THOOM!
The ground erupted.
A wall of wood shot upward, roots twisting, bark spiraling as if the earth itself had answered a desperate call. It surged high, thick, unyielding, slamming into place between Knife and Cyrus's charge.
BAM!
The impact rang like thunder. Splinters flew, the wooden wall cracking under the force—but it held. The boulder ground to a halt, momentum stolen.
Knife blinked, his breath shaky.
He turned his head slightly.
There, standing shakily with a shovel jammed into the dirt, was Matsu. His chest rose and fell with ragged breaths, blood dripping down his temple, but his eyes—his eyes burned with fire.
Knife started, voice sharp. "I told you to leave—"
"SHUT UP!" Matsu roared back, cutting him off. His whole body trembled, but his voice carried a steady resolve. "…I would never leave a friend behind."
The words hung in the air.
Knife blinked. For once, he said nothing—just stared.
Lin clasped her hands together tightly, eyes brimming, almost like she was praying.
Rosalind Miley tilted her head with a mocking grin. "Do you hear these kids, Cyrus? How stupid can one be?"
Cyrus let out a booming laugh from inside his cracked armor. "I don't know, miss. They must have lost their minds."
Knife straightened, his usual grin twisting back onto his face as he rolled his shoulders. "I wouldn't go so far as to call us friends… but I am done listening to these clowns talk." His eyes snapped toward the two lieutenants, sharp as blades.
Matsu let out a small, pained chuckle. "You could say that twice." He tightened his grip on the shovel and cracked his knuckles with a satisfying pop.
"Huh?!" Rosalind snarled.
"They're getting along," Lin whispered, a hopeful smile breaking through her tears.
Knife smirked sideways. "I guess I could help you out—since you're half dead already."
A vein bulged on Matsu's forehead. "You mean I'll help YOU. You're basically a walking corpse at this point."
"Huh?!" Knife snapped, slamming his forehead against Matsu's in a clash of stubborn wills.
Lin groaned, covering her face. "No… never mind…"
BOOM!
The ground exploded as Cyrus came crashing down in his wrecking ball form, tearing the earth apart. Dust and debris flew everywhere, forcing the two boys to break apart and roll clear.
When the dust cleared, two shadows were already moving—one on the left, one on the right.
Matsu, shovel gleaming in the morning light.
Knife, fists dripping blood but clenched tighter than iron.
Both sprinting straight at the lieutenants from opposite sides, battle cries ripping from their throats.
"Now!" Matsu roared.
He slammed his shovel into the dirt. Thick roots shot up beneath Cyrus's cracked armor, locking him in place just long enough.
Knife blurred into motion, bouncing off the chain like a springboard. "Move, farm boy!"
Matsu pivoted. Knife rocketed past him in a silver blur—CRACK!—his fist driving straight into Cyrus's jaw, snapping the helmet back and dropping the giant like a toppled tower.
"Cyrus!" Rosalind shouted, lunging forward.
But Matsu was there, shovel braced across his chest, blocking her charge. The ground beneath her feet twisted with roots, halting her dead in her tracks.
Knife landed beside Matsu, panting, blood running down his arms.
They exchanged a glance—half glare, half smirk.
Lin's eyes widened, hope flooding her chest. "They're… working together…"
Rosalind's muscles bulged as she spun Cyrus faster and faster on the chain, the ground splitting beneath her boots with every rotation.
"You're finished! No more tricks, no more running!" she screamed, sweat flying from her brow.
Matsu's breath was ragged, blood dripping off his chin. He leaned close to Knife, whispering something quickly into his ear. Knife's eyes narrowed, then curved into a dangerous grin.
"…Heh. Ballsy. Let's do it."
With a roar, Rosalind swung with all her strength.
"LET'S END THIS! WRECKING HEDGEHOG!"
Cyrus's body spun into a blur, spikes jutting out from every angle as his armored form became a massive, spinning death ball. The wind howled with the force of it as the wrecking ball screamed toward them.
Matsu and Knife stood still, rooted to the ground.
Rosalind sneered, lips curling in triumph. "What's wrong? Too scared to move?!"
The impact shook the field like a meteor strike.
BOOOOM!
Dirt exploded, shockwaves ripping through the air.
When the dust cleared, Rosalind's smile widened. "Like crushing bugs."
But Cyrus twitched mid-roll. His voice cracked with alarm.
"W-wait… Rosalind! These aren't—!"
The wreckage split apart—revealing not bodies, but two wooden mannequins, splintering into shards.
"What?!" Rosalind's eyes widened.
"Behind you!" Cyrus bellowed.
Rosalind whipped around—too late.
Matsu erupted from underground, dirt exploding as he drove his shovel upward with every ounce of strength.
"Mole… STRIKE!"
Rosalind barely managed to cross her arms in time, the impact rattling her to the bone. She staggered backward, boots digging trenches into the earth.
"Miss, pull me back!" he barked.
But the chain didn't move.
"What—why can't I—?!" Rosalind's head whipped back in panic.
Cyrus's voice was strained, frantic. "I—I can't move!"
Behind him—Knife. His back braced against Cyrus's massive bulk, feet sunk deep into the dirt, muscles corded like steel cables. His hands gripped the wrecking ball chain tight, blood dripping freely.
Spikes tore through his back, punching out the other side. But his grin never wavered.
Knife growled through clenched teeth, eyes blazing. "…I won't let you move an inch."
The battlefield froze—the two lieutenants suddenly caught in the jaws of Matsu and Knife's trap.
Rosalind strained, her veins bulging as she dug her heels into the ground, chain rattling in her fists.
"Cyrus—come back—!"
Her muscles screamed, but inch by inch she managed to drag his massive body toward her. The wrecking ball lurched, stumbling back under her sheer willpower.
"I… I did it!" Rosalind gasped, triumph flooding her face.
But that triumph died in her throat.
Above her—
Knife was already airborne. His body spun in a deadly corkscrew, blood spraying as his momentum carried him onto the thick bark of a tree. He landed low, coiled tight, the ground cracking beneath his crouched legs.
"Matsu, now!" he roared.
Rosalind's eyes shot wide—she turned just in time to see Matsu, shovel braced, his entire body glowing with effort. His foot slammed down with a thunderous thud, roots bursting from the soil, coiling and twisting together into the shape of a colossal wooden fist.
"ROOT FARM!"
The giant fist surged forward, tearing up the earth, its shadow swallowing Rosalind whole.
And in the same breath—
"SILVER MISSILE!" Knife roared, launching himself from the bark like a fired cannonball. His body became a silver blur, smashing into Cyrus's armored bulk with crushing force, driving him back toward Rosalind.
"NO—!" Rosalind screamed, but there was no escaping.
The wooden fist met her chest with unstoppable force at the exact instant Cyrus slammed into her from behind.
BOOOOOOOM!
The impact cracked like thunder. Dirt and dust exploded skyward. The ground shook with the force of their bodies colliding, the shockwave flattening trees for yards around.
When the dust cleared, the two lieutenants lay in the crater's center—armor shattered, chains broken, their bodies bloodied and unmoving.
Both boys hit the ground with a dull thud.
They didn't black out—but their bodies refused to rise. Muscles burned, lungs screamed, and blood pooled beneath them. Every breath was a battle.
Still, through the haze of pain, Matsu smiled.
"MATSU! KNIFE!" Lin sprinted over, tears streaking her dirtied face. She dropped to her knees and threw her arms around them both. "You did it—you really did it!"
Matsu fumbled with a shaking hand and pressed it gently to her head. The motion was clumsy and kind all at once. "It's okay, it's okay," he murmured. "See? Nothing to worry about."
Lin sniffled, wiping her nose on the back of her sleeve. Her voice was muffled but fierce. "I was so worried."
Knife lay on his side a moment longer, breath coming unevenly. He let Lin cling to him without pushing her off; she was small and pleading and raw. When she finally fell back to her knees, she glanced between them with that bright, shaky hope that had kept her going all day.
Matsu turned his head slowly toward Knife, every movement like an effort. He pushed himself up on one elbow, met Knife's hard, tired gaze, and said, voice small but steady: "Knife… how about it? Do you want to come with me—on the way up to the upper levels? I'll need your strength. Think of it like… helping each other reach our goals."
Knife's eyes narrowed, and for a breath, he looked older than he had all day. He spat a little blood, then spat words sharper than Matsu expected. "Aren't you scared of me?" His voice was flat, but there was an edge to it. "I'm a Core-human from Level 1. We're killers. That it's… in our blood. I bring chaos. I always have."
Matsu went quiet for a second, looking down at the dirt between them. The pain in his body hummed, but his expression stayed soft, curious. When he finally spoke, his words were steady and calm, like he'd been saying them to himself for a long time.
"Before I even knew anything about the Levels," he said, "I used to stare into Level 1—the void, the bottomless pit—and I didn't feel fear. I felt… curiosity. That's what I'll do with you. I won't be afraid of what others say of you." He glanced up then, eyes warm. "And besides—" he swallowed, gave the faintest of grins, "—I think you're a pretty nice guy."
For a heartbeat Knife was motionless. Then, very slowly, heat crept up his neck and painted his face crimson; he looked away, the barest hint of something like embarrassment there.
Lin's mouth fell open. He's blushing, she thought, stunned.
Knife let out a short, humorless laugh that half-broke into something softer. He pushed himself into a sitting position, wincing. "Alright," he said finally. He propped one shoulder toward Matsu in a rough, reluctant salute. "I'll join you. But don't think I'm suddenly your buddy forever. I won't promise I won't stab you in the back someday."
Matsu laughed, a small, exhausted sound that was all warmth. "Sounds good," he said.
Lin cried out, half-laugh, half-sob, and wrapped them both in another hug, small arms trying to hold two bruised, stubborn boys together as the forest around them smoldered and the world—small and battered—kept turning.
Then, with a half-delirious chuckle, he turned to Knife and held out a fist.
"We do make a good team, huh?"
Knife glared, scoffed, and crossed his arms.
"HUH?! You can't just leave me hanging like that!" Matsu barked, flailing his fist in indignation.
Lin burst out laughing through her tears, the sound light and pure against the heavy silence of the battlefield.
But that laughter was cut short.
At the edge of the shattered forest, a lone voice broke the quiet:
"How… remarkable."
Matsu's and Knife's heads snapped toward the sound, their instincts screaming. Forcing strength into their ruined bodies, they tried to rise.
From the treeline, a tall figure stepped into view—his steps calm, deliberate, his presence oppressive. A red feather gleamed against his hip.
Matsu's chest tightened as old memories of Captain Erber flashed unbidden—the same feather, the same aura of inevitability.
Lin froze, trembling, her small frame standing in front of them as though her presence alone could shield them. "It's Captain Iron!" she cried.
Iron's gaze was cold, unreadable. He walked closer, each step heavy with purpose. And then
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Dozens of armored boots followed. From the forest poured an entire squad of knights, their formation flawless, weapons gleaming. The forest floor groaned under their synchronized march.
Knife clenched his jaw, teeth grinding. His legs wobbled, his vision swam, but still—he stood. Matsu tried too, but his exhausted body failed him; he collapsed back to his knees, shovel slipping from his hand.
Captain Iron stopped just a few paces away, his presence towering even without drawing a weapon. His voice was calm, almost gentle—but carried the weight of absolute certainty.
"Knife the Sharp," he said. "I judged you as a man worth chasing. It seems I was not mistaken."
His eyes flicked briefly to the unconscious lieutenants on the ground, then back to Matsu and Knife
"It seems you had us in check…" His tone sharpened, and the soldiers behind him shifted their stance as one.
"…but unfortunately for you, I have checkmate.