Sam weaved through the countless tentacles erupting from the ground. Each one was long, razor-sharp, and deadly, crashing down with enough force to crush him where he stood. Yet, time and time again, Sam narrowly avoided every strike.
Watching the desperate struggle unfold, Dolt couldn't hide his amusement.
"What's wrong?" he mocked. "How long are you planning to keep this up? Don't you know how to fight back?"
Sam remained on the defensive. He hadn't launched a single attack. Every assault Dolt unleashed was either dodged at the last second or endured head-on. Even so, a few tentacles managed to strike him, sending him tumbling across the battlefield.
Breathing heavily, Sam slowly rose back to his feet. He fixed his gaze on Dolt and asked,
"...Why are you doing this? What exactly is your goal?"
A crooked grin spread across Dolt's face.
"Our goal?" he chuckled. "If I told you, would you finally fight seriously?"
His grin widened into something far more sinister.
"Fine. I'll tell you."
"We came here to kill your son... and drag your wife away from this place."
Sam's eyes widened.
Dolt laughed before continuing.
"When Lawine watches her husband and her precious son die right in front of her..."
"...she'll break completely."
His laughter echoed across the battlefield.
Sam stared at him in silence, his eyes filled with a cold fury.
They're here... to take Kondo... and Lawine away from me...
He slowly took a deep breath.
His fists clenched.
I won't let that happen.
Closing his eyes, Sam forced himself to calm down. When he opened them again, every trace of panic had vanished.
Dolt was still laughing.
Without saying a word, Sam raised a single finger toward him. His expression remained perfectly calm as he silently gathered every ounce of energy inside his body into one point.
Dolt's laughter gradually faded.
"Oh?" he said with a smirk. "So you do know how to attack."
Sam didn't answer.
He simply continued pointing at Dolt.
A crimson magic circle suddenly appeared around his wrist.
From within it, a thin glowing chain emerged, wrapping itself around his finger before flowing into it like a conduit, continuously feeding it with brilliant red energy.
The next instant—
A crimson laser bullet burst from Sam's fingertip.
It shot across the battlefield with incredible speed.
Seeing it coming, Dolt casually raised his hand. A protective barrier instantly formed before him while four massive tentacles rose in front of it as an extra shield.
He wasn't worried.
One... maybe two tentacles at most, he thought.
Then it'll stop.
But the result was completely different.
The crimson beam tore through every tentacle in its path without slowing down.
It smashed through the barrier as if it didn't exist before streaking past Dolt's face and exploding somewhere behind him.
BOOM!
Dolt's eyes widened in disbelief.
He slowly turned his head toward Sam.
A faint smile appeared on Sam's face.
"...How?" Dolt muttered.
"Where did all that power come from?"
"What exactly did you just do?"
Sam ignored every question.
Instead, he burst forward.
Dolt's confidence faltered for the first time. Quickly raising his hand, he summoned dozens of tentacles from beneath the earth.
They lunged at Sam from every direction.
But instead of retreating, Sam leaped onto one of them and sprinted across the writhing tentacles as though they were solid ground.
More tentacles lashed toward him.
One after another, Sam fired laser bullets from his fingertip, blasting them apart before they could reach him.
Then—
A smaller tentacle suddenly burst out from the one beneath his feet.
Before Sam could react, it pierced straight through his shoulder.
The unexpected attack shattered his balance.
His footing slipped.
He fell.
The surrounding tentacles immediately converged, slamming down toward him from every direction.
They crashed into the ground with overwhelming force, burying Sam beneath them as a massive cloud of dust and smoke erupted across the battlefield.
Dolt laughed.
"What happened?"
"Is that really all you've got?"
Suddenly...
A severed piece of tentacle flew out of the smoke and landed near his feet.
Dolt's smile disappeared.
He slowly lifted his eyes toward the smoke ahead.
As the smoke slowly cleared, Dolt's eyes narrowed.
Sam's shirt had been completely torn away.
Glowing crimson chains spread across his body like intricate tattoos. At the center of his chest was a circular emblem, with a single eye engraved within it. Every chain originated from that eye, wrapping tightly around his entire body. Around his neck, the chains formed something resembling a collar, while another chain rested across his head like a crown.
Even his eyes had changed.
Complex magic circles now glowed within his pupils, perfectly mirroring the symbol on his chest.
The wound in his shoulder had vanished without a trace.
A crimson sword of condensed energy rested firmly in his hand. Its guard was shaped like a swastika, radiating an ominous red light.
Dolt wasn't surprised by the transformation.
Instead, a mocking grin spread across his face.
"So... you've finally decided to go all out."
He slowly raised his hand.
"Then come."
The instant those words left his mouth—
Sam disappeared.
Not a blur.
Not an afterimage.
He simply vanished.
A split second later, he was already standing before Dolt, his glowing blade descending straight toward his neck.
Clang!
Sam's sword stopped inches away.
Dolt glanced sideways.
Another blade had intercepted the attack.
"..."
His gaze slowly shifted upward.
Standing there was Yokzo.
With a single push of his sword, Yokzo forced Sam backward before instantly carving an enormous X-shaped slash through the air.
The cross-shaped attack roared toward Sam.
Yet Sam didn't panic.
His expression remained completely calm.
Gripping his sword with both hands, he slowly raised it overhead.
Then, at the exact moment the X-shaped slash reached him—
He swung downward.
The instant his blade descended, the massive slash was forced into the ground, disappearing beneath the earth as though it had been swallowed whole.
Dolt clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"You shouldn't have interfered in my fight."
His voice carried obvious irritation.
He had wanted nothing more than a fair battle with his opponent.
Turning his head slightly, Yokzo answered in a cold, serious tone,
"If I hadn't arrived when I did... your head would've been lying on the ground instead of your shoulders."
Dolt merely shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah... whatever."
Then he smirked.
"What about your opponent?"
Yokzo glanced at the scratch on his hand before healing it almost instantly.
"He really was a talented swordsman."
"But I sensed an unusually large surge of energy coming from this direction."
"So I put him to sleep with one of my drugs... and came here immediately."
Before either of them could say another word—
Sam charged.
The ground beneath him exploded apart as he rushed forward.
Yokzo noticed him at the same instant and shot forward as well.
Clang!
Their swords collided head-on.
The impact released an enormous shockwave that rippled across the battlefield.
The ground trembled violently.
Walls cracked apart.
Chunks of stone were blasted into the air.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
Their blades collided over and over without pause.
Every strike shook the battlefield.
Unlike Sam—
Yokzo looked as though he was genuinely enjoying himself.
A smile slowly crept across his face with every exchange.
Sam, however, wore a completely different expression.
Pressure.
Every clash pushed him closer to his limit.
Neither of them gave even a single step.
Both continued pouring more strength into every swing.
Watching from the side, even Dolt couldn't hide his surprise.
"...What?"
"Yokzo is actually fighting seriously?"
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"...Looks like I should stop holding back too."
He raised one hand.
A black ring materialized around his wrist.
Without hesitation, he slammed that hand against his own back.
The ring detached itself from his arm and fused into his spine.
A moment later...
Dozens of small black tentacles began crawling out of the ring, writhing like living creatures.
Dolt's smile widened.
"Now..."
"...the real battle begins."