While Klaus was recovering some distance away, the battlefield around the sand wyrm turned into a different kind of chaos.

  Petra, Maddy, and Shalotte thought they were helping Shane.

  In reality, they were mostly trying not to get killed by him—while also fighting a giant sand wyrm at the same time.

  "Boss! Shane! Stop moving like that!" Maddy shouted, even as she ran.

  She already knew it was useless, but yelling at him made her feel a little better.

  Shane—if he could still be called that—no longer showed any sign of recognition. His abomination form loomed over the battlefield, towering and uneven. Black threads crawled over his torn flesh, stitching deep wounds shut with wet, unnatural sounds. Metallic claws dragged through the sand, carving long scars into the ground. His eyeless face turned slowly, aimlessly.

  Friend. Foe. Wyrm.

  To him, everything was just something to hit—or bite.

  Maddy clicked her tongue and forced herself to focus. If Shane wouldn't listen, then fine. She darted forward, mana flooding into her dagger until it extended into a humming aetherblade. The heat from the wyrm rolled over her face as she aimed for its exposed side, teeth clenched.

  "Hold still for one second, you overgrown lizard—"

  She struck.

  The blade scraped against the wyrm's scales with a sharp screech, sparks flying. The impact rattled up her arm, and when she pulled back, she saw the result.

  Scratches.

  Barely scratches.

  "…Oh come on," Maddy hissed. "That's it?"

  Before she could strike again, a crushing pressure slammed into her senses, instinct screaming danger.

  "—Maddy!"

  Shalotte's warning rang out, high and panicked.

  Too late.

  Shane lunged from her blind side, his massive arm swinging down in a brutal arc. Maddy's eyes widened.

  "ARE YOU KIDDING ME—"

  She twisted hard, the claws missing her by inches. Sand exploded where she had been standing. Without thinking, she planted a foot against Shane's shoulder, using his forward momentum as a springboard. She flipped backward, coat snapping in the air, and kicked off him with all her strength.

  Blue light flashed.

  Her heart hammered as she vanished.

  Fifty meters away, Maddy reappeared in a low crouch, boots digging into the sand as she slid to a stop.

  "…Okay," she panted, hands on her knees. "This new skill is officially my favorite thing ever."

  She barely had time to breathe before she looked up again.

  Just in time to see the sand wyrm's claw slam straight into Shane.

  The impact sent his massive body flying like a broken doll. He skipped across the sand, carving a deep trench before crashing into a dune in a cloud of dust.

  Maddy winced despite herself."Oh gods. Boss, you idiot… stay down for five seconds, will you? We need to kill the wyrm, not each other."

  Petra didn't wait for anything else.

  "Move!" she barked.

  She charged.

  Her boots pounded against the sand, each step heavy and aggressive. She dragged her scythe behind her, sparks flickering where the blade kissed stone. Her eyes burned with impatience, frustration sharpening into reckless excitement.

  "Moonblade!"

  She leapt and swung with everything she had.

  The scythe's curved edge glowed pale white as it struck the wyrm's back. The impact landed solidly, and a visible crack spread across one of its scales.

  The wyrm roared.

  It wasn't serious damage—but it was damage.

  Petra grinned wildly."You worm!" she shouted. "Did you feel that?!"

  The wyrm turned.

  Too fast.

  Its massive tail whipped around like a living battering ram.

  "—Tch!"

  Petra barely had time to brace before the tail slammed into her side. She was hurled backward, crashing into a cluster of rocks with a loud, ugly crack.

  "Petra!" Maddy shouted.

  Petra slid down the stone, coughing hard. Blood trickled from her forehead, dripping onto the sand. For a moment, she stayed still.

  Then she laughed.

  A transparent panel flickered into existence in front of her.

  Your health dropped below 80%.

  Initiating Passive Skill: Berserker's Blood (Stage Two).

  All attributes increased by 100 points.

  Her crimson aura flared darker, thicker, wrapping around her body like living fire. Petra wiped the blood from her brow and pushed herself up, eyes gleaming.

  "That was a good hit," she said, smiling.

  And then she charged again.

  From a distance, the dune exploded.

  Shane stood up.

  His left arm and shoulder dangled unnaturally, a wound so deep it nearly split him in half. Blood poured freely, flesh twitching and pulsing. He tilted his head, then smiled—a twisted, empty grin.

  Black threads surged.

  In a second, they stitched the wound shut.

  Shane lifted his arm, rolling the shoulder slowly, as if testing whether it worked properly. Then he roared—raw, violent—and leapt high into the air toward the wyrm.

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  The wyrm focused on Petra first. Flames gathered in its throat, heat distorting the air.

  Petra planted her feet and spun her scythe in front of her."Eclipse!"

  A black, rotating shield bloomed into existence, just in time to block the torrent of fire. The impact forced her backward, boots carving trenches as she gritted her teeth and held her ground.

  Then the wyrm shifted.

  It snapped its jaws shut and redirected the flames toward Shane, who was still mid-air.

  Shane didn't dodge.

  The fire engulfed him.

  At the same time, the beast's tail lashed toward Petra again.

  Petra jumped, twisting in the air, scythe swinging behind her as crimson aura surged.

  "Moon Fang!"

  The aura stretched outward, forming a massive crescent of red light. She grinned through clenched teeth.

  "Taste this, bastard."

  The wyrm noticed too late.

  Burned but still charging, Shane slammed into its side just as Petra's crescent blade tore through the air. The beast panicked, sweeping Shane sideways—

  —straight into the path of the attack.

  The crimson blade cleaved through both Shane's body and the wyrm's limb in one violent arc.

  Sand, blood, and fragments exploded outward.

  Shalotte stared, frozen, staff shaking in his hands."…I—I think," he said weakly, "this is getting out of hand."

  Maddy groaned and rubbed her temples. "Yeah," she muttered. "That sounds about right. I think I might use my ultimate now."

  She folded both her hands in front of her chest, fingers locking tight as mana surged wildly around her. The air vibrated, sand lifting and spinning as if caught in an invisible storm.

  "Ulti—" she started, jaw clenched.

  "Don't," Shalotte blurted out, stumbling forward and grabbing Maddy's sleeve. "Don't use it, Maddy. It's pointless."

  Maddy snapped her head toward her. "Pointless? Are you blind? We're getting shredded out there!"

  Shalotte swallowed and pointed with his staff, hands shaking but eyes focused.

  "Look."

  Maddy followed her gaze.

  Shane's body lay in two cleanly severed parts on the sand—at least, it had been severed. Black threads oozed out from both halves like living veins, writhing and stretching across the ground. They latched onto the other half, tugging and pulling, dragging flesh and bone together with sickening, wet sounds.

  The pieces reconnected.

  The wound sealed.

  Shane stood again.

  Maddy's mouth tightened. "…You've got to be kidding me."

  The sand wyrm roared, its massive head snapping toward Petra with pure fury. Blood poured from its severed limb, dark and steaming as it soaked into the sand. The beast slammed its tail against the ground, sending tremors through the battlefield.

  Shalotte let out a long, tired sigh.

  "Let's trust Petra can handle both of them for now," he said quietly. "Until the wyrm is dead."

  He adjusted his grip on the staff and added, almost apologetically, "Beasts are immune to my ultimate. I can't do anything meaningful until the wyrm is gone… then I'll deal with Boss."

  Maddy stared at the battlefield for a few seconds longer. Her hands slowly lowered, the unstable mana dispersing into the air. She reached down and pulled the daggers from her waist belt, their hilts familiar and reassuring.

  "…Fine," she muttered. "Then I'll give them a hand or two."

  And with that, she dashed forward.

  Petra smirked as she faced the sand wyrm head-on, purple aura rolling off her like heat. She cracked her neck, eyes locked on the beast.

  "Are you angry now?" she taunted.

  She charged again, boots tearing through the sand, scythe dragging behind her as she pulled it back for another heavy strike.

  The wyrm answered with flames.

  Petra didn't slow.

  "Eclipse!"

  She spun her scythe, a black shield blooming in front of her just as the flames crashed into it. The impact shoved her backward, but she dug her boots in—

  —and then the wyrm's tail slammed in from the side.

  Petra saw it at the last second and jumped.

  That was when Shane hit her.

  He lunged mid-air, claws slashing down. Petra barely managed to block, but the force ripped through her armor. Metal screeched. Pain tore through her arm as blood sprayed into the air.

  "Gah—!"

  Shane followed up with a brutal kick that sent her flying. He roared, a sound without reason or recognition.

  Petra slammed into the sand, skidded, and crashed hard against a rock formation. One jagged stone punched through her armor and pierced her side, pinning her in place.

  She coughed, blood spilling from her lips.

  Her eyes lifted.

  Shane was already gone—now clamped onto the wyrm's neck, his jaws biting down with monstrous strength. Cracks spiderwebbed across the wyrm's scales as it thrashed violently, trying to shake him loose.

  Petra chuckled weakly.

  "…Not bad, Boss."

  A transparent panel flickered into existence before her vision.

  Your health dropped below 50%.

  Initiating Passive Skill: Berserker's Blood (Stage Five).

  All attributes increased by 250 points.

  Her aura shifted, deepening into a violent purple. Petra grabbed the rock impaling her, gritting her teeth, and yanked herself free.

  Blood poured down her side.

  She smiled anyway.

  She charged—faster than before.

  The wyrm noticed her and reacted instantly. One massive claw skewered Shane and hurled him like a weapon toward her.

  "Tch."

  Petra kicked Shane mid-flight, the impact echoing like thunder. His body flew past her, smashed through the rocks, and finally stopped at the edge of the glassy crater.

  The wyrm roared and unleashed another wave of flames.

  Maddy appeared on its shoulder in a flash of blue light.

  "Aetherblade!"

  Her glowing dagger struck—but only sparks flew as the blade scraped uselessly across the scale.

  "…Seriously?" Maddy snapped.

  "Get out of the way!" Petra shouted.

  Maddy didn't panic. She leapt back just as Petra swung.

  "Moonblade!"

  The purple crescent sliced through the flames, cutting them cleanly in half, then slammed into the wyrm's body. The beast staggered, its massive form collapsing to one side.

  Maddy retreated in a blur, landing safely as the attack passed.

  Petra clicked her tongue.

  "You idiot," she barked. "Just watch. You can't do anything here but be a liability."

  Maddy bristled. "I am helping!"

  The sand beneath Petra suddenly surged.

  The wyrm's tail erupted upward, but Petra was already moving. She swung her scythe in a clean arc, severing the tail mid-motion.

  The wyrm screamed.

  It began to rise again, its throat glowing dangerously bright.

  Petra didn't hesitate.

  She never did.

  "Still breathing?" she muttered, baring her teeth in a grin. "Then shut up already."

  She charged straight at it.

  Sand exploded under her boots as she sprinted forward, aura flaring violently around her body. The wyrm's head tilted back, flames surging upward, ready to swallow her whole.

  Petra leapt.

  Before the fire could reach her—

  "Moon Fang!"

  Her scythe screamed through the air. A massive purple crescent tore free from the blade, stretching wider than Petra herself. It sliced cleanly through the wyrm's body, passing through flesh, scale, and bone as if they were paper, before continuing onward into the open desert.

  For a single heartbeat—

  Everything went silent.

  Then the horizon exploded.

  A deafening blast rippled outward, sending shockwaves through the dunes. Sand rose like a tidal wave, and the wyrm's body stiffened before its head slid free and crashed into the ground with a thunderous boom.

  The corpse collapsed.

  Petra landed lightly, boots sinking slightly into the sand. She didn't turn around. She didn't sigh in relief. She didn't even smile.

  A transparent notification flickered into existence in front of her.

  You've killed Level 233 Sand Wyrm.

  She dismissed it without a glance.

  Instead, her eyes locked onto another figure.

  Beyond the shattered rocks, Shane was standing up again.

  His body twisted unnaturally as black threads crawled across his flesh, stitching torn muscle and shattered bone back together. His mouth stretched wider than it should, jaw creaking as it opened into a grotesque, satisfied grin.

  Petra rolled her shoulders, blood still dripping from her wounds, and lifted her scythe.

  "…Think your regeneration can keep up with my cuts, Boss?"

  Shane answered with a roar.

  Both of them charged at the same time.

  Before they could engage in a battle.

  A voice cracked through the air.

  "WAIT—!"

  Shalotte leapt forward, nearly tripping over his own staff as he jumped. He flailed for balance mid-air, eyes wide.

  "Ultimate skill—Metamorphosis!"

  A bright pinkish glow erupted outward, slamming into the battlefield like a sudden wall. The light forced both Petra and Shane to halt mid-charge.

  Shane tilted his head slowly, sensing the strange power with his sewn, sightless eyes.

  As the glow faded, a new figure stood between them.

  Not Shalotte.

  At least… not entirely.

  A seductive fae hovered above them, pointed ears twitching as butterfly wings fluttered gently behind her back. Pink dust drifted from her wings, sparkling faintly in the air.

  It was Shalotte's ultimate form.

  She—or he—smiled faintly and spoke in a soft, enchanting voice.

  "Dream World."

  The pink dust scattered wider, settling over Petra and Shane. Both of them stood completely still, eyes unfocused, bodies locked in place.

  Maddy jogged over, daggers resting loosely in her hands. She looked Shalotte up and down, then whistled.

  "Honestly," she said, shaking her head, "I'm kind of jealous of that body of yours, Shalotte."

  Shalotte groaned. "I hate it."

  Maddy blinked. "What? Why? That's an amazing skill."

  "It only brings trouble," Shalotte replied flatly, wings drooping slightly. "All we need to do now is wait until Boss's ultimate wears off."

  Maddy crossed her arms. "How long?"

  Shalotte thought for a moment. "…If I remember correctly, thirty minutes."

  Maddy's face fell. "Thirty—are you serious?"

  Shalotte ignored her and turned toward Petra. Blood continued to drip from Petra's side, soaking into the sand.

  "Morning Dew," Shalotte said.

  A small flower bud sprouted from the ground in front of Petra. It slowly opened and floated upward, hovering near her lips. A single drop of golden liquid formed and touched her mouth.

  Petra gulped instinctively.

  Warmth spread through her body. The wounds across her side began to knit together, flesh closing, pain fading.

  Shalotte nodded, clearly relieved. "That will be enough."