The earth beneath Luis's boots trembled—not from a monster's step, but something stranger. A tear shimmered into existence above the ashes, folding space like rippling glass. It grew slowly, spiraling outward with eerie light. A portal. Quiet, yet undeniable.
"A portal!" Zyx shouted—and for once, his tone wasn't sarcastic. It was relief. Honest. Desperate. "Finally! Our ticket out of this gods-forsaken death trap! Come on, Luis, let's bounce before something else tries to eat your remaining twenty percent!"
But Luis didn't move.
He stayed rooted, eyes locked on the glowing ash nestled in the moss. The air still reeked of burnt magic, thick like the smoke of a battlefield. His voice came out low, almost broken.
"No. Not yet."
Zyx flickered, closing the distance in frustration. "What do you mean not yet? She's gone, Luis. You didn't kill her, remember? This place is a death sentence. We've got an actual exit—why the hell would you stay?"
Luis didn't respond. He knelt slowly, cupping the warm ashes with reverence. All that remained of the girl who once rode dragons through fire and sky. Beside him, the battered Knight Mech mirrored his movement and knelt as well.
Luis gently tucked the ashes into a moss-lined hollow.
"Rest in peace," he whispered. "You were strong."
Zyx hovered close, uncharacteristically quiet. "Don't carry this guilt, Luis. You didn't end her. That was her god's call. Solara gave her the blade. She chose to swing it. You just happened to be standing too close. That kind of power always burns the one holding it. You survived. That's all."
Luis stood again, slower this time, no longer trembling. His face was steel—not proud, but bitter and quiet. The kind of resolve born from helplessness.
"Let's go," he said. "We clear the rest of this island."
And so he did.
The Knight Mech and the two drones trailed behind him like loyal beasts. Every noise met cold steel. Iron-class fiends. Stray Silver-tier beasts. They fell like wheat before the storm. Luis moved with brutal efficiency, his Spiderfang Hammer turning death into rhythm. Mechanical. Merciless.
When silence claimed the island, he leaned against a glowing tree, breath ragged.
[+5,000 Soul Essence Gained]
"Next island," he muttered, hoarse.
Zyx cut in, tone firmer than usual. "Whoa, whoa. Your buff's still active, sure—but your body isn't. Keep going like this, and I'll be giving a eulogy to two drones and a mosquito with no one to hear it."
Luis didn't argue. Just exhaled. "Fine. You're right."
They returned to the old Healing Tent, and its slow, warm magic began stitching his body back together. He didn't sleep—not fully. The girl's final scream echoed in the void between his thoughts. But he rested. Enough.
When his eyes opened, the HUD blinked on.
[HP: Restored][Buff: Song of Divine Strength – 25 Hours Remaining]
Time to move.
The ascent to the next floating island was silent, carried out with the practiced grace of a tired unit. But when they reached the top, Luis froze.
It was too quiet.
Charred trees. Cratered earth. The whole island was a scar. A battlefield long dead.
"She cleared this place," Luis murmured. "She fought through it."
Zyx hovered, solemn. "Yeah. She was a monster in her own right. That final move was suicide, sure. But before that? She carved her way here."
No one lingered.
The next island loomed—the last one.
Black clouds circled above it like a crown of smoke. The air grew colder. Heavier. Luis could feel the pressure in his lungs before he even stepped forward.
"Luis… wait," Zyx said. No jokes. Just fear. "Something's wrong with this one. Really wrong."
Luis didn't answer. He stepped forward.
The moment his boot touched the land, the mist thickened. Heavy. Alive. And through the gloom, a massive door stood waiting.
Fifty feet tall. Carved obsidian. Ancient runes glowing like dying embers.
Luis walked.
His Mech followed. The drones drifted like ghosts behind him.
The door groaned, resisting at first—then swung open into pitch black.
They stepped through.
The door slammed behind them.
Inside was a throne hall. Vast. Ancient. Forgotten. A broken throne split in two. Tattered banners clung to stone walls like faded memories. Bones littered the floor. Dried blood stained the marble like rust.
And something moved.
From across the hall, a figure emerged.
Not hulking. Not monstrous.
Tall. Slender. Graceful.
Beautiful in a way that made Luis's skin crawl.
Golden hair framed a face too perfect. Sharp cheekbones. Piercing sapphire eyes. Armor that glowed faintly with quiet power. And a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Zyx flickered, stuttering like static. "No. No, no, no… By the Stars…"
Luis turned. "What is it?"
Zyx's voice dropped. "That's not just a monster. That's a HI-MONSTER."
Luis's heart pounded. "A… what?"
The figure spoke.
Calm. Measured. Cold.
"HI-MONSTER," he said, savoring the words. "Highly Intelligent Monster. Correct, Zyx?"
Luis's breath caught. "He… he can hear you?"
"No," the creature replied. "I cannot see your god. But I can smell him. The bitter stench of failure. The God of Misfortune. How quaint."
His gaze shifted. Piercing. Focused.
"You've come far," he said. "That armor. Those constructs. You even made it here alive. Impressive."
Luis found his voice. "Why do you speak like us?"
A slow smile.
"Because I'm not like the others. I am Aerion, Whisperwind Scion. Level Thirty-Nine. Golden-Class HI-MONSTER. And I am your end."
Zyx didn't joke. Didn't blink.
He whispered, "We are so dead."
Aerion's smile widened.
And it sounded like bones grinding against stone.
"Yes," he said.
"You are."