Rank 3 , Rank 5 & Rank 2

With Marchiri defeated, the group pressed forward into the heart of the graveyard. A chilling mist covered the tombstones, shifting unnaturally as they walked. The air felt heavier, filled with an unsettling presence.

A deep, guttural voice echoed through the night.

"You defeated Marchiri... but he was nothing compared to me."

From the shadows, a gaunt figure emerged. His body pulsed with ghostly mist, and his eyes glowed with eerie hunger. Deci, the Rank 3 Ghost Vault user.

"I am Deci," he rasped, licking his lips. "And I devour ghosts to strengthen myself."

Before they could react, spectral hands burst from the ground, grabbing at their legs.

Vikas jumped back, barely dodging.

Dicio was caught, struggling as the ghostly limbs tried to pull him down.

Varek slashed through the hands with shadow-infused strikes.

But as soon as his shadows touched Deci—they vanished, consumed into Deci's body.

"Ahh... delicious," Deci grinned, his aura swelling. "I can eat spectral energy. That includes your Shadow Vault, Varek."

Varek clenched his fists. "Tch—he's draining my power."

Vikas acted fast. He raised his hand, and the ground around them froze, trapping the ghostly hands in thick ice. "Dicio, control him now!"

Dicio's eyes glowed. His Control Mana flared, and suddenly—Deci twitched, his movements slowing.

"You think you can control me?!" Deci roared, fighting against it.

But that hesitation was all they needed.

Varek dashed forward. Instead of using raw shadow mana, he wrapped his physical fist in shadow-enhanced strength—keeping it from being absorbed.

With a roar, Varek delivered a devastating punch to Deci's chest.

The impact sent Deci crashing through multiple tombstones, a ghostly wail escaping from his lips.

He tried to stand, but his body flickered in and out, unstable. He had consumed too much power—and now, it was tearing him apart.

Vikas raised his hand.

A massive spike of ice erupted from the ground, impaling Deci's fading form.

With a final, echoing shriek, Deci dissolved into nothingness.

Silence fell over the graveyard.

Varek exhaled. "That was... tougher than I expected."

Dicio rolled his shoulders. "He relied too much on absorbing energy. Once we stopped feeding him, he was weak."

Knox smirked. "Three down. Two left."

Vikas nodded, looking toward the deeper part of the graveyard. "Then let's keep moving."

As they moved deeper into the graveyard, a chilling presence settled over them. Unlike before, there was no voice, no warning—only silence.

Then, a faint whisper echoed.

"Juneri."

The Rank 5 Ghost Vault user stood before them. Unlike the others, he did not attack. His hollow eyes simply stared, his form flickering between reality and the spectral realm.

"He's a ghost healer," Vikas muttered. "If we let him live, he could revive the others."

No hesitation.

Varek struck first, shadows coating his fist.

Juneri tried to phase through it—but Dicio's control mana locked him in place.

Vikas raised his hand, forming a massive spear of ice—and with a single motion, he drove it straight through Juneri's fading body.

A soft, distant sigh escaped Juneri's lips. His body dissolved into mist.

No screams. No resistance.

Just silence.

"That was easy," Dicio muttered.

Knox crossed his arms. "Too easy."

Varek exhaled. "Either way, he's gone. Two left."

And with that, they pressed forward.

Without warning, Nov, the Rank 2 Ghost Vault user, appeared from thin air.

A sudden kick slammed into Dicio's side, sending him crashing into a tombstone. The impact shattered the stone into pieces as Dicio groaned, trying to stand.

"He's fast," Vikas muttered, stepping forward.

Nov grinned. "Summoning ghosts is my specialty. Fighting in a graveyard? That's my home turf."

As he raised his hand, the ground trembled. Ghostly figures began crawling out of the earth, their hollow eyes locked onto Varek and the others.

"You're outnumbered," Nov said, his voice a chilling whisper.

Dicio stood up, wiping the blood from his lips. His eyes burned with determination.

"I'll handle this one," he declared.

Nov smirked, raising his hand to summon more ghosts, but before he could speak—

"ZERO CONTROL!"

A crushing force pressed down on Nov, twisting his limbs unnaturally. His body trembled as if invisible hands were squeezing him from all sides.

"W-what is this?!" Nov gasped, his voice strained. He couldn't move.

Dicio stepped forward, his hands glowing with pure mana. "You're a summoner, right? That means if I take away your ability to move… you're nothing."

Nov struggled, but the pressure increased. Bones cracked. He let out a scream.

Dicio's grip tightened. "It's over."

Dicio staggered forward, his breath sharp and uneven. A strange warmth spread across his back, and when he touched it—blood.

His vision blurred, but he turned his head just enough to see Varek standing ahead.

"Varek…" Dicio muttered before his legs gave out. He fell.

Varek froze. His heart slammed against his ribs as he caught sight of his friend collapsing into the dirt, blood soaking his clothes.

A second ago, Dicio had been standing strong. A second ago, everything was fine.

Varek's eyes snapped up—Rank 2 stood there, grinning.

Varek's fists clenched. His mind didn't rush to rage. Not yet.

First, it rushed to memories.

The times Dicio had been there. The way he had trained beside them, the way he had always kept his calm when things were falling apart. Dicio had never hesitated to throw himself into danger, never once backed down—even when it meant saving Varek, even when it meant risking his life.

And now…

Now he was bleeding out in the dirt.

Varek took a step forward.

Then another.

His breath came slow, controlled—but his body trembled. Not from fear. Not from exhaustion.

From something deeper.

A rage that burned low and deep, a fire that didn't explode all at once—but one that consumed everything in its path.

"You think this is funny?" Varek's voice was steady, but something in it felt… different.

Rank 2 grinned wider. "Aren't demons supposed to kill humans? Why so surprised?"

Varek's pulse roared in his ears.

He knelt beside Dicio, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. Dicio's breathing was shallow, but he was still there. Still fighting.

But Rank 2?

Rank 2 was still breathing too.

And that?

That was the real problem.

Varek knelt beside Dicio, feeling his friend's faint pulse beneath his fingers. He was still alive—but barely.

The air around Varek shifted.

His breath deepened. His body no longer trembled from restraint.

Instead, it burned.

Mana surged through him—once, twice—flooding his body with pure Bronze energy. But it wasn't enough.

For the first time—his Shadow Mana surged.

The two forces, once separate, collided, twisted, and fused.

The ground beneath Varek cracked. The air distorted. His body pulsed with raw power, his veins glowing with a swirling mix of Bronze and Shadow.

Rank 2's grin faltered.

Varek lifted his head. His eyes, now dark as the abyss, locked onto the demon.

Rank 2 had been amused before. Not anymore.

The demon shifted back instinctively, but it was already too late.

Varek moved.

No hesitation. No wasted motion.

One second, he was kneeling beside Dicio. The next—he was already mid-slash.

Shadow-infused mana carved through the demon's body.

A single, perfect strike.

Rank 2 barely had time to register the pain before his body split apart, deep gashes tearing across his chest and arms.

A choking sound left the demon's mouth as blood sprayed into the dirt.

His once-confident smirk? Gone.

Varek didn't stop. His fury was cold, precise.

Another slash.

Then another.

By the time he stepped back, Rank 2 was nothing more than a twitching, broken form on the ground.

Varek exhaled.

The Shadow Mana settled, but the feeling in his chest remained.

Not satisfaction.

Not relief.

Just a quiet, unshaken promise.

No one touches his friends.