The smile spreading across the creature's face was not human.
That was the first thought that pierced through Kyūsei's mind as he stared at the towering entity standing amidst the ruins of the summit, its body split open by Kazuto's attack while dark fluid poured from the countless wounds carved across its form.
Not because the shape of the smile was unnatural.
Not because its mouth stretched too wide.
But because of the emotion behind it.
Recognition.
Interest.
Joy.
As though the creature had finally discovered something worthy of its attention after an eternity of endless silence.
And somehow, that expression frightened Kyūsei more than the violence, more than the destruction, more than the possibility of death itself.
Because monsters that hated you could be killed.
Monsters that enjoyed you became obsessions.
The creature slowly turned its massive body toward Kazuto, the fractures along its torso sealing gradually with streams of writhing darkness that stitched together torn space like living thread. Each movement it made now carried less chaos than before. Less raw destruction.
More intention.
The thing was evolving in real time.
Learning from every exchange.
Improving with every wound.
Kazuto stood several meters behind it, breathing unevenly while blood dripped steadily from his fingers onto the cracked summit floor. The attack he had just unleashed had clearly pushed his body beyond what it could safely endure. His legs trembled faintly beneath him, and even the wind surrounding his blade had weakened considerably.
Yet despite that—
He grinned.
"…that expression is incredibly rude," Kazuto said hoarsely.
The creature's eyes shifted toward him one after another, until every single one focused solely on the young swordsman standing before it.
Then, for the first time since emerging from the Gate—
It spoke.
Not through thoughts.
Not through pressure.
Words.
"You continue," it said.
Its voice did not echo loudly across the battlefield like thunder.
It simply existed everywhere at once, slipping directly into the spaces between heartbeats.
Kazuto rolled one shoulder painfully.
"Generally how living works."
"You break."
"Also true."
"Yet you continue."
Kazuto's grin widened faintly.
"You're learning conversation now?"
The creature tilted its head slowly, almost curiously.
"You fascinate me."
Kyūsei felt cold run down his spine instantly.
Kazuto, however, sighed dramatically.
"See? This is exactly how terrible relationships begin."
Even now.
Even here.
He still joked.
Kyūsei didn't know whether to laugh or scream.
Probably both.
Below the summit, Lena stared upward with sharp unease shadowing her normally composed expression. She could feel the shift occurring in the creature's behavior, and judging from the way Mira's fingers tightened subtly around her daggers nearby, she wasn't the only one.
"It's stabilizing," Lena muttered quietly.
Rufus blinked.
"Is that bad?"
Mira answered flatly.
"The reality-ending monster becoming calmer is somehow worse, yes."
Garron cracked his neck and picked up another broken slab of stone large enough to flatten a house.
"Then kill faster."
Simple solution.
Unfortunately reasonable.
Back atop the summit, the creature took another step toward Kazuto.
The broken stone beneath its feet did not shatter anymore.
Instead, the world bent around it carefully, almost respectfully, as if reality itself had begun adjusting to accommodate its existence.
Kyūsei's chest tightened.
That shouldn't have been possible.
Kazuto clearly noticed too.
"…okay, that's concerning."
The creature raised one hand slowly.
Not to attack.
To observe.
Its long fingers flexed experimentally while darkness coiled around them in thinner, sharper shapes than before.
Blades.
It had copied him.
Kyūsei's stomach dropped instantly.
"Kazuto!"
Too late.
The creature moved.
No massive explosions.
No overwhelming force.
Just speed.
Pure, horrifying speed.
Black blades flashed across the summit in intersecting arcs, each one precise enough to sever the air itself. Kazuto barely avoided the first strike by twisting sideways, but the second carved across his shoulder immediately afterward, spraying blood across the shattered stone.
Then the third strike came for his throat.
Kazuto ducked barely in time, feeling the blade pass close enough to slice strands of hair from his head.
"…I officially dislike students," he muttered before counterattacking instantly.
Their weapons collided.
And Kyūsei's heart nearly stopped.
The creature was matching him.
Not perfectly.
Not yet.
But enough.
Each clash grew smoother.
Each movement sharper.
Every second it fought Kazuto, it became more efficient at fighting like him.
"That's cheating!" Kyūsei shouted.
The creature's eyes flickered toward him briefly.
"You call adaptation cheating."
"Yes!"
"…interesting."
Then it kicked Kazuto directly in the chest.
The impact launched him backward hard enough to crater the remains of a broken pillar.
"KAZUTO!"
Kyūsei forced his exhausted body forward immediately despite the pain screaming through every muscle. Fire burst around his fists instinctively while wind accelerated his movements, carrying him across the summit toward the creature before it could continue pressing the attack.
The creature turned toward him calmly.
Almost expectantly.
Kyūsei hated that expression.
He slammed both palms forward, unleashing a spiraling torrent of compressed flames directly into its torso. The explosion engulfed the upper summit in violent heat, fire roaring high enough to illuminate the darkened sky overhead.
For a moment, the creature vanished inside the inferno completely.
Kyūsei breathed heavily, staring into the flames desperately.
Then a silhouette walked out.
Untouched.
No.
Not untouched.
Adjusted.
Thin layers of darkness rotated around its body now, redirecting the heat before it could properly land.
It had adapted to his attacks too.
Kyūsei felt genuine despair stab through his chest for the first time since the battle began.
"How…" he whispered.
The creature observed the flames surrounding its arm almost thoughtfully before looking back at him.
"You grow through struggle," it said calmly.
"So do I."
Then it raised its hand.
And the sky above Valthorin began to open.