The forest seemed to exhale as the crown settled on Rhys's head. Resonance wasn't just a word—the world itself responded. Leaves tilted faintly toward him as if acknowledging his presence. The soil beneath his boots thrummed, alive.

But beyond that… the peaks loomed, belching smoke and shadow. And there, within that haze, something stirred. Even this far away, the air carried a pulse—an oppressive rhythm like the heartbeat of something vast.

Rhys's lips twisted into a tired grin. "Figures."

Bounce huffed, silver glow rising again despite his fatigue. His fur bristled like he was daring the world itself to doubt them.

Puddle gave a sharp kuyuuuu, halos orbiting faster, sparks of black and white flaring in defiance.

"Yeah. I know. We're not backing down." Rhys drew the Verdant Scholar Sword, its emerald runes flickering faintly as the Verdant Crown's resonance linked with it. The power wasn't overwhelming—it was steady, grounding, like roots anchoring him before a storm.

He set off toward the shadowed peaks.

The further they traveled, the more the forest changed. The lush green of the Guardian's domain blackened, trees splitting open as if their hearts had rotted from within. The ground was scorched in patches, rivers boiled into steam vents, and skeletal husks of animals lay scattered, drained of life.

It was no longer just a forest. It was a graveyard.

Every few steps, monsters tried to rise from the blighted soil—wolves of ash, boars wreathed in smoke—but they crumbled before even making a full form, like the corruption was consuming its own creations.

And still, the pulse in the distance grew louder.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

By the time Rhys crested the last ridge, the Black Forest had ended entirely. Before him stretched a caldera of blackened stone, rivers of lava carving molten scars through cracked earth. Ash fell like snow.

And in the center of it all—coiled around the peak like a living fortress—was the boss.

Not a dragon. Not a legend.

But a beast born of the forest's fury and decay.

Its body was plated with cracked stone and bark fused with molten veins, its wings little more than tangled roots and smoke. Horns like shattered branches jutted from its skull, and its eyes burned with the violet light of corrupted mana.

[ Black Forest Nature's Wrath – Field Boss ]

The creature raised its head slowly, ember breath spilling from its maw. When it roared, the mountain itself answered, tremors splitting stone and lava geysers spraying skyward.

Rhys inhaled, slow and steady. He lifted the Verdant Scholar Sword, crown pulsing in time with his heartbeat.

Bounce braced beside him, silver aura surging.

Puddle floated higher, halos blazing, casting light even in the ash-storm.

Together, the three of them faced the Wrath.

The Wrath's roar cracked the ash-choked air, its molten veins glowing brighter with every breath. Lava surged in the rivers below, boiling and bursting into the air as the beast's wings flexed.

Rhys didn't hesitate.

"Puddle—support. Bounce—frontline with me!"

Bounce's silver light blazed as he surged forward, claws sparking against the scorched ground. Puddle lifted, three halos orbiting him, white and black light swirling until they were almost blinding.

The beast struck first.

Its tail lashed, a whip of stone and magma that could crush a fortress. Rhys's mana surged—

[Mana Shield].

The shield flared, emerald light colliding with molten stone. The impact shattered rock and flame outward, but the shield held, sparks raining across Rhys's cape.

"Now!" Rhys leapt forward, blade burning with spell fusion.

[Fireball + Water Blade → Steamburst Edge]

The Verdant Scholar Sword hissed with scalding steam, and Rhys slashed across the monster's molten flank. The vapor burst on impact, searing the cracked bark-armor and filling the air with blinding fog.

The Wrath bellowed, staggering—but not weakened. Its claws tore through the mist, swiping wide.

Bounce met the strike head-on.

His silver aura exploded—muscles swelling as he lunged, intercepting the claw. His body strained, sparks flashing from the force of impact, but he held it back long enough for Rhys to dart clear.

Above them, Puddle acted.

[Light Bullets]—five radiant projectiles screamed down, bursting against the Wrath's skull. The beast reeled, violet eyes narrowing.

[Shadow Tendrils] followed, dark streams curling upward to bind its movements. Roots of darkness locked its wing and leg, dragging it low into the ash.

"Good work!" Rhys sprinted up a broken ridge, Verdant Scholar Sword glowing. He swung—

[Whirlwind Slash].

The arc of green energy tore into the beast's shoulder, slicing bark and molten stone free in a shower of debris.

The Wrath's answer came like thunder.

It reared back, violet fire pooling in its throat—then it unleashed a torrent. A blast of corrupted mana and flame roared across the caldera.

"Puddle!" Rhys shouted.

[Light Shield] burst into being just before the flames struck. A dome of radiant light encompassed Rhys and Bounce, resisting the onslaught. The shield quaked, light flickering—but Puddle strained, mana flaring like a second sun. The dome held.

The moment the firestorm ceased, Rhys leapt again.

[Swift Cut]—his body blurred, sword flashing.

[Vertical Slash]—the follow-up cleaved downward, cracking into the Wrath's neck.

Bounce was already there, glowing silver, jaws snapping onto the monster's leg. He tore with brute strength, shaking loose molten shards.

The Wrath shrieked in fury. Its wings spread, roots cracking apart as it tried to rise into the air.

Not this time.

Puddle's voice rang in Rhys's head through the bond—

[Abyssal Grasp].

Dark tendrils burst from the ground, chaining the beast to the earth, dragging its bulk back down.

"Nice one!" Rhys planted his feet, mana surging. The sword vibrated in his grip, its runes shining with resonance from the crown.

He thrust it forward—

[Magic Missile].

The spell burst into a barrage of emerald shards that hammered into the Wrath's chest, each strike bursting against molten stone and bark.

The beast collapsed to its knees, roaring, its violet eyes blazing hotter than ever.

The Wrath's roar shook the mountain. Its body convulsed, violet corruption boiling in its veins until cracks split wider across its hide. Lava seeped like blood, dripping from rents in its bark-armor.

Then—

BOOM.

The beast slammed its claws into the ground. Shockwaves tore through the caldera, fissures splitting wide as molten fountains erupted around them. The air itself quivered with heat.

[ Black Forest Nature's Wrath – Phase Two ]

Its roots-wings unfurled fully, smoke swirling to form a storm overhead. Violet fire pooled in its throat again, but this time the energy was darker—denser, like the forest's lifeblood had been corrupted into poison.

Rhys braced, eyes narrowing. "Bounce! Puddle! Don't let it breathe!"

Bounce was already moving. His silver aura flared like a blade, body launching forward with a speed that belied his exhaustion. He slammed into the beast's side, forcing its maw to shift upward as the corrupted breath erupted skyward instead of at them.

The eruption split the clouds, raining down embers big as boulders.

"Go!" Rhys sprinted, mana burning through his veins.

The Verdant Scholar Sword gleamed—he swung—

[Steamburst Edge]—fire and water collided, vapor bursting as his strike slammed into the Wrath's foreleg. Scalding steam hissed into its molten cracks, the explosion staggering the massive form.

The Wrath retaliated instantly. Its tail swept wide—

Rhys barely had time to reinforce—

[Mana Shield].

The strike shattered the barrier in a single blow, sending Rhys tumbling across scorched rock. Pain lanced through his arms, but he rolled to his feet, jaw set.

"Puddle!"

The slime's halos blazed, orbiting faster—

[Gleaming Halo].

A radiant aura expanded across the battlefield, light washing over Bounce and Rhys. The burns and fractures in Rhys's body knit faster; Bounce's fur shimmered, silver flaring stronger than before.

The Wrath roared, thrashing against its bindings. Puddle moved again—

[Dark Mist].

A black haze wrapped the beast's head, its movements staggering, accuracy faltering as its eyes flickered against the curse.

"Bounce, with me!"

Rhys charged again, his blade cutting emerald arcs through the ash-storm.

[Whirlwind Slash] tore across the Wrath's torso, scattering molten bark. Bounce lunged beside him, silver jaws clamping down on the exposed wound with primal force.

The Wrath screamed, violet flames spilling in every direction. The air itself seemed to catch fire.

Puddle countered—

[Aqua Veil].

A cool surge rippled over Rhys and Bounce, mana and health regenerating even as the battlefield turned into a furnace.

But still, the Wrath did not falter. Its violet eyes blazed brighter, molten veins flaring as it drew deeper into the mountain's corruption.

The ground trembled.

Rivers of lava surged upward, forming spires that bent inward like jagged fangs. The caldera itself was becoming a cage.

Rhys grit his teeth, raising his sword again.

"Alright… so this thing wants to end it here."

Bounce stood by his side, fur bristling, silver light burning.

Puddle floated higher, halos spinning faster until light and shadow blurred into a storm.

The Wrath's chest swelled. The violet blaze gathering in its throat pulsed with each thundering heartbeat—

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The mountain itself seemed to buckle under the pressure.

"Now or never," Rhys muttered, sweat stinging his eyes.

Bounce growled low, his silver aura thickening until it looked like armor wrapping his frame. His eyes glowed, fierce and unyielding.

Puddle's halos spun so fast they became a ring of white and black fire, sparks crackling as water and light twisted with shadow.

The Wrath opened its maw—corruption flaring—

"MOVE!"