“Guys! I made it onto the ship!” Dovak’s voice rang out from the deck. His hands gripped the helm tightly as he looked down at them. “Get on, now!”

  But no one moved.

  The charred remains of the Darkcrawlers had begun to shift.

  At first, they twitched, crawling sluggishly, their broken limbs dragging across the cavern floor.

  Then, they lurched forward—all of them.

  Hundreds of mangled, smoldering bodies, pulling themselves across the scorched battlefield toward one central point. A grotesque mass of flesh began to form, piece by piece, as the corpses merged together, pressing and twisting into one another like pulsating clay.

  The color of the fused meat darkened, shifting into a deep, wet crimson. Veins bulged, throbbing beneath the surface as bones cracked and reshaped themselves.

  The figure grew.

  Larger. Taller.

  Soon, it stood nearly three meters high—its form vaguely humanoid but still shifting, writhing.

  Then, a face took shape.

  Or at least, something that resembled one.

  Hollow sockets where eyes should have been.

  A mouth—if it could even be called that—formed by thin, straining strands of muscle, barely able to hold its shape.

  The flesh finally stopped moving. The creature stood motionless. Silent. Watching.

  Dovak, still gripping the helm, tried to step away.

  His arms didn’t budge. His fingers wouldn’t release.

  It was as if the ship itself was keeping him in place.

  His pulse quickened. “Ah, shit.”

  Then, a voice.

  Not from its mouth.

  But from everywhere.

  From the walls, the ground, the air itself.

  All of you… will die here… now.

  The sound was deep, grating and raw, as if a thousand voices had been shredded apart and stitched back together.

  And then, it moved.

  The voice echoed through the cavern, rattling their bones, its tone deep, grating, and broken—as if it had been scraped across rusted metal.

  The weight of melancholy, hatred, and despair clung to every syllable, sinking into their skin.

  William swallowed hard. “What the hell is happening?”

  Before anyone could answer—

  A sudden, piercing beep erupted from their bracelets.

  A holographic message flickered to life above their wrists.

  A heavy silence followed.

  Then, Claire let out a slow breath.

  “Of course. It was never going to be that easy.”

  “So we just have to kill the big boss?” Sam joked, though his grip on his weapon betrayed his nerves.

  Before anyone could respond, the ground behind the ship ruptured.

  Darkcrawlers poured from the earth, twisting and screeching as they crawled forward.

  Claire acted instantly.

  With a swift motion, she summoned an energy bow from her inventory and fired a shot straight at Mustafar.

  The arrow struck its target—then bounced off harmlessly.

  The creature didn’t even flinch.

  But it did react.

  A thunderous roar tore through the cavern, shaking the very air as Mustafar lunged forward.

  “Projectiles don’t work!” William shouted.

  “No shit!” Claire snapped, already switching her bow for a sword.

  “Hit it with everything you’ve got!” Layla commanded, shifting into an offensive stance, her greatsword poised to strike, but faltered due to her injury.

  William and Jin remained beside Nigel, ready to move him if necessary.

  Claire stayed close, turning her focus to the Darkcrawlers, ensuring none of them got too close.

  Mustafar’s monstrous form closed the distance.

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  Lars raised his hand, summoning a blinding beam of light that struck directly against the creature’s face.

  It staggered—slightly.

  [99.8% Vitality Remaining]

  Lars’ heart sank. “That wuz one of me strongest attacks…”

  No one hesitated.

  Nyx darted forward, targeting one of Mustafar’s legs with a flurry of rapid slashes, while Layla struck the opposite side, trying to destabilize him.

  Sam positioned himself behind the beast, his body blazing with heat.

  Channeling his martial arts skills, he unleashed precise, fiery strikes against its spine and pressure points.

  On any normal enemy, his attacks would have been devastating.

  But this wasn’t human.

  And Mustafar was barely feeling it.

  The monster let out a deafening roar, its voice shaking the cavern walls.

  It slammed its fists together, unleashing a shockwave that staggered the entire group, forcing them back.

  Then, with a sudden twist of its massive body, it swung at Sam.

  Sam’s instincts kicked in just in time—he barely managed to dodge, but the attack clipped his shoulder.

  A sickening crack rang out.

  Pain exploded through his arm. His bones fractured instantly, rendering his right arm useless.

  He gritted his teeth, swallowing the scream rising in his throat. If that hit had landed fully… he wouldn’t have been standing.

  “Sam!” Nyx shouted, catching the pained look on his face.

  Without hesitation, she leapt forward, aiming straight for Mustafar’s neck.

  But the beast was faster.

  A massive fist came crashing down, forcing her to block with Runebringer.

  The impact landed, and the force sent her crashing to the ground, adrenaline masking the pain of every single one of her fingers snapping from the pressure.

  She struggled to get up, but before she could—

  Mustafar was already in front of her.

  She froze.

  “…Shit.”

  The monster raised its remaining fist, ready to crush her—

  Then, in a blur of motion, Layla struck.

  With a single, precise swing of her greatsword, she severed one of Mustafar’s hands.

  [86% Vitality Remaining]

  Sam, still clutching his injured arm, let out a breath.

  “This has to be a joke…” he muttered, pushing himself back up.

  “Don’t give up!” Layla yelled, her breathing heavy but determined.

  Then—

  A massive, metallic spear tore through Mustafar’s chest.

  The beast let out a horrid, gurgling shriek, its body jerking violently.

  [61% Vitality Remaining]

  Claire exhaled, shaking out her hands. “Took me a bit to make that.”

  She cracked her knuckles. “Gonna take a while before I can do another, so try not to die.”

  As the battle raged, Mustafar reached for the massive spear lodged in its chest.

  With a slow, sickening pull, it yanked the weapon free—as effortlessly as removing a splinter.

  The gaping wound left behind twitched and pulsed, but no blood poured from it.

  Instead—its eyes burned red.

  A violent glow erupted from its hollow sockets, illuminating the cavern in an ominous, crimson haze.

  Then—its arm began to change.

  The flesh bulged and twisted, swelling grotesquely.

  Patches of blackened fat oozed through its splitting skin, the entire limb morphing into a mass of rotting tissue, shifting like molten wax.

  The grotesque transformation continued for mere seconds—

  Then, in the blink of an eye, the swollen mass compressed.

  What remained was a sleek, elongated blade, eerily similar to the ones wielded by the Darkcrawlers.

  Sam’s breath hitched. “Second phase… fuck”

  He clenched his jaw, fighting against the fire in his shoulder.

  He had suffered wounds before. Broken bones, torn flesh—he had endured it all.

  But this pain was different.

  It was searing, unbearable.

  His arm throbbed violently, and when he lifted his shirt, his stomach dropped.

  The skin around the wound had turned black and brittle, dry as if sucked of all moisture.

  And the stench.

  It was rancid. Rotting.

  His blood ran cold. “Its flesh is corrosive!” he shouted.

  His voice was strained—laced with something rare for him. Fear.

  “I knew something was wrong.”

  He gritted his teeth. If they didn’t end this fight soon, he wouldn’t just lose his arm—he’d die from the infection.

  Mustafar zeroed in on Layla.

  With unnatural speed, it lunged, slashing down with its massive blade-arm.

  Layla reacted instantly, summoning her colossal energy shield.

  The impact shook the entire cavern.

  For a moment, she held firm.

  Then, she countered.

  Dismissing her shield, she swung her greatsword in a powerful arc, using the momentum to cleave into Mustafar’s abdomen.

  The blade sank deep—but stopped halfway through.

  “Shit!” Layla hissed.

  She barely had time to react before Mustafar’s remaining arm lashed out toward her.

  At the last second—

  Sam tackled her aside.

  The monster’s clawed swipe tore through empty air, missing them both by mere inches.

  Sam winced as the movement sent pain shooting through his arm, but he pushed through it.

  Claire, seeing the opening, struck immediately.

  Instead of forming a single massive weapon, she shifted the battlefield itself.

  With a sharp movement of her hands, she transfigured the earth beneath Mustafar—

  And launched a storm of high-speed metal spikes.

  The needles tore through its flesh, piercing its legs, arms, and abdomen in rapid succession.

  Mustafar howled.

  Its muscles spasmed violently, fibers snapping and reforming as it struggled to repair itself.

  But despite the damage—it wasn’t slowing down.

  “This is getting exhausting…” Claire muttered, barely able to stay on her feet. Her breathing was ragged, her limbs heavy, drained from the constant use of her ability.

  “Thanks for the time!” Lars shouted, grinning despite the chaos.

  Then, he shifted his stance.

  His movements were calculated, precise as he pressed his palms together—

  And slowly pulled them apart.

  From his hands, bright streaks of lightning crackled to life, arcing wildly, striking the ground and even his own body.

  Layla’s eyes widened.

  “Now you’re done for!” she declared, instantly recognizing the technique.

  But Mustafar knew it too.

  And it wasn’t about to let him finish.

  In a single, blindingly fast movement, the monster lunged forward—

  And drove its blade-arm straight through Lars’ abdomen.

  The impact shook the cavern.

  Lars jerked violently, choking, a massive gush of blood pouring from his mouth.

  The light in his hands flickered.

  His knees buckled. His breath hitched.

  Layla’s heart stopped.

  “No!”

  Tears spilled down her face as she watched the life drain from his eyes.

  But then—

  Slowly, Lars turned his head toward her.

  And smiled.

  The realization hit her all at once.

  The technique hadn’t been interrupted.

  Lars never stopped it.

  His body trembled, but his voice was calm—almost at peace.

  “Looks like I’m about to meet you, Amaterasu…”

  Then, the light erupted.

  A deafening thunderclap rang through the cavern as dozens of blinding lightning bolts exploded outward from Lars’ body—

  Before a massive detonation consumed Mustafar in a storm of pure devastation.

  As the smoke and fire cleared, the monster was left crippled.

  Almost half of its torso was completely obliterated.

  The entire left side of its body had been carved away, leaving behind a twisted, smoldering mess of muscle and bone.

  Its body shook violently, its posture warped and broken.

  For the first time—Mustafar looked like it was in pain.

  But Lars…

  Lars was gone.