‘Ugh…what’s going on?’

Awakening with a loud stir from the wagon, Cricket felt like her head was going to explode as a pulsing migraine assaulted her mind. Upon opening her eyes, she quickly noticed the figure of Laura standing above her wearing a particularly grim expression on her face as she stared intensely at the far distance.

‘Wow…I didn’t realize how gorgeous she was until now. Those sharp eyes, that flowing, bright brown hair, and especially that healthy complexion she has. I really wished I could have been like her…healthy and uh—wait a second what’s happening?’

Coming to her senses, Cricket felt her heart race as she picked herself up in a panic, which in hindsight, might now have been the best idea for the sickly woman.

“Agh!”

Overwhelmed by a sudden intense dizziness, Cricket fell right back down onto her bottom on the wooden wagon floor with a yelp.

Meanwhile, Laura, who had been concentrating on the threat ahead, looked to the side in surprise at the noise and came to see Cricket plopped on the ground.

“Are you alright?” Laura’s soft voice asked in urgency.

“Yeah…yeah I'm fine, what’s going on?” Cricket answered in a daze.

“Ah, well…it’s a long story, but to put it shortly, we’re under attack again, this time from a new group of enemies riding on top of these giant beasts. Luckily for us, though, that golem from the library is with us now.

“Wait, so Gus is with us!?” Cricket exclaimed with reinvigorated spirit.

“Yeah, it came back when you had first passed out and saved us from those attackers. Now that Golem is facing the new threats after us…but it’s not looking good. Marco and the other main fighters are trying to help in the back, but it’s not enough,” Laura hesitated to finish as she stared at the frail blonde woman below her with her soft, delicate blue eyes.

Realizing the hesitation, Cricket finally turned to observe the battlefield. She came to regret it, however, upon seeing the horrifying sight.

‘Ah…I should have stayed asleep,’ she thought.

In the far distance, hideous beasts that looked like fused hippopotamuses and rhinos ridden by sword-wielding sand lizardmen circled a singular stone figure fighting with desperate but calculated actions. Nearby to the center of the battle and closer to the wagon, Cricket recognized some of her human companions led by Marco engage with the same horrifying beasts.

‘What am I looking at?’ Cricket thought in bewilderment.

As a scientist, she was…confused by the sight. Never did she imagine she would witness a battle with such fantastical creatures. But here she was, gazing upon them as a spectator in this mysterious gray world of ashen sand. If she managed to live to tell the tale, no one would believe her.

“Wait…is that Gus?!” Cricket asked out loud, suddenly coming to realize who the surrounding stone figure in the distance was.

“Yes, that is the trial golem. It’s putting up a good fight, but at this rate, it's bound to lose soon being surrounded like that. I doubt it can hold on for much longer,” Laura said with a cold, uncaring voice.

‘Wow…it’s like she doesn’t give a single shit if Gus dies…’ Cricket thought.

Despite knowing the reason why for her companion's distrust of the golem, Cricket could not help but be bothered by the impassive attitude of Laura. She wished she could argue something back, but in this tension, such an action would be detrimental to everyone’s survival.

Swallowing her dislike of Laura’s words, Cricket observed the battle scene for a few more seconds before turning to the group again.

“Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Not unless you want to get killed,” a deep, aged voice interjected before Laura could open her mouth.

Surprised, Cricket looked to the side at the injured, aged man who was resting with his back against the wagon. Bruno was noticeably tired with stress showing on his face through wrinkles yet still tried to maintain an upbeat mood regardless. It was applaudable, as most people would not blame the man for being more gloomy after losing his father just a little more than a month ago on top of the dangerous situation they now find themselves in.

“What happened to you?” Cricket asked as she stared at the makeshift sling Ronald had prepared for the man.

“My bones aren’t what they used to be, kiddo. I took a nasty blow from those sand monsters when you were passed out that left me like this. But if it was me that was back in my college football days, I could’ve done it. Did you know—?”

“Yes, yes, you were a star fullback back then in college football, we heard the stories,” Cricket sighed, interrupting the aged man before he could begin his long story, “What happened to your P.G.R.?”

“Tch…straight to serious talk, huh? Well, don’t worry about my shield, it's with the golem right now, it’s been keeping it alive as we speak.”

“Does that mean…everyone back here is useless in combat?” Cricket said uneasily as she looked to her sides, seeing both Nina and Jack currently being treated by Ronald.

“Woah, young lady, some words don’t need to be said out loud!” Bruno responded.

“But she is right though…” Laura said solemnly, looking down at her broken arm that had yet to fully recover.

“No need to be so tough on yourself, Laura. It’s not your fault you ended up hurt like that,” Bruno said.

“...thank you.”

Cricket, meanwhile, had started to space out the conversation occurring next to her as she couldn’t help but feel anxious about the situation. With the human fighters so close to dying from just one strike of the enemy, their lines were bound to break any moment.

‘Marco, Gus…everyone, please don’t die…’

***

Fighting in the center, Gus continued to struggle as the attacks continued to grow faster as the beast riders and their steeds further enclosed him. Under this bombardment, Gus had lost any chance of countering the beasts with an offense of his own. However, by focusing on defense entirely, the sand beasts were left unable to leave any lethal damage to the Golem either, managing only small scratches and cuts that were inconsequential to Gus’s fighting ability. With both nimble and desperate movements, the pavise shield in his hands connected with each blow in a timely manner, allowing Gus to escape another close call to death. But even then, Gus knew that this could only last for so long. The encirclement the sand beast beasts were implementing was slowly coming to its final phase, which would leave the golem no more room to dodge the curved swords of teeth the riders wielded. At that point, he would have no choice but to be hacked to pieces.

Think, think! There must be a way to survive this! Syuna would have known this situation would occur if she truly had the ability to see into the future! Then there must be a clue hidden somewhere in the past…something that could provide my salvation.

But no matter how much he replayed the memories of Syuna’s combat lessons, he could not find a technique that could bring certain victory without too steep of a cost. It was as if he was missing something…something integral that Syuna had not properly explained.

But what? What is this missing piece? What can I not remember?

Minutes, hours, and even days flashed in Gus’s mind all in the few microseconds of the battle, with Gus peering through every single book, lesson, and even words Syuna had left behind for him while also focusing on protecting himself from the enemy's attacks. Without the physical limitation of a brain holding him back, the stress one normally would get from straining their mind so much was reduced to a tolerable strain that was enough to allow Gus to continue dividing his attention on both actions.

Hm…? What’s this?

Racing through his memories with frantic thoughts, Gus finally stumbled upon one that seemed to appear rather differently from how he once remembered it. It wasn’t a very important one, simply being just small idle talk with Syuna one day during one of his multitude of lessons on the sciences of this universe, but after gaining experience in actual combat, her words seemed to ring differently to the current Gus.

‘Syuna, why are these lessons so long compared to the combat ones from the second floor? Shouldn’t learning to protect myself require more time than learning these complicated concepts that hardly impact what I do?’

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

* Observe < ! > *

Only, instead of continuing to explain in telepathically communicated singular words like usual, Syuna had chosen to use a different medium of communication better fitted for teaching. That different medium, though, was quite strange compared to someone like the Merchant who used books for long paragraphs.

However, by this point, Gus was long accustomed to experiencing it during his other lessons, so seeing his hand glowing with a soft golden hue did not surprise him much. In a calm and natural response, Gus opened his hand to see the familiar enchantingly beautiful written words inscribed on his palm in golden text.

‘ To achieve unity with your consciousness and this world, one must know not only the what but also the why, when, where, who, and lastly the how. Without proper knowledge and experience, you cannot overcome this hurdle that will limit your potential in life. Please strive for this Unity. Now, return to your notes. I can only do this once every month, so learn properly ’

‘What!? Learn properly? You're the one not explaining well! You didn’t answer me at all on how this helps me more than combat lessons in life. Don’t blame this on me!’

* Silence < ! > *

‘Ugh, okay…’

After that, the memory quickly became inconsequential, simply refocusing back on a physics lesson that Gus had not finished during that session.

Unity you say…?

But fortunately, this was all Gus needed. He had already learned just how vital information was in combat. He had learned this the hard way after being forced to enhance his flames for an improved sight of the battlefield, using it to observe his enemies from both front and back.

Yet was that all he could do with such information? Simply observe? No…he needed to combine this knowledge with his experience, and only then, can he learn of this unity. First, Gus found out the “why” of this battle. This was the easiest to do. It all boiled down to one thing. Death to the enemy. Sure, survival and consumption were important to both sides, but to achieve that, each side needed the death of the other. Killing is the “why” of this fight.

Now comes the next easiest part. The “where” of the battle. This one seems simple on the surface, but could only be achieved either with immense freedom in the fight for observation of the battlefield or careful planning beforehand. Fortunately, the gray desert did not have many complications in its terrain, allowing Gus to quickly observe its exterior with his flames that a normal human would have needed much more time to do so.

The next four, however, were much more complicated than the previous two. To know the “what”, one needs immense knowledge and experience of their opponent’s “who” on top of knowing their own “who” as well as knowing the “where” and “why”. Only then, can the “what” be found

Now, this may sound confusing, but simply put, Gus needs to know not only what his enemies are capable of, but also what he is capable of in order to find out what the stakes of this battle are and what is required of him.

Then there is the “when”. This is all about timing, speed, planning, and decision-making. It is important in a battle to identify the “when” of the enemy, such as their patterns, strategies, or habits in the enemy that can allow one to counter with their own “when” to achieve victory. An example could be:

“I know when the enemy will strike, so I will strike with my own when I dodge.”

Now, let’s compile the 5 W’s of combat to these five questions.

Why is this battle happening?

Where is it located?

Who is partaking in it?

What does it cost?

When does everyone act?

Now there is only one question left.

How?

But Gus, despite asking this question, was already starting to see the “How”.

Ah…so this is Unity.

Though Gus did not have enough experience yet in both life and combat to grasp the entirety of Syuna’s words nor act in total unity, he did however gain enough control these past few days of his flames, which held the key to unlocking this state of consciousness. Now that he recognized the basic structure of Unity and how it can be applied in combat, Gus was able to use the information he obtained from his heightened flame senses to begin the path of total Unity of both consciousness and the world and see what lay ahead. And what was ahead was simply magnificent.

Suddenly, Gus’s movements in the fight began to change rapidly, no longer strained or restricted like he once was at the start. It was as if he was gliding in the wind, dodging each and every strike from the enemy’s swords while launching his own attacks with both shield and fists with perfect finesse. It was a dance of death, and the ashen beasts that once almost snuffed out its prey could not cope with the strengthened flame that had grown within the golem. Gus, meanwhile, was feeling the euphoria of power rise within him once again as Nova announced another kill of his of a rider that had fallen prey to the Golem’s bait and switch.

The beast’s intentions! My movement in this restricted space. The enemy’s habits, speed, and strength, all of their hardly noticed outer characteristics! The cost of each move I make in response to theirs, the ones that are negligible, and ones that should be avoided. Their battle flow, their timing, their plans, when I should react! I can see it all…

Ah…I wonder how long I can test this out for.

Why couldn’t there have been more foes to face?

***

Larry had never seen a more visceral sight in his life until now. Just earlier, he had just managed to successfully knock down the Croco-man rider off the frighteningly large steed it was on top of, which allowed Frankie to swing with her bat swiftly and brutally to finish off the downed sand beast. With the rider gone from its back, the Hippo-Rhino steed seemed to lose most of its intelligence, relying on simple movements to defend itself. For some reason, Larry felt pity for the steed as he finished it off with Richard and Frankie. It was as if the beast had lost all will to live, becoming a blank slate once its rider was gone. That could be the only reason they were able to fall the sand monster in a short time without any casualties.

Falling on his bottom in exhaustion, Larry looked at his companions wearing fellow tired faces with a grim expression.

‘How many times do we need to do this?’ Larry thought, ‘We aren’t built for this environment…a bunch of intellectuals who maybe visited the gym once a week. Though…’

Looking at Frankie and Richard, who, after a quick breath, were already heading out to their next opponent with redetermined expressions, Larry quickly realized his situation.

‘Wait…am I the only weak one here?’ He thought in dismay as he waited a few seconds.

“Boy! We must help the others as fast as possible, lest we want more deaths to occur. Get on your toes!” Richard yelled as he charged with his ax.

“C'mon, Larry! We have to hurry!” Frankie followed suit.

“I’m... going! Just…need a…breath…” Larry said in between breaths.

Rising from the ground, Larry looked towards the Golem who had been surrounded by a multitude of those beasts that the three of them struggled to defeat just one of. Larry still couldn’t imagine how the golem could even manage to survive such an onslaught, but he sure was thankful. No, it wasn’t the how that he was most curious about, but the why? Why is this golem going so far to protect them? Shouldn’t they be antagonistic to each other? The Golem killed a human, and now the humans treat it with scorn and hatred. So why is Gus saving them?

Pondering on this question while he began his run to another foe, Larry noticed the dust cloud covering Gus that had formed for a moment from the large steeds that had further enclosed their encirclement had reduced in size.

And what he saw amazed him.

‘Woah…’

It was pure slaughter. Gus was like a demon of carnage as he sidestepped, blocked, and countered the simple movements of the beasts with precise and deadly actions. It was as if this was a game to the golem, and the beasts were merely obstacles to dodge and overcome as if it was as easy as a press of a button. One by one, the sand riders and their steeds fell to the onslaught of the golem, which only gave Gus more freedom to move and attack without consequences. Despite being slashed and rammed into by the beasts, the golem never took a strong blow that would have broken its exterior, as if even the damage it took was calculated to be negligible.

Larry’s heart suddenly began to pump rapidly, his eyes widened and dilated, and adrenaline surged throughout his body.

‘An angel of war…a demon of carnage’ Larry thought with excitement growing within him.

Running with exhilarated speed, Larry kept his eyes on the scene until he met up with the other human defenders who were currently still fighting with the remnant beasts. Noticing a downed rider that had been knocked off its steed by Doyle’s glowing warhammer, Larry prepared to charge up for a jump.

Despite the circumstances, he was in a great mood as he held onto his Jadde Zhua with both hands. Why was he so motivated by Gus’s battle? Larry did not know. All he knew was that he wished to be the same.

Feeling his feet leave the sandy floor, Larry raised his arm made of jade up above his head and brought it down with the gravity onto the prone Croco-man’s skull. Feeling the head made of sand collapse into loose minerals, Larry could not help but smile.

But that smile soon faded when he heard the words of Marco scream out in distress.

“Someone! Anyone! Please! Stop those two!”

Turning to the side, Larry realized that one of the riders and steed had managed to slip past their defenses and was heading straight to the wagon full of the injured.

‘Oh no…’

***

Cricket watched the battlefield quickly change for the better as both the humans and Gus achieved kill after kill on the beasts. She was ecstatic to see the growth of the humans, especially Marco, in overcoming these threats within the desert. But it was Gus’s prowess in his frightening strength, speed, and mind that really came to shock Cricket. How could such a gentle being be so ruthless while in combat? Is it because Gus feels the need to atone for what he did? Or is it something else?

Yet before she could think on the topic any longer, a terrible development had occurred. A lone rider and its steed broke through the defenses of the humans and made its way toward the wagon without any pushback. The defenseless, including herself, could only stand up and prepare to either run or meet their deaths. Cricket could smell the scent of death permeate once again as the beasts got closer, yet for some reason, it wasn’t as strong as it was before.

But before she could find out why, a lone figure suddenly moved. It was the gloomy, dark-dressed man named Quillon, who was once residing near his currently unconscious sister who had fainted from blood loss. Yet now, the man had a new look of determination on his pale, handsome face. No, determination wasn’t right to describe his emotion. It was rage. Pure, unfiltered rage towards the enemy. Gripping his twin short-swords in both hands, the man walked towards the charging Hippo-Rhino with confident yet seething strides, moving fast enough so that no other humans could catch up in time. Quillon was full of bloodthirst, and he wanted to do this alone.

Suddenly, before the beast had reached him, Quillon whispered a few words that were too quiet for the humans on the wagon to hear. It was then that the air around him quickly changed. The short swords were undergoing a change as a deep power began to awaken.

“His P.G.R. ability…he finally found the words,” Laura whispered as she paused in her tracks on the way to the beast.

Sparks began to emanate from his swords, and then…

Lightning descended.