The Silquist loomed above the courtyard, its green core pulsing menacingly. Smaller poltergeist minions wriggled toward Yuma like living slime snakes. Yuma's fists were ready, but he realized—he had no weapons. Not a single steel bar or dagger like Serena.
Stud floated nervously nearby, his tiny hand-sized form glowing faintly. "Kid… listen!" he shouted, flapping one tentacle toward the debris-strewn ground. "You're not strong enough to hurt this thing with bare hands. But—"
Yuma glanced down. Broken steel bars from a collapsed railing jutted out of the courtyard rubble.
Stud's glow intensified. "…Grab one of those. Now. I'll… possess it temporarily. Make it a conduit. Your strikes will actually hurt the poltergeist."
Yuma hesitated only for a moment, then snatched up a jagged steel bar. Instantly, Stud's energy flowed into it, curling around the metal like liquid light. The bar shimmered faintly, green sparks crawling across its surface.
"…Whoa. It's alive?" Yuma muttered.
"Not alive," Stud replied, his tiny voice urgent. "But it's energized. Hit it now. But aim for the core. Miss, and it regenerates faster."
Serena, leaping between minions, narrowed her eyes at the Silquist. She tapped the side of her glasses, letting her hair glow gold briefly—a subtle Geist aura flickering in sunlight. Humans nearby didn't notice, but Stud's glowing form shivered in admiration.
"Nice," he muttered. "Nice and sneaky. Just don't let them see that, or everyone's going to freak out."
Yuma gritted his teeth, gripping the steel bar now pulsing with Stud's power. He darted toward the nearest minion. The first swing sent the slime creature flying, the bar humming with destructive energy. Sparks and fragments of ectoplasm scattered across the courtyard.
"Good!" Stud cheered, hovering beside him. "Now, core! Core! Don't hold back!"
The Silquist shrieked, recoiling as Yuma's swings began chipping at its green pulsating core.
Serena moved to intercept another wave of minions, slashing through them with golden-bladed precision, creating paths for Yuma to maneuver. "Stud! Guide him!" she shouted.
"I am!" Stud squeaked, waving his tiny tentacles at Yuma. "Left! Right! Core's there!"
Yuma leapt forward, the steel bar glowing intensely as he drove it into the core. The Silquist let out a distorted howl, its minions evaporating in a dark mist. The creature's massive form quivered, struggling to maintain cohesion under the combined assault of Yuma's weaponized strike and Serena's precise attacks.
"…Yes… yes… almost…" Stud squeaked, glancing nervously at the sky. "Yuma! One more hit! Finish it!"
With a final leap, Yuma slammed the steel bar into the core, sending a shockwave across the courtyard. The Silquist shattered, dissolving into black mist that dissipated harmlessly.
Breathing heavily, Yuma dropped the bar. "Is it… over?"
Stud floated up beside him, tiny tentacles shaking. "I… think so. That was… intense. Kid, you actually did it!"
Serena landed beside them, daggers at the ready, hair returning to its natural color as she tapped her glasses again. "That's right. And remember," she muttered, "if any more of these things show up, you better be ready—or Stud's going to squeak for help again."
Stud scowled. "…Hey! I helped too! Without me, that bar would've been useless!"
Yuma chuckled, wiping sweat from his brow. "Yeah… thanks, Stud. That worked perfectly."
Stud puffed up his tiny chest. "Don't mention it… but next time, you better grab something sharper. Steel bars aren't exactly fun to swing."
Serena smirked, glancing at him. "Fun? You're tiny and weak, Stud. You wouldn't know fun if it hit you in the face."
"I may be tiny, but at least I don't scream like a human brat when a poltergeist comes near!" Stud retorted, glowing faintly in irritation.
The three shared a brief, tense laugh, knowing this was only the first attack of many.
The courtyard had barely settled from the Silquist's defeat when a chilling shriek echoed from above.
Stud's tiny form trembled, his glow flickering. "Oh no… that's not good. W-waves… more waves!"
Before Yuma could react, a massive poltergeist lunged from the shadows, slamming Serena into a wall with bone-cracking force. The impact sent her sliding across the concrete, but she quickly pushed herself up, daggers skimming the ground.
"Stud!" Yuma shouted, bracing for the attack.
"I said RUN!" Stud squeaked urgently, pointing his tiny tentacle toward the ground. Suddenly, the floor beneath Yuma writhed unnaturally. A dark shape surged through the tiles, forming a massive fist that slammed upward.
Yuma barely rolled to the side, dirt and debris flying around him.
Stud's tiny form hovered near his shoulder. "Grab those fragments!" he shouted, pointing to jagged rock shards scattered nearby. "I'll possess them again! Make them hurt them!"
Yuma snatched up the fragments, and Stud's energy flowed into each one, their surfaces glowing faintly green. "Now, throw! Aim for the cores!"
Serena had recovered, handguns drawn, barrels glowing faintly as she fired round after round into the advancing poltergeists. Each shot erupted in sparks as the bullets struck the creatures, staggering some, but more kept coming.
"More! They just keep coming!" Yuma shouted, throwing the energized rock fragments. Each strike caused the poltergeists to convulse and dissipate partially—but others were already forming, sliding out of broken windows and from under the earth.
Stud floated higher, anxiety written across his tiny features. "Upstairs! RUN TO THE STAIRS!"
Yuma didn't need a second warning. He grabbed Serena's arm, and the three of them—including Stud, who floated beside them—raced toward the staircase leading to the upper floors.
The poltergeist possessing the ground lashed out again, shattering part of the courtyard beneath them. The vibrations threatened to knock them off balance, but Yuma leapt over the collapsing tiles with Serena's assistance.
Serena fired a few quick shots over her shoulder, gritting her teeth. "Keep moving! Don't let them surround us!"
Stud's tiny voice rang out, almost panicked but precise: "Yuma! Toss the fragments! Serena! Keep shooting! And don't—don't let them hit the walls too hard, or the structure won't hold!"
Yuma nodded, spinning to hurl one more fragment into a poltergeist that leapt toward them from the side. The green-energized shard pierced the creature's core, causing it to scream in distorted agony before dissolving into ectoplasmic mist.
As they reached the first landing of the staircase, Stud floated above Yuma's shoulder. "Breathe! We're halfway up, but they'll follow! Hurry!"
Serena's hair flickered gold for a moment as she tapped the side of her glasses, hiding her Geist identity. "Almost there… don't slow down!"
Yuma gritted his teeth, sweat running down his temple. Each step up the staircase felt heavier as more poltergeists surged below, slamming against the staircase with inhuman strength.
Stud glanced nervously down at the horde of dark, writhing forms. "This… this is not good. There's… there's too many of them!"
Serena's grip on her handguns tightened. "Let them come. If they want a fight, they'll get one. But don't let them catch you off guard."
Yuma's hands shook as he threw another energized rock fragment at an approaching poltergeist, while Serena's golden aura flashed again briefly as she fired, taking down three more at once.
Stud squeaked, almost flailing his tiny tentacles. "Almost… almost there! Keep going! Don't stop!"
Finally, they reached the top landing of the stairs. Serena glanced behind her, grimacing as the horde clawed and slammed below.
Stud hovered in the middle, barely catching his breath. "This… this is going to be a long day…"
Yuma leaned against the railing, gripping the energized steel bar like a lifeline. "We… we made it up here… for now."
Serena's eyes gleamed, her handguns ready. "For now. But they're not done, and neither are we."
Above them, the city skyline reflected the chaos of poltergeist activity below. The first wave had been repelled, but the stakes had just grown higher.