The four stood atop the rocky summit, staring out across the endless wasteland.

No roads.

No mountains.

No rivers.

No structures.

Nothing.

Just an endless sea of broken stone stretching beneath the violet sky.

For the first time since Yuto had met her, Maya’s forehead creased.

It was a small thing.

Barely noticeable.

Yet it stood out immediately because he had never seen her look troubled before.

Even facing monsters, even standing in the middle of this impossible world, her expression usually remained calm and unreadable.

Now she stared across the horizon for several long moments.

Eventually she spoke.

"We should camp nearby until tomorrow."

Tami looked over.

"Camp?"

"There is no clear direction to move," Maya replied. "Traveling aimlessly will only waste energy."

Yuto couldn’t really argue with that.

As frustrating as it was, they had reached the highest point they could find and learned absolutely nothing useful.

Even Shiny seemed disappointed.

Before anyone could respond—

The ground exploded.

BOOM!

The summit erupted beneath them.

Stone shattered.

Dust blasted upward.

Chunks of rock flew through the air.

The entire hill shook violently.

"Move!" Yuto shouted.

All four scattered.

A second explosion followed.

Then a third.

The earth split apart.

Something enormous forced its way upward from beneath the ground.

A metallic screech pierced the air.

Then came another.

Two massive creatures burst from the earth.

Steelplated Beetles.

Each was nearly as large as a carriage.

Their bodies were covered in overlapping plates of dark metallic armor that gleamed beneath the violet light. Jagged forelimbs dug into the stone as they emerged fully from the ground.

Their black eyes swept across the summit.

Locked onto the humans.

The creatures released shrill shrieks.

Then charged.

The fight began instantly.

"Split up!" Maya called.

Nobody questioned it.

Yuto and Shiny moved toward the first beetle.

Maya and Tami rushed toward the second.

Above them a familiar cry echoed.

Maya’s eagle descended from the sky.

At the same time a ripple of dark energy formed beside Tami.

The black panther emerged from it soundlessly.

Its yellow eyes locked onto the nearest beetle.

Then it growled.

Yuto barely had time to register it before his own opponent was already upon them.

The Steelplated Beetle charged straight ahead.

Its heavy body shook the ground with every step.

Yuto moved first.

Both swords flashed from their sheaths.

He accelerated forward.

The distance disappeared rapidly.

The beetle lowered its head.

Yuto jumped.

His blades crossed.

Then came down in a powerful strike aimed directly at the creature’s head.

SCREEEEEECH!

The sound of metal grinding against metal echoed across the summit.

Sparks flew.

His swords scraped across the armor.

Nothing more.

The attack failed completely.

Not a single plate cracked.

Not a single mark appeared.

Yuto landed and immediately retreated several steps.

"Tough bastard," he muttered.

The beetle turned toward him.

Its black eyes reflected the violet sky.

Then Shiny appeared.

With a roar, he swung his heavy sword.

The massive blade crashed into the creature’s side.

BOOM!

Unlike Yuto’s strike, this one produced results.

The beetle staggered sideways.

Its feet gouged trenches through the stone.

One section of armor visibly dented inward.

Only slightly.

But it moved.

Shiny grinned.

"There we go."

The beetle shrieked.

Then retaliated immediately.

Its body twisted.

The entire creature launched itself forward.

Fast.

Far faster than something that size should have been capable of moving.

"Shiny!"

The impact came a heartbeat later.

The beetle slammed directly into him.

Shiny reacted quickly.

He raised his sword horizontally.

The collision exploded against the blade.

Even so, the force was overwhelming.

Shiny was launched backward.

His boots tore through the ground as he slid.

Then he lost footing completely.

The larger boy tumbled across the summit before finally rolling to a stop several meters away.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the battlefield, Maya and Tami were already fully engaged.

Unlike Yuto and Shiny’s direct approach, Maya fought with precision.

Her sword flashed.

One strike.

Two.

Three.

Every attack targeted specific points.

The joints.

The spaces between armor plates.

The small openings exposed when the beetle moved.

The creature twisted and snapped at her.

Maya flowed around its attacks with smooth efficiency.

Above her, the eagle descended.

Its talons slashed toward the beetle’s face.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The repeated attacks forced the creature to keep blinking and shaking its head.

The eagle wasn’t trying to kill it.

It was creating openings.

Openings that Tami exploited immediately.

The boy rushed forward.

Metal gauntlets covered both his fists.

He slipped beneath one swinging forelimb.

Then attacked.

THUD.

A punch landed against the beetle’s side.

THUD.

Another.

THUD.

A third.

The impacts echoed surprisingly loudly.

Yuto blinked.

The kid actually hit hard.

Tami continued his assault without slowing.

Punch after punch hammered into the creature’s armored flank.

The beetle shrieked and turned toward him.

At that exact moment the black panther struck.

The massive summon launched itself through the air.

It landed squarely on the creature’s back.

Its claws immediately dug between the armor plates.

The panther raked downward.

Again.

Again.

Again.

The beetle let out an angry screech.

Its entire body began shaking violently.

The panther attempted to maintain its grip.

Failed.

The creature bucked with surprising force.

The summon was thrown clear.

The black panther twisted through the air before landing several meters away.

Its paws skidded across the stone.

The beetle immediately followed up.

One massive forelimb plunged into the ground.

Stone cracked around it.

For a moment Yuto wasn’t sure what it was doing.

Then the creature ripped upward.

The entire section of earth came with it.

A huge mass of rock and dirt was torn free from the hillside.

Tami’s eyes widened.

"Watch out!"

The beetle swung.

The massive projectile launched through the air.

Straight toward Maya.

The boulder-sized mass crossed the distance in seconds.

Maya didn’t retreat.

She stepped forward.

Her sword rose.

The projectile rushed toward her.

The air screamed around it.

Then Maya struck.

Her blade flashed.

A clean silver line appeared across the incoming mass.

The front section split apart.

Stone burst into fragments.

Dust exploded outward.