The Box: Fate
Chapter 39 — The Trail of Breadcrumbs and the Beast of the Woods
The morning sun over the city of Liya was pale filtered through the thick industrial smoke of the district Inside the common room of The Sleeping Griffin the atmosphere was tense A breakfast of hard bread and dried meat sat on the table but no one was eating
Kataki sat at the head of the long wooden table his silver-blindfold glowing with a steady rhythmic light He turned his head toward Akira and Axel Hatanaki his voice calm but absolute
We cannot wait here in silence Kataki began Akira Axel—you two are the fastest and most durable You are going back into the Whispering Woods I want you to scour every inch of that riverbank again But this time don't just look for him Leave signs Carve the Akatsuki emblem into the trees Drop mana-markers If Zanaki is alive and lost he needs a trail to follow back to us
Axel Hatanaki cracked his knuckles a grim look of determination on his face You don't have to tell me twice I'm not stopping until my hands are raw from carving those trees
Akira nodded checking the edge of his blade And the rest of you?
The rest of us are heading to the Hunter Guild Kataki replied Murasaki Hina Anastasia and the others will take on High-Rank missions We need to push our levels toward 40 If the Demon Lord is wandering these woods we cannot afford to be weak players anymore We must become a force that even the Architect fears
A few hours later deep within the humid shadows of the Whispering Woods Akira and Axel were moving like ghosts They had already marked dozens of trees with the familiar cloud symbol of their old WhatsApp group
You think he's really out here Akira? Axel asked his golden aura dimming to save mana
Zanaki is too annoying to die Akira muttered though his eyes were sharp scanning the brush He'll probably show up with a crazy story and—
Suddenly the ground beneath them buckled A roar that sounded like grinding metal and screaming wind tore through the trees From the dense foliage emerged a creature that was a nightmare of biological fusion: a Chimera-Gorgon It had the body of a massive obsidian bull a mane of hissing serpents and a tail that ended in a crystalline stinger dripping with corrosive acid
[BOSS ALERT: THE WOODLAND RAVAGER — LEVEL 42]
Level 42?! Axel shouted his fists erupting into a blinding gold light He higher level than us!
It doesn't matter Akira replied drawing his sword the steel singing as it caught the dappled sunlight Kataki said we need to be powerful. This monster is just our stepping stone
The fight was a chaotic dance of steel and shockwaves The Gorgon-bull charged its horns shattering ancient trees as if they were toothpicks Axel met the charge head-on his Titan Strike clashing against the beast's skull The force of the impact sent a tremor through the forest floor but the monster didn't budge
His hide is too thick! Axel grunted, his feet sliding back into the dirt
Then we cut the joints! Akira yelled He blurred into motion his blade becoming a streak of silver He carved through the air parrying the snake-manes that lunged at his throat
As they fought they didn't realize that several miles away Zanaki and Hanzoe had just crossed into the outer edge of the same forest Zanaki stopped his head tilting The Dragon Sovereign heart in his chest hummed
Do you hear that? Zanaki asked his eyes turning a faint blue That's the sound of Axel Titan Strike They're here Hanzoe! They're in the woods!
Back at the battle Akira and Axel were exhausted The Chimera-Gorgon was preparing its final breath—a beam of petrifying light
Axel move! Akira lunged to push his friend out of the way but they were both trapped in the beast's gravity well
Just as the light began to gather in the monster maw a blue bolt of lightning hissed through the canopy striking the beast directly in its eye
Need a hand boys? a familiar cocky voice echoed through the clearing
Akira and Axel looked up their eyes widening Emerging from the shadows was Zanaki looking ragged but stronger than ever and beside him stood a girl they had never seen before
The Akatsuki were reunited but the fight was far from over