Katsuo and Serena scrambled up the rubble, the sunlight blinding them as they finally emerged from the dungeon into the open air. The transition from the dim, suffocating darkness of the dungeon to the bright, vivid world above was disorienting, but they had no time to catch their breath. The ground beneath them trembled as the Cyclops rampaged across the forest at the edge of the dungeon.

"That thing’s faster than it looks," Serena muttered, wiping the dirt from her face as they started running after it.

The Cyclops, now free from the confines of the dungeon, was a force of nature. Each of its massive footsteps sent shockwaves through the earth, flattening trees and ripping apart the ground as it tore through the ancient forest. Birds scattered into the sky, animals fled in terror, and the towering trees that had stood for centuries crumbled beneath its onslaught.

"We can’t let it get to the city," Katsuo said, his voice tight with urgency. "We’ve got to stop it here."

Serena, her eyes sharp with determination, nodded as they sprinted through the forest, dodging fallen branches and rocks. "Let’s take it down before it causes more damage."

The sounds of crashing wood and the creature’s guttural roars grew louder as they closed in. The Cyclops had reached a clearing, its massive form looming over the treetops, its single eye glowing with that ominous red light. The gem in the center of its eye pulsed with energy, ready to unleash another devastating laser.

The creature paused in the center of the clearing, its breath coming out in deep, rumbling growls as it glared at the destruction it had caused. For a moment, Katsuo and Serena crouched behind a nearby ridge, catching their breath.

"Any ideas?" Serena asked, glancing at Katsuo.

Katsuo’s hand tightened on the hilt of his odachi. "We go for the eye again. That gem’s powering its lasers, and it’s the key to taking it down."

Serena grinned, though her expression was grim. "Let’s make this quick. I’m tired of playing tag with this monster."

They didn’t waste another second. Katsuo darted forward, his movements swift and precise as he shifted into the 1st Form, The Way of the Blade. His odachi gleamed in the sunlight as he closed the distance between himself and the Cyclops, aiming for its legs to destabilize it.

Serena followed close behind, using her speed and agility to flank the creature. Her tonfas spun in her hands, ready to strike at its joints. "Let’s see how tough this thing is without its eye."

Katsuo struck first, his blade cutting through the air with deadly precision. He slashed at the Cyclops’s ankle, his odachi slicing through the thinner part of its stone-like skin. The beast let out a deafening roar, staggering slightly as Katsuo’s attack landed. But it quickly recovered, its massive club swinging toward Katsuo with terrifying speed.

Katsuo barely dodged the blow, rolling out of the way as the ground cracked beneath the impact. "It’s tougher than before!"

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Serena darted in from the other side, her tonfas slamming into the back of the Cyclops’s knee. The creature bellowed in anger, its movements sluggish for a moment, but it wasn’t enough to bring it down. It turned toward Serena, its eye glowing dangerously as the gem began to pulse.

"Serena, move!" Katsuo shouted.

But it was too late. The Cyclops unleashed a massive laser, the beam cutting through the air like a burning arrow of destruction. Serena barely managed to leap out of the way, the searing heat of the beam singeing her clothes and burning the ground where she had just stood.

"This thing’s not giving us any room to breathe!" Serena yelled, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she scrambled to her feet.

Katsuo’s mind raced. They had fought the Cyclops before, but now, in the open air, with its full strength unleashed, they were outmatched. Every strike they landed only seemed to enrage the creature further, and the power of that laser was overwhelming.

"I don’t know if we can take it down like this," Katsuo muttered, his voice strained as he dodged another wild swing of the Cyclops’s club. "Not without some kind of opening."

Serena gritted her teeth, frustration flashing in her eyes. "We’ve got to keep trying. We can’t let this thing destroy everything!"

The Cyclops let out another roar, its eye locking onto Katsuo this time. The gem in its eye glowed brighter, crackling with energy as it prepared to fire another laser. Katsuo’s heart pounded in his chest. There was no time to dodge, no time to get out of the way.

Just as the laser was about to fire, a flash of silver cut through the air.

A single card spun through the air with deadly precision, its edges gleaming in the sunlight. It struck the Cyclops’s eye, hitting the red gem dead center. The moment the card made contact, a massive explosion erupted from the gem, sending shockwaves through the clearing and staggering the Cyclops.

The creature howled in pain, stumbling backward as smoke billowed from its eye. The laser it had been preparing to fire fizzled out, and the Cyclops thrashed wildly, disoriented and blinded.

Katsuo and Serena blinked in surprise, their eyes scanning the area for the source of the attack. "What the hell was that?" Serena muttered, her voice filled with disbelief.

Katsuo’s gaze shifted to the treeline, and there, emerging from the shadows, was a man they had never seen before. He wore a fedora, tilted slightly to one side, and his medium-length white hair flowed beneath it along with his emerald eyes. His attire was that of a Vanguard, the dark tunic and pants giving him the look of someone who had seen countless battles. In his hand, he casually twirled another card between his fingers—this one flashing with the image of the King of Clover.

He took a few steps forward, his posture relaxed yet commanding, as if he were unfazed by the chaos unfolding around him. A faint smile played on his lips, though his eyes were sharp and focused, taking in every detail of the battlefield.

"You two look like you could use a hand," the man said, his voice calm and cool. He flicked the card in his hand, sending it spinning through the air before catching it effortlessly. "Cyclopes tend to be a pain, don’t they?"

Katsuo and Serena stared at him, still trying to process what had just happened.

"Who the hell are you?" Serena asked, her eyes narrowing as she instinctively raised her tonfas again, though she clearly wasn’t in the mood to fight another opponent.

The man tilted his hat slightly, his smile widening just a fraction. "The name’s Silas. Silas Evergreen. But you can just call me your ace in the hole."

He flipped another card into the air, and as it spun in the sunlight, it flashed with a soft, green light before disappearing into the wind.

"Now then," Silas continued, his tone growing more serious as he turned his gaze back to the thrashing Cyclops. "How about we finish this thing before it levels the rest of the forest?"

The chapter ended with Katsuo and Serena still stunned by Silas’s sudden appearance, but the Cyclops was not defeated yet, and the battle was far from over.