The air was thick with smoke and heat. Cerberus loomed over us, its three heads snarling in perfect synchronization. The ground beneath its massive paws cracked and blistered from the oppressive heat radiating from its body.
I adjusted my stance, my chest heaving. The pain in my ribs pulsed with every breath, but I didn't dare slow down. Beside me, Jinwoo's grip on Kasaka's Venom Fang tightened. His dark eyes locked on the beast, sharp and calculating.
Cerberus growled, its middle head lunging first. I sidestepped, the monstrous jaws snapping shut inches from my face. Jinwoo took the opening, flashing in with terrifying speed. His dagger slashed across the beast's shoulder, black blood sizzling as it hit the ground.
The right head, still hidden beneath its gray mask, twisted unnaturally. With a guttural snarl, it unleashed a shockwave of force. Jinwoo barely managed to brace himself, skidding backward as debris scattered around us.
The oppressive heat from the Demon Castle's inferno cast flickering shadows across the shattered remains of what once resembled Seoul. Broken buildings lined the ruined landscape, twisted metal and scorched concrete forming jagged monuments to destruction. Every breath tasted of ash.
Jinwoo and I stood side by side, bodies tense and bloodied. Our breaths came in sharp gasps, the earlier scuffles with the lesser demons already pushing us to the edge. But none of that compared to the monstrous presence looming before us now.
The massive Cerberus growled, chains rattling from its collar. Its left and middle heads were ablaze with fiery orange hair, twisted horns protruding like the crown of a demon. The right head, however, wore a cracked gray mask, its gleaming red eye glowing from beneath. Its growl reverberated through the air, vibrating the shattered ground beneath our feet.
"That thing…" I muttered, feeling the sheer pressure of its presence. "It's on a completely different level."
Jinwoo's eyes narrowed. "No choice but to push through."
Cerberus lunged.
The middle head struck first, a flaming maw snapping through the air. I barely managed to dodge, activating Mercury Requiem in a split-second burst. My movements blurred as silver streaks of energy crackled around me. The sheer force of its bite left a crater where I once stood.
Jinwoo ducked low, slipping past the monstrous swipe of the left head. His dagger flashed, slashing at the beast's flank, but the thick fur barely parted. The Cerberus roared in frustration, twisting its enormous body and sending a wave of fiery embers toward us.
"Move!" Jinwoo shouted.
I launched myself sideways, my body lightened by the effects of Mercury Requiem. Jinwoo, however, rushed straight through the fire with a fierce resolve. His figure emerged from the flames, unscathed. He didn't hesitate — his dagger struck at the beast's hind leg, aiming for the joint.
The Cerberus staggered, but the damage was superficial.
"Tch." Jinwoo's frustration was evident.
The right head, still masked, suddenly reeled back. A guttural growl built within it before an ominous black mist erupted from its mouth. I barely reacted in time, using Earthbound to root my feet to the ground, steadying myself as the shockwave hit. The corrupted mist crackled, gnawing at the air like corrosive fog.
"Rensei!" Jinwoo's voice cut through the chaos.
"I got it!"
I clenched my fists, the weight around me shifting. Earthbound surged, sending a ripple through the cracked ground. Debris lifted in response, fragments of stone spiraling upward before launching toward the Cerberus like makeshift missiles.
The left and middle heads bared their fangs, flames igniting in response. The fiery blasts collided with my projectiles, shattering them midair. The force of the explosion sent a shockwave through the battlefield, pushing me back.
"Damn it." I grit my teeth, the heat searing against my skin.
Cerberus didn't relent. Its massive body lunged once more, claws crashing down. I kicked off the ground, enhancing my momentum with Mercury Requiem. My body blurred as I twisted through the air, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow. The impact left deep fissures in the already shattered pavement.
Jinwoo capitalized on the opening. He darted beneath the beast, his dagger glowing with black energy. Kasaka's Venom Fang. The blade slashed through Cerberus' exposed underbelly, the venom hissing as it seeped into the wound.
But even as the toxin spread, the beast barely flinched.
"Not enough!" Jinwoo growled.
Cerberus responded with an ear-shattering roar. The mask on its right head shattered, revealing the twisted, snarling visage beneath. Blood-red eyes locked onto us as its muscles tensed.
I felt it before I saw it.
The temperature spiked. Flames roared to life, swirling violently around the monster's feet. Its fur bristled, and cracks of molten energy traced along its body. This was different.
"Rensei!" Jinwoo's voice was urgent. "It's entering a rage state!"
[Warning! Cerberus's Rage has reached critical levels.]
The ground beneath us cracked as Cerberus erupted with raw power. Flames burst from its body, spiraling into a blazing inferno. The force sent both of us flying, crashing into the wreckage of a collapsed building.
"Shit…" I grunted, coughing as dust settled around me. My limbs screamed in protest.
I spat out the blood pooling in my mouth, my chest heaving. The rubble around us crumbled as the heatwave from Cerberus's eruption swept across the broken landscape. Jinwoo pulled himself upright, his dark eyes narrowing as he locked onto the monstrous form in the distance. Flames licked across the air, illuminating the battlefield in a hellish glow.
"We're not winning this." Jinwoo's voice was steady, but the grim resolve behind it was undeniable.
I dragged myself to my feet, the lingering embers scorching my skin. My body screamed in protest, but the sheer force of my will pushed me onward. The system's notifications buzzed faintly in my mind, but I ignored them. There was no time.
"Then we run," I growled, flexing my fingers as silver streaks of energy coursed along my limbs. Mercury Requiem surged through me, sharpening my reflexes and forcing the pain to the background. "We can't take it head-on, not like this."
Jinwoo nodded, his lips pressing into a thin line. "We'll split up. Keep it guessing."
Cerberus didn't wait. Its three heads howled in unison, the deafening sound reverberating through the air. The left head ignited in a torrent of flames, while the middle head twisted toward us, molten saliva dripping from its maw. The right head, now fully exposed, snarled with predatory malice.
"Move!" Jinwoo shouted.
We burst into motion, my feet skimming across the scorched ground. Earthbound surged beneath me, each step feeling like a forceful rebound as the terrain bent to my will. Debris scattered in my wake, sending pillars of dust into the air.
Cerberus lunged.
Its colossal form bulldozed through the broken ruins, each impact sending tremors across the battlefield. Flames erupted from the left head, streaking toward me like a flaming spear. I twisted, narrowly avoiding the blast as the heat licked at my skin. The ground beneath me shattered from the force, but I kept moving.
Jinwoo dashed in from the opposite side, his dagger glowing with dark energy. With a burst of strength, he leapt onto Cerberus's back, driving the blade into its thick hide. Black venom hissed as it seeped into the wound, but the beast roared in fury rather than pain. Its middle head swung back, attempting to snap him off.
"Hold on!" I barked, raising both hands.
Earthbound pulsed. Jagged chunks of stone tore free from the ground, spiraling around me before launching toward the beast's legs. The first few struck true, slamming against its joints. For a moment, Cerberus stumbled. But the ground erupted beneath its paws, molten heat surging outward.
Jinwoo was flung off, his body tumbling through the air before he twisted mid-fall, landing in a crouch.
"Damn it," he hissed, blood dripping down his arm.
"That thing's not even phased." My breathing was ragged, the weight of Mercury Requiem pressing down on me. Every movement drained my stamina, and the pressure was unbearable.
Cerberus growled, flames intensifying as its rage mounted. The cracked ground beneath its feet ignited, sending streams of fire surging outward. The temperature skyrocketed, the very air shimmering with heat.
Then it moved.
The middle head struck first, jaws snapping toward Jinwoo with terrifying speed. He barely managed to roll aside, the monstrous fangs sinking into the concrete with a deafening crunch. Before he could react, the left head launched a torrent of flames, the scorching heat engulfing everything in its path.
"Jinwoo!" I roared.
I pushed off the ground, Mercury Requiem activating in a flash of silver. My form blurred, the air bending as I intercepted the flames. The pressure was immense, the heat biting at my skin. But Earthbound surged once more, stone walls erupting from the ground, shielding us from the inferno.
"That won't hold it for long!" Jinwoo panted, clutching his side.
"I know!" I grit my teeth, the tremors beneath my feet warning me of the beast's next move.
The right head — the most twisted of the three — lunged without warning. Its maskless visage gleamed with raw malice, the glowing crimson eye locked onto me. A pulse of dark energy radiated from its mouth, the sheer force of it warping the air.
I couldn't dodge.
The shockwave struck, sending me hurtling backward. My body slammed into the side of a crumbling building, the impact forcing the breath from my lungs. Dust and debris rained down, but I staggered to my feet, forcing myself to remain conscious.
Cerberus advanced, flames licking at the ruined earth.
"We're done," I spat, blood trailing from the corner of my mouth. "If we don't end this now, we won't make it out alive."
Jinwoo's eyes flickered with determination. "Then we stop holding back."
I nodded, Mercury Requiem surging to its peak. The silver glow enveloped my body, my veins burning with raw energy. Beside me, Jinwoo's presence darkened, the shadows twisting unnaturally around him.
"One last push."
We charged.
Jinwoo struck first, vanishing in a blur of shadow. His dagger found its mark, slashing through the beast's exposed neck. Black blood gushed from the wound, but Cerberus roared in defiance, its middle head snapping toward him.
"Not this time!"
I drove my fists into the cracked earth, sending shockwaves rippling through the ground. Earthbound obeyed, jagged spires of stone erupting beneath the beast's legs. Cerberus stumbled, its monstrous form momentarily unbalanced.
Jinwoo capitalized on the opening. His dagger flashed, slashing deep into the beast's shoulder. The venom spread, the corrupted energy crackling along its fur. But even as the wounds mounted, Cerberus's rage only grew.
With a thunderous roar, it unleashed the full force of its fury.
Flames surged in all directions. The sheer pressure forced us apart, the searing heat consuming everything. My vision blurred, the flames threatening to swallow me whole.
"We can't win this," I gasped, my voice barely above a whisper.
Jinwoo staggered to his feet, his eyes burning with frustration. "We need to retreat."
Reluctantly, I nodded. The bitter taste of defeat lingered, but the truth was undeniable. Cerberus was beyond us. Not now. Not yet.
Jinwoo's shadows coiled around him, and without another word, he grabbed my arm. The shadows consumed us, the sensation of falling washing over me as the twisted ruins of the Demon Castle vanished from view.
The last thing I saw was Cerberus's glowing red eyes, staring through the flames.
We'd be back.
Next time, we wouldn't run.
.
.
.