Menma and the others started grabbing the skeleton bones one by one and putting them in their hands.
Menma complained, saying that they needed to get more witches to help carry the bones.
Lunara said to him, "Stop complaining since every witch is busy this time of year with their own works."
Sybil said, "Yeah, it's spring, so we need to plant many plants so that we don't have to worry about food all year round."
Lunara seemed to have chilled out, thinking it might just have been her anxiety.
But then something large came straight at them…
Bang!
A huge rock landed near them.
The group was on high alert, scared and surprised to see what happened to them.
As smoke started rising where the rock hit, a creaking sound echoed through the area, followed by the crunch of bones snapping. The intruder's mouth opened with ominous noises.• Cgrhhhhhh…
The group readied their weapons—Saphyra with her daggers, Sybil with her spear, Sylvara with her whip, Menma with his sword, while Lunara only used her fists.
Lunara wasted no time to let the intruder prepare and launched herself at him first. But a harsh sound sliced through the air as she collided with the smoke—tshshh.
Lunara came flying from the smoke, landing in nearby debris. Blood spilled from her mouth as she was hurt.
She told the others, "It's a berserk… It's a berserk skeleton!"
Menma cursed, "Fuck! How did it get here? Was it nearby?
As the berserk skeleton emerged from the smoke, it was bigger than a first-grade skeleton, with a lean, gaunt body and long, bony arms.
(A berserk skeleton is created when skeletons cannibalize each other. They lose their creator's control and mind but gain insane strength and speed.)
It didn't wait a minute. Moving with impressive speed, it charged straight at Saphyra, who was still in shock and couldn't dodge in time.
She was hit with a powerful punch to her face.
The witches didn't have time to ask questions or feel fear; their problem was standing right in front of them.
Sybil tried to attack from afar using her spear, but the berserk grabbed the spear with one hand and threw it aside. He then charged at her, but Sylvara blocked his movement with her whip, and Menma attacked with his sword.
The sword hit the berserk, but it didn't do much damage.
Menma's expression changed—he knew he was locked in. He couldn't afford to goof off. He kept attacking, slashing at the berserk, but nothing seemed to affect it.
Sylvara and Sybil rushed to help Lunara, but she got up—her face bruised, blood dripping from her mouth and nose. Still, she stood, wiping the blood away.
"Go to Saphyra," Lunara said, her voice steady despite the pain. "Give her a healing potion. She's more hurt than me."
The others rushed to Saphyra, while Lunara ran straight at the berserk. As she sprinted, she slapped her hands to her face, shaking it to clear her mind, then yelled…
WITCH CREATION // STEEL HANDS
Her skin turned to a gray, steel-like color from her fingertips to her elbows, and she kept running until she appeared directly above the berserk, still battling Menma.
The berserk, overwhelmed by the sudden movement, couldn't defend against her punch. Lunara's mad expression twisted as her fist slammed into the berserk's skull, sending it crashing to the ground.
Menma wasn't letting it go either. He attacked with his sword, but the berserk dodged just in time, narrowly avoiding the blow.
The guardians had healed and were ready to fight again. The group gathered, drank strength potions, and Lunara also downed a healing potion. Slowly, her bruises healed, her face returning to normal without leaving a scratch.
The berserk screamed in anger.
Skrahhhhhh!
Now, with the group together and full of confidence, they began attacking all at once.
Sybil and Sylvara used their long-range weapons to distract and provoke the berserk, forcing him to focus on them. And it worked. The berserk turned his full attention to them.
But Menma and Saphyra moved in front of him, trying to slash his throat with their short-range weapons.
The berserk's quick reflexes allowed him to block their attempts, but this was Lunara's moment. She jumped into the air and slammed her fist into the berserk's skull again.
A crack echoed through the air as the berserk's lower jaw fractured.
Lunara didn't stop. With her creation power, she kept landing punches, pushing the berserk back each time. But every time she struck, it was just out of reach for Menma and Saphyra.
The berserk retaliated, landing a hit on Lunara's stomach, sending a sharp gasp of pain from her lips.
Still, she didn't back down. She regained control of the fight, striking the berserk's right ribs. Despite it being just bones, the berserk still reacted in pain, clutching its side.
But Lunara wasn't finished. She began rapidly punching his entire body, relentless with her attacks.
The berserk couldn't defend himself as Lunara pummeled him, her blows fueled by her creation power.
Finally, with a slashing sound, Lunara stopped her attacks, her skin slowly turning back to normal. Her body shook, and her eyes widened as she saw the skeleton's rib pierce through her stomach.
She tried to fight through it, reaching for another punch, but the berserk pushed the bone deeper until its sharp point was visible from her back.
Menma and the guardians watched in shock, unable to speak as Lunara lay there, struggling to breathe.
"Take care of her!" Menma yelled to the guardians, his ears ringing with the panic. "I'll finish it!"
He threw his sword at the berserk's hand, forcing the berserk to release Lunara to block the strike.
Lunara collapsed to the ground, the bone still lodged in her stomach. She saw Menma above her, grabbing the sword, and weakly whispered, "Stay safe, my brother."
Her eyes closed, and her body went limp.
The guardians rushed to her side, carrying her to safety so Menma and the berserk's attacks wouldn't reach her.
Menma grabbed the sword just before the berserk could. He stumbled back, pointing it straight at the berserk, who growled, his bones creaking under Lunara's previous blows.
The flat, squared tip of Menma's sword slid to the side, revealing a small green ball inside the blade.
(This was one of the witches' technological tools. This green ball allowed the user to teleport. It was created by one of the guardians tasked with protecting the witch queen.)
With a calm but powerful voice, Menma declared, "HUMAN TELEPORTATION // FIRST TOUCH!"
He disappeared.
Even the berserk was shocked, but suddenly Menma's attack missed. But it was just that in his thoughts, Menma realized he needed more momentum to cut through the skeleton's sturdy body.
He landed a distance away from the berserk, and with renewed focus, used his SECOND STEP to teleport into the air above the berserk. With a loud shout, he followed with a THIRD STEP.
The berserk looked up too late.
Menma's sword came crashing down into the middle of the berserk's skull, splitting it in two.
The berserk skeleton fell to the ground, lifeless, with Menma's sword still lodged in its skull.
Menma ran to Lunara, tired from the battle, panting, his eyes heavy. He didn't sit until he reached her side, asking the guardians if she had enough health for the healing potion to work.
His worries were eased when Lunara woke up, smiling despite the pain. "Look at yourself, you dummy. You're weaker than me."
Menma, relieved that his sister was okay, didn't respond, instead laying down beside her.
The guardians said they didn't have any more health potions, but Menma shook his head. "I don't need them. I'm not hurt. Just tired. A stamina potion will help."
He drank one, then got up to gather the skeleton bones, including those of the berserk, to send them to the Overworld.
As they made their way home, the group was tired but carried on. Menma said, "If a first-grade skeleton was worth 100 points, then a berserk should be worth 1000 points!"
The witches agreed, laughing and talking about the battle. But Lunara, lost in her thoughts, wasn't at ease. The murder intent she'd sensed before the fight began, didn't seem to come from the berserk. It came from someone else.
As they reached the spawning point, a portal appeared, and they teleported through it.
When they reached the Overworld, they were immediately greeted by Annie, who was worried. "What took you so long? An unknown threat killed three witches in Purgatory!"
Back in Purgatory, the crowned shadow met with a mysterious creature, whose claws were all that could be seen.