This time, Arthur didn’t move. He watched, felt it, tracked it.

Not toward them.

Behind.

The wolf slipped out of the shadows right behind the guardian, moving without hesitation or testing, driven by pure intent. Its claws came down hard, everything it had pouring into that single strike as the tainted mana around it surged wildly.. thicker than anything they had seen so far, all forced into that one blow.

The guardian barely turned in time.

"Wha—"

Too late.

The hit landed with a heavy, brutal crash that drove the guardian straight into the ground, the sound echoing across the dungeon.

But the wolf didn’t stop.

It kept going, claws tearing down again and again, every strike filled with everything it had been holding back. It wasn’t fighting like before... there was no restraint, no hesitation, just raw rage.

And even then...

It stopped.

Right before it went too far.

Right before the cub would be caught in it.

The final strike fell short as the wolf pulled back, breathing hard.

The guardian lay there for a second.

Then it moved.

Slow. Broken.

It dragged itself across the ground, coughing, its body twisted from the impact.

"...You... stupid... beast..."

It forced itself up, one hand clutching its side as it staggered toward the ritual formation.

Arthur’s expression shifted.

"...No."

He had seen this before.

He knew what came next.

"Ryn."

"I know."

Arthur moved immediately, fast and direct, heading straight for the guardian.

"Don’t let it reach that circle!"

Torren stepped forward too, but Arthur was already ahead.

The guardian saw him coming.

And smiled.

Even like that.

Even broken.

It raised the cub slightly.

"Take one more step... and I crush it."

Arthur slowed.. not fully, but enough.

His jaw tightened.

"...You really are pathetic."

The guardian chuckled, blood running down its chin.

"And you... care too much."

Behind him, the wolf growled low, a warning.

Arthur didn’t turn, but he felt it.. the tension, the message.

Back off.

At the same time, the wolf’s gaze locked onto the guardian again.

Don’t.

For a moment, everything held.

Then the guardian moved toward the circle.

Its free hand lifted, and the flow of tainted mana shifted.

Arthur felt it instantly.

"...No—"

It changed direction.

All of it.

The mana that had been feeding the wolf turned and pulled back into the guardian.

Arthur cursed under his breath.

"Of course you would..."

The air thickened, dark and heavy, as the guardian’s body shook under the flood of mana.. far more than it should have been able to handle.

Its wounds closed.

Not slowly and not naturally.

They forced themselves shut, flesh twisting and reforming in seconds.

The guardian laughed, loud and unstable.

"You think I need that beast...?"

Its voice cracked as it straightened.

"I only needed time."

Arthur’s grip tightened.

"Yeah... and you got it."

The wolf stepped forward, growling deeper now.. not at Arthur, but at the guardian.

The cub struggled in its grip, reacting to the mana flooding through the guardian. It squirmed weakly but desperately, trying to pull away.

The guardian didn’t even look at it anymore.

Didn’t care.

That was the moment.

Nox moved.

She had been watching, waiting, her heart pounding as she tracked every movement, every shift.

Now...

She ran.

Fast.

Straight toward them.

Arthur saw her.

"...Nox—"

But it was too late to stop her.

The cub slipped, just slightly and that was all she needed.

Nox reached in mid-motion, grabbed it, and pulled it free in one clean move before turning and running.

"Got it!"

The guardian’s head snapped toward her.

Its smile returned... wide and wrong.

"...Ah."

Like it had expected it.

Nox didn’t stop.

She ran straight back toward the group, holding the cub close as it trembled in her arms.

"I’ve got it!"

"Keep moving!" Ryn called.

Arthur was already turning.

"Torren, cover her!"

But the guardian was faster.

Or maybe just ready.

It raised its hand.

The ground shifted.

Arthur felt it immediately.

"Move!"

But it was too late as a spear of earth formed in the air.

Then another.

And another.

Dozens.

All aimed at one point.

Nox.

"...Shit."

The guardian laughed and brought its hand down.

The spears shot forward.

Fast.

Too fast.

Arthur moved, forcing everything into his legs as wind wrapped around him and pushed him forward.

He already knew he wasn’t quick enough.

But he didn’t stop.

Though..

The wolf was there first as It didn’t hesitate at all.

Didn’t think.

Didn’t hold back.

It appeared right in front of Nox, placing itself between her and the attack.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

"...You—"

The spears hit.

All of them.

The impact exploded on contact, a crushing blast that shook the ground and threw dust and debris into the air, swallowing everything in seconds.

The force spread outward, wind slamming into Arthur as he skidded to a stop.

"NOX!" he shouted.

No answer.

Just dust.

Thick and blinding.

For a moment, no one moved.

No one spoke.

Then...

Laughter.

The guardian’s voice cut through the dust, sharp and unhinged.

"HAHAHAHA—!"

Arthur’s hands clenched, his heart still racing as his eyes locked onto the cloud ahead.

Waiting.

"...Don’t you dare..."

The dust didn’t clear all at once.

It thinned slowly, drifting down in uneven waves until shapes began to return.

Arthur was already moving before it fully settled.

"Nox!"

"I’m here!" her voice came back, shaken but alive.

Relief hit fast...

But didn’t last.

Because the rest of the scene came into view.

The wolf stood there.

Right in front of her.

Still.

Too still.

Its body was lowered, legs trembling slightly as if they might give out at any second. The ground beneath it was dark, soaked through where blood had pooled and spread.

The cub slipped out of Nox’s arms the moment it saw it.

It stumbled forward, small and unsteady, then pressed itself against the wolf’s side with a soft sound.

The wolf barely moved.

Only its head.

Slowly.

It lowered it toward the cub, brushing lightly against it.