Deeper in the forest stood a tree unlike the rest.
It towered above the canopy, its trunk so wide that ten men linking arms wouldn't be able to encircle it. Its bark was dark and ridged like ancient armor. The air around it felt older. Heavier.
Embedded in the center of its trunk was a bow.
Elegant.
Polished.
A quiver hung beside it, secured by an iron hook as if waiting for someone worthy enough to claim it.
Unlike the chaos near the stone cave, this area appeared calm.
No shouting.
No clashing steel.
Only wind brushing through leaves.
It was a lie.
The ground around the massive tree was littered with corpses.
Dozens of them.
Bodies pierced by spears. Skulls crushed by stones. Throats slit in desperate ambushes. They had all tried to reach the bow.
None had succeeded.
Because the silence wasn't emptiness.
It was tension.
Hidden among thick foliage high above, people waited. Watching. Calculating. Hoping someone else would make the first move and die for it.
Then—
A figure dropped from the upper branches.
Gasps erupted.
"What the fuck… she's been there the whole time!"
"God damn it, quickly get her!"
"Hey, capture her!"
"Fuck, she's crazy. Kill her before she takes the weapon and leaves!"
The girl fell gracefully through shafts of light.
Short blue hair fluttered around her face as she descended. Her body twisted midair with trained precision. Her chest rose and fell steadily—no panic, no hesitation.
She reached out.
Her fingers wrapped around the bow.
In the same motion, she tore the quiver free.
She continued falling.
Before her feet even touched the ground, she slung the quiver across her back. Her hand reached behind her shoulder and pulled out an arrow.
The moment the arrow left the quiver—
Another one materialized in its place.
Infinite.
A faint smile curved her lips.
Just then—
A wooden spear sliced through the air from her left.
"Die, you bitch!" shouted the attacker from behind a shrub.
The spear was fast.
But she was faster.
Midair, she nocked the arrow to the string and pulled.
The bow bent smoothly, humming with restrained power.
She released.
The arrow shot forward like a streak of silver.
It struck the incoming spear dead center.
The wooden shaft split apart instantly.
The arrow didn't stop.
It pierced through the shattered remains and embedded itself deep into a tree trunk behind, quivering violently.
The blue-haired girl landed softly on the ground.
For half a second—
Stillness.
Then the forest exploded.
From every direction, hidden figures revealed themselves.
Stones flew.
Wooden spears were hurled with murderous intent.
Branches snapped as people rushed out from cover.
Her face paled.
She ducked as a stone grazed past her ear.
A spear scraped along her thigh, tearing fabric but missing flesh.
She rolled across the ground, another projectile slamming into the soil where her head had been.
Too many.
Way too many.
She sprinted behind the massive tree, using its enormous trunk as a shield.
Spears thudded against bark. Stones cracked loudly.
Some attackers began moving toward her position.
Others turned on each other mid-charge.
"If we kill them first, fewer people to compete with!"
"Fuck you, that bow is mine!"
Weapons collided again as alliances shattered instantly.
The clearing descended into chaos.
Several fighters rounded the trunk from opposite sides—
But she wasn't there.
"What the hell?"
"Where is she?"
"Did she run?"
"No way, she has the weapon, fuck!"
"Hey! You there! I think you and that girl are on the same team!"
Accusations became violence in seconds.
The clearing turned into another slaughter.
Blades met bone.
Spears punched through backs.
Blood soaked the roots of the ancient tree.
Meanwhile—
Far from the chaos, weaving between trunks at full speed—
The blue-haired girl ran.
Her breathing was sharp but controlled. The bow remained steady in her grip, the quiver resting securely against her back.
She leapt over fallen logs and ducked beneath low branches without slowing.
Behind her, faint screams echoed.
She smirked.
Bunch of fucking idiots.
Another arrow materialized in her quiver as she adjusted her grip.
Now this weapon is mine.
She didn't look back.
Because she knew—
Anyone chasing her was already too slow.
Meanwhile, Far from the cave.
Far from the massive tree.
Near a vast, dark lake that stretched like a sheet of black glass beneath the sky, another battlefield had formed.
The water was unnaturally deep. Still. Cold.
Fifteen people stood guard along the shore, forming a loose perimeter. Their clothes were soaked with sweat, their wooden weapons ready, eyes scanning the forest nervously.
Because their leader was in the water.
And inside that lake—
A weapon waited.
The surface suddenly broke.
A young man burst upward, gasping violently for air. He dragged himself toward the shallows, coughing water out of his lungs. His expression was twisted with frustration.
He slammed his palm against the water.
"Fuck… I failed again."
Floating around him were corpses.
Bloated. Pale.
Some half-submerged. Some drifting slowly. All of them had tried to reach the weapon hidden in the lake's depths.
All of them had drowned when their breath ran out.
On the shore, another boy sat cross-legged near the edge, watching.
"Leader, did you get it?" he called out casually.
The drenched boy wiped water from his face, anger flashing in his eyes.
"Nah. It's too fucking deep. I almost died down there."
He sucked in a long breath, steadying himself. His lungs burned, but greed burned hotter.
Without waiting further, he filled his chest again and dove back into the lake.
The water swallowed him whole.
The fifteen guards tightened their formation.
The air felt tense.
Then—
Two figures emerged from the forest.
They walked without hurry.
The one in front was lean, calm, and carried himself with quiet authority. A katana hung at his left waist.
Behind him walked a massive boy. His body was thick with muscle. His right palm looked grotesquely large—wide enough to crush a skull like fruit.
The guards saw them.
Weapons were raised instantly.
"Enemies!"
"Stop them!"
But the man with the katana only smiled.
It wasn't a loud smile.
It was a devilish one.
He drew the blade.
The sound of steel leaving its sheath was soft.
Then everything became red.
The katana moved like flowing water.
Precise.
Efficient.
Deadly.
In less than a minute—
The fifteen guards were scattered across the shore in pieces.
Some were cut cleanly through the torso. Some lost arms before they even realized they were attacked. Others fell clutching their throats as blood poured between their fingers.
The air filled with the metallic scent of death.
The boy who had been sitting near the lake tried to run.
He didn't get far.
The giant closed the distance in three heavy steps.
His enormous hand grabbed the boy's skull completely, fingers wrapping around it like a helmet.
The boy screamed.
The giant lifted him effortlessly and hurled him toward a tree.
The impact cracked bark.
The body slid down lifelessly.
Silence returned to the lake.
The man with the katana cleaned his blade with a flick and looked toward the water.
"Go get the weapon."
The giant nodded once.
He stepped into the lake.
Then dove.
Below the surface, darkness swallowed him.
The water was colder than expected, pressing against his skin like weight. He swam downward powerfully, legs kicking with monstrous strength.
Then he saw him.
The original leader.
The boy was still descending, searching desperately in the murky depths. His eyes widened when he noticed the giant approaching.
Confusion spread across his face.
How?
How could someone enter the lake when his guards were outside?
Before he could process it—
A massive hand grabbed his ankle.
His body jerked violently.
The giant didn't hesitate.
He dragged him deeper.
The leader panicked instantly.
He tried to kick free. Tried to claw at the grip. Bubbles exploded from his mouth as he wasted precious air.
But the grip was iron.
The pressure in his lungs became unbearable.
His vision blurred.
His movements slowed.
Then—
His body went limp.
He had drowned.
The giant didn't even look at him again.
His eyes were fixed below.
At the bottom of the lake—
Something stood upright.
A scythe.
Its curved blade gleamed faintly even in the darkness. It was embedded vertically in the lakebed like a grave marker.
The giant reached it.
His hand wrapped around the shaft.
The moment he touched it, the water around him seemed to ripple unnaturally.
He pulled.
The scythe came free smoothly.
Without wasting time, he kicked upward toward the surface.
When he broke through the water, the dead leader's body floated up beside him, face pale and empty.
The giant released the corpse without emotion.
It drifted away among the others.
He stepped out of the lake, water pouring from his massive frame.
In his hand—
The scythe gleamed under the light.
The man with the katana watched with satisfied eyes.
"Good," he said quietly.
The lake returned to silence once more.
More bodies floated on its surface.
And above the forest—
The number in the sky continued to fall.
034,789,536
035,789,479