Renny was there, right beside Ravuto, both striking relentlessly, Krovanis staggering under their combined assault. Renny's fracture dagger flashed toward Krovanis's neck, each strike driven by precision and fury, while Ravuto's pest-thread whip cracked and coiled, tearing through the air, biting at the demon's limbs.

After a long, brutal exchange, Krovanis fell, sprawled across the fractured ground, face smeared with blood. Both Renny and Ravuto stood over him, chests heaving.

"We… we did it," Ravuto breathed, disbelief flickering across his face.

But before Renny could even reply...

A voice came from behind them.

"Did you really think it'd be that easy?"

Renny froze. Slowly, they turned. Krovanis stood behind them, untouched, his smile dark, Mirror Fang gleaming in his grip.

"Duck!" Ravuto shouted, shoving Renny aside just as Krovanis lunged. Renny rolled, barely missing the fatal arc, but Ravuto's movement left him open, and the blade plunged deep into his side.

"No!" Renny's voice cracked as blood sprayed across the cracked earth. He slammed his palm down, shouting, "Dreznar Vohl!"

The ground beneath Krovanis shattered, throwing him off balance. In that instant, Renny surged forward, his dagger glowing with a violent pulse, and drove it straight into Krovanis's neck. He roared and struck again, and again, stab after stab, fury boiling out of him until his arms trembled from the effort.

Then...

"Renny! Behind you!" Ravuto's voice rang out, strained, weak. "He's behind you!"

Renny froze mid-swing, blinking. "What?"

Krovanis's voice came from behind him, smooth and mocking. "Still can't tell what's real, can you?"

Renny turned, eyes wide. Krovanis stood there, unharmed, smiling. He looked back down, and the body he had been stabbing was gone.

And then, before Renny could react, Krovanis was already between them again. Ravuto, bleeding but still moving, shoved Renny aside once more, taking the strike meant for him. The blade tore through him, again in the same place as before.

"No!" Renny shouted. "It's happening again... how?!"

Ravuto's bloodied hand cracked across Renny's face. "Snap out of it!" he barked, coughing blood. "You're falling for his damn illusions! Have you never fought an Omekro before?!"

Renny staggered back, breathing hard, confusion flooding him. His vision blurred, then cleared, and what he saw nearly made him choke.

Ravuto was barely standing, his body slashed and bloodied, his eyes wild with focus. Around them, the world had changed; the field of battle was nothing like before. The trees were splintered and burned, the ground torn open and cracked, as if the land itself bore witness to their war. The air reeked of ozone and ash, and in the distance, Krovanis's laughter echoed, like it came from everywhere at once.

Ravuto spat blood onto the cracked ground and glared at Renny.

"What's the point of having you in this fight if you're going to be missing all of it?" he snapped. "He cast a spell on you, damn it. You were so eager to win, you didn't even notice."

Renny's jaw tightened. "A spell?"

"Yes!" Ravuto barked. "Keep your head in the fight! Omekros are always hard to battle; if you're not super aware of the field, they'll twist it and you along with it. They take advantage of everything."

Renny drew a sharp breath, wiping the sweat from his brow, his chest rising and falling hard. This was harder than he'd envisioned.

Ravuto steadied his breathing, his pest-thread twitching in his hand like it was alive. "We have to find a way to restrain him," he said. "Hold him long enough for the Collector's Hands to do their job; otherwise, our deal with the Collector means nothing."

Renny nodded, expression set. "Agreed. Do you have any restraining spells?"

Ravuto shook his head. "Used them all on him while you were trapped in your illusion. None worked." He grimaced. "Makes sense, he's an Omekro, but I'm not a Damaruk. Their kind excels at restraint, not mine. A demon of hunger and plague binding an illusionist? Not exactly a winning match."

Renny exhaled sharply, thinking. "Then we'll just have to find another way."

"Easy for you to say," Ravuto growled, tightening his grip on the pest-thread. "You've barely been in the fight."

Renny smirked faintly and shook his head. "Not anymore. I'm ready now. I won't be caught off guard again."

Ravuto gave a faint, approving grunt. "Better. Because he's not done with us yet."

Then they saw Krovanis charging. Ravuto shoved Renny aside and met the first swing with his blade, unfurling his pest thread as a shield. But Krovanis wasn't trying to overpower him; he was toying with him.

He struck from every direction, left, right, behind, above, his movements a blur that formed a vicious circle around Ravuto. Steel and thread clashed in rapid rhythm as Ravuto spun to keep up, his breath coming out ragged. Each small slash Krovanis landed deepened the illusion of pain in Ravuto's mind, feeding his growing frustration.

And then, suddenly, Krovanis stopped. His eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction as he muttered a spell under his breath... "Yami-no-Mura."

Ravuto froze mid-step, his weapon hanging limp. His eyes went vacant, caught in a trance.

Krovanis turned toward Renny, grinning. "You! You broke free of my illusion earlier... good. Now I can deal with you properly."

Renny's grip tightened on his dagger. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing permanent," Krovanis said, voice smooth. "Just a madness loop, his mind's replaying the same strikes I dealt a moment ago, over and over. It'll be a while before he crawls out of it."

He lifted the Mirror Fang, its runes gleaming. "Plenty of time to finish with you."

And with that, Krovanis charged, the air trembling as Renny braced himself for the impact.

Krovanis struck fast. Renny parried, but each blow came heavier than the last, Krovanis's strength pressing through every swing. Within seconds, Renny was overwhelmed.

Krovanis caught him by the collar and hurled him backward with brutal force. Renny's body tore through the forest, splintering bark and branches before crashing into the dirt. Krovanis was already on him, blade raised, eyes blazing.

Renny barely managed to lift his fractured dagger, catching the strike. The force sent them sliding through the forest floor, Renny on his back, Krovanis above him, their weapons locked. Sparks scattered from the grinding clash as Renny's back scraped the soil, tearing through roots and gravel.

When they finally stopped, Krovanis rose without hesitation. With one brutal motion, he kicked Renny's dagger from his grip, metal spinning into the underbrush, and brought the Mirror Fang down in a single, merciless arc.

The blade pierced through Renny's left shoulder, driving deep into the ground beneath him, pinning him where he lay.

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