The sun had begun to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows across the vast expanse of the forest. The air smelled faintly of pine and earth, a stark contrast to the saltwater scent they'd left behind at sea. Kurono and Shirou, having navigated away from the port town of Daidalos, now found themselves in the heart of a wild, untamed land — far enough from civilization to catch their breath and avoid unnecessary entanglements. Daidalos, with its distant ties to the Holy Empire, was not the place to make waves. They needed a moment of respite.
Shirou, ever cautious, surveyed the dense forest around them. It was eerily silent, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the evening breeze. He walked toward a small clearing, turning the boat gently, and with a practiced motion, he lifted it using his magic and placed it within the dense thicket. It would be safe there, tucked away where no eyes would wander.
But the moment the boat settled, the stillness of the forest was shattered. A low growl rumbled from deep within the shadows, followed by the unmistakable rustling of movement. Kurono, his instincts honed from their time together, immediately straightened, his dark eyes narrowing in the direction of the disturbance.
Shirou's hand went to the hilt of his sword, his mind already calculating their next steps. "They're coming," he muttered, his voice calm and steady. "Prepare yourself."
"Looks like I won't get to rest after all," Kurono muttered with a grin, reaching for his sword, his fingers brushing the darkened blade that pulsed with the faint remnants of the darkness he had learned to manipulate.
The ground around them began to tremble as a small horde emerged from the woods. Goblins, no taller than Shirou's waist, mounted crude beasts that snorted and snarled with evident malice. Their faces were twisted in grotesque mockery of human features, their eyes gleaming with hunger. At the forefront was a larger creature — the hobgoblin, a monstrous leader with greenish skin and thick, bulging muscles. It carried a crude axe that could cleave through stone, and it eyed the two humans as though they were prey to be easily dispatched.
Shirou stood tall, his eyes scanning the approaching creatures with practiced precision. He could feel the steady hum of magic flowing through him, the weight of the archer's armor already settling into place. The soft shimmer of his projections melded seamlessly with the environment. His gaze flickered briefly to Kurono, his voice low and commanding.
"Kurono, take care of them. I want to see your real fighting skills."
Kurono's eyes flashed with a mix of eagerness and challenge. With a swift motion, he drew his sword, and in an instant, the ground around him seemed to darken, as if the very shadows themselves were gathering at his command. A wave of dark energy spread outward, covering the area within a ten-meter radius in a thick, impenetrable blackness. Inside the sphere, only Kurono could see clearly, the world around him shrouded in a haze of pitch.
The goblins and their mounts, clearly startled by the sudden change, hesitated for only a moment before charging forward. They had no idea what awaited them.
"Perfect," Kurono whispered under his breath, raising one of his newly crafted dark rifles. With a surge of concentration, he pulled the trigger.
The sound was like a thunderclap, sharp and brutal. A shower of dark bullets blasted into the first line of goblins. The force of the projectiles was devastating. Each bullet tore through the goblins like a hot knife through butter, their bodies crumpling in mid-charge. The rifles that Kurono had fashioned, infused with his newfound understanding of weaponry and dark magic, had grown far stronger than they had been just days before. The power behind each shot was enough to obliterate the goblins with ease.
The remaining goblins, now disoriented and in a panic, tried to retreat. But they were no match for the relentless barrage that Kurono unleashed. His control of the darkness was becoming more refined by the second, his aim steady and lethal.
The hobgoblin, seeing the tide of battle turning against him, let out a guttural roar and swung his axe toward Kurono's darkness, seeking to cleave through the barrier. But the moment the axe struck, it was swallowed by the inky blackness, and Kurono's next move was already in motion.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned his darkest attack yet — the anti-tank rail gun.
The blast came with a terrifying screech, a piercing sound of metal slicing through the air. The powerful bolt of dark energy rocketed toward the hobgoblin's chest. But the creature, surprisingly agile for its size, managed to dodge at the last second, twisting out of the way just as the shot missed.
Kurono's lips curled into a smile. No escape, he thought.
Kurono's shadow seemed to grow and twist, wrapping itself around the hobgoblin's limbs with unrelenting force, pinning him to the ground. The darkness solidified, forming chains that dug into the beast's skin, leaving deep gouges in the green flesh.
Kurono didn't hesitate. He aimed again, this time with deadlier precision. Another anti-tank rail gun fired, and this time, it struck the hobgoblin square in the chest. The blast created a massive hole in the creature's body, sending it toppling to the ground with a resounding crash.
The forest fell silent.
Kurono stood in the middle of the chaos, breathing heavily but with no sign of hesitation or doubt. The darkness around him slowly dissipated, revealing the carnage he had wrought. The goblins were scattered, their mounts lying lifeless on the forest floor. The hobgoblin's massive form was still, a dark pool of blood spreading beneath it.
Shirou observed everything calmly, his gaze steady. "Very good," he said, his voice unshaken by the violence. "You've improved."
Kurono sheathed his sword, a self-satisfied grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "How was it?"
Shirou turned his gaze to the horizon, scanning for any further threats. "We need better opponents. You handled these well, but we're still lacking proper challenges." He gave Kurono a sidelong glance. "For now, let's rest. We need to plan our next move."
Kurono nodded, though there was a spark of excitement still in his eyes. The thrill of battle coursed through him. He had learned something new, and he knew he wasn't finished yet.
As they made their way to a nearby patch of grass to settle, the duo shared a quiet moment, knowing that what lay ahead on the Pandora continent would test them in ways they couldn't yet comprehend. They were still far from finding their footing in this strange world, but each challenge brought them closer to understanding their place in it.
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The thick scent of blood lingered in the air, clinging to the wind that rustled through the dense trees. Below them, the cliff fell away in jagged rocks, a long, treacherous drop that would surely claim any soul unfortunate enough to tumble over. Shirou glanced back one last time at the bloody scene, his magic flickering for just a moment as he cast the last of the bodies over the edge, letting them fall into the abyss below. The battle had been swift, but messy. There was something unsettling about the way the blood seemed to seep into the earth, as though the forest itself had absorbed it.
Kurono, his dark eyes following the bodies as they disappeared into the shadows of the gorge, turned to Shirou, his voice low but filled with the kind of steely resolve that only battle could sharpen. "Can I fight that assassin you fought off?"
Shirou's expression remained neutral, though there was a sharpness to his gaze as he turned to his companion. "No," he said firmly. "She is too strong for you. Too fast for you to keep up with. My magic... it was interfering with hers. If it hadn't, she would have been far more dangerous. She could've destroyed me — or worse. And she was in plain sight, where I could counter her moves. If it were anyone else, even those fools who came after us earlier, they'd be trouble for you one-on-one."
There was no sugarcoating the harsh truth. Shirou didn't believe in sparing someone's feelings, especially not when it came to survival. His words were blunt, perhaps even cold, but they were meant to challenge Kurono to recognize his limits, to face the harsh realities of the world they were in.
Kurono nodded stiffly, feeling the sting of Shirou's words, but it was the kind of sting that came with a lesson. He wanted to argue, to insist that he was ready for any fight, but the truth of it settled in his gut like a stone — there was no denying that Shirou was right. He hadn't understood the depth of the power they were up against. He hadn't considered that magic wasn't just a tool for destruction, but an intricate art, one that could warp the very fabric of the world around them.
Shirou, already turning away, began to walk, his steps silent on the forest floor. Kurono followed him, though his mind was far from at ease. The vastness of Pandora had unsettled him. This land, once ruled by a demon king of great power, was now broken into fragmented kingdoms. Wild places abounded where even the bravest would fear to tread. And yet, as Shirou had explained, there was no complete map of Pandora — only incomplete scraps, pieced together by the various kingdoms, each offering a different interpretation of the land's borders. In essence, they were navigating blind, trying to piece together their path as they went.
"What will we do now?" Kurono asked, his voice quieter now, more contemplative.
"We wait," Shirou answered without hesitation. "We rest, gather our bearings, and find what we need to make our next move. This land is full of power, but it's also full of danger. The kind of danger that doesn't care if you're ready for it or not."
The forest around them seemed to echo with a thousand unspoken threats. But it wasn't just the immediate danger of the creatures that had them on edge. There was something more pressing, something that lay beyond the monstrous beasts lurking in the dark — their true enemies, the White Sacrament, loomed over them like an insurmountable wall. The Apostles of that order were legendary, powerful beings, nearly impossible to defeat in single combat. Kurono's heart clenched at the thought. He had seen enough death, enough destruction, to know that the White Sacrament would not be merciful.
His thoughts turned darker, more personal. He remembered the experiments, the torture, the people who had died at the hands of the cruel scientists who had used them as test subjects. They were gone now, their lives extinguished in the name of twisted research, and Kurono — despite all the power he had acquired — felt nothing but helpless rage in the pit of his stomach. The question lingered in his mind like a ghost: How could he ever avenge them?
But then his mind sharpened, pulling itself from the fog of despair. He needed to push forward. He couldn't afford to wallow in weakness or doubt. He had to grow stronger, not just for the fallen, but for himself. The bitter truth was that his power wasn't enough. The rings he had been so focused on, the strength he had built up... it wasn't enough to face the might of the Apostles. He needed more. He needed to understand magic and weapons in ways he hadn't yet comprehended. He needed armor, knowledge, and above all, he needed a team — allies who could stand beside him when the time came to strike.
"And... there's a way," Kurono murmured, mostly to himself, though Shirou caught the words.
"The shrines," Shirou replied without missing a beat. "Yes. I've been thinking the same. There are shrines scattered across Pandora, dedicated to immortal beings. People say that those who are accepted by these entities can be granted favors — powers, blessings... the kinds of things we'll need if we are to face the enemies ahead."
Kurono's heart quickened at the idea. If such a thing were possible, it was their best chance. But he also knew that it wouldn't be easy. The immortals of Pandora weren't known for handing out favors lightly. They required something in return — and what they asked for might be more than Kurono was willing to give.
Shirou continued, "We don't know what these immortals want, or if they'll even consider us worthy. But we have little choice. If we're going to survive here and eventually face the White Sacrament, we need all the power we can get."
The thought of it all stirred something deep inside Kurono. He clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. This was no longer just about survival. It was about taking back what had been stolen from him — and from those he had lost.
"We'll find these shrines," Kurono said, the fire in his voice unmistakable. "And we'll see if the immortals of this land will give us what we need."
Shirou offered a slight nod, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the path ahead. "We may not get another chance."
And so, with that, the two of them continued forward, deeper into the uncharted lands of Pandora. The world around them was vast, unknowable, and full of dangers lurking in the dark. But they were no longer just wandering. They had a goal now — one that would lead them to the power they needed. The power to face their enemies. The power to change their fates.
And perhaps, just perhaps, the power to bring an end to the suffering they had both endured.