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Being bathed in flames, the hound writhed momentarily as it crashed through the twisted trees of the constantly-altering realm before the bright inferno was siphoned by an explosive change in mass and shape.

“It’s changing forms again!” Kintoki remarked.

“Nothing surprising there–this one is tricky,” Sumera noted, adjusting her glasses with a quick breath.

The three combatants stood side-by-side as the Unending Nightmare melded into its new form, compressing the colossal length of its hound form into something vaguely humanoid, clad in a dark-brown exoskeleton.

Antennae sprouted from its head as it took to a bulky, but compressed form, possessing a large stature of a sturdy insect.

“A cockroach,” Emilio deduced.

“A wha–?”

Before Kintoki could ask, the nightmare sprung forward with its fresh form, throwing its fist forward straight into the golden-eyed warrior’s stomach.

“Pyuh!” Kintoki spit out.

The force behind the blow sent Kintoki crashing back through the trees and foliage of the unnatural rainforest, leaving Emilio and Sumera standing right before the silent, monstrous cockroach.

It’s constantly taking new forms! Is it adapting to our attacks? How do we pin it down?! He questioned.

Though his thoughts were better saved for later as he relied on miraculous instinct to duck down just as the exoskeleton-clad knuckles of the nightmare nearly bashed his skull in. In response, he swiftly drew his sword again, forced to dual wield both staff and blade as he swiped the sharp steel towards its gut–

CHNK.

There was no effect as the steel simply bounced off of the remarkably durable exoskeleton, causing the nightmare insect not even to flinch as it went for a front kick towards him.

Shit! He thought.

Fortunately, Sumera’s experience was vastly reliable, allowing her to intercept the incoming kick with a swift invocation, “Vines of Wrath!”

Sprouting from the ground, reinforced vines caught the humanoid cockroach’s leg, sweeping it off the ground and tossing it away, perhaps buying a few pivotal moments.

“Thanks…” He caught his breath, surprised he was still alive.

Sumera pushed her glasses up as her sophisticated robes adjusted, “Hold off on the gratitude until we get out of her in one piece, hopefully.”

“You’ve got a point…”

Jumping back into the clearing, Kintoki landed in front of them, looking as though his muscles grew even tighter and more lively as he rushed forward as if having something to improve.

“Idiot!–Move together!” Sumera clicked her tongue.

Though it seemed it didn’t matter as Kintoki was quickly met halfway by the cockroach form of the Unending Nightmare, which presented its springlike ability to its legs as it bolted back into the fray without a scratch on its natural armor.

With its fists alone, it matched blows with swings of Kintoki’s heavy sword, only enduring small fractures on its knuckles in the process.

Damn, this thing is tough…! Kintoki thought.

The close-quarters clash didn’t give much room for magic to be flung, though Sumera certainly was trying as she aimed her exuberant staff forward, waiting for the perfect opportunity, but failing to find it in the swift exchange of blows.

Heading in, Emilio tucked his staff in the sheat on his back, two-handing his sword as he dashed in.

“Kid, wait–! Urg, does nobody listen?!” Sumera mumbled, “…If it’s pressing Kintoki, there’s no way you’ll be able to change anything in a physical fight.”

Still, Emilio headed in anyway, but he understood the limits of his own physical prowess as he instead aimed for a different result, rushing in from behind the nightmare’s perception.

As he swung his sword towards its neck, the cockroach’s antennae twitched before it began to swing one of its arms back to counter, however–Emilio’s attack was a fakeout.

He dropped down, reinforced the swing of Silver Wind with the element to match its name, using the compressed slice of wind and steel to fracture its ankle.

“You…! Nice going!” Kintoki let out in surprise with a fiery smile.

It was enough of an opportunity as the cockroach’s balance faltered for a pivotal second.

[Bravery: SURGE]

The concept given tangible power began flowing in further potency through Kintoki as his muscles tightened, compressing into a smaller build, but packing more strength in as he finally broke through the cockroach monster’s shell with a mighty slam of his blade.

He managed to cut through its torso, shattering its exoskeleton and causing its innards to fall out in a repugnant fashion.

Gotcha! Kintoki thought.

As the cockroach stumbled back, it suddenly shifted its form, taking the shape of a youthful man with golden eyes and shaggy, black hair. Despite changing forms again, the Unending Nightmare opted not to mend its wounds, standing there as he held his split torso with an eerily human expression of fear.

Kintoki was visibly shaken by the person he saw as his eyes went wide and all of that fiery passion evaporated, “…No, why? Why’re you here?”

“…Kintoki…Why?” A quivering voice left the figure’s lips, “…After everything. After all I’ve done for you…this is how you repay me?”

Shakiness overtook Kintoki as he looked at his sword, finding blood staining its steel as he seemed disgusted by the sight of it now.

“No…I didn’t—I didn’t…!” Kintoki stammered.

Though Emilio had no clue who the person that the Unending Nightmare stole its current appearance from, it was clear that they bore some connection to his recently-found companion. Sumera seemed to have some insight as she hurried over, getting in front of Kintoki, who was frozen in disbelief, “Get it together!”

As Kintoki raised his gaze, the sight of the man familiar to him was twisted as the known face had lunged towards him with a dagger made of bone, only stopped by Emilio intercepting with his sword.

“Ngh…!” Emilio struggled.

Even with his draconic constitution and reinforcement to boot, it felt as though as he was having to hold back a great beast, not a male of average build like he saw before him.

“Emilio–?” Kintoki said, finally coming back into focus.

“Back? Then swing your sword!” Sumera shouted, aiding Emilio with an uprising of vines that attempted to ensnare the disemboweled, false human.

Jumping back, the embodiment of fear relinquished his traumatic form as his skin melted into something anew, speaking with a distorted voice, “…Aw, what a shame. So close…”

Turning into the form of a seemingly innocent boy no older than nine, it feigned innocence with a gentle smile, though it only fooled the combatants for a second.

As all three launched their assault, Sumera leading with constricting vines that tried to ensnare the nightmare’s smaller form, Emilio and Kintoki rushed in with their blades honed towards the child.

None of the Unending Nightmare’s physical ability was diminished in its much less imposing shape as it moved swiftly, back pedaling and ducking past their uncoordinated sword swings.

“A no-go?” The blue-eyed child said with a smile.

Blossoming in a horrific fashion was the sentience of the primordial horror, which now held the facade of a human unmistakably.

As Emilio swung his sword, only hitting air through his rapid attacks, the small figure danced around the attacks, though was led directly into Kintoki’s overhead swing.

That’s what we were planning all along! Emilio thought proudly.

Though Kintoki had the complete ability to bring his giant blade downward, he hesitated, gritting his teeth as his eyes met with the false child’s, who simply stared up at him.

“Kintoki?!” Emilio let out.

Sumera hardly seemed surprised as she shook her head, gripping her mystical staff, “…He’s always been too much of a softie for his own good. I’ll do it!”

Even with that resolve pinned, before Sumera could unleash her spell fully, the fake boy expanded as he reshaped like fleshy mold, taking the form of a genderless, adult human with translucent, unkempt hair before bashing his shoulder against Kintoki.

“Hey! What the–urgh!” Kintoki let out.

Though it didn’t do much to truly harm Kintoki, it did interrupt Sumera’s intended strategy as Kintoki was knocked into her desired path.

“Tsk…dammit,” Sumera mumbled angrily.

Pushing Kintoki aside, the colorless-haired, false human sprinted towards Sumera with frightening agility.

Sumera gathered herself, not hesitating to unleash her magecraft, “Belly of Salander!”

The fire-based magecraft took the shape of an imprisoning cube of fire around the nightmare, trapping the genderless enigma as its skin began to bubble up from the temperature.

“Nice…!” Emilio said.

“No! It’s–!”

Before Sumera could finish, the translucent-haired malevolence opened its mouth, unleashing from its boundless innards a torrent of tendrils that resembled intestines, spewing out with such strength that they broke through the prison of fire.

The experienced mage attempted to reroute a new spell, but the nightmare was too fast, weaving past an attempted strike from behind by Kintoki and evading an unrefined fireball from Emilio before reaching Sumera.

The nightmare invoked a ‘human’ expression, a smile worn by amusement of its inflicted torment before it ensnared the woman in its mouth-born tentacles, slamming her against a tree before plunging her into the ground.

“Sumera–!” Kintoki yelled.

A gash opened on her head as blood trailed down the mage’s forehead from the brutal assault, though before the nightmare could continue, Kintoki rushed in, cleaving through the wriggling tendrils in one go.