Solryn raised his staff.
"Ether of the heavens! Grant me your boon! Lightning Bolt!"
A tendril of electricity shot from Solryn's staff, crackling through the air like a whip.
Clang!
Sparks exploded as Kurt's naginata swept through the bolt, scattering arcs of lightning harmlessly across the ground. He grinned — teeth flashing white — and lunged forward, his polearm slicing the air in a brutal arc.
Hibana barely heard the clash. He was inside his own head.
This is really happening again...
Memories flashed — the goblins' blood in the dirt, Solryn's injuries from their last encounter. Another cruel man — another arrogant monster — treating life like a game.
I can't let him hurt Solryn!
Hibana's fingers clenched around the short sword Solryn had given him. The leather grip felt stiff and unfamiliar — wrong in his hand. He'd never held a real weapon before. Before this world, the closest thing he'd carried was a kitchen knife. Now here he was... standing in the way of a man with a blade twice the size of his own.
His hand trembled as he raised the sword toward Kurt.
"I... I must do this!"
Solryn twisted away from Kurt's first swing, barely dodging the naginata's blade as it carved through empty air.
"Ether of the flame!" Solryn bellowed, thrusting his free hand forward. Fireballs shot from his palm in rapid succession — glowing orange streaks that sizzled as they cut through the cold air.
Kurt twisted his naginata, spinning the pole in a blur. The fireballs struck the spinning blade and burst apart — scattering sparks that hissed as they died in the dirt.
"Nice trick," Kurt sneered. "Got anything that works?"
Solryn roared as he drove his staff into the earth.
"Earthen roots, RISE!"
The ground erupted beneath Kurt's feet — jagged stone spikes bursting upward like spears. Kurt's eyes flicked down, and in one fluid motion, he sprang back — leaping over the twisting spikes just before they tore through the space where he'd stood.
As he landed, Kurt's hand shot beneath his cloak. A dagger flashed between his fingers, and with a flick of his wrist, he hurled it straight for Solryn's chest.
"Barrier!" Solryn barked, thrusting his hand forward. A shimmer of light flared just in time — the dagger struck the invisible wall and spun off harmlessly into the dirt.
Before Solryn could react, Hibana charged in.
The short sword shook in his hands — too light, too awkward — but Hibana knew he had to act. He swung hard, his blade tracing a wide, desperate arc. The sword's edge barely nicked Kurt's cloak, slicing a thin tear through the fabric.
Kurt barely turned his head to look.
"The grownups are playing, boy," Kurt sneered.
The punch hit Hibana's stomach like a hammer. For a split second, he didn't feel it — then his ribs screamed with pain, and the breath tore itself from his lungs.
The world tilted. The sky blurred. Hibana hit the ground hard, the impact jolting through his spine. His sword clattered somewhere out of reach.
He couldn't breathe — every attempt felt like knives dragging through his ribs. His fingers curled weakly in the dirt as his vision swam.
I can't... I can't move...
He watched helplessly as Kurt turned back to Solryn. The mage's face was pale — sweat clinging to his brow — yet Solryn stood firm, raising his staff once more.
"No..." Hibana's head spun. His fingers dug into the dirt, weakly clawing at the earth. "I... will not... die here..."
"Blast it!" Solryn roared, thrusting his hand out. A gout of flame burst from his palm, a roiling wave of fire surging toward Kurt.
Kurt swept his cloak upward, the fabric snapping through the air. The flames smashed into the heavy material, curling harmlessly around him before vanishing in a flash of embers.
"I think I'm through playing with you!" Kurt sneered.
He shot forward — fast — twisting into a somersault. His heel struck Solryn's face with brutal precision, snapping Solryn's head back. Blood sprayed from Solryn's mouth as he staggered back, clutching his jaw.
Kurt didn't stop. His naginata's blade gleamed as it cut downward — aiming to split Solryn where he stood.
Solryn hit the dirt hard, rolling aside just before the blade struck. The naginata carved a deep gouge in the earth where Solryn's head had been a moment before.
"Ice Flow!" Solryn barked, thrusting his hand toward Kurt's face.
A freezing mist burst from Solryn's palm, blasting Kurt with a gust of biting cold. Frost bloomed across Kurt's face and chest, and he stumbled back, swearing as ice crystals clung to his skin.
Solryn coughed and planted both hands on the ground. With a sharp breath, he pressed down — launching himself upright in a single, fluid motion.
"Heh…" Kurt grinned wide, wiping ice from his brow. "You're a feisty one!" He spun his naginata lazily, flicking frost from the blade. "How about this?"
The weapon blurred in his hands — switching back and forth between his right and left, spinning faster and faster until the polearm seemed to disappear in a blur of steel.
Solryn's eyes narrowed — too late. Kurt lunged, driving his fist into Solryn's ribs. The impact ripped the air from Solryn's lungs.
"Gah!" Solryn staggered, clutching his side — but Kurt's boot slammed into his chest before he could recover. The blow launched Solryn backward, sending him skidding across the dirt like a ragdoll.
Hibana groaned, pushing himself off the ground. His ribs still ached from Kurt's earlier strike, but he forced himself to move.
I can't just sit here... I can't...
His gaze locked onto his fallen sword, lying several paces away in the dirt.
There!
He staggered forward, lungs burning, legs screaming in protest — but he kept moving.
Solryn wasn't moving. His staff lay beside him, half-buried in the dirt. Blood dripped from his split lip, and his chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged breaths.
Kurt stalked forward, naginata dragging loosely at his side — like a man already convinced he'd won.
He's going to kill him...
No...
Hibana's vision blurred — the pain in his ribs was distant now, drowned out by something colder.
And then —
That smile.
Gobo...
He saw it again — that crooked, gap-toothed grin Gobo always wore. The warmth in his eyes. The way he'd called Hibana "Boss!" like it was a title to be proud of.
And then the arrow — that cold, metal shaft — driving through Gobo's skull. The smile vanishing in an instant.
The memory twisted like a knife in Hibana's mind. The goblins. The tribe. The ones he couldn't save.
I couldn't save them...No...Not again!
His chest burned — hot and wild, the fire swelling inside him like an inferno.
Something burned behind his eyes. His pulse thundered in his ears, and suddenly, the pain in his body felt distant — like something far away.
His vision darkened at the edges, turning red. His breath came faster, hotter. His eyes began to glow — a fierce, burning green.
"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!" Hibana roared.
He sprinted forward, feet pounding the dirt. The pain in his ribs didn't matter. The fire in his chest didn't matter. All that mattered was stopping Kurt.
Kurt turned, brow furrowing. He barely had time to react before he whipped his naginata upward.
CLANG!
Hibana's sword struck the naginata's blade, steel scraping steel in a shower of sparks. Kurt twisted his weapon, deflecting the strike and swinging for Hibana's side.
Hibana lurched back — faster than he meant to — and the blade barely missed his ribs.
Too slow...
Kurt's cloak snapped outward, and before Hibana could react, Kurt spun and drove his fist into Hibana's face.
The blow hit like a hammer. Hibana staggered back, blinking stars from his eyes. His lip split, and copper filled his mouth.
"You're tough for an F-tier…" Kurt sneered, shaking out his hand.
Hibana wiped his mouth and spat blood into the dirt. His teeth clenched, and his breath came out in a low growl. The red haze in his mind surged hotter.
Kurt's grin widened — just enough to show he thought the fight was over.
Hibana shot forward. His fist lashed out, fast and wild.
CRACK!
The punch landed square against Kurt's chest. For a second, Kurt's face twisted in disbelief — then his body launched backward like a stone from a catapult. He crashed into a tree with a bone-rattling thud, bark splintering from the impact.
Kurt slumped forward, coughing blood as he pushed himself back to his feet. His eyes narrowed — not with smug confidence now, but with something else.
"Wh... what the hell?!" Kurt staggered to his feet, his face pale with disbelief.
Blood trickled down his chin as he lunged at Hibana, teeth bared in fury. His naginata slashed through the air — fast and precise.
Hibana barely had time to react. The blade tore across his chest, carving a jagged gash from his collarbone to his ribs.
Hibana stumbled, blinking down at the wound. Blood welled up, soaking his shirt. But he couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything.
"I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM FROM ME!" Hibana roared once again.
Kurt's naginata swung again — but this time Hibana's hand shot out. His fingers clamped around the pole like a steel vice, stopping the blade inches from his face.
Kurt's eyes widened. "What...?"
Hibana didn't hesitate. His other hand — the one clutching his short sword — lunged forward. The blade drove straight through Kurt's shoulder with a sickening shhk!
"GAAAH!" Kurt howled, staggering back.
With a desperate kick, Kurt booted Hibana in the chest, sending him tumbling across the dirt. The sword wrenched free from his shoulder in a spray of blood.
Kurt staggered back, clutching his arm, breath coming fast and ragged. His face twisted with pain — but his eyes locked on Hibana with something colder: fear.
Hibana rose to his feet, his body swaying like a puppet on frayed strings. Blood poured from his nose and mouth. His chest heaved.
His eyes glowed brighter now — two burning green orbs. His teeth had sharpened — jagged points gleaming behind bloodied lips. His fingers, now curling into black talons, twitched at his sides.
Step by step, Hibana advanced. His gaze never left Kurt.
"N... no way I'm dying to a freak like you!" Kurt spat, his voice cracking.
He reached into his cloak, grabbed something, and hurled it to the ground.
BOOM!
White smoke exploded outward, choking the air. Hibana staggered back, coughing as the world turned to fog.
"WHERE ARE YOU?!" Hibana bellowed, his voice deeper — rougher.
A faint voice called back from the distance.
"You haven't seen the last of me... monster."
The smoke thinned, and Kurt was gone.
Hibana staggered and dropped to his knees, his breath ragged and uneven. The fire that had burned inside him moments ago was flickering out, leaving only a deep, aching emptiness.
Pain surged through his body all at once — sharp, searing, like someone had dragged a blade across his ribs all over again. His hand drifted to his chest, pressing over the gash Kurt had left.
His fingers came away sticky with blood... yet somehow, the wound had already begun to close. The torn flesh was jagged and ugly, but the bleeding had slowed.
How...?
Then he remembered.
Oh yeah... I can... regenerate...
He let out a dry, breathless laugh — more of a cough than anything. "That's... convenient…" he muttered hoarsely.
His muscles screamed in protest as he forced himself to his feet. His legs shook beneath him, his vision blurring at the edges.
He lifted his hands and stared. His fingers were trembling — and worse still, they weren't quite... human.
Patches of orange scales covered the backs of his hands, thin but unmistakable. His fingernails — no, his claws — still had that darkened, talon-like edge. But even as he watched, the scales rippled and faded — receding like smoke curling away from a flame. His fingernails smoothed, shrinking back to dull human nails.
His body was stabilizing — pulling itself back into its human shape.
I'm... Still human. I guess this form isn't very stable if I take heavy injuries.
He wiped the blood from his face with the back of his hand — but his fingers still shook. The memories of the fight flickered behind his eyes. Kurt's face. The blood. The rage that had swallowed him whole.
And then it hit him.
Solryn.
"Solryn!" Hibana gasped, spinning around.
Solryn wasn't unconscious. He lay on his side, blood smeared across his face, staring at Hibana with wide, unblinking eyes.
He didn't speak. Didn't blink. Just... stared.
"Solryn…" Hibana's voice wavered as he stepped closer. His legs felt heavy — like he'd forgotten how to walk.
Solryn's eyes never left him. Not with fear — but with something closer to... disbelief.
Hibana knelt beside him and slowly extended his hand. "Come on," he muttered. "Let's get you up."
Solryn's gaze flicked to Hibana's outstretched hand — fingers still faintly smeared with blood, the nails still darkened where talons had begun to form.
For a moment, Solryn just stared at it. Then, with a quiet grunt, he reached out and grasped Hibana's hand. His fingers tightened like he needed something solid to hold onto.
Hibana braced himself and pulled him up. Solryn staggered but caught his balance, still gripping Hibana's arm.
"What the hell are you?" Solryn muttered, his voice low — not angry, not afraid... just tired.
Hibana glanced down at his hands. His fingers still shook. There were still traces of scales clinging to his skin — thin orange patches that faded with every breath.
The heat in his chest — that wild, uncontrollable fire — was gone now, leaving only a dull ache. The rage had passed, but its shadow still lingered.
"I'm..." Hibana swallowed hard. His throat was dry, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm... a monster," he said.