Up front, Johan stood far too close to the Mutant Rat's face. His sword was lodged in one of the monster's eyes—half the blade lost inside the skull. He pulled. It didn't budge. He pulled again, the veins in his arms bulging. The metal only let out a faint creak.
The Mutant Rat growled. Its remaining eyeball spun wildly, black blood streaming from the pierced socket. Its jaws snapped open and shut, emitting a heavy, rasping sound.
"Pull it out! Get the sword out!" someone screamed.
Johan braced his foot against the monster's back for leverage. The sword bent slightly. Its tip cracked. The Mutant Rat's claws swept out. Two Nagawira who were too close were tossed aside like ragdolls. One of them collided with a comrade's shield, leaving the right flank wide open.
"Close it up! Close the right side!" another shouted—but the voice was drowned out.
A soldier tried to stab from behind. The blade only went in half a finger's breadth before stopping against the hardened flesh. He froze for a fraction of a second. The Mutant Rat's horn slammed into his chest. His body was hoisted up, then fell among the feet of his comrades.
Several retreated instinctively. One step. Two steps. The shields that were once tightly locked now left gaps.
"Don't retreat! Don't—" The shout was cut short as the Mutant Rat's broken, bleeding tail lashed across the speaker's face.
Johan was still struggling to wrench his sword free.
"Just let it go! Grab another weapon!" someone yelled at him.
"I—I can't!" Johan gasped. His hands were slick with blood; his grip was slipping.
The Mutant Rat shook its head violently. The sword remained embedded. The once-orderly three-sided formation was now in tatters. Some Nagawira stood too far back; others were too close. There was no longer a rhythm of advance and retreat—only hurried stabs and shields raised too high.
Then—
THUMP.
The sound of a heavy footstep from the rear corridor.
THUMP. THUMP.
The vibration could be felt through the soles of their feet. Several heads turned involuntarily.
"Don't look back!" someone shouted, but their own voice trembled.
A low roar echoed, closer than before. At the barricade, wood snapped with a loud crack. A long scream rang out, then stopped abruptly. Several Nagawira in the Boss room looked at one another, their eyes widening. One man dropped his sword. Others began to back away slowly, as if trying to ensure there was a distance between themselves and the center of the battle.
The Mutant Rat saw the opening. It lunged.
The front shields shattered against its horn. The middle rank split. Three bodies were swept away in one brutal motion.
"Run—" The word slipped from someone's lips.
And like an invisible signal, two people actually turned. Others followed. Johan finally let go of his sword and stumbled back. The Mutant Rat's eye socket still held that bent blade, making the monster look even more ghastly.
Shiki saw it all. The lines she had formed. The attack pattern that had almost succeeded. Everything shattered in seconds. The heavy steps of the Elite Rats were now clearly audible. Stone ground against stone. The barricade wood collapsed entirely. Roady's voice could be heard calling out names that no longer answered.
Shiki stood frozen. Her breath caught; her chest felt hot. The distance she had considered safe now felt like an endless abyss. In front of her, the Mutant Rat still stood. Behind her, something even larger was approaching. And between the two, her army began to break like cracked glass that could not be mended.
Suddenly, a gust of wind swept past Shiki. Someone blurred past her. Long hair fluttered, boots struck the stone floor without hesitation, and a body leaned forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Shiki's breath hitched. "Rose...!"
She only saw the back of her. Rose was already far ahead. It meant that while Johan was still struggling to pull the jammed sword, Rose had already decided to leave the barricade and sprint into the Boss room. She had read the situation faster. She had made the decision while others were still wavering.
Several staggering Nagawira saw the figure pass.
"Rose!" someone cried, their voice a mix of hope and relief. Heads that were once filled with fear now lifted. Their eyes followed the same direction.
Shiki felt something harden in her chest. Not fear. Not relief.
Rose wasn't just running to save them. She was running to end it all. If she killed the Boss now—in front of everyone—then the story of this battle would always mention her name first. The Nagawira who had just been trembling would remember who truly stood at the front line. Who saved them when the formation collapsed.
It wouldn't be Shiki, who gave orders from the back. It would be Rose.
Shiki quickened her pace. "Stop—!" she shouted, but her voice was drowned out by the Mutant Rat's roar.
Rose had already leapt. Her body rose high, far higher than a normal Nagawira should have been capable of. Both knees were tucked tight to her chest. Time seemed to slow down. Beneath her, the Mutant Rat shook its head wildly, Johan's bent sword still lodged in its eye socket.
Rose came down. Both her feet slammed into the base of that sword with a powerful kick.
The sound of metal screeched loudly. Cracks spread across the already bent blade—then one final shove drove it deeper. The Mutant Rat's skull vibrated. The giant body froze.
One second. Two seconds.
Then, its entire body shattered into fragments of light—small squares that floated upward and vanished.
At that same moment, the roars of the Elite Rats were cut short. An Elite Rat that had been raising its claw to tear a Nagawira's face suddenly froze, then crumbled into light. The other rats followed, vanishing one by one like erased shadows.
Silence fell. The breathing of the Nagawira could be heard clearly in the room that had just been filled with death. Shields were slowly lowered. Several people slumped to the floor, chuckling in disbelief that they were still alive.
Then—the cheers broke out.
"ROSE!"
The name echoed, first from one person, then two, then dozens. Rose stood where she had landed. Her body was covered in blood and dust. Her chest heaved rapidly, but she remained upright. The dungeon light, now turning soft, reflected off her face.