LET HIM COOK.

Subaru stood still.

The entire battlefield had gone dead quiet—except for the low, otherworldly growl of the Corrupted Shadowcasted Fury Squibbo. Its form twisted, twitching with rage and corruption. Its tentacles shimmered with violet flame and liquid shadow.

Reinhart, Alen, and Emilia stood just behind Subaru.

But he didn't move.

He just stared the monster down—eye to eye.

Then the Squibbo struck.

BOOM.

A tentacle slammed down.

CLANG.

Subaru parried.

WHOOSH. Another claw sliced sideways.

CLANK. Parried.

"WHAT THE…" Alen whispered. "He's parrying it. Again and again… how?"

Emilia blinked. "Isn't he just some rando with wind?"

"No," Alen muttered. "That's no freshie. That's a freak of nature."

The squibbo screeched in frustration, its attacks coming faster.

Slam! Slash! Pound! Whip!

Parry. Parry. Parry. Parry.

Subaru was a blur of instinct—no plan, no training. Just raw reaction, pure timing. Every movement was perfect. He didn't even know how he was doing it.

But the pressure mounted.

His breathing was getting heavy.

The shadows were tightening. The ground beneath him cracked.

Reinhart finally stepped forward, aura flaring black and silver.

"Let me cook," he told Alen. "Just hold him a little longer."

Alen didn't respond.

He was too stunned watching Subaru fight a Squibbo like it was a training dummy.

Subaru shouted, "HURRY UP, SLOWAHHH!!"

Reinhart knelt, gathering everything.

His plan was insane. Risky. But it might work.

First, Iron Slam—to stun the squibbo.

Second, Shadow Eruption—to blind it with haze.

Third, the Charged Eclipse Kick—a move so strong, it could collapse the earth beneath them.

The problem?

He needed time to charge it.

A lot of time.

Subaru kept moving—his legs shaking. His stomach growling.

He hadn't eaten a Megurger in 23 minutes.

His body was entering panic mode.

"I NEED PROTEIN," he screamed mid-parry.

The squibbo laughed, its warped voice gurgling with shadow.

"Is that all you've got?"

Then it lunged.

Claws glowing.

Mouth wide.

Shadowcast fury bursting from its core.

Subaru braced for the next attack—

But it never landed.

Because Reinhart blurred forward with a roar, Iron Slam striking the beast square in the face.

CRACK—BOOM!

The Squibbo reeled, stunned.

"SHADOW ERUPTION!"

A burst of dark smoke exploded from Reinhart's feet, clouding the Squibbo's vision in a wall of blurred shadows.

Then…

The ground began to tremble.

Reinhart's foot lit up with jet-black energy.

He was glowing.

Charging.

"Don't blink," Alen whispered. "He's cooking."

"ECLIPSE—KIIIIICK!!"

Reinhart launched forward like a meteor.

His kick struck the Squibbo's chest—and the entire battlefield detonated.

The Squibbo's body rippled, bent backward, and imploded into the mist, vanishing into the void like ash.

A wave of pressure burst in every direction.

The smoke cleared.

Reinhart stood tall, panting.

Subaru was on the ground, chewing on his emergency mayo tube.

"…Finally," Subaru whispered, his face dead serious. "Now gimme a Megurger."

Alen stepped forward, stunned. "…You two just defeated that thing…"

"No," Reinhart said. "He held it. I just finished the cook."

Far in the trees, the freshies Asen and Michael watched from a distance.

Asen's nose twitched.

Michael looked confused. "What's that smell now?"

"...Crispy squid," Asen grinned.

They both chuckled, sitting back against the thick bark of the massive Depths-tree they'd been hiding on. The sounds of the Squibbo's defeat still echoed faintly across the void, but for once, they felt… safe.

"So," Michael said after a moment, "how old are you?"

"Seventeen," Asen replied. "You?"

"Eighteen. Close enough."

They both nodded.

"Where you from?"

"Etris," Asen answered. "Had a merchant dad. You?"

"Vigils. My mom made weapons."

"…No way," Asen said, sitting up straighter. "I used to sell weapons my dad bought from Vigils smiths!"

They blinked at each other. Then started laughing.

"What brought you down here?" Michael asked.

Asen scratched his head. "Honestly? Wanted to become something. Not just another face in the crowd. Prove I could survive the worst."

Michael nodded. "Same. I got tired of hiding behind others. Thought… maybe if I dive, I can stop being afraid."

The two shared a look of mutual understanding.

And without saying much more, they bumped fists.

That was all they needed.

From that moment forward, Asen Nephidra and Michael Juno became a team. A duo of freshies ready to start their wild progression journey through Hellmode—together.