Hero

Kuroshi's fiery attack met with June's swift defense as she summoned binding chains to block the incoming fireball. Sensing the urgency of the situation, Heunae decided to lend a hand, enveloping the area in a dense cloud of purple smoke with his Ghost Smoke technique.

"Dammit—" June began, her frustration evident.

Toruri found himself momentarily blinded by the swirling smoke, but to his surprise, his vision soon cleared, his eyes glowing with a newfound intensity.

"I can't see... wait, I CAN see," Toruri exclaimed, his voice tinged with excitement.

Drawing upon his enhanced abilities, Toruri unleashed a powerful move he dubbed the "Enhanced Fire Kick," enveloping his leg in flames and propelling himself into the air with a fiery dive kick aimed squarely at June. The force of the blow shattered the confines of the cage, but to their astonishment, June remained unfazed, barely flinching as the attack connected.

"This isn't good," Heunae muttered, his tone grim.

"Why?" Kuroshi inquired, a note of concern in her voice.

"Vampires are blood-hungry creatures," Heunae explained, his expression troubled. "The only reason there was a cage here was to contain them during the fights. Now that it's broken, they'll swarm us."

Kuroshi braced herself for the impending onslaught. "I'm always ready to fight," she declared with determination.

Heunae shot her a skeptical glance but said nothing as the horde of vampires closed in on them.

With swift precision, Kuroshi unleashed a barrage of light bullets, each one finding its mark and dispatching numerous vampires in its wake.

Meanwhile, June targeted Toruri with a dark magic spell, imprinting a glowing black mark on his chest labeled "pain." With a command, the mark erupted in a blinding explosion, sending Toruri hurtling into the throng of vampires, where he found himself overwhelmed by their relentless assault.

"You can't beat me, human," June taunted, her confidence unwavering.

Refusing to back down, Heunae intervened, unleashing a powerful punch that sent shockwaves rippling through the air, knocking the vampires off Toruri and providing him with a brief respite from the onslaught.

Heunae's strategic command spurred Toruri into action, unleashing a devastating beam of fire that decimated the surrounding vampires, clearing their path momentarily.

"Wow, thanks," Toruri expressed his gratitude.

"You're welcome," Heunae replied modestly. "I may not be much help in this fight, but I can certainly stun and distract the vampires."

Toruri nodded in agreement. "And Kuroshi and I can take care of the rest."

Heunae nodded, acknowledging their combined strength. "Indeed."

Seeking to further aid their efforts, Heunae unleashed another skill, using Air Crush to compress the air around them, crushing the remaining vampires, including June, into a bloody mass. However, to their dismay, June revealed her resilience as a swander, emerging unscathed from the wreckage.

"Oh, right," Heunae muttered, recalling June's unique ability to exist between life and death.

"That's something you mentioned earlier, isn't it?" Toruri remarked, remembering their previous conversation.

"Yeah, she can shift between being dead and alive at will," Heunae explained.

Kuroshi voiced her frustration. "How is that fair?"

"It's not. That's the point," Heunae replied bluntly.

June wasted no time in launching a counterattack, using Dark Arrows to target Heunae. However, the arrows had no effect on him, much to June's confusion.

"Cough, magical weapon," Heunae clarified.

Realizing her oversight, June redirected her attention to Kuroshi, summoning Binding Chains to restrain her.

Struggling against the chains, Kuroshi called out for assistance, prompting Toruri to act swiftly. Summoning Beakurou, Toruri used the creature to ensnare June and pull her closer.

"Now I can finish you off up close," June threatened menacingly.

Feeling the pressure, Toruri scrambled for a plan, opting to trap June in an ice pit. With swift precision, he conjured an ice trap, causing June to fall into a frigid pit surrounded by sharp icicles, effectively immobilizing her.

With the command "close" from Toruri, the pit closed with a resounding thud. Toruri listened intently, trying to discern any signs of what occurred within.

The entire room was filled with one big stabbing sound, followed with the sound of June screaming in absolute pain.

Toruri's voice sliced through the tense air like a blade forged in uncertainty. "Well, that probably killed her. Kuroshi, are you free?" 

Kuroshi's response was swift, delivered with a weight of obligation. "No."

"So she's not dea—" Toruri's words hung in the air, abruptly cut short by the unexpected emergence of June. Rising from beneath the ground, she appeared like a specter of vengeance, adorned with icicles embedded into her very flesh. Blood flowed freely, a macabre symphony of pain.

"Damn... mercy?" Toruri's plea was tinged with a hint of resignation, a fleeting hope amidst the chaos.

But June's response was anything but merciful. With a whispered incantation, she conjured forth two massive chains, each pulsating with dark energy. With a chilling precision, she aimed them towards Toruri, her eyes ablaze with determination.

"Why are you pointing at me? Wait, are you siccing them on me?" Toruri's voice trembled with a mixture of fear and defiance, a desperate attempt to assert control in the face of impending danger. With a whispered invocation, he bolstered his defenses, his form enveloped in a shimmering aura of Enhancement Magic.

The chains lunged forward, their movements akin to a predator stalking its prey. Toruri met each jab with calculated precision, his movements fluid and precise. But the chains were relentless, their attacks escalating in ferocity with each passing moment.

In a daring display of defiance, Toruri seized hold of the chains, his strength matched only by his unwavering resolve. With a deft twist of his wrists, he unraveled their entangled embrace, holding them at bay with sheer force of will.

"What are you gonna do now?" Toruri's voice echoed with a quiet defiance, a challenge issued amidst the chaos that surrounded them.

But June's response was swift and unforgiving. With a flick of her wrist, she summoned forth another chain, its dark form hurtling towards Toruri with lethal intent.

Toruri's mind raced with frantic calculations as he hung precariously between life and death, his grip on the chains tenuous at best. *Shit, if I let go of these, I'll be able to dodge that one, but I'll be killed by these ones... Maybe I shouldn't have gone back into battle after fighting a pretty difficult fight.*

With a resigned curse, Toruri released his hold on the two chains, a desperate bid for survival. But his efforts were in vain as the third chain found its mark, piercing his arm with a sickening thud.

"Tch-" Toruri's breath caught in his throat, pain flaring through his veins like wildfire.

As the remaining chains closed in around him, ensnaring him in their unyielding embrace, Toruri's strength waned, darkness creeping in at the edges of his consciousness. "I'm about to... faint," he muttered, his voice barely a whisper against the cacophony of battle.

From the depths of his pocket, Toi emerged, a tiny beacon of defiance in the face of overwhelming odds. With a flurry of kicks, the small creature lashed out at the encroaching chains, a valiant but ultimately futile effort.

"Toi... get back into my pocket!" Toruri's command was tinged with desperation, a last-ditch attempt to shield his companion from the impending danger.

Amidst the chaos, June's voice cut through the tumult like a blade forged in malice. "Oh, it's you, the one I lured here to kill."

"You did?" Toruri's disbelief was palpable, mingling with a growing sense of dread.

"Yeah... Dream Magic: Calling Forest." June's words were laced with a sinister edge as she conjured forth a pink orb of magic, its ethereal glow casting an otherworldly hue upon the battlefield.

"What's... that?" Toruri's voice wavered, uncertainty gnawing at the edges of his consciousness.

In an instant, he was engulfed by the pink light, his surroundings melting away to reveal a dense forest shrouded in shadows. A voice, faint yet unmistakable, whispered through the darkness, its plea echoing through the depths of his soul.

"Help me."

"Who's that?" Toruri's voice quivered with a mixture of fear and confusion, his senses reeling from the sudden onslaught of sensations.

"Toruri, what are you talking about?" Kuroshi's voice cut through the silence, a lifeline amidst the chaos.

But before Toruri could respond, June's mocking laughter pierced the veil of uncertainty. "I used that to lure that little boy here. I'm very confused on how he knew our location."

"How did you know about us using him to find this location?" Kuroshi's voice was a low growl, brimming with barely-contained fury.

"Why else would you bring him? To get his body back? If so, my lord already ate it." June's words dripped with venom, a cruel reminder of the stakes at play.

"It's time for you guys to die, goodbye. Dark Magic: Binding Chains." June's final proclamation echoed through the forest, heralding the onslaught to come.

As the chains hurtled towards their intended targets, Toruri's mind raced with a single, stark realization. *Shit, these vampires are gonna eat us alive if we survive this.*

But before despair could fully take hold, a sudden eruption of light shattered the darkness, a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching shadows.

"BAM."

Someone, wielding a sword wreathed in brilliance, descended from above, their arrival a harbinger of salvation.

"Surikku No Ha skill 1: Maximum Reversal."

The words, spoken with authority, echoed through the forest, a promise of retribution against the forces of darkness.

A blinding light engulfed the battlefield, freezing every vampire, including June, in their tracks.

"Ryoshi, is that you?" Toruri's voice, filled with relief and disbelief, cut through the silence, his gaze locked on the figure before him.

With a graceful landing, Ryoshi stood before them, a silent guardian amidst the chaos, his presence a beacon of hope in the darkest of times.

Ryoshi's triumphant cry reverberated through the clearing, a proclamation of victory amidst the chaos.

"YES!"

In response to his declaration, the vampires surrounding them shattered into icy fragments, their once menacing forms reduced to nothingness.

"What did you just do?" Toruri's voice rang out, a mixture of awe and confusion.

"I finally got a MAGICAL WEAPON!" Ryoshi's excitement was palpable, his words tinged with a newfound sense of power.

"Sick," Toruri replied, admiration coloring his tone.

"I also learned matter magic, but I couldn't use it to a certain extent... until on my way here I learned how to infuse my matter magic with my magical weapon skills so now when I freeze people, they actually turn into ice," Ryoshi explained, his voice brimming with pride.

"Also sick. That was a pretty epic skill you used," Toruri acknowledged, genuine admiration evident in his words.

"Yeah, it's the second version of my first skill that I somewhat also learned on the way here," Ryoshi replied, his confidence radiating like a beacon in the darkness.

Amidst the exchange, June's voice cut through the air like a dagger, her tone laced with disbelief. "Who are you?"

"Wait, what, you're alive?" Ryoshi's surprise was evident, his gaze narrowing in suspicion.

"I killed myself once I heard you come from the roof, so you froze a ghost. Impressive," June explained, her words dripping with malice.

"Killed yourself? What the hell," Ryoshi muttered, his disbelief evident.

"Ryoshi... she can basically turn into a ghost," Toruri interjected, his tone grave.

"Oh... OH... shit," Ryoshi exclaimed, realization dawning upon him like a storm on the horizon.

"Deal with this. Dark Magic: Binding Chains," June's voice, filled with venom, sliced through the air as six chains emerged from beneath Ryoshi, forming a cage around him.

"Now, be crushed!" June's command echoed through the clearing as the chains closed in around Ryoshi, their grip tightening with each passing moment.

"Uh... Surriku No Ha skill 1: Ice reversal?" Ryoshi's voice, filled with determination, cut through the tension as his sword made contact with the chains, freezing them solid.

"Ok, now I can just escape," Ryoshi declared, his resolve unwavering as he kicked and shattered the chains with ease.

"What?" June's disbelief was evident as Ryoshi disappeared from sight, his form melding with the shadows.

"Where did he go?" June's voice, tinged with frustration, echoed through the clearing as Ryoshi reappeared before her, his sword plunging into her chest with deadly precision.

"Skill 1: Ice Reversal," Ryoshi's voice was a whisper as June's form was enveloped in frost, frozen in time for eternity.

Ryoshi's declaration hung heavy in the air, a solemn acknowledgment of the life extinguished before them.

"She's dead," he stated simply, his voice tinged with a mixture of finality and relief.

"Is sh—" Toruri's words were cut short as he and Kuroshi were suddenly freed from the confines of the chains.

"She is..." Kuroshi's voice carried the weight of certainty, a quiet confirmation of June's demise.

"We have an ice statue now," Ryoshi remarked, his tone casual as he observed the frozen remnants of their fallen foe.

With a swift motion, Ryoshi withdrew his sword from June's frozen form, causing her to shatter into countless fragments.

"And now we don't," he quipped, his words carrying a hint of amusement amidst the tension of the moment.

"What the hell did she teach you?" Toruri's voice was filled with a mix of curiosity and concern, his gaze fixed on Ryoshi with a newfound wariness.

"She taught me... enough," Ryoshi replied cryptically, his expression unreadable.

"Impressive," a new voice interjected, startling Ryoshi into a sudden outburst.

"AHHH! WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?!" he exclaimed, his surprise evident in his tone.

"Language," the newcomer chided gently, their presence imposing yet somehow comforting.

"Ok, what the HELL is that?" Ryoshi demanded, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and incredulity.

"He's the guy I beat up," Toruri explained, his words laced with a hint of amusement.

"Yeah, and you're the one who's going to faint now," the newcomer, identified as Heunae, remarked casually.

And true to Heunae's words, Toruri collapsed to the ground, his strength finally giving out after the rigors of battle.

"What did you do!?" Ryoshi demanded, his gaze narrowing in suspicion.

"After he fought me, he was already pretty worn out. This fight pushed his endurance to the limit though," Heunae explained calmly. "Don't kill me, I'm on your side for now. I refuse to accept that my god would eat me."

"Mmm... good to know. What do I do now?" Ryoshi's voice was laced with uncertainty as he turned to Kuroshi for guidance.

"I'll carry Toruri, and you can carry that guy. We're next to Atanasius's room," Kuroshi suggested, her tone practical.

"So we're just gonna walk in?" Ryoshi questioned, his disbelief evident.

"...yeah?" Kuroshi's response was hesitant, her uncertainty mirroring Ryoshi's own.

"Uh... ok," Ryoshi replied, resigned to the uncertainty of their next steps as they prepared to venture into the unknown.