CHAPTER 48: GARDEN OF DAGGERS

Chapter 48

As Ren was swallowed by Luciena’s Core Release, the others plummeted into the underground. Kaela quickly reacted, her gentle petals blooming beneath them to cushion their fall.

Not far from where they landed, a deafening crash shook the ground. Zarveth had descended, scattering shards of rock and dust across the ground.

To their shock, the underground wasn’t a simple cavern. It stretched like a labyrinth, illuminated by faint blue lights embedded along the stone ceiling, forming endless passageways that ran beneath Ward 10.

"I should welcome you." Zarveth’s voice echoed, low and mocking, as he stepped forward. "This is my little fortress. My ’men’ and I carved these paths long ago before I turned them to ashes. These tunnels were meant as escape routes, should things ever go south, but who would’ve thought? They’ll serve just as well for the execution of little mice like you."

His laughter was eerie and twisted, echoing through the hollow corridors.

"What? You brag like that when you chose to fight us and trap us here instead of facing Ren, the one who beat you so easily?" Sora remarked with a sharp grin.

"W-w-why are you mocking him?" Kaela whispered nervously from behind.

"Stay sharp." Sora muttered, her tone shifting as her eyes narrowed on Zarveth. "If he charges, Minato, bind him with your branches. Kaela, boost me when I move in for the kill."

Both nodded without hesitation.

At the mention of Ren’s name, Zarveth’s entire body stiffened, veins bulging as his aura pulsed erratically. Rage twisted his expression, as though the memory of his defeat burned hotter than his magma itself.

"I’ll admit," Zarveth muttered, forcing a grin through his clenched teeth. "I can’t beat that boy right now. That’s why I called for backup."

"Backup? You mean that masked guy from earlier?" Minato asked.

Zarveth chuckled. "Masked guy? That was no man. That was Luciena Veyra. One of the Four Messengers of Shikkoku."

Sora’s eyes narrowed. "Messengers? What are they supposed to be?"

"Think of them as Shikkoku’s elites, right below the Fangs themselves. Each of them is strong enough to command their own gangs, yet they serve as the organization’s pawns." Zarveth smirked, his voice dripping with malice. "They’re far stronger than your boy up there. By the time I finish with you, he’ll already be dead."

"Tch!" Sora’s grip tightened on her daggers. We need to get to Ren fast. I know he’s strong, but something feels wrong about this.

"Oh please, you’ll be the one lying in defeat by the end of this." Sora smirked, her daggers glinting with heat.

A vein bulged across Zarveth’s temple as he roared, his massive frame surging forward. His lava clad arms blazed like molten rock tearing through the air as he charged in with a blinding speed.

Minato’s branches shot from the ground, twisting around Zarveth’s legs and torso, only to snap and splinter under his sheer strength.

The brief pause was enough. Kaela threw up a petal barrier in front of Sora, the glowing wall blooming just in time.

Zarveth’s fist, dripping in magma, slammed into it. The petals withered and burst apart in a fiery explosion. The force smashed through, crashing into Sora’s crossed daggers. Sparks and steam erupted as she braced, but the impact hurled her across the chamber, skidding along the stone before she came to a bruising stop.

That power is no joke! Minato thought, sweat dripping down his temple.

He thrust his branches from the ground in a desperate attempt to ensnare Zarveth, but the titan plowed forward, his fists blazing as each hook smashed through the wooden tendrils like brittle twigs.

In a blink, Zarveth was on him, his huge frame moving with terrifying speed, unleashing a barrage of punches. Minato weaved and twisted, barely keeping ahead of the blows. He could read Zarveth’s intent, but the sheer speed and crushing weight behind each strike made it nearly impossible to evade.

A flash of red streaked across the battlefield as Sora hurled one of her burning daggers. Zarveth tilted his head, dodging effortlessly, never breaking stride as he drove Minato further back.

He’s getting faster! Minato realized, panic spiking as Zarveth’s fists blurred. The air whistled around each strike, and before he could react, one grazing blow ripped across his side, leaving a deep, searing cut.

A few moments later, Zarveth had Minato cornered, a grin spreading across his face.

"This is one down," he muttered, fists clenching.

"I don’t think so." Minato muttered with a smile.

As Zarveth’s barrage of punches came crashing forward, Kaela’s barrier snapped into place before Minato. The shield cracked instantly under the onslaught, but that wasn’t its purpose. It was to buy a split moment for Minato.

From the ceiling and ground, thick branches erupted, coiling like serpents around Zarveth’s hulking frame. His movements got stalled, just as a blazing figure came streaking down from above.

Sora descended like a comet, daggers blazing hot in her hands. She twisted midair and drove them down in a ferocious strike.

"Red Bloom Drive!"

Zarveth roared, crossing his arms to block, but the impact smashed him into the earth with a thunderous crash. Smoke burst upward, dust and dirt swirling.

Not wasting a breath, Sora hurled her flaming daggers into the haze. They spun end over end, igniting with an intense blue blaze.

"Burning Comet!"

The blades struck as a blinding explosion tore through the battlefield, shockwaves rippling outward.

Then silence came.

Then, just as the three caught their breath, a deafening roar tore through the rubble.

Zarveth emerged, no longer the same figure they had battled moments before. Once, only his hands had been wreathed in molten stone. Now, his entire body was a grotesque furnace, lava spilling from cracks in his flesh, his frame twisted into something monstrous, clad in living magma.

"This is your end! You should’ve finished me when you had the chance!" Zarveth yelled, his voice rumbling like an erupting volcano.

Though silence followed, Minato had already anticipated this. His traps were in place.

The moment Zarveth lunged, colossal thorned branches erupted from both ceiling and ground, coiling around him.

"Binding Branch!" Minato yelled.

But the restraint shattered instantly. Zarveth’s sheer strength tore through it like paper, and in a blur, he barreled straight at Minato.

Minato threw up more branches in desperation, but Zarveth’s blazing fist ripped through them. The molten punch smashed into him with devastating force, drilling him into the stone wall, rendering him unconscious.

Without pausing, Zarveth turned on Sora. She barely had time to cross her blades before the impact crashed through her guard, hurling her back just as violently.

Kaela seized the fleeting moment, conjuring a radiant petal cage around him. But with a roar, Zarveth’s body exploded with streaks of lava, the heat searing the air. The cage shattered, and Zarveth surged upward, his molten fist connecting with Kaela in a brutal uppercut. She was launched into the ceiling, before crashing back down, limp, onto the ground.

"I can’t believe you fools actually thought you could defeat me with such pathetic tricks." Zarveth’s molten frame glowed as he laughed, his voice echoing through the underground chamber. "Clever, yes, but weak. I don’t even need to use my own cheap tricks, just brute force is enough to crush you all."

He glanced around at the laying bodies of Kaela, Minato, and Sora, then grinned.

"I’ll start with this one. She’s closest, after all."

Slowly, Zarveth began to walk toward Kaela’s unconscious form.

"Stop! Minato, save her!" Sora coughed, forcing herself upright. Her vision blurred, her legs trembling beneath her weight as she staggered one step forward before collapsing back to the ground.

"No! Minato, where are you?" She whispered hoarsely.

But Minato lay slumped against the wall, completely unresponsive. His beaten and broken body couldn’t even answer her call.

Despair crept in as Sora’s eyes began to close. But then, something stirred within her. A tingling surge crawled through her bones, sparking like lightning in her veins. Her drive core, it was roaring, releasing an unfamiliar torrent of energy that spread through her entire body.

What is this? I feel.... lighter?

The energy didn’t just flood her, it responded to her will. It moved with her, flowing where she directed, amplifying every nerve and muscle. Slowly, shakily, Sora pushed herself to her feet again, her hands trembling but steadying under the force.

What is this power? Is my core releasing on its own? How do I.....No. Don’t stop it. Not now. If I seal this away, we all die here.

The pressure grew unbearable, energy leaking wildly from her body in pulses that cracked the stone beneath her feet. Each surge came with sharp pain, a throbbing reminder that her core wasn’t stable, that this release was dangerous. But she clenched her daggers, gritting her teeth through the agony.

There’s no other choice. Even if it destroys me, this is the only way!

Her voice rang out, defiant and fierce, as she let the torrent burst outward.

"Core Release. Overload Drive!"

The underground shook with the eruption of energy, Zarveth’s molten eyes snapping toward her with sudden interest.

"Oh, still breathing, huh? Then I’ll crush you first!" Zarveth roared, lunging with a molten hook that cut the air like a meteor.

But when his fist struck, there was nothing. Sora had vanished.

A shimmer sparked at the far wall, her hand grasping the hilt of her dagger as she had reappeared beside it.

Zarveth smiled. "So you can teleport to your daggers now? Clever. But if you don’t attack me, it’s worthless!"

He swung again, each punch faster, heavier, lava trailing in every swing. But Sora slipped away again and again, blinking across the battlefield, teleporting to each dagger she threw. Sparks flashed red in every corner as her form blurred between points.

Zarveth’s molten eyes narrowed, rage twisting his face. He was fast, but not fast enough as each fist only added to his pent up frustration.

I just need more time. Sora thought, her breathing heavy as she pushed her body beyond its limits. His punches are too clean, too precise. One hit, and I’m done. But still, it’s better than him activating his core release. But I doubt he will be able to do so in a tight underground space like this.

Her chest throbbed violently, every pulse of leaking drive energy stabbing into her like fire. The pain grew unbearable as her time was clearly running out.

I can’t keep running. I have to finish this here and now.

The world around her slowed. Her vision sharpened, every ember in the underground glowing like stars, every beat of Zarveth’s molten heart echoing in her ears. For a fleeting instant, she felt as though she stood outside of time.

And in that stillness, she saw it. Daggers, dozens of them, hovering in the air, blazing with her crimson core energy, enclosing Zarveth like bars of a burning cage.

The vision snapped into reality as neon red energy exploded from her core, flooding the chamber with searing light. Her eyes glowed the same fierce red as her body trembled under the overflow.

In an instant, daggers of pure Drive Core energy materialized one after another, forming a deadly cage around Zarveth, their tips aimed at him from every angle.

"Core Release...." She whispered, her voice steady despite the agony coursing through her body.

"Phase Two: Garden of Daggers."