Eleo, Tony, Kenji, Olorun, and Timmy stood at the edge of the lodge steps, their eyes locked on the horror rising before them.
A colossal plant monster loomed in the distance, each step shaking the earth like a war drum. Its massive limbs dragged vines behind it like chains, its wooden body covered in twisted roots and pulsing crimson flowers. Sap oozed from its bark like blood, and its roar echoed like thunder rolling through a cursed forest.
Atop its shoulders stood four familiar silhouettes, bathed in a dark green aura.
Olorun's brows furrowed. "Wait… those four…"
Kenji's voice cut sharp. "The Protesters of Silvan…"
Timmy's eyes widened in disbelief. "And… is that the Mayor?!"
As the group looked on in shock, Mayor Budey stepped forward on the beast's shoulder, arms spread wide like a conductor of madness.
"Yes," Budey declared, his voice unnaturally loud, laced with power and pride. "It was me. I was the one who cursed this island… the one who well offered it to my master."
Gasps hit the crew like a gut punch.
Budey's eyes glowed sickly green as he gestured to the four beside him—Gatta, Bruto, Freccia, and Mago. They stood motionless, their expressions blank, dark energy pulsing from their bodies.
"The Dark Seed corrupted them," Budey said with venomous pride. "And with my S-Orb: Seed Control, I was able to twist their wills. My dark seeds poison the land and spread despair… and once they take root, everything bends to me."
Eleo stepped forward, fists clenched tight. "You… you turned them into monsters! For what?!"
Budey sneered. "Not for myself… but for my master. He will rise… and this island shall be his throne!"
He ran his hand along the monstrous bark of the plant beast, and it snarled like a living fortress.
"With my Maga Seed, I gave birth to this beast… and soon, every forest, every village, every soul will fall under its roots. This is not destruction—it's rebirth."
Olorun grit his teeth. "You're completely outta your mind…"
Kenji unsheathed one of his swords, the silver blade glinting in the cursed morning light. "Then we'll be the ones to cut you down."
Tony cracked his neck and gave a sly smirk. "Let's see if weeds can bleed."
Timmy clenched his tiny fists. "We're not gonna let you take this island!"
Eleo took a step forward, ink swirling around his arms, his voice low but burning with fire.
"This ends today."
The corrupted crowd roared in the distance.
The plant monster raised its claws and howled to the skies.
The wind howled like a warning of war.
The army of a thousand plant monsters charged like a living wave, vines lashing, twisted mouths open in war cries, their heavy steps shaking the earth.
Timmy's eyes went wide. "NOPE!"
He bolted back into the lodge, slammed the door halfway, and peeked through the crack like a scared kitten.
"Timmy! Bag!" Olorun shouted, pointing back.
Timmy fumbled. "OH—RIGHT!"
He flung the small satchel. Olorun caught it one-handed, spinning it once with a grin.
"Nice throw, lil' dude!" he winked. Then his face twisted. "Okay okay okay—now how the hell do I use this?! I've never done magic in my life!"
He opened it, eyes scanning frantically through scrolls and items like someone checking instructions during a boss fight.
Meanwhile—
Kenji exploded forward, blades drawn, expression ice-cold.
He moved like a storm: slashing left, slicing right, his movements sharp and economical.
One plant lunged—a curved blade cut its head clean off.
Another came from behind—he ducked low, spun, and sliced both legs at the root.
"Don't get in my way," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
His blades gleamed in the cursed sunlight—every slash silent, every step precise.
But as more swarmed, he moved faster, body low, pivoting and adjusting, dodging with pure instinct and trained discipline.
Yet his eyes flicked to Eleo and Tony every now and then—always watching, ready to help if they were in trouble.
Tony was laughing like he was at a party.
A plant monster tried to body slam him.
"Cute."
He sidestepped with flair and grabbed its arm mid-swing, twisting it back with a CRACK and smashing a palm strike into its gut.
"Don't touch me unless you're buying me dinner."
He twirled the monster around like a ragdoll, letting it knock over its own squad before launching it into the air with a rising uppercut.
Another monster came in with a vine whip—Tony ducked, grabbed the vine mid-snap, yanked the creature off its feet, and used it like a bat to smash three others.
"Man, this is better than wine and chaos!" he cackled, bones rattling as he spun.
Eleo was in full beast mode.
"INK BARRAGE!!!"
His tiny fists pounded like pistons, splattering monsters left and right with machine-gun precision.
Black ink flew everywhere, coating the grass, the monsters, even Kenji's arm once—
"Watch it!" Kenji barked.
"Sorry!" Eleo shouted back with a big dumb grin.
One monster growled and lunged—Eleo turned his fist black, twisted it into a cartoonishly massive hammer.
"INK HAMMERRRR!"
BAM!!!
He smashed it to the ground with earth-cracking force, creating a crater under its body.
Another vine monster came at him from above. Eleo jumped high, spinning mid-air, grinning like a kid about to cannonball.
"INK CANNON!!"
His whole arm shifted into a compressed, pulsing cannon of black sludge and—
BOOM!!!
A powerful ink blast obliterated a chunk of the horde, splattering darkness everywhere.
Back at the lodge—
Olorun held the Lightning Scroll, eyes wide, hands trembling.
"Okay, okay—deep breath…"
He unraveled the scroll with shaking fingers.
"There's like…chanting and seals and—what is this?!"
He looked up as a monster spotted him.
"…Oh fuuu—Timmy!! Bag back at you!"
He tossed it and ducked just in time.
Timmy caught it and yelped. "I don't want it!"
He hid again behind the door.
Olorun fumbled with the scroll, sweat beading down his forehead.
"Okay, so do I… chant? Trace this seal? Punch it?—AHHH crap—!"
A massive plant beast lunged straight at him, vines whipping like blades—
But in a blur of steel—
SHING!!
Kenji's blade carved a perfect arc through the monster's chest, splitting it clean in half before it could even touch Olorun.
"T-Thanks…!" Olorun stammered, eyes wide.
Kenji's gaze was cold, unreadable.
"No problem," he said simply, before dashing back into the fray without missing a step.
The battlefield was chaos—yet half the plant monsters now lay twitching, cut, crushed, or melted into ink. The remaining few snarled and reeled back like animals sensing danger.
Olorun finally took a deep breath, the pieces clicking together.
"…Wait. I think I got it."
He held out his hand, focusing his energy, scroll glowing faintly beside him.
"Lightning Spar!"
CRACK!!
A burst of lightning erupted from his palm, arcing forward with a jagged hiss. It didn't move straight—it twitched left, then jerked right, zig-zagging as it struck the remaining monsters, frying them mid-charge.
Electric pulses rippled across the battlefield, making vines twitch and pop with blue sparks.
"Y-YEAH!" Olorun shouted, his hand trembling. "I-I actually did it!"
Eleo blinked, wide-eyed, still crouched with his hammer-fist.
"DUUUDE! That was SICK!"
He shot a thumbs-up, his grin so wide it practically reached his ears.
Tony, casually flipping a plant body over with his foot, called out,
"Olorun, my man—if you start hurlin' fire next, I'm gonna kiss you."
"I'll pass," Olorun mumbled, still shaking. "That lightning nearly made me pee."
But then—
A slow, deliberate clap echoed across the field.
Clap… Clap… Clap…
All eyes turned to the top of the giant plant monster—where Mayor Budey stood, arms crossed, face half-shadowed by the cursed aura swirling around him.
"Impressive…" Budey smirked. "You managed to wipe out my monster army. But you're fools if you think that was all I had planned."
Beside him, the four twisted forms of the corrupted protesters—Gatta, Bruto, Freccia, and Mago—stepped forward, their eyes glowing sickly green, twisted by the dark seed.
Budey pointed forward.
"These four… used to stand for Silvan's protection. Now, they serve me."
He raised one hand, and the vines beneath them pulsed ominously.
"You'll have to go through them now. And if you can manage that—then you can try facing me."
Eleo cracked his knuckles, stepping forward.
"Nah," he said, voice suddenly sharp, focused. "I'm not interested in fighting your puppets."
The others looked at him.
"I'll let my crew handle them…" he pointed at Budey with fire in his eyes.
"You? I'm takin' you down personally."
Budey's smile widened, the cursed energy whipping around him like wind.
"Oh? I'd like to see you try, little rabbit."