Yuto climbed the side of a small rocky rise that overlooked the surrounding wasteland, moving carefully across loose stone and weathered slabs that had been carved into jagged shapes by countless years of relentless wind. The desert spread out beneath him in every direction, bathed in that strange nocturnal glow that never seemed to originate from any identifiable source. Shadows stretched across the dunes like dark rivers, pooling between rocky formations and turning ordinary terrain into something mysterious and uncertain.

Reaching the summit, he lowered himself behind a protruding section of stone whose uneven edges concealed his silhouette from anything below. The rock felt cold beneath his hands, having long since surrendered the heat it had absorbed during the day.

From his vantage point, he could see the steel-plated beetle clearly.

The creature continued its slow journey across the desert floor, utterly unaware that death was already watching it from above.

Its massive armored body shifted rhythmically as it walked, heavy legs sinking slightly into the sand before pulling free again. The faint glow covering the wasteland reflected from its black chitin, causing portions of its shell to glimmer whenever it crossed open ground.

Yuto remained perfectly still.

The wind brushed against his face.

Sand drifted through the air.

The beetle continued forward.

Closer.

A little closer.

His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword until the leather wrapping creaked softly beneath his grip.

Closer.

His pulse remained steady.

Closer.

Now.

Yuto exploded into motion.

He launched himself from the rocky outcrop, pushing off with enough force to send loose stones scattering behind him. For a brief moment, he was suspended against the strange glowing darkness of the Astral Realm’s sky.

Then gravity seized him.

The wind roared past his ears.

His clothes snapped violently against his body.

The ground rushed upward.

The beetle sensed something.

Its head jerked upward.

Its massive body began turning.

Too late.

Yuto drove his sword downward with every ounce of strength he possessed.

The blade descended like a falling spear.

For an instant, steel met armor.

Then the weapon slipped through a narrow gap between overlapping sections of chitin.

Resistance vanished.

The sword plunged deep.

A horrible screech erupted from the beetle’s throat, echoing across the surrounding dunes and scattering into the darkness.

Its entire body convulsed.

The enormous creature staggered forward.

Then collapsed.

The impact sent a tremor through the sand beneath Yuto’s feet.

[Steel-Plated Beetle Killed]

The system notification flashed briefly before disappearing.

Yuto landed beside the corpse and stared.

For several long moments, he simply stood there in silence.

The desert wind continued blowing around him.

The beetle remained motionless.

That was it?

A slow smile began spreading across his face.

He had prepared himself for a battle.

He had expected resistance.

A struggle.

Perhaps even injury.

Instead, the encounter had ended almost instantly.

One strike.

One kill.

Pride swelled inside him before he could stop it.

At the same time, a small thread of confusion followed close behind.

Was the beetle weaker than the others?

Had he simply gotten lucky?

Or had he genuinely become that much stronger?

"Master!"

Yuto turned.

Shinny was already sprinting toward him from across the desert.

The swordsman’s expression radiated excitement so intensely that it almost seemed visible.

"That was incredible, Master!"

Yuto blinked.

"The speed!"

Shinny swung an imaginary sword through the air.

"The precision!"

Another dramatic swing followed.

"The elegance of the strike!"

His invisible blade cut through the darkness again.

"It was swift, clean, decisive, a true warrior’s attack!"

Yuto felt a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth despite himself.

His chest expanded slightly.

He rubbed the back of his neck in a vain attempt to appear unaffected.

"Yeah, well..."

Shinny continued nodding enthusiastically.

"Master is amazing."

"Okay, okay."

Yuto waved him off before the praise became completely unbearable.

Then he glanced back toward the corpse.

"But don’t you think it fell a little too easily?"

That observation finally slowed Shinny’s enthusiasm.

The swordsman paused.

Together, they approached the dead beetle.

Yuto crouched beside the massive body and began inspecting it more carefully.

The answer revealed itself almost immediately.

His expression shifted.

"Oh."

Shinny leaned forward.

The source of the mystery was impossible to miss once seen properly.

The beetle’s rear section had been devastated.

Not damaged.

Not wounded.

Devastated.

Huge portions of flesh were simply missing beneath shattered sections of armor. Entire plates of chitin had been ripped away, exposing internal tissue that had long since dried beneath the desert air. Dark blood coated the wound in thick crusted layers, and deeper inside, entire organs appeared to be absent altogether.

The injury looked less like the result of a battle and more like the aftermath of a predator tearing apart prey.

Yuto slowly exhaled.

"Well," he said, rising back to his feet, "that explains it."

Shinny looked up at him.

"It does?"

"This thing was already halfway dead."

The change in Shinny was immediate.

The relaxed excitement vanished.

His posture straightened.

His eyes swept across the surrounding darkness.

"What could have done that?"

Yuto stood quietly for a moment, studying the ruined wound one final time.

The damage was immense.

Whatever had inflicted it had not merely defeated the beetle.

It had nearly dismembered it.

"Definitely something much bigger."

A brief pause followed.

"And much scarier."

The effect of those words was almost comical.

Without hesitation, Shinny stepped behind Yuto.

Not beside him.

Behind him.

Yuto immediately felt the swordsman attempting to use him as a shield.

He slowly turned his head.

"Really?"

Shinny peeked out from behind his shoulder.

His expression was perfectly serious.

"What if it’s nearby?"

Yuto stared at him for a moment before grabbing him by the shoulder and physically pulling him back into view.

"Who exactly is supposed to protect who?"

Shinny blinked.

Then his expression brightened with sudden realization.

"That’s true."

He immediately straightened.

His chest puffed outward.

His posture became heroic.

"I am stronger."

Yuto groaned.

"You don’t have to rub it in."

"Sorry, Master."

There was absolutely no regret in Shiny’s voice

Yuto shook his head.

Then his gaze drifted beyond the corpse.

Beyond the nearby dunes.

Beyond the shadows stretching across the wasteland.

Somewhere out there was the creature responsible for those wounds.

Something powerful enough to reduce a steel-plated beetle to that condition and still leave it alive afterward.

A creature strong enough that most people would immediately decide to avoid it.

A creature that probably represented an enormous threat.

"We need to find it."

Shinny stared at him.

"We do?"

"Yep."

"Shouldn’t we be running away?"

Yuto’s smirk widened as he started walking toward the darkness.

The cold wind swept around him, carrying the scent of sand and distant stone.

"If we run away," he said, "how are we supposed to kill it?"

Shinny stopped moving entirely.

For several seconds he simply stood there, staring at Yuto’s back as though trying to determine whether his master had finally lost his mind.

Then, with the weary acceptance of someone who knew resistance was pointless, he hurried after him into the darkness without another word.