaps, unnecessary flips.
He whistled. He laughed. He even saluted the Revenant mockingly before lunging at its knees.
To anyone else, it looked like chaos — but Alicia knew better. Every laugh disguised a feint, every stumble masked a counter.
Smoke pellets disguised as ash burst from the ground, covering Shin's movement in mirage-like heat distortions.
The Revenant roared, its molten jaw splitting apart — a blast of Qi surged outward, disintegrating boulders in its wake. Shin ducked under it, rolling across the ground, flipping backward as if performing in a circus.
"Missed me, you molten meatball!" he yelled, tossing an ember-charged dagger that burst against the creature's side.
> Alicia (yelling): "You're insane!"
Shin (grinning): "Insanity's just strategy in disguise!"
The creature's claws came down like guillotines. Shin slid across the fractured ground, the claws tearing through the space where his head had been a moment ago.
He spun mid-slide, jabbing the baton's blade into the creature's ankle — a small spark of fire exploded outward.
The Revenant staggered — just slightly.
Vaibhav didn't waste a breath. His body blurred forward, his sword sweeping upward in a clean arc. The blade connected — a streak of crimson and blue Qi collided against molten flesh, carving a shallow gash across the Revenant's torso.
But before he could follow through, the wound sealed instantly — molten Qi knitting flesh like liquid iron cooling back into shape.
Vaibhav gritted his teeth. "Its regeneration's insane."
Shin laughed breathlessly, dodging another slam that sent rocks flying. "Then we'll just have to make it regret being alive!"
He leapt onto a broken pillar, using it to spring upward, landing squarely on the Revenant's shoulder. His blade plunged downward — but the creature's body convulsed, releasing a shockwave of pure Qi. Shin was flung backward, smashing into a wall of jagged crystal.
Alicia screamed, extending her hands. A translucent barrier flashed to life before Shin, absorbing the debris that rained down on him.
The barrier flickered, cracking from the impact.
"Shin!"
He coughed, wiping the blood from his lip, and grinned. "Still good. My face hurts, but that's normal."
The Revenant's attention turned toward Vaibhav again — its molten eyes locking onto him like a predator recognizing its rival.
The Revenant's claws came down in a blur. Vaibhav raised his sword just in time; the impact threw him backward, his boots grinding against the molten stone until he slammed into a wall. Sparks erupted as his sword clashed against its claws again and again.
Alicia poured her remaining Qi into reinforcement spells, her palms bleeding from overuse.
Her barrier surrounded the two men like shimmering crystal wings, flickering with every hit.
> Alicia: "I can't keep this up!"
Shin: "Then don't! Leave the defense to Vyuk — and the chaos to me!"
He inhaled deeply, his tone suddenly shifting — the laughter still there, but sharper now, colder.
His aura flared like wildfire — not in strength, but in rhythm. Each step, each breath, perfectly calculated.
"Let's dance, monster."
He darted forward again — but this time, his movements weren't erratic. They were precise, deliberate.
Every strike came with comedic absurdity — a backflip kick here, a fake stumble there — but underneath the fool's mask was the elegance of a predator.
His blade slashed along the Revenant's ribs, carving molten fragments that splattered like magma rain.
He flipped backward, smirking as he caught his breath. "And for my next trick—"
Vaibhav cut in sharply, "Just do it!"
"Fine, fine!" Shin shouted, flicking his wrist. A cluster of metallic spheres rolled across the ground — each glowing faintly red.
They exploded in smoke, ash, and light — heat mirages bent the air, turning the battlefield into a maze of illusions.
The Revenant swung blindly, its molten claws slashing through phantoms. Shin's laughter echoed from every direction.
"Too slow, hothead! Missed again!"
Each taunt drew the creature's attention, buying Vaibhav a window.
He stepped into the mist, vanishing from sight, his breathing shallow, his aura hidden. His sword hummed faintly.
He reappeared behind the Revenant — a flash of blue light slicing through its spine.
The beast bellowed, staggering to its knees for a brief instant before rising again.
But that single instant was enough — Shin's smirk widened.
> Shin: "Got you."
He slammed his palm against the ground — a flame array activated beneath the creature, lines of glowing sigils swirling around its legs.
"Boom."
The array detonated — a blinding explosion of fire and ash consumed the lower half of the Revenant's body. The air cracked, molten fragments scattering across the cavern.
Alicia shielded her eyes, her barrier shattering under the pressure.
When the smoke cleared, the Revenant was still standing. Its legs regenerated, flesh boiling and re-forming in seconds.
Shin stared up at it, panting heavily, the grin fading for just a moment.
"…I was kinda hoping that'd kill you."
The Revenant roared — louder, angrier. The air shuddered. The temperature spiked again, the cavern ceiling beginning to drip with molten rock.
Alicia's vision blurred. Shin's flames flickered weakly. Vaibhav's sword dimmed.
But none of them stepped back.
Because even surrounded by despair, something flickered in their eyes — defiance.
And as the Revenant raised its claws again, Shin looked over his shoulder at Vaibhav, and smiled faintly.
> Shin: "Hey, sword-boy. Your turn to lead the dance."