I sprinted across the sand, outpacing Jin despite his desperate rush toward the vegetation. My Six Eyes picked up disturbances in the mana patterns ahead—writhing, serpentine fluctuations unlike anything I'd seen in the oasis so far.
"Stay back!" I shouted over my shoulder, but Jin either didn't hear or chose to ignore me, his face contorted with panic.
I reached the edge of the vegetation first, skidding to a halt as my enhanced vision cut through the dense foliage. What I saw made my blood freeze.
Sonya hung suspended from a thick, vine-like structure, her body limp and unmoving. Beside her, Elise struggled weakly against similar restraints, her eyes glazed and unfocused. But these weren't vines—they were enormous serpents with scales mimicking plant matter, their bodies festooned with vibrant blossoms that perfectly matched the surrounding flora.
One of the creatures had its jaws locked around Elise's shoulder, a golden substance flowing from specialized glands near its mouth and into the wound. Her movements grew progressively weaker as I watched.
Jin arrived seconds later, his momentum carrying him forward until I grabbed his arm.
"Sonya!" he screamed, fighting against my grip.
"Wait," I hissed, pulling him back. "Look closely."
The serpents' heads swiveled toward us, flower-shaped hoods unfurling to reveal multiple nectar-producing glands. The liquid they secreted dripped to the ground, sizzling slightly where it landed.
"Paralytic venom," I muttered, activating Mana Reinforcement. The familiar surge of power flooded my system, enhanced now by my recent attribute increases. "Jin, we need to—"
He broke free from my grasp with surprising strength, charging forward with a raw cry. "SONYA!"
"Idiot," I growled, but followed immediately after him.
The nearest serpent reared back, then spat a golden stream directly at Jin. I shoved him sideways, the projectile missing us both by inches. Where it hit the ground, plants withered instantly.
"Keep moving," I ordered, drawing my Azure Edge blades. "Don't let them hit you with that stuff."
Jin nodded, his face pale but determined. He activated his defensive abilities, a faint amber glow surrounding his body as he moved toward Sonya.
The rest of our group burst through the vegetation behind us—Alexander in the lead with Yuzuriha, Shikamaru, and the others close behind.
"What the hell are those things?" Theodore asked, his healer's eyes already assessing the two captive women.
"Some kind of plant-mimicking serpents," Alexander replied, his military training evident in how quickly he sized up the situation.
He raised his hands, blue energy flowing outward to create a protective shield between the creatures and our group. The serpents hissed, their flower-hoods expanding further.
"Jin, wait!" Alexander called, but Jin had already slipped past the forming barrier, making a desperate dash toward his wife.
Three serpents converged on him simultaneously. He managed to block the first two strikes with his defensive enhancement, but the third caught him from behind, sinking fangs into his calf. He stumbled, his enhanced glow flickering.
I cursed under my breath and leaped forward, blades spinning in a deadly arc. The first serpent's head fell to the ground, its body thrashing wildly as golden fluid sprayed in all directions. The second creature recoiled, then lunged at me.
I sidestepped, my enhanced agility making the dodge appear effortless. My blade sliced through its body, but the creature recovered faster than I expected, its severed portions reconnecting with disturbing speed.
"They regenerate!" I shouted to the others.
Yuzuriha moved forward, her fingers spreading wide as thin, nearly invisible strings extended from them. "Let me try something."
Her fluid manipulation abilities created a web of sticky strings that ensnared one of the serpents, holding it in place. "These things are disgusting," she said, her nose wrinkling. "But I've got this one."
Shikamaru sighed heavily, muttering "What a drag" before kneeling to touch his shadow. The darkness beneath him stretched forward, connecting with the shadows of two serpents. They froze in place, mirroring his posture.
"I can hold them for about thirty seconds," he said, strain already showing on his face. "These aren't weak creatures."
I nodded, then turned my attention back to Jin, who had collapsed to his knees beside Sonya. The paralytic was working through his system, but he'd managed to reach her, his trembling hands trying to free her from the serpent's coils.
"I've got Jin," Theodore said, moving cautiously forward. "My healing might counteract the paralysis."
Alexander maintained his barrier, protecting the rest of the group while extending a smaller shield around Theodore. "Nicole, stay behind me," he ordered.
I glanced back to see Nicole standing just inside the barrier. Our eyes met briefly before I turned back to the fight.
The serpents Shikamaru had immobilized began to twitch, fighting against his shadow control. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he struggled to maintain the technique.
"Hurry," he grunted. "These things are strong."
I rushed forward, my blades slicing through the creatures in rapid succession. But for each one I cut down, two more emerged from the dense vegetation. They were everywhere, perfectly camouflaged until they moved.
One of the serpents broke free from Shikamaru's control and lunged at Elise, driving its fangs deeper into her shoulder. She gave a weak cry, then went completely limp.
"No!" Theodore shouted, abandoning his path to Jin and rushing toward Elise instead.
"Stay in formation!" Alexander called, but it was too late.
A serpent dropped from the overhead branches, landing directly on Theodore's back. He screamed as it coiled around his throat, golden venom flowing from its glands.
The situation was deteriorating rapidly. Jin had stopped moving entirely, slumped over Sonya's still form. Elise hung lifeless in the serpent's embrace. Theodore struggled weakly against the creature choking him.
Yuzuriha's strings sliced through several serpents at once, but she was being driven back by sheer numbers. "There's too many!"
Shikamaru released his shadow technique, unable to maintain it any longer. "We need to retreat!"
A sound like ripping fabric tore through the air. I turned to see Kaisen's transformation beginning—his body enlarging, red veins glowing beneath his skin as he entered his berserker state. His eyes shifted from brown to crimson, his voice dropping to a guttural growl.
"KILL! KILL EVERYTHING!" he roared, charging forward with reckless abandon.
In his transformed state, Kaisen tore through serpents with his bare hands, showing no concern for the venom that splashed across his skin. His berserker abilities granted him temporary immunity to the paralytic effects.
For a moment, it seemed his intervention might turn the tide. Then I saw where he was heading—directly toward Nicole, who stood frozen in shock.
"PRETTY GIRL!" Kaisen bellowed. "I'LL SAVE YOU FIRST!"
But there was something wrong in his eyes—not protection but predatory intent. I'd seen that look before in his transformed state, the way he targeted female-presenting entities with disturbing focus.
"Alexander!" I shouted. "Stop him!"
Alexander diverted part of his barrier to block Kaisen's path, but the berserker smashed through it with terrifying strength, barely slowing.
Nicole backed away, her eyes wide with fear. "Stay back!"
"PRETTY GIRL COMES WITH ME!" Kaisen lunged for her, massive hands outstretched.
I intercepted him mid-leap, driving my shoulder into his midsection. We crashed to the ground, rolling through the sand as I struggled to contain his enhanced strength.
"GET OFF!" he roared, throwing me aside with inhuman force.
I tumbled across the ground, quickly regaining my footing. "Kaisen! Control yourself!"
He wasn't listening. His berserker state had taken full control, transforming him into something barely human. He turned back toward Nicole, who had pressed herself against a tree trunk, nowhere to run.
I had no choice. I channeled mana into my blades and attacked, striking with precision rather than force. The Azure Edge twins bit into Kaisen's shoulders, drawing blood but not disabling him.
He howled in rage, swinging wildly at me. I dodged most of his blows, but one caught me in the ribs, sending me flying backward. The impact would have broken bones without my enhanced durability.
"Xavier!" Yuzuriha called, trying to reach me while still fending off serpents.
"Handle them!" I shouted back, focusing on Kaisen. "I've got this!"
The berserker charged again, but this time I was ready. I sidestepped at the last moment, bringing both blades down across his back. He stumbled but didn't fall.
"I'LL KILL YOU FIRST, THEN TAKE THE GIRL!" he snarled, spittle flying from his mouth.
His next attack was faster than I expected, catching me across the jaw with enough force to make my vision blur. I staggered back, tasting blood.
"That all you got?" I spat, wiping my mouth.
Something in my tone enraged him further. He lost all semblance of technique, becoming a whirlwind of destruction. I used his lack of control against him, leading him away from Nicole and the others while landing precision strikes to wear him down.
Meanwhile, the situation with the serpents had reached critical mass. Yuzuriha's strings were keeping several at bay, but she was tiring rapidly. Shikamaru had managed to pull Theodore back into the protective barrier, but the healer was barely conscious, the paralytic venom working through his system.
Jin, Sonya, and Elise remained trapped among the serpents, unmoving.
"We need to retreat!" Alexander shouted, his barriers weakening under constant assault.
"No!" I called back, ducking under another of Kaisen's wild swings. "We can't leave them!"
A serpent broke through Yuzuriha's defense, its fangs catching her arm. She cried out, slicing through it with her wakizashi, but the damage was done. The paralytic began working immediately, her movements slowing.
"Xavier..." she called weakly, fighting to stay upright.
I needed to end this—fast. Focusing my full attention on Kaisen, I unleashed a flurry of strikes too rapid for him to counter. The Azure Edge blades hummed through the air, opening dozens of shallow cuts across his body.
He roared in pain and frustration, his attacks becoming increasingly desperate. I saw my opening and took it, driving both blades into his shoulders, pinning him briefly to a tree trunk.
"Stay. Down." I growled, then delivered a mana-enhanced kick to his sternum that sent him crashing through the wood.
He collapsed in a heap, his berserker form flickering as unconsciousness claimed him.
I turned back to the main battle just in time to see one of my blades crack under the strain. Hairline fractures spread across the surface—they'd served me well, but they weren't designed for this level of combat.
"Xavier!" Nicole's voice cut through the chaos. She had stepped out from behind Alexander's barrier, her eyes locked on mine. "I can help!"
I knew what she meant immediately. Yesterday's encounter with the sand spiders had revealed her secret—her ability to temporarily boost another hunter's rank. She'd used it on me then, and the result had been devastating.
"Do it!" I called.
She nodded, raising her hand toward me. A golden light emanated from her palm, surrounding me in a warm glow. I felt the familiar surge of power, my abilities amplifying beyond their normal limits as my effective rank increased.
The boost hit like a tidal wave. My senses sharpened further, my strength and speed doubling instantly. The mana flowing through my system became a torrent rather than a stream.
"Everyone get back!" I ordered, my voice carrying new authority.
The second Azure Edge blade shattered as I launched myself into the mass of serpents, moving faster than the eye could follow. My hands became a blur, striking with such force that the creatures exploded on impact.
I reached Jin and Sonya first, tearing the serpents away from them and checking for pulses. Jin's was weak but present. Sonya's wasn't there at all.
"No," I whispered, but there was no time to mourn. I moved to Elise next, finding the same terrible stillness.
Rage built inside me, cold and focused. I turned to the remaining serpents, which had begun to retreat into the vegetation.
"Oh no you don't." I reached for the Ossuary Piercer in my inventory, the ancient spear materializing in my hand. Its bone-white shaft thrummed with power, the dragon's tooth at its head gleaming hungrily.
I threw myself back into the fight, the spear extending my reach beyond what the twin blades had allowed. Each thrust pierced multiple serpents, the weapon's Binding Breaker effect disrupting their regenerative abilities.
The tide turned quickly. The remaining serpents fled deeper into the vegetation, but I pursued relentlessly, leaving none alive within a five hundred-meter radius.
When I returned to the clearing, breathing hard despite my enhanced stamina, Alexander had expanded his barrier to cover our fallen comrades. Theodore was conscious again, though weak, attempting to heal Jin despite his own condition.
"Sonya and Elise?" Alexander asked quietly.
I shook my head. His expression hardened, but he said nothing.
Nicole approached cautiously, her enhancement still flowing through me. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," I said shortly, scanning the area for further threats. "Your power is... impressive."
She looked away. "It's why my father takes such interest in me."
Before I could respond, movement caught my eye. At the edge of the clearing, humanoid figures emerged from the shadows—slender silhouettes with indistinct features, their bodies shifting between translucency and solidity.
"We've got company," I warned, raising the Ossuary Piercer.
The figures approached slowly, rippling patterns of gold, orange, and purple energy flowing through their forms. As they drew closer, their appearances began to change—taking on the features of our group members.
"What the hell?" Shikamaru murmured, watching as one of the entities transformed into his perfect double.
Another shifted into Yuzuriha's form, while a third became a mirror image of Alexander. But the one that approached me was different—it took my appearance, but its eyes glowed with an unearthly light.
"The ᕕ´ˆӘɲ˘ ΗæɲӘ´ˆµ returns," it said in a voice that seemed to echo from multiple throats at once. "But incomplete. Unaware."
"What did you call me?" I demanded, the spear leveled at its chest.
The creature tilted its head, studying me with my own face. "The knowledge is locked away. Something prevents..." It paused, seeming confused. "We cannot speak it."
'Arcan,' I called mentally. 'What are these things? What are they talking about?'
『These creatures...』 Arcan's voice sounded uncertain. 『They seem familiar. Like someone took my ability and made a cheap copy. Be careful, Xavier. They're mimics of some kind.』
The mimic wearing my face stepped closer. "We have waited for one like you. But you are not complete. Not yet."
I'd had enough cryptic talk. I lunged forward, the Ossuary Piercer aimed directly at the creature's heart. It moved with surprising speed, its body becoming partially incorporeal as the spear passed through it.
The other mimics had engaged with the rest of our group. Alexander's barriers seemed to confuse them, while Shikamaru's shadow techniques passed through them ineffectively.
"Yuzuriha!" I called. "Can your strings affect them?"
She tried, sending fluid strings toward her duplicate, but they simply passed through. "No good!"
The mimic wearing my face watched with apparent curiosity. "You do not know your own nature. Interesting."
I activated Echo, creating an afterimage attack that struck from multiple angles simultaneously. This seemed to affect the creature, disrupting its form momentarily.
"Ah," it said, sounding pleased despite the damage. "You begin to remember."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I growled, pressing my advantage with another Echo-enhanced attack.
The creature laughed—my laugh, but wrong somehow. "You will. When you are complete."
It shifted tactics suddenly, becoming more aggressive. The other mimics followed suit, coordinating their attacks against our weakened group.
"They're herding us!" Alexander shouted, maintaining his barriers despite the strain. "Trying to separate us!"
He was right. The mimics were using our own tactics against us, exploiting our defensive formations to divide our forces.
"Stand your ground!" I ordered, engaging my duplicate with renewed focus.
The battle intensified. The mimics couldn't maintain their incorporeal state indefinitely, becoming vulnerable during attacks. I exploited these moments, the Ossuary Piercer's Binding Breaker effect disrupting whatever energy held their forms together.
My duplicate grew increasingly desperate, its attacks becoming erratic. "You should join us, ᕕ´ˆӘɲ˘ ΗæɲӘ´ˆµ. We are yours."
"I'm nothing like you," I said, driving the spear through its momentarily solid chest.
The creature shuddered, its form destabilizing. "Perhaps not yet," it whispered. "But you will be."
It collapsed inward, dissolving into motes of light that scattered across the ground. Where its core had been, a small stone remained—glowing with runes I didn't recognize.
I picked it up cautiously. The stone pulsed with power, resonating slightly with my own mana.
'Arcan, what is this?'
『A rune stone. Very rare. It contains knowledge... or power. I can't tell which yet.』
The other mimics, seeing their leader fall, retreated into the shadows, their forms blurring until they vanished completely.
The clearing fell silent except for the ragged breathing of the survivors. Nicole's enhancement faded gradually, leaving me drained but functional.
I looked around at what remained of our group—Jin barely alive, Theodore struggling to heal him, Yuzuriha fighting off the last effects of the paralytic, Shikamaru exhausted from overusing his abilities. Alexander maintaining a barrier despite his obvious fatigue. Nicole watching me with wide, frightened eyes.
And the bodies of Sonya and Elise, still and silent.
Kaisen lay unconscious where I'd left him, his berserker form completely receded.
"What do we do with him?" Shikamaru asked, nodding toward Kaisen.
I walked over to the fallen berserker, my decision already made. "We can't trust him. Not after this."
"You're going to kill him?" Theodore asked, his healer's instincts rebelling at the thought.
"No." Not right now. I grabbed Kaisen by the collar, dragging him toward the edge of the oasis. "But he's not staying with us."
Alexander followed. "Xavier, think about this. Abandoning him out there is a death sentence."
"He tried to attack Nicole. He endangered all of us." I dropped Kaisen unceremoniously at the boundary between vegetation and open desert. "He's too unstable."
"The group should decide," Alexander insisted.
I turned to face him fully. "Fine. Take a vote if you want. But I won't travel with him."
In the end, the decision was made by necessity rather than vote. With Jin critically injured and two dead, we couldn't spare the resources to manage an unstable berserker. We left Kaisen with water and basic supplies—not a death sentence, but not a mercy either.
As we prepared to move Sonya and Elise's bodies, I paused beside the ruined Azure Edge blades, gathering the fragments.
"They served you well," Yuzuriha said quietly, coming to stand beside me.
"Yes," I agreed, thinking of Tenten and her meticulous craftsmanship. "I'll have to thank her when we get out of here."
The rune stone pulsed in my pocket, and the mimic's words echoed in my mind.
The ᕕ´ˆӘɲ˘ ΗæɲӘ´ˆµ returns. But incomplete. Unaware.
I didn't know what it meant, but I had a feeling I'd find out sooner rather than later.