Wave Three – Titan Bats Unleashed

The battlefield fell into an eerie silence. The air thickened, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Then—a deep, bone-rattling tremor shook the ground beneath us.

Henry and I glanced at each other.

"You feel that?" I muttered, my fists clenching.

"Yeah… That ain't normal." Henry's grip tightened around his sabers, his divine aura flaring slightly.

Then—the sky darkened.

A massive shadow blotted out the moon, and a thunderous, inhuman screech echoed across the canyon. The mere soundwave shattered boulders and sent a hurricane-force wind rushing across the battlefield.

Then they descended.

Titan Bats.

Each one was at least twenty feet tall, their bodies covered in black, steel-like plating that shimmered under the red moonlight. Their eyes burned with an eldritch glow, and their wings stretched wide like the cloaks of ancient executioners.

One landed in front of me, its claws sinking into the earth like anchors. Its head alone was bigger than my entire body.

Henry let out a low whistle. "Well… that's new."

The Titan Bat tilted its head, analyzing me, then let out a deep, guttural growl. The sheer pressure of its aura sent cracks forming beneath my feet.

I exhaled. "Alright, big guy. Let's see what you got."

Then it attacked.

With a speed that defied its size, the Titan Bat's wing slashed toward me, the sheer force of the movement splitting the air. I barely dodged, the shockwave alone sending me skidding backward.

Henry wasn't as lucky.

One of the bats blindsided him, its wing slamming into him like a wrecking ball, sending him crashing through three stone pillars before slamming into the canyon wall.

"Henry!" I growled, but he was already pulling himself out of the rubble, coughing.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," he groaned, wiping blood from his lips. "Pissed off, but good."

I turned back to the Titan Bats. "Alright… No more games."

I vanished.

Void Step— I reappeared directly above the Titan Bat, my Black Gauntlets of Destruction already charged.

"Eat this."

I dropped my fist like a meteor.

BOOM!

The impact created a massive crater, but—the bastard barely flinched. Its armored hide absorbed the attack.

"Tch." My eyes narrowed. "Figures."

Then—it counterattacked.

Its tail—which I hadn't even noticed before—whipped out, slamming into my ribs like a battering ram.

CRACK!

I felt the bones break, my vision blurring for a second before I was launched across the battlefield, my body tearing through the ground like a skipping stone on water.

I gritted my teeth, twisting midair to slam my fists into the earth, using the force to slow my momentum. Dust and rubble exploded around me.

Henry appeared beside me in a blink. "Okay, new plan."

I spit blood onto the ground and cracked my neck. "Yeah?"

"We hit them together."

I smirked. "Now you're talking."

The two of us disappeared.

Henry blinked above one Titan Bat, divine energy flooding his sabers as he sliced straight down its back, aiming for the weak spots in its plating.

I took the other head-on.

I channeled Breath of Destruction, my chest burning with energy before—I roared.

A colossal wave of annihilation erupted from my mouth, engulfing the Titan Bat's face in raw destruction.

**It screamed—**but this time, in pain.

Its steel-like plating melted away, revealing the flesh beneath.

"NOW!" I shouted.

Henry blinked beside me, his sabers gleaming with celestial fury.

Together, we struck.

Henry pierced through the bat's heart.

I drove my gauntlet through its skull.

BOOM!

The Titan Bats collapsed, their bodies twitching violently before finally falling still.

Silence.

Then—Henry chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Three waves down."

I exhaled, rolling my shoulders. "Two more to go."

The battlefield was quiet now, the corpses of the Titan Bats slowly disintegrating into ash. The wind carried the last remnants of our battle away, leaving behind only the scent of scorched earth and blood.

I exhaled, rolling my shoulders as I flexed my fists. The pain was still there, but my Black Heart Resurgence had already started mending the damage. My ribs snapped back into place with a dull crack, and I let out a low hiss.

Henry plopped down on a boulder nearby, stretching his arms. "Man, I hate fights like that."

I arched a brow. "Why? Too much for you?"

He scoffed. "Nah, just annoying. Things that big should move slow. Those bastards? Built like mountains but flew like assassins. That's just unfair."

I let out a short chuckle. "You and fairness. When did we ever get fair fights?"

He clicked his tongue. "Fair point. Not that it matters. We won."

I nodded, glancing up at the blood-red sky. The eerie silence before the next wave was unsettling, but I took the moment to just breathe.

Then, out of nowhere, Henry spoke. "You ever think about it?"

I turned to him. "Think about what?"

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Why we're here. Why we got reincarnated in these shitty romance revenge stories of all things."

I scoffed, crossing my arms. "All the time."

Henry chuckled. "Yeah? What's your theory?"

I exhaled, tilting my head back as I thought about it. "I used to believe it was some kind of punishment. Like, maybe we pissed off some god, and they dumped us into these ridiculous worlds to suffer."

Henry hummed. "Makes sense. I mean, come on—'Marriage Turned Into War'? 'Liberty and Katerina'? These aren't even good stories.

I snorted. "Right? And yet, somehow, they were popular. It's like people enjoy watching these train wrecks."

He shook his head. "Yeah. And what's worse? We're not even the main characters."

I let out a sharp laugh. "Thank God for that. Imagine being stuck in the actual plot, playing along like some lovesick idiot."

Henry shuddered. "No thanks. I'd rather fight another Titan Bat barehanded."

We both sat in silence for a moment, just letting the absurdity sink in.

Then, Henry smirked. "Still, I gotta admit… It's kinda funny. Two guys like us? Born warriors? Stuck in melodramatic CEO cheating dramas?"

I grinned. "Yeah. If we weren't defying the plot, we'd probably be crying over our 'betrayal' or some dumb shit like that."

Henry laughed. "And yet, here we are. Fighting monsters instead of begging our 'wives' for forgiveness."

I stretched, my joints cracking. "And we're damn good at it, too."

He nodded. "Damn right."

The silence stretched again, but this time, it was comfortable.

Then, I decided to ask something that had been nagging at me. "So… Katerina. You still care about her?"

Henry tensed slightly before scoffing. "Care? No. I mean… maybe once. But after everything? She made her choice."

I hummed. "Same with Abigail. She made hers too."

Henry smirked. "And now, they can both deal with the consequences."

I grinned. "Damn right."

Suddenly—a deep, guttural growl echoed across the battlefield.

Our easy atmosphere vanished in an instant.

Henry cracked his knuckles. "Guess break time's over."

I stood up, rolling my shoulders. "Wave four, huh?"

Henry grinned. "Let's see what hell they throw at us next."

I smirked. "Bring it on."

Then, the next nightmare descended.