Chapter 60

Kenzo instinctively stepped back, eyes fixed on the towering figure before him.

The humanoid statue narrowed its eyes, a grin slowly curving across its stone lips. “The name’s Xhen. And yours?”

Kenzo’s eyes widened in shock. 'Another talking monster...?' The last time had been the scout from the previous Red Gate. That one could speak too. “My... name...”

Whoosh!

A spear shot through the air like lightning, whistling past Xhen’s cheek and embedding itself deep into the stone wall behind him. The impact rang out with a metallic hum.

Xhen didn’t flinch, merely tilting his head to glance at the trembling spear.

“What kind of monster asks for names!?” Gine shouted from across the spire. She stood hunched over, panting, sweat streaking down her brow. 'I’m running on fumes... if we don’t finish this now, the Doping Seeds will wear off. I can’t take another... Master said my heart might give out.'

Kenzo clenched his fists at her words, the concern snapping him out of his daze like a slap.

“It’s just common courtesy, isn’t it?” Xhen replied casually, his smile unwavering. But then he noticed something, the golden light beginning to gather around the human before him.

“Let’s not be too hast..."

Blam!

Kenzo’s golden fist slammed into Xhen’s throat with crushing force. The impact echoed through the chamber, sending the stone figure skidding backward across the floor.

Kenzo didn’t budge, his arm still extended from the strike. 'Nothing. Not even a crack... It felt like punching Kaede...'

Gine landed beside him and yanked her spear from the wall. Her voice dropped low. “Ilya will keep the others safe.”

Kenzo’s eyes stayed locked on Xhen. “What about you?” he asked without turning. When she didn't move, “Don’t try to fight him, just leave him to me.”

Gine shook her head, resolute. “No can do, sir. You’re the only S-Rank here. You can actually damage him. But I’ve still got these weapons Master gave me. I’m going to help, however I can.”

Xhen exhaled slowly, his voice laced with ancient fatigue. "How long has it been? Those damn voices don't say anything new, just the same tired chants they've been repeating for millennia."

None of the hunters responded. If they understood what he meant, they gave no sign.

"But," he continued, his tone suddenly lighter, even excited, "I sensed a candidate nearby. One of you woke me. So... which one is it?"

Before anyone could speak, Gine launched forward in a burst of speed.

“Wait..!” Kenzo shouted, reaching out instinctively, but she was already gone.

“Haaah!” Gine’s war cry echoed through the chamber as she thrust her spear with both hands, aiming directly at Xhen’s chest.

Xhen tilted his body slightly, parrying the strike with a subtle motion. Sparks danced off his skin where the spear scraped across it.

She didn’t hesitate, Gine spun on her heel, sweeping her spear in a wide arc. Xhen raised his hand and caught the weapon mid-swing with ease.

He responded with a backhanded punch.

The force rang through her weapon, and Gine grimaced, blocking it with the shaft of her spear. The metal bent under the pressure, but she flipped backward, twisting mid-air to launch another precision thrust as she landed.

Xhen sidestepped, barely moving his feet, and countered with a sharp jab.

This time, the blow connected.

Gine was flung across the chamber, her body spinning. She tumbled midair and landed hard, sliding backward across the stone floor.

Her spear trembled in her grip, and her right arm visibly shook. She hissed under her breath. Dislocated.

Without wasting a moment, she gritted her teeth and snapped her arm back into place. Pain rippled through her body just as Xhen’s shadow loomed overhead.

He brought his fist down in a hammer-like strike.

She twisted aside, narrowly avoiding the blow, and retaliated with a lightning-quick slash aimed at his now-exposed chest. This time, she gave the attack extra force, kicking the shaft of her spear mid-swing to increase the momentum.

CLANG!

Xhen met the blade with his fist. Sparks flared violently as steel met stone-like flesh.

But Gine didn’t stop.

Her spear spun in tight arcs, striking from every angle, fast, precise, and relentless.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Xhen blocked each blow effortlessly, countering with calm, methodical punches. His eyes never left her.

One of his fists crashed into the base of her spear. The shock sent the weapon flying from her grip.

But Gine moved with it.

Spinning mid-air, she kicked the spear before it could land, redirecting it with pinpoint precision. The weapon curved around her leg and shot forward like a javelin.

Xhen turned his head, catching his own reflection on the polished blade as it flew past his face, missing by mere inches, and embedded itself into the stone floor behind him with a heavy thunk.

Gine flicked her wrist, and her spear shot up from the ground with a crackle of lightning.

Xhen barely twisted in time as the weapon came for his back, spinning rapidly through the air, its shaft tethered to Gine's hand by arcs of crackling electricity.

In her other hand, she now held a sleek red pistol, its barrel already aimed.

With a sharp kick, she launched the spear toward Xhen while simultaneously firing.

Clang!

Xhen batted the spear aside just in time, narrowly dodging the tiny high-speed bullet that zipped past his shoulder.

But Gine was already on the move.

She darted forward, kicking the rebounding spear back toward him mid-air. It accelerated again, lightning tether pulling it in a spinning arc erratically.

Xhen ducked beneath it, but had to parry once more as it returned, just as another bullet whizzed toward his face.

Only this time, Gine was in the bullet’s place.

Her body twisted with grace and force as she appeared point-blank, her gun pressed beneath Xhen’s jaw.

Bang!

The shot rang out.

Xhen barely turned his head in time. The round grazed his cheek, and he clapped his hands together, catching the spear between his palms with supernatural reflexes.

But Gine didn’t let up.

She leaped, wrapping her legs around the shaft of the trapped weapon and twisted mid-air, kicking it free from his grip before landing with the spear securely in hand.

Xhen surged forward, but Gine spun the spear around her body with increasing momentum, around her neck, across her waist, down her thigh, blurring with speed as she moved.

Unwilling to let her complete the motion, Xhen slammed his fist into the ground ahead of her path.

The strike sent a shockwave through the air.

She reacted just in time, thrusting her spear up to meet his attack.

Clang!

The impact bent the shaft, metal screeching as she slid under his arm and lashed out.

Her spear carved a shallow line across his thigh, and yellow blood sprayed from the wound.

Both paused, just for a moment, each registering the damage.

Then Xhen’s fist came like a hammer.

Crack!

His backhand sent Gine flying across the field.

“Haaah!”

Kenzo's voice rang out as he dropped from above, golden energy surging around his clenched fist.

He swung downward.

Boom!

The ground erupted, cratering as Xhen evaded just in time, the air singing with force and dust.

Xhen landed in a crouch, then launched himself at Kenzo, fist drawn back.

Kenzo met him head-on, his own glowing fist arcing forward.

PANG!

Their punches collided with a thunderous shockwave. Kenzo’s blue-furred jacket shredded from the blast of energy, his muscles rippling as they absorbed the brunt of the kinetic force.

He was thrown backward, crashing into a narrow spire. The impact sent cracks racing down its sides before large boulders broke free and tumbled on top of him.

For a moment, there was silence.

BOOM!

The pile exploded outward as Kenzo burst free, roaring, gold light flickering around his fists.

Xhen grinned and rocketed forward once more.

PANG! PANG! PANG!

Their fists clashed in a flurry, a relentless rhythm of force and fury, stone against metal.

Kenzo shifted his weight, slamming his shoulder into Xhen and knocking him off balance. In the same motion, he drove his golden elbow into Xhen’s chest.

CRACK!

Xhen was launched backward, skidding across the stone floor before catching himself. He placed a hand over his chest, where a spiderweb crack had formed in the statue-like armor. “Not bad at all,” he said with a smirk. The crack sealed itself in an instant, the stone knitting back together.

Then he vanished.

Kenzo's eyes widened..."Gah!"...as Xhen reappeared before him, elbow buried deep in his chest and abdomen, nearly reaching his spine.

Blood sprayed from Kenzo’s mouth as he stumbled backward, breath knocked clean from his lungs.

Kenzo landed heavily on his feet, refusing to collapse, only to be met by a barrage of six rapid punches slamming into his golden metal chest.

Dazed, reeling, and unable to react, Kenzo didn’t even see Xhen flip him gracefully into the air.

Boom!

A crushing punch drove Kenzo backward, smashing him through the base of another spire. Dust and stone erupted in all directions, only to be swept aside an instant later as Xhen appeared in the cloud, burying his fist into Kenzo’s face.

He pulled back, revealing Kenzo’s bloodied visage, his frontal skull likely fractured from the sheer force.

Bang!

Another punch landed, driving Kenzo’s head even deeper into the rock.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A flurry of blows followed, each strike sinking deeper into Kenzo’s face until it was barely recognizable, an unholy mess of blood and shattered bone.

Still not finished, Xhen unleashed a vicious uppercut beneath Kenzo’s chin, launching him upward despite being embedded in the rock. Kenzo’s skull carved a trench through the stone as he rocketed to the top of the spire, shattering it with the force of his ascent.

He managed to flip midair, catching himself on one of the broken slabs of stone, and with a roar, hurled himself downward like a meteor.

Boom!

Xhen crossed his arms just in time, catching Kenzo’s punch, but the impact was thunderous. A crater formed underneath Xhen.

Crack!

Kenzo gritted his gums, his teeth already shattered, as his golden forearm armor splintered under the pressure. Blood seeped through the cracks in the metal, dripping in thick rivulets.

Xhen twisted mid-air, slamming Kenzo with a brutal bicycle kick that sent him soaring into the sky. But even as his body reeled from the impact, Kenzo retaliated, spinning mid-flight and releasing a wave of golden chains from his arms. The chains shot down like serpents, coiling tightly around Xhen and anchoring deep into the ground.

For a brief moment, Xhen was pinned, arms locked to his sides, his legs immobilized.

Kenzo crashed down on his feet, knees buckling from the force, but he stayed standing, pulling the chains taut. Blood dripped from his mouth as he bellowed through shattered gums, “Gine! Now!!”

Half-buried in a shattered boulder, Gine’s eyes snapped open. Without hesitation, she launched herself upward in a burst of speed, her spear spinning wildly around her as she rose, once, twice, a dozen times, each spin gathering lethal momentum.

Xhen struggled, but the chains held fast.

Then Gine descended like a meteor.

Her spear came down with bone-splitting force, driving into Xhen’s shoulder and ripping clean through. The blade bit into his chest, drawing a guttural, animalistic roar from his lungs.

“Graaargh!!!” Xhen bellowed in agony. Yellow blood geysered from the gaping wound in his shoulder and mouth, splashing across the broken ground.

But before Gine could pull away... He belched.

A torrent of molten lava exploded from his mouth, engulfing her and the spear in a blinding instant. The metal shrieked as it melted on contact.

“Aaaaaaagh!!!” Gine screamed, staggering back, the lava searing through her right side and face. Her skin bubbled as she tore at her armor, trying to rip it away, but the damage was already done.

Xhen flexed, his muscles rippling as the golden chains around him shattered with a metallic snap, just in time for Kenzo to come crashing down with a punch. But Xhen slipped past it with ease, driving his foot into Kenzo’s sternum and launching him backward with a thud.

Gine, bloodied and scorched, summoned a sword into her left hand, gritting through the pain as she hurled herself toward Xhen. Her body screamed in protest, the burns searing fresh agony with each movement.

Xhen parried the blade effortlessly, caught her by the wrist, right on her burnt hand, and with a cruel twist, hurled her like a ragdoll straight into Kenzo. The collision sent both S-Rank and A-Rank flying off the spire, their bodies bouncing and scraping across the surface of another rocky pillar like stones skimming water.

Before either could recover, Xhen was already upon them. He delivered a heavy punch to each as they skipped, his fists merciless in their rhythm.

They hadn’t even drawn breath when he appeared again.

Gine was the first to suffer. Xhen slammed a brutal fist into her side, launching her clean off the spire with a strangled cry. Kenzo ducked just in time and retaliated, charging straight for him again.

Xhen caught Kenzo’s incoming fist, flipped him mid-air, and with a swift kick, launched him directly toward Gine’s airborne form. The two collided midair before crashing into the tip of another spire, shattering it on impact.

Xhen followed. He grabbed both by the head, twisted, and rocketed downward, slamming their skulls into the next spire with enough force to destroy it entirely. Stone exploded beneath them as he drove them down like piledrivers, landing in a brutal crater.

As they hit the base, Xhen opened his mouth wide and unleashed another torrent of lava.

Gine, dazed but alert, saw it coming first. With a gasp, she kicked off Kenzo's back, launching herself away while shoving him aside in a desperate bid to save them both.

But it wasn’t enough.

Kenzo landed hard, and the lava hit a split second later.

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaghhhhh!!!”

His scream echoed across the island-sized rock, his body engulfed in searing flame. Skin blistered and cracked, armor melted and fused into flesh as the torrent washed over him.

Gine had escaped the lava… but not for long.

The moment she hit the ground, the earth shifted beneath her like clay. It wrapped around her limbs, rose up her chest, and engulfed her body, leaving only her head above the surface before the strange earth solidified into shimmering glass.

Xhen stood above them, his expression relaxed, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “So, are we calm now?” he asked, voice tinged with amusement.

“I know I’m not,” came a new voice.

He turned sharply, his eyes narrowing as he looked up.

A dark-haired girl stood alone atop a rocky plateau, the sun blazing behind her like a halo. Her figure was still, framed by the wind and light. She didn’t posture or raise her voice.

“This fight is over,” she said calmly.

Her tone held no force. No magic. No threat. And yet, it unsettled him, subtly, but unmistakably. It scraped against something deep in his instincts.

He forgot that he hadn’t meant to continue the battle. Forgot the scuffle’s pointlessness. All that remained now was a burning irritation, an unshakable sense of defiance.

Someone was trying to give him orders.

And only one person had that right.

As one of the Monarch of White Flame’s elite generals, he bowed to no one else.

His eyes sharpened, and he took a step forward.

“And just who do you think you are, child?” he asked coldly.

For the first time since his awakening, his aura flared outward in full, erupting in a brilliant blaze of yellow and red flame. The ground beneath him cracked, heat distorting the air in waves.

Kaede drew in a slow breath, trying to steady the simmering rage that bubbled just beneath her skin. Her fists trembled slightly at her sides.

“I said…” she began, her voice low.

She closed her eyes for a moment, exhaling.

“The fight… is...”

Her eyes snapped open.

They burned with violet flame, blazing like twin infernos as her aura began to leak into the air around her, warping the light with its intensity.

“Over.”