Back in the caves, Ryu and Sora strolled forward side by side through this empty hall. A blank canvas which seemed to have no end. The lights on top flickering, an uncertain walk.

“So what made you join this program anyway?” Sora asked, trying to loosen the awkward atmosphere

“I already said, didn't I? To explore everything there is in this world and document it”

“Are you serious? I thought you were joking about that shit”

“I don’t joke”

Sora stretched his arms back as his body felt a little worn out from all this walking.

“Well.. then what about the captain?”

“What about it?”

“How are you willing to follow a human? Especially one like that.”

Ryu glared at him with his eyes but didn't reply. But Sora kept on talking.

“I mean, we don’t even know what that bastard is even capable of. And I can’t seem to trust him”

Ryu paused for a moment.

“Do you trust me?”

He turned towards Sora and asked,

“As if. You guys ain’t never gonna gain my trust”

“Exactly. No one in this crew will ever trust each other. It is just a front we are using to get our individual goals. So I don't care who the captain is as long as he doesn’t get in my way..”

Sora couldn’t reply to that. And the tense atmosphere surged. But luckily it didn’t last long as a sound echoed in both Sora's and Ryu’s ear. Something was happening in the front. Sound of drills and huge hammer pounds were leaking out from the front.

“You hear that?” Sora said.

They dashed towards the place. The hallway had finally ended, but what was waiting in front of them was something they themselves could not fathom. The hallway had ended on a cliff. Rather, it was like a door inside of a mountain. Many train tracks with trains moving at a fast speed. These trains didn't look like they were for transport, rather the back of the train was filled with cyan crystals. Many pathways down the cliff, as many wolf creatures were monitoring as yellow aliens were mining.

“What the hell is this place?” Sora gasped in wonder.

Ryu took a very careful peek at everything around them. A set of stairs beside them that went downwards. After a good look, he noticed one cargo carrying what would seem to be a large container of ship parts.

“Bingo!” He murmured. “Lets go,” He said as he slowly walked downwards. The chilling wind that flew from the ground to the top, the hollow dim lights of the cave and the smell of burning coal had created a tense environment. Ryu looked downwards as the spiraling staircases went, kept on going and going. Guard's arm to the teeth with rifles that had the cyan crystals fused with them. Unlike Sora, he knew those guns very well.

“This seems like a huge mining facility”

“What are they mining?”

“Heart stones… It's used as ship fuel and especially weapon manufacturing,” he slowly whispered. He slowly crouched downwards, avoiding the gazes of the guards as they walked downwards. He looked at Sora and moved his fingers specially. Talking through signs, to be more precise. To slowly crouch with him and stay out of sight as they maneuver around the place. But unknowing to Ryu, Sora was dumb. Very dumb.

“The fuck is that supposed to mean?” He whispered.

Ryu realized he was only wasting time, trying to make sense of the situation and just slowly crouched to the front.

Using one of the huge mining piles as cover, Ryu could hear the conversation going behind.

With the wolves were standing a tall creature. Its body seemed to have a humanoid octopus-like shape with tentacles seeping through. 4 swords neatly stacked on its back. It was clear that he was powerful there as the surrounding wolves kneeled before him.

“Have you found it yet?” the octopus man asked the wolves.

“I’m afraid we haven’t yet, Vik, sire. Our men have already dug an eight thousand meters. At this point…” The wolf looked at the other wolves with a slight glance as he paused for a moment. “At this point we are uncertain if that artifact is even here or not”

“Tsk”

A slight displease from his voice as the head of the wolf instantly popped off. It was fast. Precise. Something one with the naked eye could never see. But someone as capable as Ryu could see it perfectly. He had pulled all four of his blades and sliced at the exact spot with four swipes. Getting involved in that mess would be bad. Sora was behind Ryu, who couldn't get a good view.

“Hey what's going on? I wanna see,” he murmured, trying to get a peek. That persistence caused them to lose their stealth as Sora’s grab caused some parts to fall down from the puddle. That noise was loud and clear

“What are you doing, you idiot!” Ryu shouted in his mind.

Sora’s leg slipped as he fell to the other side of the puddle close to Viks legs. Sora looked at the top. A towering 8 feet long humanoid octopus standing in front of him.

“Umm… nice weather we’re having today huh…hehe” His brain could only process such an excuse. Even the wolves were petrified seeing his finance.

“Tsk. What is this nuisance now?”

Ryu realized that a displeased voice could only mean that he was about to unleash his blades.

“Watch out!” He yelled at Sora like before that instant blades were all ready to strike at Sora’s neck. But the swords all sparked back, as if they clashed with another blade. Vik himself was displaced a little. Sora’s joking face had turned serious.

“Hey watch where you were aiming! You could have sliced my head off!”

Ryu was amazed. Sora had blocked the bales as fast as Vik had cast them. An equal speed coupled with precise parry. Vik’s eyes shrank as his focus increased.

“You blocked my fast attack…” It seemed few had blocked this attack of his. An icy stare towards the henchmen.

“What is this being? What is it doing here? Is big boss Kuro aware of this?”

“We don’t… don’t… know, sire.” They were still shaken from the previous execution of the wolf. The trembling voice still continued. “This is the first time we’re seeing this creature”

“Hey who the hell are you calling a creature?” Sora shouted.

Vik let out a sigh of annoyance.

“Must I clean out all the trash?”

“I don’t know who you are calling trash, you giant octopus.”

Vik’s calm demeanor seemed to break away as the word octopus was uttered. Words that felt racist, like no other.

“Oc… octupus?!”

“What is that bastard thinking saying that to sir Vik?”

“Does he want to get chopped to bits?”

Words echoed through the henchmen's' heads.

“Oy Ryu. I know you can hear me, so listen up. Finish what we came here to do. I will take on this oversized jellyfish.”

Ryu didn’t hesitate. He simply nodded from behind and dashed towards the crates. It was no point in trying to be stealthy anymore.

“After that one. This one’s mine to kill”

“Yes, sire!” The wolves immediately replied as they dashed after Ryu.

Long green swords pulled out from their scabbards. Vik usually went for fast precise kills, but this was no kill but a duel to death. A showing of swords was a must. Sora pulled both of his. Unlike Vik's, his swords seemed metallic, with a silver lining. Nothing unique. As both drew their swords at each other, the fight was about to begin.

Vik, without hesitation, pulled his feet forward as he pulled his swords towards Sora. Sora, using his two swords, parried all of his swords in a single slash. He pulled his left leg forward, taking an aggressive stance. Unlike Vik’s long green swords, Soras was smaller. Thus faster, cutting through the wind. He aimed his right sword towards Vik’s chest. His octopus-like body looked buff, yet his muscles were flexible, like a real octopus dodging his slice. Sora had not expected this, leaving a huge opening towards his face. But before Vik could launch an attack, Sora, using his right sword as a lever, propelled himself to the side.

“It seems your senses aren’t quite dull” Vik was fascinated seeing Sora’s prediction instinct. Few swordsmen could escape that situation.

“Are you ready to give up yet?”

“In your dreams, boy!”

He dashed towards him, his green swords glowing with a greenish aura. Even in the dark part, like the mines, the sword could be seen vividly glowing from far away. Both of them parrying each other's attacks. The wolves looked at them, amazed, careful to not get too close to the action. The surrounding ground was getting sliced apart.

“This little bastard is quite fast,” Vik murmured.

Sora was taking one direction after another, jumping at Vik from all directions. Vik was successfully parrying them, but the feeling of overwhelming attacks from Sora was slowly increasing his fatigue. He realized if he didn't do something, one attack or another would slip past him, and that would be fatal.

“That's It! Guraundosuraisu no kōhai !”

The 6 swords around Vik cut through the ground like an apple slicer, cutting the apple from the root to top in multiple pieces. The attack was quite devastating. Sora, using both of his blades, tried to tackle the recoil of the attack.. The ground became unstable as they both fell downwards. Vik thought this would stop Sora’s quick movement. He buckled himself up on one rock as the rocks fell downwards

“That should stop him in his tracks…!!!!”

His eyes widened as he saw a flickering light dash from the top. Sora was using the falling rocks as ground as he dashed towards him.

“You think slicing the playing field would be enough to stop me?”

He closed in on Vik. Both of his swords were radiating with meto energy. One had a fiery red glow to it, as the other had an icy blue glow.

“Two sword style: Inferno Blizzard!”

“Damn it. What is this kid? Should I try to block it?” Vik gripped his swords hard, trying to think of his action.

“Even if I try to parry this or guard myself, I don't have a solid ground to stand on. If that's the case…”

His swords glowed again.

“If that's the case, then I will fight back!” All of his swords aimed towards Sora’s.

“Ancient sword style: Crimson Berserker!”

Both of their swords clash as a huge Shockwave forms across the cave.

Everything around them is being decimated.

The wolves following Ryu were getting crushed by the falling rubble. Ryu looked back, thinking to himself what the hell was happening on the top? But there was no time for him to stop. He knew whatever the result of their fighting was; it wasn't his concern. Using his lighting, he dashed towards the shipment car.

An enormous cloud of dust formed in the mine. No one could visibly see what was going on. Both Vik and Sora were standing on what would seem to be another floor of rubble. Sora, without wasting a moment, pulled his left sword forward while having his right sword across the neck.

“You’re quite the swordsmen. This is a sword stance I've never faced before.” Vik Looked at Sora with a bit of wonder. Something Vik doesn’t feel usually. A sense of genuine danger and excitement. “Who was your master kid?” he asked.

Sora readjusted his goggles and replied with a smirk,

“I don’t have a master... I follow my own way of the sword.“

Sora threw one of his swords in the air. Vik’s attention slightly shifted towards the top. "This is my sword style.”

A minor second, for others it may not be something worth counting, but for swordsmen, this is called the pivotal moment! When your opponent has lost concentration. To give a strike to end it all.

“One sword style: Shin Kuraoukami ! ”

Sora’s blade shook as he was getting close to Vik. Slicing through the wind with an icy touch. A cold ice element coating the sword from tip to bottom. Vik’s eyes widened as he knew he wouldn’t be able to block; but it seemed luck wasn't on Sora’s side. Before he could reach Vik’s throat, his sword shattered in two.

“Huh?!” Sora and Vik both gasped. They both paused, not knowing what had just happened.