Somewhere far away...

  A faint, broken whisper echoed through the cold, empty air.

  A woman, beaten and bloodied, lay barely conscious in the darkness. Her voice trembled, fragile but defiant.

  "Always... cling to... life..."

  She coughed, blood spilling from her lips. Then, with tears welling in her eyes, she whispered again—this time, more pained, more desperate:

  "Where... are you... brother?"

  The ground shook as the massive boss emerged from the mists of the swamp—its body an ancient, gnarled fusion of bark, vines, and moss.

  [SYSTEM]

  Boss Detected: Rank-S Guardian – “Bramboril, Warden of the Ancient Swamp”

  Raze tilted his head, unfazed.

  “Rank-S?” he muttered, then scoffed. “Bramboril? The heck kinda ugly name is that?”

  With a smirk, he raised his blade high into the air, his movement graceful—almost theatrical.

  "I'm not a mage, but..." His voice lowered. "Let’s just try it."

  FWOOOOOSH — dozens of flaming orbs erupted into the sky, circling above like hungry spirits.

  “Infernal…” Raze whispered.

  Then, as he snapped his blade down—

  “Rain.”

  The sky exploded with fire.

  Fireballs rained toward the charging guardian in a relentless barrage—

  BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

  Each hit erupted into a wave of flame—but Bramboril kept moving, armor-like bark scorched but not broken.

  It roared, massive limbs rising—and slammed down toward them.

  “Mira!” Raze snapped, eyes locked on the beast.

  “On it!” Mira chanted swiftly, slamming her staff into the ground.

  “Verdant Ward: Blooming Aegis!”

  A vibrant green barrier burst forth, petals of light forming a dome.

  “Kai!” she shouted.

  Already moving, Kai grunted, his muscles flexing as he lifted his massive blade.

  “Iron Fortress Stance!”

  With a roar, he planted himself in front of them, sword braced like a tower.

  The guardian’s massive arm crashed into the combined defense—

  CRACK—

  —but the barrier held.

  Raze, still standing calmly beneath the swirl of dying flames, didn't even blink.

  The fire reflected in his eyes, and his voice was ice.

  "You're big. But slow."

  Raze narrowed his eyes at the still-standing behemoth.

  “Tch. It’s a damn plant… but it can withstand a little heat?” he muttered, then clicked his tongue in irritation.

  He raised his voice with sharp precision.

  “Mira! Gravitational magic—hold it down!”

  She nodded, eyes glowing purple as her staff spun midair.

  “Gravitas Bind: Weight of the Fallen Star!”

  A violet seal burst beneath Bramboril's massive roots—its body groaned under invisible pressure as the air thickened, vines twitching and cracking against the pull.

  “Kai!” Raze barked. “Make it lose balance—swing with all you’ve got!”

  Kai grinned, already moving.

  “Understood!”

  He roared, dashing to the side, sword glinting in the murky light. With a thundering step, he twisted his torso—

  “Titan Cleaver!”

  —and slammed his massive blade into Bramboril’s rooted side.

  THWACK!

  The guardian staggered, vines flailing wildly as it lurched from the impact, its balance teetering.

  Raze’s eyes lit up.

  “Now… you're wide open.”

  Raze shot upward like a blazing comet, his boots cracking the ground from the force. In the blink of an eye, he was suspended midair, right above the staggering guardian.

  He raised his sword high—its steel caught the dying sunlight.

  “Blaze.”

  The blade ignited with a roar.

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  A massive crimson flame surged forth, engulfing the weapon and extending far beyond its length. The sword transformed—a flaming giant's blade, pulsing with fury, casting a burning glow over the swamp.

  "If you can withstand a little heat..." Raze's voice thundered above the battlefield,

  "...then I guess I need to make it HOTTER!!"

  The Guardian of the Ancient Swamp looked up—its vines trembling.

  And then—

  “CALMACARN?!!!”

  he roared.

  The colossal flame-sword came crashing down, slicing through the sky like judgment itself. The impact lit up the forest—

  BOOOOM!

  A pillar of fire exploded upon contact.

  The swamp shook. Trees wilted. Steam burst from the earth.

  The Guardian’s monstrous body convulsed as fire devoured its core.

  As the smoke and scorched air began to settle, Raze landed lightly on the charred earth, his flaming sword dimming with a hiss.

  Kai rested his massive blade on his shoulder, grinning.

  “Nice one, boss. That was brutal.”

  Mira let out a sigh, brushing dust from her cloak.

  “You really overdid it this time, leader.”

  Raze smirked without looking back.

  “What? I’m just a little pissed, alright?”

  He sheathed his sword with a sharp shhhk.

  Mira raised an eyebrow, teasing.

  “Still mad about the B-rank rookie stealing your spotlight?”

  Raze’s smirk dropped.

  Click

  He clicked his tongue.

  “Tch. Don’t remind me.”

  Kai laughed loud.

  “You really are bothered! He got under your skin that bad?”

  Raze muttered under his breath,

  “...Stupid bastard.”

  But then—

  RUMBLE.

  The ground split.

  Cracks webbed out like lightning across the scorched battlefield.

  A twisted snarl echoed from beneath.

  Roots—charred, blackened, but pulsing with eerie green light—shot upward, lashing wildly.

  From the ashes, the Guardian of the Ancient Swamp, Bramboril, rose again.

  Its bark-like skin had absorbed the flames.

  Veins of ember-like energy coursed through its limbs.

  It devoured the inferno.

  “Photosynthetic fire-eater?” Kai muttered, stunned.

  The beast let out a roar, glowing brighter than before.

  Raze blinked once, unimpressed.

  His flaming cloak rustled in the wind as he turned to face it again.

  “...Wha?”

  Not shock.

  Not fear.

  Just a slight tilt of his head and the twitch of a brow.

  “Great. One of those types.”

  He let out a slow, annoyed sigh and drew his sword again.

  “Tch... how annoying.”

  Bramboril let out an earth-shaking roar, and the ground beneath them shuddered.

  With a twist of its massive form, thousands of vines erupted from its body, spiraling toward the group like serpents seeking prey. The air crackled with the raw energy of its fury.

  Raze, barely blinking, swung his sword, and flames blazed, cleaving through the vines as if they were nothing more than paper.

  Slash after slash, the fiery sword became an extension of his will, burning through the thick, green tendrils that tried to lash at him.

  But even as the vines were torn apart by the fire, the swarm seemed endless—more and more erupted from Bramboril's body, suffocating the air.

  Kai grunted, barely managing to block one of the vines with his giant sword before the next one came crashing toward him.

  He staggered back slightly, his muscles straining against the relentless barrage of attacks.

  "Damn... these things just keep coming!" Kai shouted, narrowly dodging a vine that snapped in his direction.

  Meanwhile, Mira stood at the back, chanting rapidly as she summoned her protective magic.

  Her hands glowed with ethereal energy as she raised her barrier, the translucent wall shimmering as vines collided with it, only to bounce off with a loud crack.

  She didn’t stop there—spells flew from her hands, shooting in quick succession toward the vines, burning and shredding them into nothingness.

  Each spell sizzled as it met the overwhelming mass of green.

  But no matter how much they cut down, more kept coming.

  "We need to finish this quick!" Raze growled, eyes narrowed, his sword dripping with flame.

  He leaped forward again, cutting through the vines with brutal precision, and the moment he found an opening, he charged toward the heart of Bramboril, his sword raised high.

  "Mira! Kai! Keep it off me!"

  Kai gritted his teeth, slashing through the nearest vine, his stance steady.

  "On it!" He grunted, swinging his giant blade in a wide arc, knocking down the next wave of vines.

  Mira focused on maintaining the barrier, her face strained from the intensity of the attack, but she kept up her spellwork, weaving more spells of fire and light that cracked through the darkness of the swamp.

  Raze dashed forward, his feet pounding the earth with each step, the air around him charged with heat. He didn’t hesitate. With a shout, he raised his sword high, the flame along its edge growing larger, more intense.

  "BURN!" he roared as he thrust his sword forward, a surge of power pouring from him into the blade.

  Molten Piercer unleashed a torrent of searing flame, a wave of crimson fury that shot toward the swarming vines and the massive Bramboril.

  The blast was so intense that the swarm of vines seemed to recoil from the heat. The fire ripped through the vines effortlessly, reducing them to ash before it continued its path toward the Guardian.

  Bramboril roared in pain, its massive form twisting as it tried to shield itself from the burning onslaught. But it was too late. The giant flame collided with its thick bark, igniting patches of its body.

  The explosion of fire blasted through Bramboril's defense, and the immense Guardian let out a deafening screech. It staggered back, its arms flailing wildly to swat away the flames licking at its form, but the molten blast continued, consuming it bit by bit.

  The vines that had been swarming them burned away to nothing in the wake of the attack. The area around the Guardian was left in ruins, smoke and cinders filling the air.

  But the Guardian wasn’t done yet. Even as it struggled to stay standing, its massive form shuddered and began to regenerate, the bark knitting back together. Its glowing eyes narrowed in fury as it let out another roar.

  Raze stood, chest heaving with the exertion of the attack, his sword still glowing hot from the impact. He wiped the sweat from his brow, a slight smirk tugging at his lips.

  "Well, that was fun... but I think we’ll need something bigger."

  The Guardian was far from finished, but Raze knew his next move would have to end it. His grip tightened on his blade, and his next attack would decide this fight once and for all.

  Raze's eyes glinted with a fierce determination as he stared at Bramboril, the massive tree guardian. The vines around them continued to writh and lash out, but Raze remained calm, his posture relaxed yet tense with anticipation. He slowly raised his sword, tightening his grip on the hilt.

  “Mira,” he said, his voice commanding and low. “Teleport up and cover Kai and yourself with a barrier.”

  Without hesitation, Mira nodded and vanished into the air, her figure disappearing in a blur, leaving only a faint shimmer where she once stood. A moment later, a shield of blue energy surrounded Kai and Mira, protecting them from the barrage of vines threatening to overwhelm them.

  Raze shifted his focus back to Bramboril, his voice now tinged with confidence. “I think I know your weakness,” he said, his words slow and deliberate. “You regenerate by using the trees around us, right? I’ve been watching them. They’re disappearing slowly, withering away, just as we strike you down.”

  Bramboril’s enormous body flinched, a subtle sign of surprise in its usually stoic expression. Its massive roots quivered, and for the briefest moment, the Guardian’s intimidating presence seemed to waver. Raze’s grin widened, a taunting glint in his eyes. “Guess I hit it right,” he said, his tone mocking yet still filled with a sense of triumph.

  Bramboril snarled, its bark-covered face contorting in fury. “Even if you know that, there are plenty of trees around us. My roots are endless, and I will regenerate, no matter what you do.”

  Raze's grin didn’t fade; in fact, it only grew wider, the confidence radiating from him like an aura. “Is that so?” he muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing as he gripped his sword tighter. He wasn’t fazed by Bramboril’s words. He had a plan in mind, and it was time to put it into action.

  Raze exhaled, focusing all his energy into his next strike, his gaze locked onto the Guardian. The air around him seemed to crackle with the anticipation of the upcoming battle.

  Without missing a beat, he prepared to unleash his most powerful move, his sword ready to bring the full force of his power down on the Guardian.

  “Let’s see if you can regenerate from this,” Raze muttered under his breath, as the ground beneath him vibrated with the power he was about to release.