The lieutenants were already on the move, sprinting across the open field. The base was nearly in sight.
"Hope you're ready to spill the beans," Cyrus said grimly to Lin, who was tied up and slung across his back. "Or you're gonna spill something else."
Lin wept quietly.
"Shut up, fatass," Rosalind snapped. "It's the Captain who decides what happens to her."
Suddenly, vines burst from the earth, twisting violently around the knights and locking them in place.
"What the—?!" Cyrus shouted, struggling.
Behind them, a boy dropped to his knees, driving a shovel into the ground.
"I made it..." Matsu panted, his eyes heavy with exhaustion.
"Matsu!" Lin cried, her voice breaking with joy. "You came!"
"You are not Knife, the Sharp," Cyrus said, irritated
"I had to run nonstop to catch up," he said, catching his breath, resting against the hilt of his shovel.
Rosalind inspected the shovel. "How dare a peasant possess an artifact?" Rosalind snarled, veins bulging in her forehead. "You'll be sentenced to death for this!"
"Give back my friend," Matsu said firmly, "And I'll let you go."
"Let us go?" Rosalind scoffed. She flexed with a grunt and ripped the vines apart with brute strength. Cyrus followed, snapping the bindings with a roar.
.Cyrus roughly untied Lin from his back and dragged her toward one of the trunks.
"Ugh—stop! Let me go!" Lin cried, kicking her legs wildly as they fastened her wrists behind the tree with an iron cord. Her feet thrashed in the dirt, but she was no match for their strength.
Before they could charge, Matsu raised his shovel—but he hesitated. In that moment, Rosalind lunged and grabbed the chain connecting to Cyrus. With a feral cry, she swung Cyrus through the air like a human wrecking ball.
"Wha—?!" Matsu gasped, eyes wide.
With monstrous strength, Rosalind slammed Cyrus straight down at Matsu, the impact hitting like a meteor.
BOOM! The earth cracked, and a massive cloud of dust exploded around them.
"That was close," Matsu muttered, barely dodging in time, coughing through the dust.
Cyrus stood tall at the crater's edge, his hulking frame casting a long shadow over Matsu, who was hunched over and panting, blood trickling from his lip.
To Cyrus, he looked like a bug on the ground—ready to be squashed.
"These guys… are strong," Matsu muttered through gritted teeth.
"Matsu!" Lin screamed from behind Cyrus, fear tightening her voice.
But Matsu slowly pushed himself up, shovel in hand. His legs trembled, but his eyes were fierce.
"But I have to defeat them," he said under his breath.
Then, he bolted.
He ducked into the treeline, vanishing into the dense forest. The brush swallowed him in moments.
Rosalind crossed her arms, watching the trees. "Did he just flee?"
"How pathetic," Cyrus said flatly.
But Rosalind grinned. "Too bad I don't let my prey run."
She turned and grabbed the chain on Cyrus's back again.
"Hey—wait—" Cyrus barely had time to protest before Rosalind heaved.
"Clear out that forest."
With a mighty swing, she hurled Cyrus like a wrecking ball into the woods. His armored body tore through the trees, smashing through trunks and splintering them into kindling.
BOOM. CRACK. SMASH.
Trees fell in every direction as Cyrus was whipped back and forth—an iron boulder crushing everything in his path. Leaves exploded into the air like green fireworks.
"COME OUT, PEASANT!" Rosalind bellowed. "I'll rip you out of the dirt myself!"
From behind her, Lin watched in horror. Her fists clenched. "Matsu… please… be okay…"
Matsu crouched low, shovel dug into the dirt, sweat dripping from his brow. His chest heaved, but his eyes burned with focus.
"Head-on, I can't beat them… but Grandpa always said— if you can't win with strength, then build with what you have."
He slammed his palm against the soil, gripping the shovel tightly.
The ground trembled. Roots surged upward, but instead of lashing wildly, they bent and wove together, forming beams and walls. Thick trunks interlocked like pillars, snapping into place as if Matsu were hammering them in with invisible nails.
Rosalind swung Cyrus down for another earth-shattering smash—
But this time—
CRUNCH!
A wooden structure erupted around him, beams locking shut in a blink, sealing him inside. The living walls curved and knitted themselves together into a prison of bark and roots.
"ROOT HOUSE!" Matsu shouted, slamming the shovel's blade flat into the ground like a carpenter finishing a strike.
Cyrus crashed inside, the walls groaning as they bent inward, the entire structure creaking under his mass. But instead of breaking apart, it held firm, tightening as if the house itself wanted to keep him caged.
"W-what the—?! LET ME OUT!" Cyrus bellowed, thrashing. His armored fists pounded against the wooden walls, but the beams absorbed the shock and held. Every slam only made them grow denser, branches sprouting to reinforce the prison.
Rosalind's grin twisted into frustration as she yanked on the chain attached to him—only for it to snap taut, the Root House holding him like an anchor.
From the treeline, Matsu staggered forward, shovel in hand, panting but standing tall.
"Strength means nothing if you can't move," he said firmly, eyes fixed on Rosalind.
Matsu charged, shovel in hand, fury blazing in his green eyes.
"Give Lin back!"
He swung hard. Rosalind ducked, the blade tearing through a tree trunk in one swipe. The crash of splintering wood echoed through the clearing.
She smirked—until Matsu ripped the shovel free and came at her again, strike after strike. Each blow shook the air, the ground cracking under his stomps.
"Fast—! Too fast!" Rosalind hissed, her smug expression fading as she blocked with her armored forearms, each hit sending vibrations through her bones.
Sweat dripped down her temple.
"Where did this strength come from? He's… just a farmer!"
Matsu roared, twisting into a sweeping arc that forced her to leap back. His shovel smashed into the ground, sending dirt and shards of rock flying like shrapnel.
Rosalind narrowed her eyes. She was breathing heavier now.
"Damn brat…"
But Matsu didn't let up. He pressed forward, shovel whirling like an extension of his body, blows coming faster, heavier—every strike carrying the weight of his desperation. She blocked one, two, three strikes—but the fourth nicked her cheek, leaving a thin red line.
Her eyes widened.
"…He almost got me."
Then, in a blur, he swung down with everything he had. Rosalind caught the handle, her muscles straining, the impact cracking the dirt beneath her boots.
She twisted, yanking him forward with a grunt, and in that instant, her knee slammed into his chest. The breath blasted from his lungs.
Before he could recover, she snaked her legs around his torso, rolling him into the dirt. His shovel flew from his grip as she locked her thighs around him, tightening like a vice.
"You almost had me," she admitted, sweat glistening on her brow as she squeezed down, her biceps flexing around his trapped arm. "But I won't let a peasant defeat me."
Matsu growled, thrashing, trying to push her off. But she held firm, pinning him in place.
"Cyrus—NOW!" Rosalind barked.
For a heartbeat, nothing. Then—CRRRRK!
The Root House groaned, its wooden walls splitting as jagged spikes pierced outward from within.
"W-what?!" Matsu's eyes widened.
The structure tore apart, exploding into splinters. Standing in the ruins was Cyrus—his bulky armored body now riddled with writhing metal spikes that jutted out from his entire body. Each movement made the spikes flex and groan, like his very body had weaponized the trap meant to contain him.
Lin's scream cut through the chaos. "Matsu! He—he's covered in spikes!"
Cyrus' single, glowing eye gleamed from inside his helmet. His voice rumbled like stone grinding together.
"H-how…?" Matsu muttered, exhausted eyes widening.
Cyrus exhaled heavily, his rocky shoulders rising and falling with metallic groans. Then, with a low rumble, he grabbed one of the spikes embedded in him—snapping it clean off.
"The Spike-Trap Artifact," he growled, his voice like grinding stone. "Hidden inside my armor. It can produce spikes from all parts of my body."
With a violent shrug, the rest of the wooden spikes cracked and shattered, falling from his frame like brittle twigs.
Lin's jaw dropped. "H-he was hiding something like that all along?!"
Cyrus's shadow loomed over them, larger and more menacing than ever.
Rosalind yanked hard on the chain connected to his back.
"Let's show him what a real wrecking ball looks like."
With an inhuman grunt, she leapt high into the air, dragging Cyrus by the chain. He spun overhead, a massive spiked boulder of living iron.
Matsu tried to roll away—
BOOOOOOM!
The spiked wrecking ball slammed down onto him with crushing force. The ground erupted, dirt and rock blasting outward in a shockwave. A deep crater formed where Matsu had been pinned, the echoes of the impact rolling through the open field.
Dust billowed.
Lin's tears streamed down her face as she screamed, "Matsu!!"
Matsu grunted, forcing himself up on shaky legs. Blood streamed down his arms and legs, soaking into the dirt beneath him. His chest heaved with every ragged breath, yet his eyes still burned with that stubborn light.
Lin's lips trembled, her tiny hands clutching at the ropes around her wrists as tears welled in her eyes.
"M-Matsu… stop… you'll die…"
But he didn't stop.
He couldn't.
"Oooh," Rosalind mused, tilting her head with a mocking grin. "The little peasant doesn't know when to quit. Look at you—body covered in holes, coughing up blood, and you're still standing. Adorable."
Cyrus crossed his stubby armored arms, his rocky chestplate grinding. "He's insane. Should've been dead already."
Matsu's lips moved, barely audible.
"…I won't… give up."
Rosalind cupped her hand to her ear, feigning curiosity.
"Hmm? What was that, farmer boy? Speak up."
Matsu sucked in air, his lungs burning like fire, and roared with everything he had left:
"I WON'T GIVE UP—NO MATTER WHAT!!"
His voice cracked the silence of dawn, echoing across the field.
For a moment—just a moment—the two lieutenants blinked in surprise. Then laughter burst out of them like thunder.
"This guy's crazy," Cyrus chuckled, shaking his head.
"I suggest you give up, 'cause I won't," Matsu snarled, voice still raw with fire.
"Pfft—" Rosalind burst into laughter, clutching her stomach. "Oh no, did I hit you in the head too hard? That's the dumbest thing I've heard in ages. You don't give up? Neither do I." She flexed her arms, veins bulging beneath her armor. "And you'll break way before me."
But as she smirked, Matsu's eyes didn't waver. If anything, they glowed brighter, sharp and alive despite his battered frame.
"DIE!" Rosalind screamed, her voice cracking with fury as she yanked the chain. Cyrus, bristling with spikes, came flying through the air like a monstrous wrecking ball, aimed straight at Matsu.
Lin's scream pierced the battlefield. "MATSU!"
Matsu's hands trembled as he reached down, fingers wrapping around the worn handle of his shovel. His legs wobbled, every muscle in his body aching, his vision swimming with blood and dust. Slowly, painfully, he forced himself upright.
He staggered once. Twice.
Then, he inhaled.
His body stiffened, every muscle tightening like a coiled spring. His wooden leg dug deep into the dirt, anchoring him like a tree trunk. His arms shook as he raised the shovel, gripping it with both hands.
The spiked mass hurtled closer.
The ground quaked.
Matsu's eyes burned with fire.
BOOOOOM!
The wrecking ball collided with his shovel. The impact shook the earth, a shockwave exploding outward, hurling dust and stones in all directions. For a moment, it was dead even—Matsu's shovel groaning under the impossible weight of Rosalind's monstrous attack. His arms tore open, blood running down, his teeth clenched so hard they almost cracked.
"GIVE UP, FARMER!" Rosalind roared, veins bulging in her arms as she pulled on the chain with all her strength.
"I… SAID…" Matsu growled through clenched teeth, every fiber of his body screaming.
"I WON'T GIVE UP!"
With a primal scream, Matsu twisted his hips, driving all his weight and fury into the shovel. His muscles bulged, the veins in his neck pulsing.
CRACK!
"HERE, TAKE HIM BACK!"
The shovel's edge scraped against Cyrus's spiked armor, redirecting the impossible momentum. The wrecking ball spun wildly off course, and with a final heave, Matsu hurled Cyrus back through the air.
"ROOT HOME-RUN!"
The spiked knight flew like a comet—straight toward Rosalind.
Her eyes widened in shock, too late to dodge. "W-what?!"
KRAAAASH!
Cyrus slammed into her chestplate with bone-shattering force, the pair of them smashing into the ground in a storm of dirt and steel. The earth shook with the collision, dust rising in a choking cloud.
Matsu fell to one knee, panting, his shovel still trembling in his hands. His body burned with pain, but a weary smile crept across his face.
Lin's eyes were wide, tears spilling down her cheeks. "M-Matsu… you… You did it!"