Julius and Natasha advanced slowly toward the beast, an inexplicable confidence radiating from them—especially Julius, who showed no trace of fear or pressure. After all, he had been facing that creature for more than a decade.
Within moments, his figure vanished among the trees. The beast's growls and shrieks soon echoed through the forest, then faded into the distance. They must have already begun clashing.
Their absence, at the very least, gave the others time to process the revelations that had just been dropped on them. Several seconds passed, yet no one spoke. A heavy silence settled over the group. Their expressions were blank, their minds adrift—none more so than Celestia's. She seemed to be struggling the most to accept what she had just learned.
The forest she had walked through, the trees she had rested beneath, the wood she had used to light her fires... all of it was a graveyard.
She was terrified. The idea of lying forgotten beneath those trees chilled her more deeply than any monster or shadow ever could. Even if there wasn't anyone waiting for here or even remenbering her on the other side, perhaps that was the scariest part.
The Repantant was a massive tomb for countless souls—people who, like them, had once clung to hope before ultimately succumbing.
As for Ice and Ray, though the truth of the forest unsettled them just as much, what weighed on them even more was Julius's earlier statement, spoken with such unwavering conviction: that escaping this place was impossible.
And coming from someone who had just displayed such overwhelming strength, those words struck like a hammer.
So what choices were left to them now?
"Well, this isn't looking good, is it?" Ray said, his tone cool as usual.
Ice turned to him, then let out a short laugh. He was grateful that Ray could still maintain that laid-back attitude—or at least pretend to, even as the situation grew darker by the second. He shrugged.
"If even people strong like him can't escape, then we'll just have to be smarter. That's all."
Celestia stared at them as if they were insane. She couldn't understand how they could stay so calm, how they could even joke in the face of such despair.
Ice stood up and began walking in the direction Julius had gone. Celestia's glare followed him.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Without looking back, Ice replied, "To the fight. I need to see it."
Her voice rose in alarm. "Are you insane? Can't you hear the noise they're making? You'll get yourself killed!"
Ice smirked. "Relax. I'm not suicidal—just curious."
Celestia opened her mouth to protest, but Ice waved her off and took off running.
"I have to hurry," he called over his shoulder with a grin, "or I'll miss the show."
Ray smiled faintly and reassured her. "Don't worry. He'll be back."
Celestia let out a long, irritated sigh and sat down, arms crossed.
Meanwhile, Ice sprinted through the forest, following the distant roars and the occasional clash of steel. The sounds grew louder with every step until, after several minutes, he finally caught sight of the battle. He slowed and crept closer, crouching behind a tree for cover.
The creature Julius was fighting looked like another scaled beast, but unlike the one Ice had seen before, this one was on a completely different level. It was massive, its hide faintly tinged with red. One of its arms had morphed into a jagged, blade-like appendage. But what struck Ice most was the aura it exuded—menacing, suffocating, and utterly unnatural.
This was no ordinary monster. The way it tore through trees like paper left no doubt about its raw power.
Julius stood alone against it, while Natasha remained several meters back. The beast appeared far stronger, each of its blows easily capable of ripping a man apart. Yet Julius resisted,and more than that. Despite the enormous difference in size, he barely gave ground, countering each attack with surgical precision. It was as if he could predict every movement, placing his blade exactly where it needed to be.
Natasha, though not as powerful, played a crucial role in maintaining the rhythm of the fight. She moved with perfect timing, striking at every minor opening. Even now, as the beast turned its back on her, she lunged forward and slashed deep into its leg.
The beast howled and spun to face her, but she had already vanished. It turned back toward Julius, but it was already too late.
He lowered his stance, grounding himself. The sword in his hand pulsed with pure, blinding white light. Then, in a burst of speed Ice could barely follow, Julius surged forward and cleaved the beast's arm clean off in a single, flawless strike.
The monster roared in fury and charged again, undeterred by the wound or the black liquid;its blood, pouring from the severed limb. Weakened by its missing arm and slowed by the gash on its leg, it launched one final desperate attack.
But it was pointless.
Julius's sword flashed twice more, severing both of its legs. The beast crashed to the ground, helpless, staring up at its executioners.
Julius sheathed his sword and gazed down at the creature with a neutral expression—neither prideful nor relieved.
Hidden behind the tree, Ice's hands trembled with excitement. What he had just witnessed left him breathless.
Yes, the beast had been stronger. But Julius and Natasha possessed something else—something far more valuable in a place like this.
They were evolving.
They had faced that monster countless times, refining their strategy and mastering their understanding of it with every encounter.
And that, perhaps, was their greatest advantage in this hostile world.
The advantage of simply being human.