The five of them finally stepped into the cave, each movement measured and careful. The air inside was suffocatingly hot, thick with the smell of scorched stone and burnt fur. Crimson veins of heat pulsed through cracks in the walls like molten blood beneath skin, painting the cavern in an uneasy glow. Even the ground under their boots felt warm.
Rai had already disappeared.
Not completely. Ronan could still barely sense him if he focused—a slight disturbance in the air, the faintest ripple where shadows bent unnaturally—but to anyone else, Rai had become almost nonexistent.
At the centre of the cavern lay the massive Hell Hound.
Its body rose and fell slowly with heavy breaths. Every exhale carried sparks and thin streams of heat that drifted from its nostrils. The creature looked asleep, but Ronan never trusted sleeping predators.
Rai silently slipped toward the pile of treasures behind it.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then one of the Hell Hound's ears twitched.
Ronan's pupils narrowed.
Its massive eyelids slowly opened.
Two burning eyes stared directly at them.
"...Shit."
Darius didn't hesitate.
His hands blurred through signs.
Crack—
Lightning descended from above and slammed directly into the beast's skull. The entire cave flashed white for an instant.
Darius expected the beast to seize, expected its muscles to lock.
Instead...
Nothing.
The Hell Hound simply stared at them.
Its glowing eyes almost looked confused.
"...You're joking," Darius muttered.
Two daggers instantly materialised in Ronan's hands.
He flicked his wrists.
The blades tore through the air with sharp whistles.
The Hell Hound moved.
Its body shifted with terrifying speed despite its size. One dagger sliced through space while its claw rose casually and knocked aside the second.
Clang!
The dagger spun into the cave wall.
Orin had already moved.
Wind wrapped around his sword, layers of compressed air screaming around the blade until the edges blurred.
He swung.
A crescent arc of condensed wind ripped across the cavern and smashed into the Hell Hound.
The impact exploded dust and shattered stone.
When the dust settled...
The beast hadn't even moved.
Its fur had only shifted slightly.
The silence lasted for half a heartbeat.
Then—
ROOOOOAR!
The sound slammed into them like a physical force.
Ronan felt his vision blur. His ears rang violently. His chest tightened as if invisible hands had wrapped around his lungs.
Beside him, Oliver nearly stumbled.
Ronan gritted his teeth and forced his hand upward.
Several pale blue-white flames bloomed above his palm.
Not crimson.
Ice flame.
The surrounding temperature dropped sharply. Frost immediately spread across the nearby stone.
He threw them.
The orbs streaked forward and exploded against the Hell Hound's body.
Crack—
Ice spread instantly over the impact points.
The Hell Hound let out a sharp cry.
Darius' eyes brightened.
"There!"
Wind condensed around him.
One spear.
Three.
Ten.
Dozens.
With a sweep of his hand, they shot forward.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The attacks hammered against the creature relentlessly.
This time, the Hell Hound growled.
Not hurt.
Annoyed.
Its eyes narrowed.
Ronan's expression changed instantly.
"Fall back!"
Nobody questioned him.
They turned and ran.
Behind them, the massive creature lunged forward with furious steps that shook the cave.
Unknown to the Hell Hound...
Its treasure pile was quietly becoming lighter.
They burst out of the den, lungs burning.
Behind them—
BOOM!
The Hell Hound exploded out of the cave entrance.
Its claw swung.
Three blazing crescent arcs screamed toward them.
"Dodge!"
The attacks cut through where they had stood moments before.
Trees split apart.
Stone shattered.
Outside, night had already swallowed the forest, but darkness couldn't hide the monster.
The Hell Hound itself illuminated everything around it. Its burning fur danced like living fire beneath the moonlight.
Ronan raised both hands.
Blue-white flames gathered and twisted together.
A bow slowly formed.
Cold mist spread around his fingers.
"Don't get close!" Ronan shouted. "Long-range attacks only!"
Orin, Oliver, and Darius immediately widened the distance.
Ronan pulled the bowstring.
A frozen flame arrow formed.
He released.
The arrow shot forward—
The Hell Hound opened its mouth.
BOOOOM!
Flames erupted outward.
The two attacks collided.
Blue-white ice flame hissed violently as heat swallowed it whole. Steam exploded into the air as Ronan's attack was consumed entirely.
"Tch."
Oliver suddenly moved.
His eyes had been studying the battlefield this whole time.
Now he saw his opening.
He rushed to one side while chanting rapidly under his breath. Symbols formed beneath his feet before spreading across the ground.
A massive sigil appeared under the Hell Hound.
Oliver raised both hands.
"Judgment Volley!"
Lightning descended from the sky, one strike after another.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
At the same time—
Orin swung his sword.
Darius launched another barrage of wind spears.
Attacks rained from every direction.
The Hell Hound roared.
No—
The air itself roared.
A visible shockwave exploded outward.
Oliver and Darius reacted instantly.
Aether barriers formed around them.
Orin and Ronan did the same—
Crack!
Their barriers shattered instantly.
The shockwave struck.
Ronan felt a violent pressure crash into his head.
Warm liquid suddenly trickled down his neck.
His ears.
Blood.
The world became muffled.
Then the Hell Hound vanished.
Ronan's eyes widened.
Too fast—
It appeared directly in front of him.
A molten wall erupted from the ground.
Ronan's defence.
The beast's claw smashed into it.
Boom!
The wall shattered like brittle glass.
Ronan staggered backwards.
Then—
A voice echoed in his mind.
"I am almost done."
Rai.
Ronan's eyes flashed.
"Orin!"
Orin understood instantly and disappeared from the battlefield.
Ronan threw out a massive pile of explosive talismans.
Sheets of glowing paper covered the ground.
Meanwhile,e Oliver and Darius desperately forced the Hell Hound back with constant attacks.
Then another Ronan walked out of the cave.
Oliver nearly choked.
"...What?"
The clone silently handed a storage ring and bracelet to Ronan before dissolving into white smoke.
Ronan's eyes widened slightly.
Success.
"Fall back!"
All of them turned and ran.
The Hell Hound chased after them with murderous fury.
Ronan clenched his fist.
Detonate.
The world turned white.
BOOOOOOM!
A massive mushroom cloud rose into the night sky.
Heat rolled across the forest like an ocean wave.
None of them looked back.
They ran like death itself was behind them.
Because it was.
Soon, the flying ship appeared above the trees.
Oliver jumped first.
Then Ronan.
Then—
ROOOOAR!
The Hell Hound burst through smoke and fire completely unharmed.
Everyone's faces changed.
"...You're kidding me," Darius whispered.
The beast swung its claw.
Three blazing arcs tore toward them.
Rai suddenly stopped.
He slammed his palm onto the ground.
Molten walls erupted one after another.
Boom!
First wall shattered.
Boom!
Second wall shattered.
The third barely held.
Ronan and Darius jumped.
Then—
The third wall exploded.
The claw passed through Rai's body.
Ronan watched Rai split in half.
For an instant, everything slowed.
White smoke exploded.
The clone vanished.
Then agony struck Ronan.
Absolute agony.
His body convulsed violently.
Every muscle screamed.
His nerves felt like they had actually been severed.
Rai's returned pain crashed into him like a flood.
Ronan stumbled.
Air refused to enter his lungs.
"Damn it!"
Darius grabbed him by the collar and threw him toward the ship.
Ronan slammed onto the wooden deck.
Behind him—
The claw struck Darius' back.
Blood sprayed.
Darius immediately crushed a teleportation talisman.
Flash—
He vanished before the strike could tear deeper and reappeared on the deck.
"Move!" Oliver shouted.
Orin immediately accelerated the ship.
The vessel shot upward into the night sky.
Far below, the Hell Hound roared furiously at the heavens.
The wooden deck trembled softly beneath them.
Ronan lay flat on his back.
His body had no injuries.
Not one.
Yet his muscles still twitched violently from the sensation of being cut in half.
His breathing came in uneven gasps.
Nearby, Darius lay covered in blood.
Oliver uncorked a jade bottle and poured liquid over the wounds.
The bleeding slowed immediately.
The flesh slowly began knitting together.
Oliver frowned and looked toward Ronan.
No injuries.
Nothing.
Then why did he look worse than Darius?
Ronan stared blankly at the dark sky overhead.
"...We survived, right?"
Darius let out a weak laugh.
"We're alive."
Oliver stared at both of them.
Then he shook his head.
"You two are lunatics."
Silence settled across the deck.
Wind brushed through their hair as stars drifted overhead.
Eventually, Ronan spoke.
"How long have we been flying?"
Oliver glanced upward.
"Three hours. Past midnight."
Ronan slowly sat up.
"Orin! Autopilot. Maximum defence and full invisibility."
From inside the control chamber:
"Aye aye, Captain!"
Moments later, Orin walked out and collapsed beside them with an exaggerated groan.
"Please tell me we're done."
"Almost."
Ronan pulled paper and a pen from his storage ring and dropped them onto the deck.
"But first..."
Orin stared at him.
No.
Absolutely not.
Ronan started writing.
"We hunted two hundred thirty-eight Rank Three Moonveil Moths, seventy Rank Four Silkmind Moths, and nineteen Rank Five Silvershade Moths."
He frowned.
"We should've hunted more."
Orin and Darius slowly turned toward him.
Dark circles sat beneath both of their eyes.
They had hunted for days without proper rest.
Oliver looked utterly speechless.
"More?" he asked. "Are you insane?"
Ronan grinned.
"Next time we'll go bigger."
Oliver stared at him for several seconds.
Then he looked toward Darius.
Then Orin.
"...He's serious."
Nobody disagreed.
Ronan continued writing.
"As I said before, the Rank Five cores are mine. I'll handle their use and distribution. No Rank Five core leaves my hands."
Nobody objected.
Even Oliver simply nodded.
"The rest gets split equally. If there are extra materials, discuss them among yourselves. Also..." Ronan looked up. "I'll take additional monster materials from my and Darius' shares in exchange for the cores."
He waved toward Oliver.
"You good with that?"
Oliver blinked.
"More than happy."
Ronan nodded.
"One more thing."
His expression became serious.
"This stays between us."
Especially you, Oliver.
Ronan leaned forward.
"It's flame-related. If you want it, ask Lyra. Talk to her directly. Samantha told me she's reasonable."
Orin smirked.
"You're starting to sound like a scammer."
Ronan rolled his eyes.
"And you're from a noble clan."
He tossed something toward Orin.
"This isn't useful for you anyway. Your share goes to Sir Alaric. Give it to him."
Orin lazily saluted.
"Fine, fine."
He yawned and leaned back.
"I trust Uncle Alaric."
For a while, nobody spoke.
The flying ship continued through the night sky.
Alive.
Somehow.