Kazui staggered toward Kenta, his eyes widening with concern the moment he saw the state of his comrade. Blood clung to Kenta's torn clothes like a second skin. His movements were sluggish, each breath ragged and shallow, but he stood—just barely.
"What happened to you, Kenta?" Kazui asked, his voice sharp with alarm.
Kenta's single functioning eye lifted toward him, his expression unreadable.
"It's nothing…" he muttered, swaying slightly. "I just… encountered a commander, that's all."
Before Kazui could respond, a gust of air swept through the hallway behind Kenta.
A winged figure descended.
The crow.
Not just any crow—but the one Kenta had fought.
The humanoid bird landed silently, its body stiff, lifeless… dead. But in its beak was a golden key, glinting faintly in the torchlight.
From the side, another figure stepped forward, limping—Amis.
His wings dragged slightly, one of them bent at a wrong angle. Blood leaked from his side, but his grip on his sword was still firm.
"Kazui," Amis said, his voice heavy. "Kenta and I can't go any further. This key… we got it by defeating that commander."
He gestured toward the crow's body.
"This key—it's meant for you. It opens the gate to the throne room of Raven. That's where your fight lies now."
Kazui looked from the key to Kenta and Amis. Both were clearly on the edge of collapse.
Even the crow, Amis, was struggling to stand.
Kazui stepped forward and gently removed the key from the crow's beak. It was surprisingly warm to the touch, like it had been forged in fire. A beautiful, intricate symbol was etched into its surface, matching the style of Raven's insignia.
Kazui looked up at his battered allies and spoke firmly, "Kenta… Crow… stay here. Rest. Saya and I—we'll take it from here. We'll finish Raven."
Amis gave a slow, respectful nod. "Your path lies ahead. Ours is sealed. The gate beyond us was locked. You're the only one who can go through now."
Kazui returned the nod. "Alright. Take care of yourselves."
He turned without hesitation, Saya silently falling into step beside him. Her newly awakened strength pulsed beneath the surface of her calm exterior. Together, they moved forward, deeper into the lair of Raven.
The golden key gleamed in Kazui's right hand as they walked through the dim corridor.
After several minutes, they arrived.
The golden door stood before them—massive, ancient, covered in arcane carvings. At its center was a symbol matching the key. It was clearly meant to be placed there.
Kazui stepped forward, raised the key, and inserted it into the slot.
The moment the key clicked into place, a deep mechanical sound echoed through the walls. Then—
SSWWEESHHHH.
The door began to open, sliding slowly with a hiss of ancient mechanisms. Dust blew past them in waves. As the doorway widened, a strange sensation crept over them.
A presence.
An ominous aura spilled through the open archway, thick and oppressive. It wasn't just Kazui and Saya who felt it—even far behind, where Kenta and Amis remained, they too felt a chilling shiver run down their spines.
The doorway now stood fully open.
What lay beyond was not just another corridor.
It was a throne room.
A vast, open chamber stretched before them. The walls were lined with tall, cracked pillars—many partially broken by past battles. Between the columns, torches flared to life on their own, as if summoned by their arrival.
Flames danced upward with eerie grace, casting the room in shifting shadows.
And at the center…
A throne.
Crimson. Grand. Ominous.
It sat elevated above a set of wide stairs. Carved from bone and stone, with blood-red velvet cushions, it was less a seat of power and more a declaration of dread.
A figure sat upon it.
Still. Regal. Waiting.
As the flames bathed the room in light, the shadows peeled away from the throne. The figure became visible—clearer with each flicker.
Whoever it was, they had been waiting a long time.
Kazui narrowed his eyes.
Saya instinctively reached for her blades.
They had arrived.
The final confrontation awaited.
Raven's voice echoed through the throne room like thunder in a hollow canyon—deep, commanding, and calm with quiet cruelty.
"I didn't think you two would make it this far," he said, his words slow and deliberate. "Impressive. I acknowledge your strength… but this is where your story ends."
He sat with the confidence of a god.
One arm rested along the throne's edge, his white-gloved fist pressed lightly against his cheek. His body tilted slightly to the right, relaxed, almost amused. His right leg rested lazily over his left. The flawless white suit he wore gleamed under the torchlight—untouched by battle. A matching white hat cast a shadow over his crimson eyes, which glowed like two dying suns.
Beside him, embedded into the marble floor, was a broad-bladed sword. Crimson from hilt to tip, its edge shimmered as if hungering for blood. It was beautiful. Terrifying.
Raven's form was that of a humanoid crow, massive in stature, wings tucked behind his back like a shroud. His presence filled the room, making it hard to breathe.
Then he stood.
One hand wrapped around the hilt of the crimson blade. With a soft hiss, he pulled it from the stone—effortless.
He stepped down from the throne.
Saya didn't wait.
With a flash of steel, she drew both her katanas—silver arcs slicing the air.
Kazui stepped back, gripping the key tighter in his hand. He knew—he knew—he couldn't fight Raven. This was Saya's battle. Hers alone.
Suddenly—
CRACK.
Raven vanished.
A split-second later, a shockwave shattered the silence.
Saya's eyes widened.
She had no time to see.
Only to react.
CLANG!!
A single, colossal strike from Raven's blade crashed against her crossed katanas. Sparks exploded into the air. The sheer force of it sent vibrations through her bones. She slid backward—feet scraping against the polished floor—until she was violently hurled out of the throne room, her body crashing through the archway and tumbling into the corridor beyond.
"SAYA!!" Kazui screamed, panic wrenching in his chest.
He turned toward Raven, fury bubbling beneath his skin. "Raven, you bastard—!"
He rushed forward, fist raised.
But there was no one in front of him.
Then—
THUD.
Kazui felt a shift behind him.
He turned.
Too slow.
WHAM!
Raven's kick smashed directly into his face.
The impact lifted Kazui off his feet and hurled him across the chamber. His body slammed into the side of the throne, cracking the marble. He crumpled to the ground, dazed, blood dripping from his nose.
Everything spun.
He tasted iron.
Raven began walking toward him, blade in hand.
But before he could reach him—
A silver flash returned.
Saya.
She launched herself from behind, mid-air, her blades glowing faintly.
"Moon Strike!" she roared.
And the room exploded.
In one second, a hundred strikes fell upon Raven—fifty from each blade.
The throne room lit up in a storm of steel and wind.
But Raven…
Raven moved like the wind itself.
He dodged every single blow.
Effortlessly.
Not a scratch.
Not a stumble.
He weaved between the blinding strikes like he had seen them all before.
When the final swing missed its mark, Raven looked Saya dead in the eyes—and smiled.
"Beautiful," he said. "But far too slow."
Then came the counter.
Raven's sword swung with unnatural force.
Saya barely blocked the first blow. The second sent her flying across the room again, her back slamming into a pillar with a bone-cracking crunch. She dropped to one knee, coughing blood.
Kazui dragged himself to his feet.
He could barely see straight.
He wasn't a warrior.
Not like her.
Not like Kenta.
But he refused to watch her die.
And yet, deep inside… he knew.
They were outmatched.
Raven wasn't just a boss.
He was death itself—wrapped in feathers and steel.
Raven's crimson eyes flickered beneath the brim of his white hat. He rose from his throne, the massive crimson broad-blade sword dragging along the stone floor behind him, gouging a deep line with every step. He was a figure pulled from nightmares: humanoid yet avian, tall and monstrously muscular. White feathers framed his back like war banners, and his presence alone felt like gravity had grown teeth.
Saya stood, battered and bloodied, twin katanas in hand.
"You've made it farther than most," Raven said, voice a low thunder. "But this is the end of your journey."
Then he vanished.
BOOM.
A shockwave erupted where he'd been.
Saya barely managed to raise her blades in time.
CLANG!
Her twin katanas intercepted the crimson blade, but the force behind it flung her backwards like a broken arrow. She slammed into a pillar with a bone-rattling crunch, stone shattering on impact.
Before she could recover, Raven was already there.
He didn't strike—he hammered.
Strike after strike, relentless and overwhelming. She ducked one, parried another, but each block sent shockwaves through her arms. His strength was unholy. Her katanas sparked under the punishment, and every second cost her blood.
A brutal backhand cracked across her jaw and launched her sideways. She hit the floor hard, coughed blood, but still clutched her blades.
"Is this all?" Raven sneered, his blade resting lazily over his shoulder.
Saya stood, swaying, trembling—but her eyes… her eyes were still alive.
She didn't answer. She simply raised her swords in an elegant stance and closed her eyes.
Then—
Moon Strike.
She vanished.
In a single breath, the room exploded into silver light and wind-sharp arcs. One hundred strikes, fifty per blade, sliced through the air at near light-speed.
And Raven—dodged all of them.
He swayed like a phantom, weaving between slashes as if foreseeing each one. His sword danced with him, countering, deflecting, slipping through the storm unscathed.
Saya reappeared, panting, one knee on the floor.
Raven clapped slowly, mockingly.
"I admit," he said, "that was beautiful. Useless, but beautiful."
He blurred forward and drove the hilt of his sword into her gut.
WHUMP.
Saya folded over the strike, blood flying from her lips.
She collapsed again, twitching on the ground, gasping.
"You could've made a fine soldier in my army," Raven said. "But I suppose you're too stubborn for that."
He raised his sword.
"This ends now."
Saya could barely move. Her arms trembled. Her body screamed to give up.
And yet—
Something inside her burned.
It wasn't rage.
It wasn't survival.
It was desire.
Desire to master her sword. To perfect every movement. To dance on the blade's edge of life and death.
A notification echoed in her mind:
[Passive Skill Activated: Shameless Swordsman Ship]
[Attack +500% | Speed +500% | Defense -200%]
Saya stood.
Her wounds still bled. Her vision was red at the edges. But she stood tall.
There was no hesitation in her eyes now—only clarity.
"Let's dance," she whispered.
She disappeared.
Raven flinched.
Too late.
A flash of silver cut across his chest—blood sprayed. Raven roared and swung, but she was already gone.
Another slash.
This time across his back.
Then his arm.
Then his side.
She moved like a ghost of vengeance, so fast she left afterimages.
And now—Raven bled.
He growled, wings flaring. "You reckless brat!"
He slashed wildly. The blade tore through air, trying to catch her.
And then it did.
Saya hesitated for a split second—just a fraction. And that was enough.
Raven's blade clipped her leg.
Just a graze.
But with her -200% defense, it was like getting hit with a warhammer.
CRACK.
She screamed, tumbling across the floor, her leg nearly broken from the impact alone.
Still, she pulled herself up.
And charged again.
Their blades clashed, again and again—now at equal speed. Her every strike carried monstrous force, but she paid for every slip. Her skin split under glancing blows. Every misstep carved crimson from her body.
But she didn't stop.
Not even when her ribs cracked. Not when blood filled her mouth. Not even when her vision went double.
She parried a high slash, ducked low, and drove her katana into Raven's side.
Raven roared.
His fist met her face in retaliation, and Saya flew backward like a ragdoll.
She skidded across the floor, body twitching.
Breath shattered.
Vision flickering.
And still—still—she tried to rise.
But her body no longer listened.
She reached for her blades.
Her hand slipped.
And she fell.
Face down.
Unmoving.
A pool of blood slowly spreading around her.
Raven stumbled back, one hand gripping the bleeding wound in his side. His chest heaved. His hat had fallen somewhere during the battle, and his crimson eyes now burned with something between fury and admiration.
He walked over to her, towering above her collapsed form.
"…You were magnificent," he said, almost solemn.
Then his voice hardened.
"But not invincible."
Saya's eyes fluttered open, unfocused. Her fingers twitched, still reaching for her swords.
She wanted to stand.
She wanted to fight.
But her body was broken.
Completely.
She had gambled everything.
And lost.