The world held its breath.
Crimson grass whispered in the wind, swaying like a sea of blood under the swollen moon.
Lucion stood motionless, daggers crossed before him, every muscle coiled tight. His pulse hammered in his throat, a drumbeat of war.
Then—
A ripple.
The grass parted like a fiery curtain, flames licking at the stalks as the blaze-wolf stepped into view.
Flames wreathed its obsidian fur, tongues of fire licking the air with each step.
Its muzzle peeled back in a vicious snarl, jagged fangs glowing like heated iron.
Waves of scorching heat pulsed from its body, warping the air as its wrathful gaze fixed on Lucion.
But it was the eyes that froze him.
Burning stars, twin pits of hellfire, locked onto him with primal hunger.
Lucion's grip tightened on the dagger.
'It's furious.'
The wolf's growl vibrated through the earth, a sound that wasn't just noise, it was hate.
Then it lunged.
Fire roared. The world blurred.
Lucion barely twisted aside as the wolf's claws tore through the space where his throat had been.
Heat seared his cheek, the near-miss singing his skin. He pivoted, slashing downward—
Clang!
The dagger screeched against the wolf's molten hide, sparks flying. The beast barely flinched.
'Damn it, even a Tier Two dagger can't pierce…'
A paw the size of his chest smashed into him.
"Kaugh…h—!" Lucion flew backward and slammed into the ancient door.
Even with his armor, pain flared through his ribs. Gritting his teeth, he staggered to his feet—The wolf was already upon him.
Jaws gaped, fire surging in its maw.
Lucion moved.
He dropped low, letting the inferno blast over his head, then drove his dagger upward into the wolf's exposed throat—
Snap.
The beast's jaws clamped shut, barely missing his wrist.
Lucion barely yanked his arm back in time.
His ordinary dagger was gone, reduced to a sizzling lump of slag between the wolf's jaws.
Only the Tier Two daggerremained, its surface catching the eerie light of the blood-red moon.
The wolf knew it.
Its eyes fixed on the remaining weapon, one that its flames could not melt.
That was why it hadn't gone for his weapon hand yet; it was choosing to let him keep the only thing that could truly wound it.
A deliberate, mocking gesture.
'Damn it!'
He backpedalled, heart hammering. The wolf stalked forward, flames intensifying, its eyes gleaming with cruel intelligence.
'It's toying with me.'
A realization, cold and sharp.
This wasn't just a beast. It was something older. Smarter.
And it knew he was outmatched.
Lucion's fingers twitched toward the ring.
'No. Not yet.'
He dashed toward the wolf. Sensing him, the beast swept its flaming tail in a wide arc.
Lucion dropped low, feeling the heat of the sweep pass just overhead, and drove his dagger upward into its underbelly.
A ragged cry tore from the wolf.
"Ha! Finally landed a hit," he grinned, retreating a few quick steps.
Enraged, the wolf's flames flared higher, eyes burning as it prepared to lunge again.
"Too late," Lucion muttered.
With a sharp flick of his middle finger, he sent the storage ring spinning toward the wolf.
Its faint glow arced through the gloom like a tiny, wayward star, drawing the beast's gaze as it hovered near the ancient door.
For a breathless instant, time seemed to slow.
The ring struck the cracked stone at the wolf's feet with a sharp ping, then burst into a flash of light so bright Lucion had to squeeze his eyes shut.
Heat and raw energy surged through the air like a tidal wave.
A deep hum built in his bones as a jagged web of light began to spider across the surface of the door.
"Full Bloom!" Lucion shouted over the rising roar.
In an instant, a burst of crimson fire exploded outward, the ring's stored energy igniting into a swirling storm of glowing, petal-like embers.
The shockwave blasted against him like a furnace gale, forcing him to brace himself.
The ancient door shuddered under the magical impact before crumbling.
The glowing patterns etched into its surface flared one last time as the door slowly swung open.
Lucion cracked his eyes open against the dying light, his gaze fixed on the dark passage revealed beyond.
"At least that part went as planned," he said under his breath, his grip tightening on his dagger.
Thankfully, the incident had happened when he was showing Bullet Seed to Selena.
In that moment, he'd gained sudden insight—an enlightenment—and managed to store the three Bullet Seed energies into the ring.
Maintaining their flow and pulse had been possible only because of his skill in deciphering runic echoes.
'That's how the ancient door opened.'
But this wasn't a trick he could rely on.
Keeping the energy contained demanded an overwhelming surge of mana, so much that even his newly awakened body had been pushed to its limits.
He recalled the chase with the blaze-wolf, the way that muscular man had outrun him at the last moment.
A bitter expression crossed his face at the memory, but it faded in an instant, swallowed by his focus on the present.
Still, Lucion didn't let himself relax. Every muscle stayed tense as his eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for any sign of movement or a fallen body.
But there was nothing.
A frown creased his brow. 'Strange. The impact was huge, and its hide was tough, but there's no sign of it. Why can't I see its body?'
"Or did it—" A sudden realization hit him, chilling him to the bone.
"How…" Lucion whispered, eyes narrowing. "I'm sure I hit it."
A low, guttural, and weakened howl rose from the grass to his left.
He turned, and his breath caught.
A small black pup with crimson eyes and soot-dark fur limped toward him on three legs, growling despite its injuries.
"What the—?" Lucion stared in confusion, but as he looked closer, his shock deepened.
The pup's body began to swell, its shape twisting.
The tiny form surged in size like a dark tide, first the size of a dog, then taller, nearly four meters, then larger still, surpassing its former height until it towered nearly seven meters.
Lucion could only gape as the wolf completed its monstrous transformation.
When he finally came to his senses, a single thought flashed through him: 'It has a skill.'
He glanced at its missing leg and sighed. "I don't want to drag this out. Let's finish this. I admire your courage, but if this continues, it'll only end in death—for one or both of us."
'It's too smart,' he thought grimly. 'Even my triple bloom energy blast didn't work. It sacrificed its leg to survive. I can't drag this—'
Before he could make another move, the wolf vanished from sight.
THUD!
In an instant, it reappeared right before him.
A massive paw struck Lucion's ribs like a hammer.
"Ughh"
He didn't even have time to react.
His dagger flew from his hand as he was flung backward, his body crashing into the rough-hewn border of the open doorway with a sickening crack.
CLANG!
Armor plates splintered under the impact, pain bursting through his ribs as his breath hitched in his throat.
Lucion dropped like the dead, motionless for a long, terrifying moment, his mind scrambling, struggling to piece together what had just happened.
'How did I get hit?'
But even in this desperate, pain-filled haze, survival instinct screamed at him to move. His gaze flickered toward the only hope left.
'The door… It's open now. I still have a chance.'
Barely managing to push himself onto his knees, he staggered upright, his vision swimming.
Ahead of him, the gigantic wolf thudded to the ground, but Lucion kept his gaze fixed on it, refusing to blink.
'What if this is another trick? A trap?' he thought, heart pounding.
'The beast was too cunning — too unpredictable.'
He didn't even risk reaching for his dagger.
Instead, he bolted toward the open door, relief flooding him as he spotted a passage beyond. He ran, legs burning, breath ragged.
Behind him, the wolf struggled to rise, its massive body shuddering.
Blood poured from its missing leg, staining the earth.
With a pained, creaking effort, it hauled itself up, letting out a piercing howl before finally standing—wobbling, crippled, but still moving.
Step by agonizing step, the wolf began to crawl forward, dragging its crippled body toward the ancient door.
But all at once, it stopped. Its gaze fixed on the Tier Two dagger Lucion had dropped.
With a low, rumbling growl, it reached the weapon with its jaws, then breathed out a concentrated blast of flame that engulfed the blade.
Yet the dagger did not melt.
Undeterred, the wolf continued to pour its fire over the weapon, heat intensifying until hairline cracks began to spider across the glowing metal.
Moments later, with a sharp crack, the blade shattered into countless pieces.
Lifting its blazing eyes to the surroundings.
Red moon grass and withered plants smoldered in patches, horned rabbits scattering into the dark as other small creatures squeaked in terror.
The fire was spreading wildly.
With a harsh snarl, the wolf's gaze pulsed with embers, and the flames obeyed.
Instantly, as if snuffed out by an invisible force, the fire vanished, leaving only charred grass and the acrid scent of smoke.
Satisfied, the wolf took a final look around — the rabbits, the forest, the battered door — as if to reassure itself all was well.
Then, without hesitation, it turned and limped into the passage, its dark form vanishing into the gloom as it followed where Lucion had gone.