Inch by inch. Feet by feet.

  The sanctum’s ceiling groaned like a beast in its death throes. Cracks spiderwebbed across the stone, widening even with the slightest of touch. Then, with a deafening roar, the centre gave way.

  A jagged hole tore open to the sky, revealing the swirling maelstrom of the sandstorm above. Grit and wind howled into the chamber, stinging Jin’s skin and whipping his hair and tail into frenzied tangles.

  He shifted into his amalgamation form to Cattleya, the Thousand Year Caterpillar. The threads lashed out, first forming a safety net around the ceiling’s opening and then a dozen ropes that snaked downward. The Players needed no further encouragement. They surged forward, scrambling over one another to reach for the lifeline.

  Eustace was the first to grab the rope, a hilarious mixture of part bravado and part cowardice. He hauled himself up but slipped right after. It took him a couple of tries before he found his rhythm. Ka Fei was the next to follow, his face set in grim determination as he climbed with only one hand, the other holding his massive greatsword.

  The other Players, after realising what happened, rushed after two, their movements frantic, chaotic and desperate amidst the sandstorm. Jin said nothing, observing the scene from the top of the ceiling, pulling each strangler up and urged them to go up to the top of the pyramid.

  Before long, the Anpu Statue, half-buried in rubble, stirred again. Yet, one familiar face was absent.

  “Where’s Emilia?” Jin asked Ka Fei and Eustace, who stood by him and helped the other Players out.

  “Odd,” Ka Fei said. “I thought she was right behind me. Did you see her, chicken-wuss?”

  “I did,” Eustace said. “She was close to the rope next to mine. Surprised she didn’t-wait! Frank? Where are you going?’

  Jin didn’t need to listen to the rest. If Emilia hadn’t climbed up for whatever reason, it was his duty to seek her out immediately.

  “My lord, we found her!” Fenrir’s voice slithered into Jin’s mind. “Over there. Behind that pillar.”

  Jin wondered why Emilia didn’t escape, and it turned out that she was healing one of the Players who was unlucky enough to be caught by the falling debris, his legs crushed by it. With her bloodied hands, she then tried to pull him out, but her strength was too feeble to even move it.

  The moment Jin arrived, relief shot across her face. “F-Frank. Please help! I-I can’t move this thing out of the way.“

  “Stand back,” Jin said as he bounded the boulder with Cattleya’s rope and by using a makeshift lever, he managed to lift enough for Emilia to pull the injured Player out.

  Unfortunately, the Anpu Statue had started to move once again. It roared, swiping the sceptre like a scythe across the sanctum floor. The force was strong enough to send Emilia flying, but Jin snared her mid-air with a taut thread, yanking her back before she hit a pillar.

  Using Cattleya’s thread, Jin secured the injured Cleaner to his back and scooped Emilia up without a word. The red-haired girl, still gasping, let out a small yelp but was quick to lock her arms around Jin’s neck.

  Jin bridal-carried her and dove into the shadowsea right on time to avoid the statue’s next attack. They reappeared atop Anpu's vertex. That was the highest shadow he could find; the sandstorm had engulfed the remaining light, making shadows scarce. Worse, he couldn't see ahead and had to rely on memory to locate the fallen ceiling.

  But he wasn’t afforded the time to find it. A large palm silhouette descended on them. Emilia screamed as the statue was about to swat them to death. Jin didn’t have time to be gentle. He shifted Emilia to one arm, her grip tightening as he coiled a thread around a pillar.

  “Hold on,” he ordered, before kicking off. The swing sent them flying through the sandstorm, the thread creaking under their combined weight. The statue’s palm crashed into its own face, the impact sending it stumbling backwards.

  “My lord! The other side!”

  “Ooops!”

  Jin pivoted mid-swing. Emilia slipped from his grip, her weight almost dragging him down before he caught the hem of her robe and brought her to his side once again.

  “F-Frank! Y-You jerk!”

  “Sorry. Sand getting into my eyes.”

  The mid-swing correction – afforded by the statue's self-inflicted stumble – was enough to secure the right direction. Ka Fei and Eustace reached down, grabbed their arms and pulled them to safety.

  “Didn’t think you had it in you, huh, Emi?” Ka Fei grinned. “What did you say again about others? Trash, is it? Weaklings? You won’t save or waste mana on them?

  Emilia cast her gaze downwards, listening to the words. Truths hurt in more ways than one. But Jin wasn’t having it. One quick slap to the back of Ka Fei’s head and followed by a glaring stare was enough to silence him completely.

  “Phew,” Eustace, not wanting to get involved, wiped his forehead and changed the topic. “That’s all of us accounted for. Now what?”

  “Where’s the rest?” Jin said, still carrying the injured Player on his back.

  “Over there.” Ka Fei pointed towards the top of the pyramid.

  All the other Players were kneeling and holding onto each other, trying their best not to fall and roll down from the pyramid, which was a good four hundred feet tall or more. Falling at this distance meant sure death, and after escaping from one, this was the last thing they needed. The sandstorm’s fury also turned the simple act of standing into a battle against the wind. Every muscle strained to keep them upright.

  “We need to get down,” Jin said, stating the obvious.

  “But how?” Eustace asked as he peered below, squinting and trying to avoid sand entering his eyes. “That’s a damn long wayyyyyy down there.”

  But when Jin let out a smirk, the blond’s face twisted in terror. Jin shot a single rope around his waist, and before Eustace could even say anything else, Jin kicked him down from the pyramid. His screams filled the air.

  “Try not to bash your face, Eustace!” Jin laughed. “And you, Ka Fei?”

  “Just the rope, please, bossman. No need for the kick.”

  Perhaps as a show of trust – or refusing to be outdone by someone whom he called a wuss – Wong Ka Fei went second without a fuss. Instead of tumbling like Eustace’s earlier descent, he planted his greatsword flat against the pyramid’s slope and skied down, the blade cutting through stone and sand like a plough. The thread Jin had tied around his waist served as a backup, but Ka Fei didn’t need it. His grin was all teeth as he carved his path to the bottom, the wind whipping his hair into a frenzy.

  The others, shamed into action by a rookie’s bravado, followed suit. One by one, they slid, scrambled, or half-fell down the pyramid’s side, their shouts lost in the sandstorm’s roar. Or if they hesitated even for a moment, Jin would plant his boots on their backside.

  Only Emilia refused to move without Jin. Even after he threatened to kick her arse down.

  “No way!” She shook her head. “I-I rather you carry me…”

  Her tone, instead of dismissing her own suggestion outright, sounded rather hopeful.

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  “Alright, Emilia,” Jin chuckled, “but hold on tight.”

  “I will.” She flung herself onto Jin before the man could even prepare himself, her arms once again locked around his neck. She buried her head into his chest, mumbling, “But please… go slow-ahhhh!”

  Jin didn’t go slow. He leapt, and Emilia’s scream dissolved into the sandstorm as they plummeted. Yet, as they reached the bottom, his feet only skimmed the desert sand. No inertia and no backlash either. But Emilia wasn’t to know that, only leaving nail marks around Jin’s neck, much to his chagrin.

  But she wasn’t the only one who was scared stiff by the man’s action.

  Eustace was already there, waiting with his arms crossed and pouting.

  “Bad, Frank! Meanie! I-I-I hate you!”

  Jin laughed. “Good to see you’re still spirited, Eustace. Now, where’s Ka Fei? The others?”

  Jin tried to pry Emilia’s fingers from his collar, but she wasn’t letting go anytime soon.

  “He was-“

  “Here, bossman,” Ka Fei didn’t appear worse for the wear despite his crazy descent. “Thanks to the chicken wuss for providing a soft cushion for me to land on.”

  “Ugh, don’t call me that! And I am not your-”

  Eustace’s protest died as Ka Fei clapped a hand on his shoulder. A thank from the latter not only silenced him completely, but turned the blond’s face red.

  “The others accounted for, bossman,” Ka Fei said, jerking his chin towards the other Players huddled at the pyramid’s base. “So, what’s the play? We book it through the sandstorm?”

  “Yes. We should-“

  BOOM.

  A thunderous echo from above stifled Jin’s words. A deep, guttural roar shook the air, vibrating in their chests like a physical blow. The sand beneath their feet rippled, then heaved like a sea wave. The sheer force of the shockwave scoured the sandstorm from the pyramid’s face, stripping the air bare. Stones rained down, forcing the group to scatter with arms over their heads – a futile gesture as boulders the size of cars slammed into the ground around them.

  Fortunately, none died. But the worst wasn’t over yet.

  Eustace dropped to his knees, his legs giving out as he stared upward. “Holy sweet mother of God,” he whispered. “That thing can grow?”

  The Anpu Statue loomed over them now. The jackal head peering out of the pyramid, grinning from ear to ear as its hand holding the sceptre, pierced the sky. The pyramid, which had dwarfed them moments ago, now looked like a child’s toy beneath it. The statue’s sceptre crackled with energy as it plucked a handful of stone from the pyramid’s top and hurled it towards them. It landed at the nearby oasis, destroying it completely.

  “We are,” Eustace moaned, pressing his forehead into the sand, “so fucked.”

  ***

  “Argh! We’re going to die, aren’t we?!”

  “Die? We’re not just going to die! We’re going to die horribly! Squashed like bugs-whoa! See?!”

  A boulder the size of a house whistled over their heads, slamming into the sand with a deafening crunch. The impact sent a shockwave through the group, kicking up a plume of dust that the sandstorm swiftly devoured.

  “Oi! Less whining, more running!” Ka Fei barked, shoving Eustace forward. “And you, chicken wuss. Get your feet together!”

  “Run? Where?!” The big and burly Player shouted, his voice cracking. “Do you even know where we’re going, rookie?!”

  “About that.” Jin squinted through the stinging grit, turning his face to shield his eyes. “Sort of.”

  His initial escape plan was straightforward – use the sandstorm as cover and slip away while the Anpu Statue flailed inside the pyramid. He had hoped for a clean exit, or as close to one as the giant monster snapping at his heels allowed. But the statue’s growth changed that plan, its hulking form now dwarfing the pyramid. He had underestimated the sandstorm’s power, too.

  What was meant to hide them also stole their momentum, turning every step into a slog. And the statue? It had adapted. Robbed of sight, the titan hurled debris in every direction. Most of the stone vanished into the wind, but the last boulder came close to crushing them.

  Jin gritted his teeth. He kept his pace steady despite the grit, refusing to let the titan’s roar and stone missiles goad him into a blind sprint. His focus remained on the phantom weight in his fingers, primed for the slightest twitch of the line. Then, it tingled.

  “My lord. We’ve found them.” Fenrir’s voice was music in his ears.

  Jin smiled as relief flooded him. Fenrir’s solution was simple: tie threads to the Shadow Wolves, let them fan out while he kept pace. It beat rushing through the grit or waiting for falling masonry to crush them into the sand. The first to find the right path would tug the thread, guiding them like a lifeline through the storm.

  “Aren’t you a lifesaver?”

  “We are still wolves, after all,” Fenrir’s voice purred. “We smell our prey from afar.”

  And their ‘prey’?

  Ironshield.

  Jin had known he wouldn’t abandon him. Not when he was the one to send him and the other three to their deaths. Sure enough, the thread twitched, pulling taut towards the sandstorm’s edge.

  “There!” Jin pointed. “We’re close!”

  The group surged forward, their exhaustion forgotten. Ahead, the sandstorm started to thin out, revealing a stretch of untouched desert – flat, open, exposed – beyond them.

  Jin skidded to a halt. “Listen up!” he shouted over the wind. “The second we clear this storm, we’re sitting ducks. That thing’s gonna have a perfect shot at us. So, follow Eustace and run like hell!”

  “M-Me?!” Eustace’s face went pale despite the grit all over his face. “But I don’t know where-!”

  Jin didn’t let him finish. He looped the guiding thread around Eustace’s waist and gave him a shove. “Just run. The thread will do the rest. Fenrir – now!”

  “W-WAIT-AAAAHHH! NOT AGAINNNN!”

  Eustace’s protest dissolved into a scream as something yanked him forward. The sandstorm swallowed him whole, his panicked shouts fading into the howl of the wind.

  Ka Fei let out a bark of laughter. “About time he stops out DPS-ing me and becomes a scout!”

  “Better late than never,” Emilia agreed, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

  Though she didn’t run, having Jin carry her like a baby, nonetheless, she was still out of breath. Mana recovery, she said, needed her to be in a meditative state, whatever it meant. So, Jin had no choice but to lug her around.

  Despite the circumstances, he still afforded a grin.

  “Alright, you heard them rookies! Follow the scout! Loser buys everyone drinks when we’re out of this mess!” The big and burly man, who was also their leader, gave his orders.

  A ragtag chorus of war cries erupted. The group charged, their boots kicking up sand as they plunged after Eustace’s disappearing figure. Jin brought up the rear, his eyes locked on the thread’s path, his mind already racing ahead.

  Almost there. Just a little further.

  “Oi!” A hand clapped on Jin’s shoulder. It was the other group’s leader. “You ain’t half bad for a rookie Player. Colour me impressed.”

  “As long as you survive. That’s all that matters.”

  Jin looked at the burly Player, awestruck by the big man’s feat. While Jin carried only Emilia and lugged the injured man behind him, the giant hauled four. He gripped two in his arms, the other strapped to his back, while the last clung to his chest like a baby koala.

  The two brought up there rear and before long, the sandstorm spat them out.

  “Frank?” Emilia, still being carried on Jin’s arm, called out to him. “Why do you do all these?”

  “Do what?” Jin answered, a smile cut across his face as he looked at the girl. “Carry you like this? Do you want to-“

  “No! P-Please carry me. M-My legs are still weak…”

  “Liar.”

  The two chuckled.

  “But Frank? Tell me, please. Why do you save everyone, even though they never listened to you in the first place?”

  “No reasons.”

  “No reasons?”

  Jin nodded. “I think life is precious after all. Weak, strong, old or young. Doesn’t matter. Because…”

  “Because?”

  “Because when you lose everything… when you die… those who love you suffer. And life is already hard enough.”

  “Ohhh…” Emilia cast her gaze down before burying her head in Jin’s chest. Her next words came as muffled sobs. “I-I’m sorry, Frank.”

  Jin stroked her hair as he ran across the desert. Yet, their respite was only for a fleeting moment.

  As they cleared the sandstorm’s veil, the Anpu Statue’s attacks sharpened. It stopped throwing blind and aimless. Now, the titan could hunt its prey in the open. Its movements were deliberate. Precise. Deadly.

  With terrifying accuracy, each impact sent shockwaves rippling through the sand. The craters left behind weren’t only holes. They were booby traps, their unstable edges crumbling underfoot, threatening to swallow anyone who misstepped. Jin had to pull away a few of the Players who found themselves trapped before urging them to exercise more caution.

  “Frank! Frank! Behind you!”

  Emilia’s warning and relentless tapping on his shoulder forced Jin to stop and turn around. What he saw made his stomach drop.

  Anpu Statue was not going to stop at hurling rocks plucked from the pyramid. Its sceptre, once dormant, now ignited. A ball of fiery light coalesced at its tip, pulsing like a heartbeat. The air warped around it, heat shimmering in waves.

  “Oh, fuck!” he roared. “Everyone! Scatter!”

  His warning came in the nick of time.

  The group froze. They turned, saw the gathering light, and dove out of the way. A beam of white fire lanced through their path, striking the desert with a deafening hiss. Sand melted on contact, bubbling into craters of glass.

  The resulting heat wave slammed into them, singeing hair and searing exposed skin. A few Players weren’t fast enough – they flew, knocked unconscious by the blast, their bodies skidding across the scorched sand.

  Jin dropped to one knee beside the nearest fallen comrade, pressing a cloth dabbed with healing potion to a smouldering wound on their arm. The others staggered to their feet, coughing, their faces streaked with soot. Emilia, now standing on her own, once again tapped his shoulder urgently. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with terror.

  “Frank…” Her voice cracked. “It’s charging again!”

  Jin followed her gaze.

  The Anpu Statue’s sceptre burned brighter, the fiery orb now twice its size, casting eerie shadows across the desert. The group was stranded. No cover, no escape route, no skills left to counter a strike of that magnitude. The air thickened, and sand beneath their feet trembled in waves.

  This was it.

  After all the planning, the close calls, the flickers of hope, and this was how it ended? Not with a fight, but with a ray of light, burning them to cinders where they stood.

  The statue lifted its sceptre, aiming its next attack at them.

  Jin’s shoulder slumped. His mind went blank. Emilia hugged him, crying her heart out. There was nowhere to run, no time left to-

  “Kri?! Krikrikri!”