Mist clung to the swamp like breath that refused to leave.
Water lay in shallow pools between twisted roots, reflecting broken pieces of sky. Every step made a soft sucking sound, as if the land itself tried to pull them back. The air smelled of rot, wet leaves, and something faintly metallic.
Ilyrien moved ahead of the group.
Her pale form stood out against the dark marsh—white skin faintly glowing in low light, the scales around her neck catching dim reflections. The lathos organs along her neck fluttered slightly as she breathed, sensing moisture, air flow, and mana currents together. The oil gland at the end of her tail pulsed softly, releasing a thin layer of special oil that shimmered faintly in the mist.
"This place is… loud," she said quietly.
Haruto tilted his head. "Loud?"
"Not with sound," Ilyrien explained. "With magic. With life that hides."
Her lower pair of eyes—made for dim places—narrowed. They moved differently from her upper eyes, scanning shadows that normal vision couldn't read.
Naoki whispered, "She's like a living radar…"
Ilyrien knelt near a patch of disturbed mud. "Something large moved here recently. Heavy. Many legs."
"Centipede," Akira said.
They spread out in small groups, careful not to lose sight of each other.
Yui and Mio walked near Ilyrien.
"How far can you sense?" Yui asked softly.
"About the length of a village," Ilyrien replied. "But water and rot bend the signals."
Takumi muttered, "So the swamp is cheating."
Souta knelt near a broken tree root. "Marks here. Deep. Something dragged its body, not just walked."
Riku formed thin frost over nearby water, making it easier to see disturbances beneath the surface.
Shun raised his spear. "Stay alert. Babies mean a nest. And nests mean protection."
The air thickened.
Even without seeing it, they felt it—pressure, like being watched by the land itself.
Ilyrien suddenly froze. Her lower eyes widened.
"Below us," she whispered. "Not deep. Listening."
Everyone stopped.
Mud rippled.
Not like water—like something breathing under it.
Haruto swallowed. "How big?"
Ilyrien hesitated. "Bigger than a horse. And… there are smaller ones near it."
Silence pressed down on them.
Mio whispered, "This feels different from before."
"Because now," Hana said quietly, "we're not hunting something alone."
A slow, wet sound echoed beneath the ground.
Then the swamp moved.
Mud burst upward as a massive segmented body tore through the surface. Dozens of long legs struck the ground in a wave, splashing dark water everywhere. The swamp centipede rose like a living wall, its body coiling as it searched for what had disturbed it.
"Spread out!" Shun shouted.
They moved instinctively.
Akira slammed his foot down and raised both hands. Magma surged from the ground, forming a half-circle barrier.
"Left side—cover!" he yelled.
Souta lifted his hands, lightning threading through the earth around him. Metallic veins formed in the mud as his earth-lightning magic hardened it into rough, heavy plates.
Riku froze the nearest pools, creating solid paths.
"Use the ice!" he called. "It slows its legs!"
The centipede screeched—a sharp, vibrating sound that hurt their ears. It lunged forward, its massive body pushing through trees and roots.
Kenta raised his hand. Fire spiraled around wind, forming a roaring flame arc.
"Inferno—go!"
The firestorm slammed into the centipede's side, forcing it to twist away. Steam and smoke filled the air.
"Did it work?" Mio shouted.
"It's still moving!" Haruto replied.
He leapt forward, wind and lightning wrapping around his legs. He slashed downward with his blade, sending a cutting arc of charged wind at the creature's joints.
Several legs faltered—but more replaced them instantly.
Takumi launched himself into the air, lightning cutting through wind around his blade. He struck at the upper body, forcing the centipede to recoil.
Naoki slammed both hands into the ground. Earth softened into thick mud, pulling at the creature's legs.
"Hold it!" Naoki shouted. "Just for a moment!"
Hana raised both hands, fire and ice clashing into unstable energy.
"Thermal Shock—release!"
The temperature around one section of the centipede shifted violently. The sudden change forced its body to stiffen for a second.
"That's our chance!" Shun roared.
He charged forward, magma coating his spear. Akira followed, both of them striking together at the same segment.
The centipede screamed again—louder, sharper.
It thrashed.
A massive leg swung sideways, striking Takumi and sending him crashing into a tree.
"Takumi!" Yui cried.
She raised her hands, water and wind forming a rushing current that slammed into the centipede's head, pushing it back from Takumi.
Ilyrien ran toward him, her movements fast and smooth despite the mud. She knelt beside him.
"Bones intact," she said quickly. "Pain, but not broken."
"Still hurts," Takumi groaned.
"It should," she replied calmly. "You were hit by a house with legs."
The ground suddenly shook.
Smaller shapes burst from the mud—baby centipedes, each as long as a large dog, swarming toward the group.
"Babies incoming!" Mio shouted.
"Protect Ilyrien and Takumi!" Haruto ordered.
Emi stepped forward, ice and earth forming a wide wall.
"Behind me!"
The babies slammed into her glacier wall, sliding off without breaking through.
Riku froze the ground around them, slowing their movement.
Yui created mist, confusing their senses.
Kenta burned paths through them carefully, avoiding Ilyrien's position.
The mother centipede roared and lunged again.
This time, everyone attacked together.
Wind, fire, lightning, earth, ice—every element clashed against its massive form.
Slowly, its movements became heavier.
"Now!" Akira shouted. "Everything you've got!"
They gathered their remaining strength.
Magic flared.
And the swamp echoed with the sound of battle as the centipede finally began to fall.