Kenzo struggled, his breath coming in ragged gasps as he dodged an onslaught from the incoming Goblins. Under the weight of his anxiety, his emotion-driven powers flickered; his clones lost their solid edges, melting into a translucent, jelly-like substance. They were easy pickings for the monsters, and seeing his power fail only made the Goblins bolder.
However, as the clones softened, Kenzo's world exploded into a symphony of sound. His ESDP
(Emotional-State Driven Powers) had shifted with his shame; the insecurity that robbed his clones of their physical strength had traded it for a supernatural sharpening of his hearing. He could hear the Goblins' frantic heartbeats and the distinct hiss of a spear cutting through the air toward his face.
Instinct took over. A clone surged from his body, its jelly-like form absorbing the spear's impact like a damp sponge. Using the opening, Kenzo swerved around, burying his new dagger into the Goblin's throat. He didn't stop there. He spawned more clones, the group barely clutching the blade as they passed it between each other in a blurred cycle of Kinetium. With every kill, the jelly began to firm. The translucent edges started to solidify.
"I'm not just going to survive this", Kenzo thought, his grip tightening. "I'm going to be the one they talk about."
BOOM.
The left cavern wall disassembled instantly. The Goblins ran away as the stones floated apart as if moved by an invisible hand, revealing a jagged void. Through the gap stepped a massive beast clad in armor. The monster belonged in the nightmares of Level 10: A TITAN.
"What the hell is that doing down here?" Ren yelled.
The Titan lumbered inward, its sheer mass displacing the air until Kenzo felt the pressure in his lungs. Behind it, the wall reassembled, sealing the exit with a mana-fused mortar that hummed with a dark, vibrating energy.
"Ignore the wall!" A voice boomed, cutting through the panic like a war horn. It was the armored hero, Henry. He stood tall, his presence resonating with the authority of a noble.
"We must ensure these creatures advance no further!"
Kenzo forced his racing mind to switch gears. Using his heightened hearing, he listened to the Titan's movements. "There!", he thought, hearing a rhythmic, metallic grinding in the monster's shoulder joints.
"Henry, go!" Kenzo commanded, his voice finding a new, steady edge.
Henry slung his shield onto his back and dropped into a low stance. Despite his massive frame, he moved as if gravity had forgotten him, slamming into the Titan's leg. The beast didn't budge. With a casual flick, the Titan kicked Henry into the wall, the impact shattering his chest plate.
Henry gasped, blood running from his lips, but his eyes burned with fury.
"I... WILL NOT... FALL!"
He ripped away the ruined armor and charged again, a blur of raw Colossus strength.
"You! Big guy, distract it!" Ren shouted. "Kenzo, find the kill-shot!"
Kenzo closed his eyes for a split second, letting the jelly-state of his his clones enhance his hearing and guide him. Above the roar of the battle, he heard a high-pitched, mechanical wheeze coming from the creature's chest.
"THE ARMPITS!"
Kenzo screamed. "The armor doesn't overlap there! Hit it now!"
Ren didn't hesitate. He became a streak of green mana, flying straight into the gap. He tore into the Titan, destroying the beast from the inside out in a violent surge of energy. The monster collapsed, the floor of the cavern trembling under its weight. Ren burst out from the carcass, drenched in dark ichor and gasping for air.
"I'm... not doing that again," he wheezed.
The noble warrior came forward with a grin on his face, ignoring his broken ribs to offer a nod of respect. "Hey. My name is Henry. Thank you both for the assist."
"Yeah, yeah," Ren wiped blood from his cheek. "Henry, what the hell is your power? You took a Titan-grade kick and stayed upright."
Henry chuckled. "My power is Colossus. It grants me the durability of the earth itself."
Ren smirked "Oh really now?"
But before he could finish:
KRAK!
The entrance wall exploded inward. A woman in heavy metal armor stumbled through the dust, leading a group of Runners. "Are you three alright? Something was actively using mana to keep that mortar sealed... we couldn't break through..."
She stopped mid-sentence, seeing the carcass. "How the hell—"
But suddenly, from the far side of the cavern, a much smaller, sharper CRACK echoed. Another section of the wall crumbled. The figures that emerged weren't the rescue team.
They were the mangled remains of delvers. The missing Runners from that morning. Their blood-stained gear hung from torn skin, and their eyes were missing.
Kenzo's heart stopped. His enhanced hearing picked up the sound of the wind through the cavern, the breathing of his allies, and the dripping of Titan blood.
But from the figures in front of them, there was nothing. No heartbeats. No breath. No life.
They were dead.