The creature no longer had a left arm. Kenzo stared at it for a brief moment, watching the way it thrashed despite the mutilation, roaring with rage, its bark-covered body twisting under the pain. It was the first time he could truly measure the gap between himself and Ophelia.
That precision… that power…
He tightened his grip slightly around White Fang's handle.
I'll get there too. Not right away… but soon.
Completely beside itself, the Young Shoot suddenly turned its attention toward Ophelia. Its violet gaze locked onto her, and it lunged in a brutal motion, ready to crush her under its full weight.
But Naty did not give the creature the slightest chance.
She slipped to the side, her whip hissing through the air before striking violently against the Young Shoot's ribs. The impact threw off its momentum, forcing the creature to veer from its path. Before it could even recover its balance, a second crack rang out, this time toward its right leg, the whip wrapping around the joint.
— « Now! »
Kenzo had been waiting for exactly that.
He rushed in, White Fang raised, and this time his movement felt steadier. His strike was not perfect, but it was stronger, more determined. The white blade sank into the rear joint of the creature's leg, cutting deep through the cracked bark.
This time… it went deeper.
He felt the confirmation in his own body.
With [Serpent], I can aim much more easily.
The Young Shoot collapsed heavily, dropping to its knees with a dull crash. Its scream twisted into a choked gurgle.
And Ophelia gave it no time to recover.
Two flashes of steel burst forward.
Her daggers drove straight into the Void Creature's eye sockets. She did not hesitate. She did not even need to push the blades in any deeper. Her momentum, perfectly calculated, was enough.
The Young Shoot went limp.
Standing on the still-warm corpse, Ophelia pulled her daggers free without a word, then said calmly:
— « If we want to get stronger, we'll need to kill at least eighty of them within a week. Think you can handle that? »
Naty answered with an ironic smile:
— « As if we have a choice. »
Kenzo did not reply. His attention had already shifted toward Madame.
To his surprise, the gigantic spider had already finished her fight. The Young Shoot she had faced lay crushed on the ground… but Madame herself bore several visible cuts across her white body.
— « Was that one a Condemned Unconscious too? » Kenzo asked, pointing at the wounds.
— « Yes, » Naty replied without hesitation. « But since she's an artifact, she kept the strength she had when she was still a Deviant. That makes her stronger than any ordinary creature of the same stage and rank. »
She turned toward Lucian.
— « When we get back, return Madame to your Orb. She'll regenerate there. »
Kenzo understood the decision perfectly. Madame had become essential. Night guard, transport, striking force… they could not afford to lose her or weaken her needlessly.
— « Good. We take the fragments, Kenzo takes the hearts, » Ophelia declared. « Then we get back on the spider. We still need to kill at least nine more today. That way, everyone gets three fragments. »
— « Why only nine? » Kenzo protested, almost proud. « I'm still ready to fight. »
Ophelia fixed him with a cold, almost mocking stare.
— « Do you not understand that we're going to get more tired with every fight? One mistake is all it takes for one of us to die. Or worse, to get so badly injured that we won't be able to hunt properly tomorrow. »
Her gaze settled directly on Kenzo.
— « You fought well. But don't start taking that for granted. Every fight is different. »
Naty stepped closer in turn, placing a light hand on Kenzo's shoulder, smiling but firm.
— « Ophelia is right. Nine a day is the best possible scenario. And besides, the hearts are yours. You don't have to share anything. »
Kenzo clenched his teeth… then nodded silently.
He knew they were right.
Naty brought out her artifact bag and placed the two recovered prana fragments inside. Kenzo, for his part, collected the two hearts and stored them away.
Then they set out again.
Everyone climbed back onto Madame's back, and the hunt resumed.
The pattern repeated itself. Kenzo located the presences. Sometimes there were two Young Shoots together, sometimes only one isolated. In those cases, all five of them attacked. The fights