The group of survivors was transfixed on the raging blue furnace enveloping Yakeru. Even the behemoth glanced back at him. They stumbled back, baffled as now the mere presence of Yakeru disturbed the ambient radiance in the air and the space around him appeared to distort.

Touma and Bo assumed that it was some unknown power he kept to himself. Kenji and Fuyumi, however, knew better. They've completed numerous missions together and not once did he show any signs of hiding a trump card.

"What is that?" the wide-eyed Bo asked.

"I...I have no idea." Kenji muttered, his mouth agape.

Yakeru took deep breaths to keep his anxiety at bay as he watched the behemoth, the mere action of rotating its massive form to face its new challenger sending gusts of wind in his direction. Touma and Bo were the only ones left of the Bison clan. Kenji and Touma supported the injured Bo on their shoulders with Fuyumi beside them, spectating the inevitable battle about to unfold.

"That idiot." Fuyumi spat. "What's he thinking?"

The behemoth narrowed all eight of its eyes at Yakeru as it arched its body like a predator preparing to pounce on its prey.

"Come on," he growled, returning the gesture, his eyes fuming with determination.

After a brief standoff, the titanic beast stormed towards its adversary, excavating a chasm in its path and leaving a tsunami of rubble in its wake. It approached him at frightening speeds, donning armor over its head in preparation for their clash. The young ranger loaded his fist in response, a vortex of azure swirling around his arm, before unleashing the full force of his unhinged power.

The cataclysmic collision produced a deafening roar as he rammed his fist into the armored behemoth. The shockwave sliced fissures through the earth, sending fragmented tectonic plates rocketing into the air. The azure blaze intertwined with the violet mist, engaging in a vicious wrestling match.

The evacuees were blasted backwards, the fierce winds firing debris in their direction as they tumbled into cover from the sheer magnitude of their power. Flown into a crater, Fuyumi was the first to regain her footing and whip her head back to the two opposing forces, the turbulent flame-like energy raging against the armored colossus.

"Yakeru!" Fuyumi tried to reach him but the powerful winds acted as a barrier.

For a brief moment, the two titans of power were at a stalemate. However, although the gem's energy protected Yakeru from initially getting pulverized, the searing pop in his shoulder indicated the beast's sheer overwhelming strength was straining its limits.

The violent torrent of wind relentlessly ate away at his armor and gnawed gashes into his skin, his body spewing geysers of crimson. His heels dug into the ground as the behemoth's eyes seared with an unbridled urge to crush him into oblivion.

One by one, his bones began to fracture under the immense weight, sending lightning bolts of unimaginable pain tearing through his body. He didn't even have the luxury to let out a primal scream of agony as the drastic change in air pressure nearly sucked the air from his lungs and made it impossible to hear his own cries.

The determination on his face all but vanished, replaced with that of despair. The unbearable agony filled him with regret. He wished he'd traded this outcome for a quick and painless end. Instead, he foolishly opted for a long, drawn-out demise in exchange for saving everyone.

He placed his free hand in front of the other in a vain attempt to keep the titan at bay. His torment would only continue as his vision began to blur and images of his life with his sister flooded his mind. Through the rush of recollections, he relived every moment that defined their bond—the thrilling tales she'd share of her travels, the teasing remarks she used to get under his skin, the laughter they shared with each training session. All of it was about to fade into nothingness as he came to the haunting realization that he wouldn't make it home.

'I'm sorry Akari. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry...' he cried, the biting winds flinging away his tears.

The edges of his vision had begun to darken, slowly consuming everything in sight as his consciousness started to fade. Before darkness could fully overtake him, an ear-splitting explosion rang out. The surge of azure energy had finally absorbed the full brunt of the behemoth's attack and ejected it all at once.

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The titan shrieked in agony as the blast effortlessly sliced through its once-impenetrable armor. It collapsed with an earth-shattering thud as several plates of its armor had been fully desquamated, flinging them across the chamber and exposing the gooey, veiny flesh underneath. It flailed its spider-like appendages in an attempt to stand but to no avail.

"...it...actually worked..." he whimpered with a hoarse voice, blood erupting from his mouth.

The azure flames flickered out of existence as his power wore off. His consciousness faded and he crumpled to what remained of the ground, his body sapped of energy.

The violent winds subsided allowing for a clear view of the devastation. Fuyumi jumped to her feet and sprinted towards the wailing behemoth.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Kenji tried to stop her advancement but she ignored him.

"We have to finish that thing!"

Her breaths were already heavy but this was their only chance to inflict damage on the monster. Whatever Yakeru did, she knew she couldn't waste his efforts. She willed radiance into her blades as she approached the behemoth. Sprinting up one of its mangled legs, she could spot where its armor had been and plunged her blades into the beast's flesh. It squirmed in pain as she slashed away at it, her bloodhound's fang coming into effect.

A trail of blood siphoned into the blade with each slash. As it thrashed around, she lost her balance and tumbled to the ground. Before she could recover, its leg was already fast approaching to skewer her. Kenji raised his staff and with blood pouring from his mouth and nose, he successfully slowed the leg's movement allowing Fuyumi to leap out of the way as its spear-like appendage impaled the ground.

She leaped onto its exposed skin again and drove her bloodhound's fang into it. Perhaps she'd hit an artery because a louder howl ripped out of its throat as it writhed in a desperate attempt to get this 'thing' off of it. The blacksmith was proven right as no matter how much it jerked its massive body around, she never lost her grip.

The more it moved, the more her blade dragged along its delicate flesh, absorbing more blood as it did. Finally, the beast's movements came to a gradual halt before its body went limp and its legs spasmed.

She slid down, dragging her blade to slow her descent, and landed on the devastated stone floor. She flopped down, breathing heavily as her body ached. She looked up at the once unstoppable force of nature now nothing but a ravaged corpse. Because of Yakeru, they were not only able to survive but defeat the behemoth. Unfortunately, this wasn't the time to admire their monumental achievement.

After recovering some of her stamina, she stumbled over to the crater Yakeru had lost consciousness in.

"Yakeru!" she slid down to him, blood oozing from the gashes his body was littered with.

She reached into his satchel and grabbed his health elixir, carefully sitting him up to pour it down his throat. His shoulder was badly bruised and his arms bent in places they shouldn't.

Touma rushed over with an elixir of his own and hurriedly offered it. Though Yakeru's wounds began to mend themselves, he'd already lost a concerning amount of blood. Fuyumi slung his arm around her shoulder and looked at Touma expectedly who was still in shock at Yakeru's ruined body.

"Don't just stand there. Help me!"

He snapped out of his trance and did as she said, supporting his other side.

Kenji was resting against a rock since he'd strained his channels again. His eyes widened as he saw his bloodied friend being carried out. She looked at him as they passed by, hunched over on the rock.

"You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah..." Using his staff as support, he wobbled to his feet as his body radiated with a throbbing pain. "I'll be fine. Just worry about Yakeru. I can't imagine health elixirs will stave off his injuries for long."

She nodded and they continued on. Kenji rested with Bo, the others getting a headstart, before slinging his arm around his shoulder.

"You sure you're gonna be fine helping me?" Bo questioned, his voice laced with concern.

"Yeah. Don't worry."

"Alright. Then don't drop me."

They took one more look at the massive centipede-like corpse that twisted and turned around the room. Giant pits now littered the ground and the once-beautiful chamber they'd walked into was now dilapidated after it was turned into a battlefield not too long ago. It pained them to leave that place with fewer numbers than what they had walking in. Bo spotted pieces of the behemoth's armor lying on the ground. He thought to himself for a moment before shaking his head.

'Nah...No way we can bring that back with us. But...'

The way they came was in more disrepair than they remembered. Support beams had given way leaving sections of the mine caved in. They caught up to Fuyumi squeezing through some rubble. Touma stood there, gripping his arm to stop it from trembling.

"Touma?" Bo asked in a worried tone.

"I-I'm fine..." he replied, carefully maneuvering through the debris.

With great effort, they reached the entrance, a cool air welcoming them. By the time they did, it was already nightfall, the moonlight struggling to pierce the clouds as they blanketed the night sky.

They set Yakeru down and plopped onto a slab of rock, soaking in the fresh air. They didn't realize how suffocating it was in the mine until they'd arrived outside. Fuyumi's eyes landed on Yakeru's broken form, his breathing still shallow. Her hands trembled ever so slightly out of fear of losing a frie- a teammate. Quickly burying her emotions, she reasoned that it'd be a hassle if she had to replace him.

After a few seconds, she gathered all the stamina she could muster and supported him again.

"Let's keep moving."

"Right," Kenji agreed. "I don't think Yakeru has much time."

Bo and Touma nodded in unison as they stood up, stumbling towards the warm glow of lanterns the neighboring village provided.