The air inside the palace felt heavy.
Samaya stepped forward, his eyes locked onto the boss.
No fear.
No hesitation.
He moved.
Samaya's fist shot forward, cutting through the air with raw force.
The boss tilted his head slightly.
The punch missed.
Too easily.
Samaya barely had time to react before the boss appeared beside him.
A hand glowed with dark mana.
"Too slow."
The mana struck.
Samaya was thrown across the hall, his body crashing into a stone pillar.
Crack.
Dust rained down.
Pain shot through his chest, but Samaya forced himself up, breathing hard.
"So this is your strength?" the boss said, amused.
"I expected more."
Samaya wiped the blood from his mouth.
"You haven't seen it yet."
Blue mana erupted around him, wild and unstable.
The floor beneath his feet cracked as he charged again.
This time, Samaya didn't stop.
He slammed his fist forward, mana exploding on impact.
Boom.
The boss was pushed back several steps.
Silence.
A thin line of blood slid down the boss's cheek.
For a moment, the world froze.
Then the boss laughed.
A deep, mocking laugh that echoed through the hall.
"Pathetic," he said.
"I thought you were strong."
He looked at Samaya with disappointment.
"But you're nothing more than a human who got lucky."
Behind iron bars near the hall, villagers watched.
Chained.
Bruised.
Silent.
Their eyes followed every movement.
They had never seen anyone land a hit on the boss before.
Hope flickered.
Samaya stood tall despite the pain burning through his body.
His fists trembled—not from fear, but anger.
"If I'm weak," Samaya said, his voice steady,
"then why are you bleeding?"
The boss's laughter stopped.
His eyes darkened.
Mana surged violently around him, cracking the ground.
"You're amusing," he said coldly.
"I'll enjoy breaking you."
The palace shook.
Outside, distant sounds of battle echoed.
Samaya tightened his stance.
No retreat.
No escape.
Only victory—or death.
The real fight had begun.
Neel was bleeding.
His breathing was uneven, his arms heavy, but he didn't step back.
Around him, guards closed in—dozens of them. Steel weapons. Mana-coated blades. No mercy in their eyes.
Neel clenched his fists.
"I won't fall here," he muttered.
He released his power.
A violent surge of mana exploded outward as Neel charged, striking the first guard with a crushing punch. Bones cracked. The guard flew backward.
Neel spun, elbowing another, then kicked a third straight into the ground.
But they kept coming.
Too many.
A blade sliced across Neel's shoulder.
He staggered.
Another hit landed—then another.
His knees buckled for a second.
The guards smiled.
"You're finished," one of them sneered.
Neel tried to stand straight, but his vision blurred.
That was when the growl echoed.
Low.
Deep.
Terrifying.
Bloody stepped forward.
His eyes glowed with something unnatural—dark, endless, empty.
The guards froze.
"What… is that thing?" someone whispered.
Bloody didn't wait.
He jumped.
The ground cracked beneath his leap as he landed in the middle of the guards.
Void energy erupted.
Black waves swallowed the light.
One guard screamed as Bloody tore through him, moving faster than sight. Another was thrown into the air, his body dissolving as the void consumed him.
Bloody moved like a shadow—claws flashing, jaws snapping.
Every strike erased a guard.
No blood.
No screams that lasted long.
Just silence.
Neel watched in shock.
"Bloody…" he whispered.
A group of guards tried to surround the beast.
Bloody roared.
The void expanded.
Boom.
The guards were lifted off the ground, crushed by invisible pressure, then slammed down—lifeless.
In seconds…
It was over.
Bodies lay scattered across the battlefield.
No guards remained standing.
Bloody stood still, breathing slowly, void energy fading from his body.
Neel dropped to one knee, exhausted—but alive.
He looked at Bloody.
"You… saved me."
Bloody turned his head slightly, eyes softer now.
He walked over and stood beside Neel.
A silent promise.
As if saying—
I won't let you fall.
Far away, the palace trembled from another explosion.
Samaya was still fighting.
Neel clenched his fist and forced himself up.
"Hold on," he said quietly.
"We're coming."
The war was far from over
The battlefield outside fell silent.
Too silent.
Bloody stood at the center of the ruined ground, his chest rising and falling slowly. The void around him hadn't fully disappeared—it lingered, swirling faintly around his paws like living smoke.
Neel felt it.
Something was wrong.
"Bloody…" he said cautiously, forcing himself to stand.
Bloody didn't turn.
The void pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Bloody cracked again.
The darkness spread outward, devouring the broken stones, swallowing light itself.
Neel's eyes widened.
"Bloody—stop!"
But Bloody didn't hear him.
The void wasn't just power.
It was hunger.
Images flashed through Bloody's mind—instinct, fear, survival. The void answered those instincts without restraint.
A low, distorted growl escaped his throat.
The air twisted.
Neel staggered backward as pressure crushed his chest.
This wasn't an attack.
This was loss of control.
⸻
Inside the Palace
Samaya was sent skidding across the floor, his body crashing hard against a pillar.
The boss straightened slowly, wiping dust from his coat.
Then—
He stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Interesting."
The boss turned his head toward the open hall.
He felt it.
A power that didn't belong.
A power that shouldn't exist in this era.
The boss's smile twisted.
"Void," he whispered.
Mana surged violently around him.
"So the beast finally revealed itself."
Samaya struggled to stand, breathing hard.
"What… are you talking about?"
The boss laughed softly.
"That power outside?" he said.
"It's older than your city. Older than your laws."
He stepped forward, eyes gleaming.
"And far more dangerous than you."
The palace shook again.
Not from their fight—
But from Bloody.
⸻
Outside – The Breaking Point
Neel dropped to one knee, gasping.
The void pressed down on him like a mountain.
"Bloody… listen to me," he said through clenched teeth.
"You're not alone."
Bloody's body trembled.
The void flared violently.
A scream tore from his throat—not rage, not pain—but confusion.
Neel forced himself up.
He stepped forward despite the crushing pressure.
"I know it hurts," Neel said.
"But this power doesn't own you."
Bloody's eyes flickered.
The void hesitated.
Neel took another step.
"Samaya believes in you," he continued.
"So do I."
For a moment—
The void resisted.
Then—
It began to fade.
Slowly.
Reluctantly.
Bloody collapsed to the ground, exhausted, the darkness dissolving into nothing.
Neel caught his breath and rushed forward, kneeling beside him.
"You idiot," he whispered, gripping Bloody's fur.
"Don't scare me like that."
Bloody let out a weak sound.
Still alive.
Still himself.
⸻
Back in the Palace
The boss smiled wider than before.
"Oh… this just got fun."
He raised his hand.
Mana gathered.
"I was going to kill you slowly," he said to Samaya.
"But now?"
His eyes burned with excitement.
"I want the beast."
Samaya clenched his fists.
Pain screamed through his body.
But he stepped forward anyway.
"You'll have to go through me."
The boss laughed.
Scene Shift → Three Horn
The ground shook.
Fifty-five guards charged forward in formation, weapons raised, mana flaring along their blades.
They weren't afraid.
They were trained.
"Kill the beast!" one of them shouted.
Three Horn lowered his head.
The stone embedded in his forehead began to glow.
Not bright.
Deep.
The air vibrated.
A low hum spread across the battlefield, so subtle at first that the guards didn't react.
Then—
The sound exploded.
A sonic beam burst from the stone, ripping through the air like a living wave.
Boom.
The guards screamed.
Weapons shattered mid-swing. Armor cracked. Bodies were thrown violently backward as the sound crushed them from the inside.
Ears bled.
Bones fractured.
Some guards dropped instantly, clutching their heads. Others tried to stand—only to collapse again as the vibration tore through them.
Three Horn charged forward.
The sonic waves followed his movement, slamming into the remaining guards like invisible walls.
In seconds—
The formation was gone.
Only broken bodies and ringing silence remained.
Three Horn snorted, steam rising from his breath.
But he didn't stop.
His eyes turned toward the palace.
Samaya.
⸻
Neel – The Awakening
Neel staggered beside Bloody, watching Three Horn tear through the guards.
Something stirred inside him.
A pressure.
A pull.
Neel clenched his fist.
"I won't be useless again," he muttered.
Mana responded.
But this time—
It didn't surge outward.
It compressed.
The air around Neel bent, twisting into thin streams that wrapped around his arms like flowing water.
His breathing steadied.
His senses sharpened.
He could feel everything.
Movement.
Intent.
Fear.
Neel's eyes widened.
"So this is…" he whispered.
An upgrade.
Not brute force.
Control.
Neel looked toward the palace.
"Bloody. Three Horn. We're going."
They ran.
⸻
Inside the Palace – Samaya vs the Boss
Samaya's body hit the ground again.
Hard.
The boss stood above him, calm, untouched.
"You're slowing down," the boss said.
"Is this really the strength you bragged about?"
Samaya forced himself up, trembling.
Every breath burned.
Every muscle screamed.
He swung anyway.
The boss caught the punch with one hand.
Crack.
Pain shot through Samaya's arm.
The boss smiled.
"Predictable."
He drove his knee into Samaya's stomach.
Samaya flew backward, crashing into the wall.
Blood spilled from his mouth.
But he laughed.
The boss paused.
"What's funny?"
Samaya wiped his face.
"I'm still standing."
Mana surged violently around Samaya—raw, unstable.
He charged again, faster than before.
Their fists collided.
Shockwaves cracked the floor.
The boss was pushed back—just one step.
His eyes narrowed.
"Annoying."
He vanished.
Samaya barely turned in time to block—but the impact shattered his guard.
The boss slammed him into the ground, pressing his foot down on Samaya's chest.
"You fight like someone who doesn't know when to give up," the boss said coldly.
Samaya coughed.
"I fight," he said, teeth clenched,
"because someone has to."
He unleashed everything.
Mana erupted.
The palace trembled.
The boss jumped back, surprised—just for a second.
Enough.
⸻
All Paths Converge
The palace doors exploded open.
Three Horn burst in, stone glowing violently.
Neel followed, mana flowing around him in controlled streams.
Bloody leapt beside them, growling low.
The boss turned slowly.
His smile widened.
"Oh," he said softly.
"Now this is interesting."
Samaya struggled to stand, bloodied—but alive.
"You're late," he muttered.
Neel smirked.
"Still breathing. That's good enough."
Three Horn stomped the ground.
The air vibrated again.
The boss laughed.
"Come," he said.
"All of you."
Mana surged from every direction.
The room shook.
The real battle—
Had finally begun.
End chapter 5