Meanwhile in the Dukcilliea Chambers…
Binturu tossed restlessly in his sleep.
Even in dreams, unease followed him.
It was difficult to believe that Itekan, Itoyea, or even Kutote and Senior Korimer of all people had not yet reached the Chambers. They were far too capable to be delayed for this long.
Several times he had considered going to search for them himself.
But he couldn't.
The rules of the trial were clear—four out of the five members of a team had to remain inside the Chambers. If their number dropped below that and another complete team entered before they regrouped, the entire team would be disqualified.
And with Candice Laīde having stepped out some time ago, the window for Binturu to leave had already closed.
He knew Itekan well enough to predict his reaction.
Itekan wouldn't be angry that they lost.
He would be angry that Binturu had abandoned the team and caused the loss.
So Binturu stayed.
Waiting.
The silence of the chambers pressed in around him.
For a brief moment he stirred, sensing something faint in the distance—like a tremor in the dungeon itself.
Then the feeling vanished.
Binturu shifted again and forced himself back to sleep.
All he could do now… was wait.
---
Meanwhile — deeper within the dungeon…
Back at the center of the battlefield where Itekan and Itoyea had fought the She-Wolf Mask, two figures in black finally arrived.
They had followed the trail here after killing Illiopo.
The place reeked of dried blood.
Massive craters scarred the ground, each large enough to swallow a house. Entire sections of forest had been flattened, and long sword-gashes carved across the terrain like wounds in the earth itself.
Even the trees bore deep scars.
The aftermath of the battle had left the place eerily silent.
One of the men spoke first.
"Where did they go, Tiger? The tracks stop here."
The one called Tiger did not answer immediately.
He walked slowly along the edge of the ruined battlefield, studying the terrain with careful attention. His senses spread outward, analyzing every trace that lingered in the air.
Scents.
He catalogued them instinctively.
Itekan.
Itoyea.
Subject-A.
Bukanami.
Candice.
Even the distinct scent of the She-Wolf Mask still hung faintly in the air.
But there was another scent here.
One that didn't belong.
Tiger's expression tightened.
His instincts stirred uneasily.
Something about that scent was… wrong.
Older.
Heavier.
Predatory in a way that made his skin crawl.
For a brief moment his instincts screamed a single command:
Run.
Tiger frowned.
What kind of tiger fled from its prey?
He ignored the warning.
Continuing forward, he followed the faint trace deeper into the forest.
With every step the strange scent grew stronger.
Stronger…
Until suddenly it clicked.
"A path."
Tiger turned toward his companion and gave a short nod.
Without another word the two men shot forward, disappearing deeper into the dungeon.
---
The forest changed the farther they traveled.
The trees here were enormous—far larger than those closer to the battlefield. Their trunks were wide enough to hide entire houses, their branches forming a thick canopy that swallowed the sky.
The air itself felt… heavier.
Then—
Someone appeared.
No footsteps.
No warning.
A large man stood before them as if he had always been there.
Two unconscious boys were slung casually across his shoulders.
Tiger and his companion froze.
The man moved.
His hand shot forward and grabbed Tiger's face.
BOOM.
Tiger's body slammed violently into the trunk of a massive tree, the impact sending splinters exploding into the air as the wood cracked under the force.
The second man staggered back.
His heart lurched violently in his chest.
For the first time in years, fear seized him.
Not ordinary fear.
Something older.
Something buried deep within the instincts of living things.
The kind of terror that prey feels when a true predator stands before it.
His name was Hudson.
His hand shook as he reached for the pack at his hip.
Two throwing knives flashed into his grasp.
He infused them instantly with Spiritual Energy.
The blades hummed violently.
Hudson hurled them with all his strength.
The knives tore through the air at neck-breaking speeds, compressing the air before them so violently that the particles heated and hardened.
A sonic boom cracked through the forest.
Then—
Clink.
The blades struck the man's neck…
…and simply fell to the ground.
Hudson stared in disbelief.
It was like watching the same moment repeat itself.
The knife hit.
Dropped.
Hit.
Dropped.
Leaving the man completely unharmed.
His mind screamed in confusion.
How…?
That blade carried my Spiritual Energy.
It's powerful enough to incapacitate even an Intermediate Denkei Form hero…
"Just how strong—"
"Ahh…"
The large man rubbed his neck casually.
"That tickles!"
He burst into laughter.
Hudson's stomach dropped.
"Tsk."
Impossible.
This fight was unwinnable.
Then he noticed something.
Tiger was no longer embedded in the tree.
Hudson's eyes shot upward.
Tiger was already in motion.
A condensed ice spear had formed in his hand, Spiritual Energy swirling violently around the weapon as he descended toward the stranger's back.
Just before the spear struck—
The man turned around.
A dangerous smile spread across his face.
"I see you too."
His fist moved.
It didn't even look fast.
But the impact that followed was catastrophic.
Tiger's body shot backward like a cannonball, smashing through tree after tree after tree as though the forest itself had been struck by a hurricane.
Hudson's eyes widened.
He's fast too.
This was hopeless.
Still retreating, Hudson pulled out a small device from his belt.
A flare.
All reconnaissance units had been issued one.
In a forest this dense, the signal would likely never reach anyone beyond the canopy.
But it was the only option left.
Hudson fired it.
The flare streaked upward, bursting high above the treeline as a cloud of crimson smoke spread across the sky.
Maybe it was chance.
Maybe coincidence.
Maybe fate.
But the signal traveled farther than Hudson expected.
Elsewhere in the dungeon—
Heads turned.
Those who knew the signal understood immediately.
Feet moved.
Directions changed.
The men in black began converging on the flare's location.
Back in the forest, the large man watched the rising smoke.
And smiled.
A savage grin.
He had already been impressed that one of them had survived two of his attacks.
Now more prey was coming.
His blood stirred.
His hunger for battle awakened.
Within seconds, shadows moved through the forest.
Figures burst from the surrounding trees.
One.
Two.
Five.
Eight.
The assassins gathered around the clearing.
Tiger staggered back to his feet and rejoined them.
Hudson moved beside him.
And standing among them was Shwarer, who had been fighting Korimer moments earlier.
Lucky adjusted the unconscious boys on his shoulders.
Even without setting Itekan and Kutote down…
He stepped forward.
Grinning like a beast that had just found a feast.
Eleven enemies.
One legend.
Lucky leapt straight into the fray.
.
.
.
Spiritual Energy (SE)
Spiritual Sea (SS)
Spiritual Signature (SST)
Natural Energy (NE)
Holy Energy (HE)