Zed clicked his tongue. "Great. Now they've merged…" His annoyance was evident as he tightened his grip on the sword.
Felt narrowed his eyes. "Yeah… and they're stronger than before too," he muttered.
He glanced around quickly.
"Huh? Where'd they go—?"
Without warning, the ground beneath him exploded.
The monstrous fusion burst out from the earth like a cannon, fist cocked back and aiming straight for Felt's skull.
Felt barely managed to twist his body to the side.
They're faster too! he realized as the monstrous fist grazed past his face, cutting the air.
Zed didn't wait. He rushed toward the beast, blade swinging in a powerful arc—
The attack connected—
—but the creature didn't budge.
Zed blinked. "It didn't even bruise them…?"
The monster responded instantly. A side punch crashed into Zed's side, sending him rolling like a ragdoll across the terrain.
"HEY!" Felt yelled, stunned—but too late to act.
In a blink, the creature was before him, arm swinging like a hammer.
Felt raised both arms just in time to block the blow. Dust and energy exploded outward. His body strained, but his eyes gleamed—lightning sparking within.
A grin formed on his face.
"You keep targeting me, huh?" he said through clenched teeth. "Are you under the assumption that you can beat me?"
Without waiting for an answer, he drove a charged lightning punch deep into the monster's stomach.
The beast grunted, its hulking form pushed back slightly by the blow.
—
A short distance away, Zed stirred, disoriented.
"Huh…?"
Suddenly, shadows loomed all around him. Monsters emerged from the woods, surrounding him like jackals.
"Tch," he muttered. "I don't have time for this."
He dropped into a low stance, sword gleaming in the low light.
They charged.
Zed dashed into their midst, unleashing a spinning slash that swept in a circular arc—cutting through them in one graceful, deadly motion.
—
Back with Felt—
He launched a flurry of lightning-charged punches.
The Monster Unison met him head-on, delivering its own rapid barrage of fists.
Their blows collided one after another—clash after clash. Each strike sent shockwaves bursting outward. Debris flew. Trees trembled. The very earth groaned beneath the storm of force.
The surrounding forest was torn apart—branches torn, roots upended, entire trees uprooted in the chaos.
—
Zed felt the gust of wind and tremors even from afar.
Dust blew through his hair, and debris battered his coat.
"That must be Felt…" he muttered, eyes wide.
Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the battlefield.
—
Felt jumped back, panting slightly.
"Heh. You ain't half bad," he admitted.
The monster lunged forward again with a punch.
Felt leapt above it. The beast's arm struck the earth—and jammed halfway in.
Midair, Felt spun sharply, then crashed his electrified fist directly into the monster's face—driving its head into the bare ground.
"Ughhh!" it groaned, body twitching.
Felt landed nearby, breath heavy.
"Fighting you is honestly ticking me off," he growled.
But the beast wasn't finished. It surged to its feet in an instant.
From across the field, Zed was sprinting closer.
The monster spotted him and heaved a massive rock in his direction.
Zed stumbled, barely dodging it with a sidestep roll.
"Ugh!"
"You alright, mister?" Felt called out.
"It's Zed," he corrected, brushing off dirt. "How are we gonna beat that thing?"
Felt smirked. "So you're willing to listen to me now?"
"Momentarily," Zed admitted. "Yes."
"Fair enough."
The monster roared and charged once more.
"Stay defensive!" Felt ordered.
"Alright!" Zed responded, running parallel to him.
The monster attacked—massive arms swinging.
Zed flipped mid-air and twisted, letting the momentum launch him backward. Then, in one clean motion, he slashed downward—
—severing one of its legs.
The monster shrieked in agony.
From above, Felt aimed his palms and blasted a massive bolt of lightning straight down.
I can't give it time to heal, he thought.
The creature screamed, then lashed out in desperation—grabbing Zed in a crushing grip and shaking him wildly.
"ZED!" Felt shouted.
"I hear ya!" Zed groaned, blood dripping from his lip.
Felt's eyes darted. Then he spotted it—Zed's fallen sword.
Without thinking, he picked it up—and hurled it straight at the monster's eye.
The blade struck home.
Zed seized the opportunity. He gritted his teeth, then bit the monster hard on the arm.
It shrieked and released him.
Zed landed, panting—but didn't hesitate.
He grabbed the sword still embedded in its eye—then slid down the monster's body, tearing a deep, final gash through it.
"THIS IS WHERE YOU PERISH!" he roared.
The monster let out a final scream of pain—and slowly, its fused body began to break down… crumbling into nothing.
Both of them stood there, panting.
Zed dropped to a knee. "We… did it…"
Felt didn't move, eyes fixed on the fading dust cloud.
"No… I have a feeling this is only just beginning."
—
Elsewhere.
In the darkness of a hidden, ancient place, the Unknown Entity walked in silence.
It reached a massive wall—smooth obsidian, etched with strange carvings.
It placed a glowing stone gently into a crevice in the wall.
A pulse of light ran through the cracks like veins waking from slumber.
A distorted voice said:
"Two down… four more to go."