The sea broke open with fury.

From the shattered docks and reefs, the first wave of creatures clawed their way out—scaled husks dragging barnacle-crusted bodies, jaws clicking with hunger. Their shrieks rattled the air, a discordant chorus against the thunder of waves. The tide was black with shadows, foam whipped white as the ocean vomited more horrors onto the shore.

Pearlbay's stones trembled. The village had survived the monster Thal'ryx, yet still the sea would not let go.

Kaen was the first to move.

"About time! I was starting to get bored!" he roared, spinning his shortblades until firelight gleamed across their edges. He launched himself into the swarm, reckless as a spark in dry grass. A sea-fiend lunged, claws flashing; Kaen twisted, cutting its arm clean and driving a kick into its chest that hurled it back into the surf.

Another monster rushed from the side, maw gaping, but Kaen spun mid-stride, laughing.

"Try harder, fish-face!"

Behind him, Khael stepped forward with calm precision. Fatigue pulled at his limbs, but his stance remained firm as iron. Shinrei energy swirled around his palm, bending the wind itself to his command.

"Echo Art: Wind Slash!"

The air answered. A crescent blade of compressed wind howled from his strike, severing three sea-spawn at once. Their bodies split in the spray, dissolving to brine before they hit the stones.

Khael shifted seamlessly, raising his sword. The wind wrapped around the steel like a second edge. One slash clean, controlled and a row of monsters fell in halves, blood and ichor staining the tide.

"Stay close!" his voice cut across the chaos, steady and commanding.

Juno surged forward at Kaen's side, intercepting a beast that broke through the line. Its claws raked for Kaen's throat—Juno caught the strike barehanded, veins bulging, before driving a fist into the creature's jaw with a crunch like cracking rock. It fell limp, and Juno shook blood from his knuckles.

Behind them, Lira wove between the fallen, her hands glowing faint with dwindling Shinrei. She knelt by an older guardian, pressing light into a deep wound until the bleeding stopped. Her breath shook, but her eyes never wavered. "Stand. Just stand. You're not done yet."

But Rael… Rael fought differently.

His Lumen Blade carved through the tide in brutal arcs, each strike heavier, sharper, almost desperate. He didn't bark orders like Khael, didn't laugh like Kaen, didn't anchor like Juno. He just cut. Again and again, each swing fueled not by rhythm but by something harsher—vengeance bleeding through his grip. His strikes were merciless, as though every creature bore the face of something only he could see.

The ocean hissed, surging with more shadows.

Kaen spat seawater and grinned. "Hah! If this is all they've got, then I'll carve my name into the ocean itself!"

Khael exhaled steadily, side-eyeing him. "Don't get carried away."

Even so, the Dragon Knight's own hand tightened on his sword. The tide was relentless, and he could feel it the weight of something darker still moving beneath the waves.

The sea frothed again, boiling with twisted shapes. Claws scraped the dock as the horde surged forward like living surf. For a heartbeat, it looked as if Pearlbay would be swallowed whole.

Then lightning split the storm.

Ceyla's voice rang like thunder.

"Echo Art: Lightning Strike!!!"

Her hands flared white-blue, veins of power racing up her arms like serpents of fire. She thrust forward, and a pillar of lightning speared the surf. Half a dozen creatures disintegrated in a single blinding flash, steam hissing as their charred remains melted into the tide.

The boom cracked the stones underfoot.

Kaen whistled, eyes wide. "Remind me never to piss her off."

Ceyla wiped sweat from her brow, hair plastered to her cheek. Her gaze stayed locked on the writhing silhouettes. "Shut it, Kaen. We're not done."

Before her words faded, Rael stepped forward. His voice was low, rough, every syllable dragged from clenched teeth.

"Echo Art: Stone Spike!!!"

The ground shuddered. Jagged pillars erupted from beneath the surf, skewering three beasts in one vicious strike. Their shrieks cut short as the stone dragged them under, leaving the water red and boiling with foam.

Rael's chest heaved, his grip white-knuckled. His eyes burned not with focus, but something darker.

Lira saw it, and her heart clenched. She whispered under her breath, "Rael… what's happening to you?"

Khael glanced his way, reading the fury in his movements, but there was no time. Another swarm burst from the sea, jaws snapping.

Khael swung his sword, wind shrieking along its edge.

Ceyla charged again, sparks crawling over her arms.

Kaen barked laughter, blades flashing like fire.

Juno slammed his fists together, a wall of muscle ready to break bones.

And Rael silent, burning lifted his blade once more.

The horde collided with them in a frenzy of teeth and claws.

Salt spray filled the air, mixing with the stench of blood. The sand turned slick with ichor as guardians fell and rose again, pushing back against the tide.

Rael's voice ripped out in a roar, raw with rage.

"I'll kill you all…you damned monsters!!!"

He slammed his Lumen Blade into the ground. Energy shrieked outward, shards of stone exploding into a wave of jagged spikes. Dozens of creatures were shredded in a single blast, their bodies torn apart mid-scream.

Kaen stumbled beside him, eyes wide. "Don't hog it all, Rael! My turn!"

His twin blades ignited with crimson fire, spiraling heat crackling around him.

"Echo Art: Burst Flame!!!"

The inferno exploded outward, sweeping across the battlefield in a roaring tide of fire. The sea boiled black, and monsters dissolved into ash and smoke.

But Rael wasn't finished. His breath came ragged, shoulders trembling as sparks crawled up his arms. Wind howled around him, lightning searing his veins. His eyes gleamed with something feral.

"Echo Art: Lightning Wind!!!!"

The sky tore open. A cyclone of lightning and storm ripped through the battlefield, lifting sea-spawn into the air and shredding them mid-flight before their charred remains crashed into the foam. The gale was so fierce Kaen nearly lost his footing, covering his eyes against the blast.

"H-Hey—Rael..

But Rael didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on the sea, wild, unblinking. He looked not at monsters, but at ghosts only he could see.

Khael's jaw tightened. "…That wasn't a normal Echo Art."

Ceyla muttered under her breath, sparks fading from her palms. "hmm."

Lira bit her lip, her healer's instinct cutting sharper than blades. (Something's wrong. He's burning himself alive… but why?)

The sea roared again. Another wall of creatures rose, darker, larger, their bodies warped with remnants of Thal'ryx's corruption. The guardians braced, bloodied but unbowed, every breath heavy but unyielding.

Khael raised his sword, the wind screaming along its edge.

Ceyla's palms blazed with sparks, lightning pooling in her veins.

Kaen's blades spun fire into spirals of flame.

Juno's fists cracked stone as he slammed them together, ready to break the tide.

Lira whispered strength into the wounded, refusing to let any fall.

And Rael, eyes wild, shoulders trembling with storm and stone, lifted his blade in silence.

The ocean crashed forward an endless tide.

And together, the guardians surged to meet it, their voices rising like war cries into the storm.

The fight still raged.

To be continue

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