After some time of searching through the ruined outskirts of the village, they finally came face to face with the monstrous creature. Valien glanced at Rawin, his expression tense.
"How much of a chance do we actually have against this thing, Rawin?" Valien asked quietly.
Rawin exhaled slowly, calculating in silence. "If you're asking for the probability of victory… it's no more than 0.1%. And lasting more than thirty minutes… maybe less than fifteen percent."
"So it's really that small…" Valien murmured.
Just then, Tirsa and a group of young hunters rushed toward them. Orpy's face was pale with worry.
"Are you two going to be alright?" Orpy asked.
"Don't worry. We'll come back alive, Orpy," Rawin replied gently, ruffling Orpy's hair.
"Return safely, Rawin. You too, Valien," Firsa said with a soft voice.
"Of course, Lady Firsa. We will return," Rawin answered.
"Yes. We'll come back," Valien added with a faint smile.
They stood their ground and prepared for the coming battle. The ancient creature loomed before them like a nightmare carved into reality.
"You ready, Valien?" Rawin asked, his voice steady.
"I feel the same as you do, my friend," Valien replied.
The creature snarled, its voice echoing with unnatural clarity.
"So you are the cursed pests spoken of in prophecy."
Rawin's eyes widened. "It can speak? Valien, this is… unexpected."
Valien chuckled once. "Well, that just makes things more interesting. Hey! Why did you attack this village?"
"The God-Slayer must die," the Ancient Glossy Beast growled. "The king's future depends on it!"
Then it lunged with wild, crushing force.
"Ho! Looks like this might be fun," Valien smirked as he dodged.
"Don't get careless! We still don't know the full extent of its power. Remember the lightning that killed Lord Yarsl," Rawin warned, analyzing every movement.
"Don't worry. I'm not planning to leave any openings," Valien replied.
The battle raged fiercely, the two wielding Gondalwa's relic with everything they had. But soon, the creature's final weapon revealed itself—an immense, overwhelming surge of destruction.
"Die here, God-Slayer!" it roared.
"Valien! Move now!" Rawin shouted.
"I know! I can feel the pressure of the attack—!" Valien responded.
The attack struck, tearing the battlefield apart. Dust and debris swallowed everything.
Miraculously, the two survived—but their bodies were broken and bloodied.
"So this is how it ends, Rawin," Valien whispered, exhausted. "Even if we lived… we can't fight anymore."
Rawin smiled faintly. "It's not such a bad ending… is it?"
But then—something stirred within Rawin.
A voice echoed inside him:
"Not yet. This child is not meant to die here. I will use this body—just this once."
(What is that voice…?) Rawin thought in alarm.
Light burst from his body, reshaping him. A presence ancient and overwhelming awakened.
"So this is the era now… far different from what I remember," the mysterious being spoke through Rawin's voice.
"You… you are the God-Slayer," the creature snarled. "I will erase you!"
"You? Speak without permission?" the being replied, amused, his tone sharp. "Very well. I'll show you the meaning of true power."
He lifted Gondalwa's relic, examining it.
"Hm. A quaint relic. Weak… but sufficient."
"W–who are you…? You're not Rawin," Valien whispered in fear.
"Me? I am like this arrow," the being said. "Piercing every boundary, every fate. Tell the child this: I am not confined—and I go where necessity calls."
He fired a radiant white arrow.
The Ancient Glossy Beast tried to evade—but the arrow followed like destiny.
"CURSE YOU, GOD-SLAYERRRR—!!"
The creature shattered into grains of ash.
The being sighed. "My power won't hold much longer. Tell the child this: do not push himself so far again. I may not be able to help a second time."
His presence faded, and Rawin collapsed unconscious.
Valien stared blankly, barely processing what had just happened.
Just then, Warsen and the village elders arrived.
"Hey! Are you two alright?" Warsen shouted.
Valien blinked—and smiled weakly before collapsing. "I… think we survived."
"What happened here?" Darvish asked in shock.
"It looks like… they defeated the creature," Kaelith said slowly.
"That's hard to believe," Margel muttered. "But if they truly did… they deserve the highest honor."
"Yes. Let us take them to the elders' hall and treat them," Warsen said.
The others nodded.
Rawin and Valien were lifted and carried gently to the White Greever Tree, while the villagers felt, for the first time in days, that fear had finally begun to fade.