The storm of bone screamed around him, tendrils snapping and thrashing in desperate frenzy, but Myles cut through it all like a living embodiment of hatred and destruction.
Every slash of Fangblade left trails of black and red arcs of energy, spraying shards of rotten bones and bursts of burning greenish ichor.
His chest burned. His MP bled away with every skill unleashed, but the fire in his veins only roared hotter.
He thought of Nadine’s torn and scorched body and the image of her trembling in his arms seared itself into his mind. Raw and violent fury ripped through him.
"This motherfucker hurt her..." his voice rasped through clenched teeth, Fangblade vibrating with killing intent. He didn’t even realize that he had said that out loud. "You’ll pay for that."
He lunged faster.
The slashes of Fangblade became a blur in his hand, carving apart a forest of tendrils in a sweeping spiral slashes.
The impact sent bone fragments raining down like an ice storm to every direction.
The titan roared. Its voice was a guttural bellow that rattled the battlefield, but Myles pressed forward unrelentingly. He didn’t care about those roars or being intimidated by it.
Another wave of tendrils surged, but he unleashed his fireballs in answer—three blazing orbs of flame detonating at once.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
The blast blew open a path straight to the beast’s chest.
Myles drove himself through the inferno. Winds snapping behind him as he dashed then slammed Fangblade upward.
The short black and red blade cleaved into the titan’s ribcage with a thunderous crack. Bones shattered, ichor sprayed, and the beast reeled back. Its body now started to break apart under the ferocity of his assault.
"Just die already you son of a bitch!" Myles roared while twisting Fangblade and unleashing a surge of his Ether energy, which appeared as MP on his status screen.
The explosion ripped the ribs wide open, exposing a sickly glow pulsing deep within the monster’s chest.
The core.
Just like the last titan, this one pulsed with an eerie dark-blue light, shadows writhing across its crystalline surface.
It seemed alive, throbbing as if it was aware of him and ready to flee just like before.
But not this time. He will not let it get away this time.
Myles’ grip tightened. He wouldn’t allow it to escape. He wouldn’t risk Nadine’s suffering being for nothing.
With a burst of speed he leapt into the cavity of shattered bone, Fangblade crackling with magical energy.
He drove the weapon forward in a perfect thrust that pierced the core dead center.
CRACK!
The dark-blue crystal splintered violently, shrieking like a dying beast. For an instant arcs of energy lashed outward, clawing at him and trying to resist.
But Myles only pushed harder while pouring every last ounce of fury and his energy into the blade.
The core erupted in a blinding flash. Blue light shattered into fragments, scattering into nothingness.
The titan gave one final roar, its massive form convulsing before collapsing like a mountain of broken bones and hissing ichor crashing to the ground.
Myles stood within the ruin, Fangblade dripping with ichor, his chest heaving.
The storm around him still for now meant that the titan was dead. This time, for good.
A string of notification texts flickered across Myles’ vision.
[You have killed a Grave Of Imprisonment Guard - Rank A]
[Exp: 500]
[Level Up: 25]
[Item Drop Acquired: Bone Core Fragment x2]
He didn’t even look at the rest. The words blurred as he turned and sprinted across the ruined battlefield, boots pounding over scattered bones and sludge.
The giant with the swinging lanterns loomed far behind, its gaze burning through the haze, but Myles ignored it completely.
He only cared about one thing.
When he reached the shattered slope where Nadine had slumped, his heart hammered faster.
Clara was crouched beside her. Hands stained red, panic written all over her face.
"How is she?" Myles asked, voice sharp.
Clara looked up, eyes wide and wet.
"She’s... she suffered a lot of wounds," she said quickly, pressing cloth against Nadine’s side. "She lost too much blood, but..." Her words falter, making Myles even more worried.
Myles dropped to one knee beside them, gripping Nadine’s shoulder. "But what?"
Clara swallowed hard, staring down at Nadine’s body. "The wounds... they’re closing."
"What?" Myles’ eyes widened.
He looked closer. The torn flesh along Nadine’s ribs and arms shimmered faintly. Threads of faint light pulsed through the wounds, knitting the torn skin back together.
Her breathing was still weak. Her face was still pale and grimaced in pain, but the bleeding had stopped.
The gashes shrank slowly, leaving behind only faint scars and trails of dried blood.
He exhaled, the tension in his chest finally breaking. "She’s healing..."
Clara nodded quickly, wiping sweat from her brow.
"It started right after the monster died. I think whatever power was in that thing and this place is reacting to its death."
Myles sat back on his heels, eyes still fixed on Nadine. Relief flooded him like a crashing wave. He had thought she was gone.
He let out a shaky laugh, the exhaustion finally catching up to him. "Good. This is good."
Clara gave a small, tired smile. "Yeah. At least now we know the wounds we suffer here can heal after we killed the monsters. It’s not instantly, but... enough to keep us alive."
Myles looked down again at Nadine’s face, watching the slow rise and fall of her chest.
The battle on the far side of the grave had gone quieter than before now that two guards had died.
He brushed a strand of damp hair from her cheek, whispering under his breath, "You’re safe now."
The faint glow from the healing light reflected in his eyes. For a moment, the chaos of the battlefield, the roaring titans, and the monstrous giant behind him faded into silence.
But deep within the fog, the giant’s blue lanterns flickered again—once, twice—like an ominous heartbeat in the dark.
Myles looked to the side to see the last battle, and decided that he didn’t need to help.