The battlefield was a storm of steel, bone, and blood.
Kalem moved like a specter in the dusk, his serrated red spear flashing as he harassed the Bone Devil, keeping it from burrowing or retreating. Every time it tried to sink its bladed limbs into the ground, he would lash out, forcing it to stay above. He had to keep it here.
Meanwhile, the rest of the deployment, under Commander Varik's command, formed a loose encirclement, keeping the beast from rampaging through their ranks or fleeing into the wilderness. They were soldiers—hardened men and women used to fighting the horrors that spilled from the abyss—but this was different. This was a cornered apex predator, and those were always the most dangerous.
The battle had stretched on for hours.
And the sun was beginning to dip below the jagged horizon.
A cold wind blew through the battlefield.
With the shadows lengthening, the casualties were beginning to mount.
"Keep the pressure on! Don't let it burrow!" Varik's voice boomed over the chaos.
Kalem took that command to heart.
Every time the Bone Devil tried to sink into the earth, Kalem struck with pinpoint precision—his spear driving deep into its carapace, disrupting its movements. Each stab sent crimson mana pulsing through the wound, slowing its regeneration.
The creature shrieked, its bladed limbs lashing out in frustration.
Kalem barely dodged, twisting under one of its razor-sharp appendages. He dragged his spear across the beast's exposed underbelly, leaving a gaping wound in his wake.
But the Bone Devil wasn't slowing down.
If anything—
It was becoming more aggressive.
It lunged forward, its movements faster than before, its limbs moving with an unnatural fluidity. Acidic ichor dripped from its bone-blades, leaving hissing craters in the earth where they struck.
Kalem gritted his teeth.
"Persistent bastard."
The fight was dragging on too long.
Men were dying.
The Bone Devil, despite its injuries, had already cut down over three dozen warriors. Some had been too slow to dodge its sweeping strikes, their bodies cleaved apart in an instant. Others had been sprayed with its acidic ichor, their armor melting into their flesh as they screamed.
Kalem caught glimpses of them as he moved—soldiers writhing on the ground, their comrades unable to help. Some were dragged away, still clinging to life. Others… never got up.
This wasn't a battle anymore.
It was a war of attrition, and they were on the losing side.
Varik's battle formation had been holding strong, but cracks were beginning to form.
Several warriors lay wounded, their weapons broken, their stances unsteady. Some had been forced to retreat, unable to keep up with the Bone Devil's increased aggression.
Garron saw this and cursed under his breath.
He turned to Varik. "Commander, our line's breaking down. We need to pull back and regroup!"
Varik's jaw tightened. "If we pull back now, it'll escape. We can't afford that."
"Then we need to kill it. Fast." Garron growled.
Varik nodded. "Then we commit everything. No holding back."
He raised his arm, signaling the remaining warriors and Hunters.
"All units—final offensive! Hit it with everything you've got!"
A chorus of war cries erupted across the battlefield.
The Bone Devil sensed the shift.
It knew it was being pushed into a corner.
And a cornered beast…
Was the most dangerous kind.
It screeched, the sound a mixture of fury and desperation. Its entire body convulsed, the remaining pieces of its broken carapace splitting open as new, sharper limbs burst forth.
And then it charged.
Not at Kalem.
Not at the strongest fighters.
But at the weaker ones.
The warriors who were injured, struggling to stand, the ones who had spent most of their energy.
It moved with horrific speed, bone-blades whirling as it cut through flesh like paper.
A soldier to Kalem's right was bisected instantly, his upper half flung several meters away. Another had his legs severed at the knees, falling forward with a strangled scream.
"It's going for the weak!! Stop it!!"
Kalem pushed off the ground, his body a blur as he rushed toward the beast.
But he wasn't fast enough.
By the time he reached it—
Five more were dead.
Their blood pooled into the earth, staining the rocky ground a dark crimson.
Kalem's grip tightened around his spear.
His vision blurred. His focus core burned in his chest, sending mana surging through his veins.
His body moved on instinct.
He lunged.
The Bone Devil twisted, its acid-coated blade swinging towards Kalem's head.
He ducked, rolling under the attack. The instant he came up, he drove his spear forward, sinking the tip deep into its exposed ribcage.
The Bone Devil shrieked.
It reared back, trying to shake him off.
Kalem held firm.
He twisted the spear, sending a shockwave of mana through the weapon, causing the runes along its length to ignite.
Then—
He ripped the spear upward, tearing through the creature's body.
The Bone Devil convulsed, its limbs flailing wildly—but its movements were slowing.
It was weakening.
This was it.
Kalem jumped, spinning in midair, his spear raised high.
And then—
He drove it down, straight into the creature's skull.
The impact shook the ground.
The Bone Devil twitched once.
Then—
It collapsed.
Victory, but at a Cost
The battlefield fell into silence, save for the heavy breathing of the survivors.
Kalem slowly pulled his spear free, watching as the Bone Devil's corpse twitched, its acidic blood hissing as it leaked into the earth.
Varik approached, taking stock of the losses.
"It's over."
Garron stepped beside Kalem, crossing his arms.
"That was reckless."
Kalem wiped sweat and blood from his brow.
"It worked, didn't it?"
Garron snorted.
The battle was won—
But at what cost?