The air was unnervingly still.
No birdsong in the forest.
No whispers of wind between the trees.
Shimoro was staring at the red scale piece in his hand, its surface shimmering faintly under the daylight, when he heard Ryo mutter:
"Something is… moving."
Shimoro lifted his head quickly, his eyes scanning the shadows between the dense trees.
Then the sound came—soft at first, like the footsteps of a massive beast walking on damp soil.
But something about those steps wasn't natural… the rhythm was uneven, as if the earth itself trembled under its weight.
Suddenly, the trees split apart with a thunderous crack, and a creature larger than anything they had encountered before.
Its body was covered in dark, fractured scales leaking red steam, and its mouth resembled the opening of a volcano, exhaling a faint but deadly glow of fire.
Its eyes… were yellow and cold.
Shimoro stepped back instinctively and whispered, voice trembling:
"What… is this thing, seriously!?"
Ryo responded with a fully serious expression, his voice rough with tension:
"A beast of rank… no, maybe C… no, closer to low B."
"I didn't think creatures of this level could come near the outer edges of the forest…"
Then, barely audible, he muttered to himself:
"This sword… won't last long."
He raised his old sword—its once-sharp blade dulled from countless battles, a thin crack running across the center.
But Ryo's eyes held determination, not fear.
"Stay behind me, Shimoro!"
He didn't wait for a reply.
In an instant, the air erupted around him, violent winds swirling so intensely they almost ripped the trees from the ground.
(Wind slashes)!
Blades of wind shot forward at the speed of sound, tearing into the creature's outer scales—but they didn't bring it down.
The beast roared with a force that shook the entire forest, then countered with a violent attack, spewing a ball of red flame from its mouth.
Ryo rolled aside, raising his sword, but the heat grazed his shoulder, burning part of his cloak.
"Damn… its power is far beyond the D-ranked beasts for sure idiot!"
Shimoro stood frozen, unable to move.
The creature looked like something from an ancient legend—huge like a giant, yet moving with unnatural speed.
Ryo yelled while blocking another strike:
"Shimoro! Run now!"
Shimoro shouted back, his voice filled with pressure and conflict:
"What?! I'm not leaving you!"
Ryo replied sharply, dodging a heavy swipe from the beast:
"You're exhausted! The energy inside you still hasn't stabilized! This creature isn't your level yet, shimoro the idiot!"
Shimoro hesitated, then looked at his trembling hands—still shaking from cold, from fear.
He knew his body hadn't fully recovered from the previous battle, and his icy energy was barely responding to him.
At that moment, a small piece of Ryo's sword cracked with a sharp snap.
"Damn… didn't I say you couldn't handle me anymore?" he muttered bitterly to the blade.
Then, in a voice barely louder than a whisper in the storm, he said to himself:
"That's why… I need the new sword."
Ryo moved with incredible speed, delivering a downward diagonal strike that made the beast's body shudder.
But the creature resisted, roared fiercely, and swatted Ryo away. He crashed into a massive tree trunk, splitting it.
"Ryo!" Shimoro shouted.
Ryo stood with difficulty, panting, blood dripping from his arm. He lifted his gaze toward Shimoro and yelled with firm authority:
"I told you… RUN! That's an order!"
His voice was full of anger and raw seriousness.
Shimoro froze for a heartbeat, then bit his lip and whispered in frustrated, pained obedience:
"I'll come back… I wish you will not die."
He sprinted through the trees, leaving Ryo alone against the creature.
The air around Ryo became turbulent, the forest trembling under the pressure of his and the beast's presence.
Ryo raised his sword one more time—the crack had grown, the blade's shine completely gone.
"I'm not running… not now."
He began gathering the winds around him, his body glowing with a white aura.
(White Wind Storm)!
A massive burst of energy erupted around him, the winds surging like a flood of blades toward the beast. They sliced through its flesh, sending shards of its scales flying in all directions.
But the ground shattered under the pressure, and Ryo's sword… broke completely.
He stood amid the dust and smoke, weaponless, breathing heavily.
The winds circled around him protectively, and the creature staggered, wounded but still alive.
"Damn… you're still standing?" he said with a tired smile, then whispered in a fading voice swallowed by the chaos:
"Now I understand… why Arabisel Forest is called the abyssal path...."
Far away, Shimoro was catching his breath, hearing the echoes of the battle fade into the distance, his heart pounding violently.
He didn't know what awaited him when he returned—but something deep inside him told him that tonight… would be the beginning of something irreversible.
To be continued…