A spine-chilling, deep laugh echoed in the dead forest populating a gentle mountain ridge.

Rocante seemed to be in a fantastic mood, dominating his opponent with a barrage of strikes, wielding his stone greatsword with heroic ferocity.

The nightmarish, four-armed ghoul continued snarling and hissing defiantly, attempting to fight back, but it simply couldn't show its harrowing strength in combat for the reason that it was being repeatedly suppressed.

It didn't seem to be too overwhelmed in speed.

However, its strength seemed to be way too lacking, which was why it was being pushed back, sent crashing into the terrain more than just a handful of times now.

Daru couldn't discern any techniques despite keenly watching the monstrous duel.

Perhaps it was because Rocante's physical attributes drove the direction of the fight to a one-sided beatdown, but it could also be because his perception wasn't enough.

Nonetheless, there were a few things he noticed.

One was that the ghoulish horror had six fingers on each of its four hands, and the bony pinky of one of its sword-wielding hands held a strange flower.

It seemed that the skinny crawler was protecting the flower, which was why it was having trouble focusing on its battle against its hulking adversary, though Daru doubted that this fact mattered much.

It was very clear that Rocante was physically superior.

That said, the nightmarish ghoul was fast, and its movements were unpredictable.

Daru found it difficult to simulate a scenario in his head in which he would be able to defeat the skinny crawler.

The ground quaked, the dead trees were uprooted, stone slabs were knocked over, and the shrubbery was destroyed as the two monstrosities fought their harrowing battle.

Soon enough, the nightmarish ghoul found it difficult to continue contending.

It was sent flying and crashing onto the body of the mountain again, one of its arms seemingly dislocated.

The skinny crawler immediately disengaged after recovering.

It crawled up the ridge, fleeing from Rocante.

Meanwhile, the hulking monstrosity only watched with an unholy, triumphant smile, resting his massive greatsword on his right shoulder.

A menacing black aura then began to envelop him, and Daru could feel the pressure even from such a distance.

Nonetheless, Daru remained fully focused on his mission, noting that Rocante was far stronger than the nightmarish ghoul and so should probably only be hunted after defeating the latter.

He was trying to figure out the correct sequence in which The Five should be defeated.

But first…

'I should confirm if that ghoul is indeed one of them…'

It appeared that the skinny crawler was, but it was impossible to be sure without following and observing the horror first, and so that's what Daru decided would be his next action.

The specific ridge he was on spiraled on the side of Altar Mountain, and while not directly connected to the one where Rocante and the skinny crawler fought on, it was merely a jump away, especially for such a long-limbed monstrosity.

Furthermore, he couldn't just chase the nightmarish ghoul openly, as the horror was significantly ahead of him in terms of physical attributes, and while Daru wanted to engage it in combat, he couldn't be as irresponsible as if he were alone.

The folks of Egress were depending on him.

He had witnessed their determination, desperation, and diligence firsthand. They've worked so hard to consolidate everything they knew and form the best plan they could with what little they have.

Daru found the thought of throwing everything out the window for a moment of folly quite appalling.

Perhaps he wouldn't even be able to enjoy the battle as much as he usually does.

After all, in the Myriad Sword Realm — even more so in Limbo — actions have real repercussions.

The consequences of losing a match in the grand finals of an academy swordsmanship tournament seemed mild and laughable in comparison.

But perhaps the thing that was anchoring his actions to a more preservative direction was his promise to his comrades that he would prioritize his safety and the plan's progression.

He made a promise, and he will fulfill it.

Thus, Daru immediately decided to head over to the root hollow some distance away from where he was, hiding inside and concealing the entrance using the roughly patched camouflage cover made of grasses, leaves, tree sap, and ashes.

The craftsmanship wasn't top-notch, of course, but it had never failed a wretch…at least that's what Nando and the older ones at the village said.

It was just that all those who used them in the past were now dead, so no one could testify.

They apparently lost their lives in cemetery raid operations.

The camouflage covers absolutely did not have anything to do with their demise, claimed the non-fighter folks.

Daru wasn't sure if its effectiveness would be put to the test, though.

After all, aside from moving over to the ridge he was on, the nightmarish ghoul had other routes it could take.

It could continue climbing up the current ridge it was on, or it could use its long, bony limbs to take to the cliffs, perhaps descend or ascend from there.

The question was: what is the ghoul's intention?

If merely a quick, temporary escape, then it would probably switch over to the ridge he was on.

If it wanted to completely get itself out of Rocante's sight and path, it would navigate the dangerous cliffs.

Staying on the ridge it was on made the least sense, but he would soon know.

Daru was not too interested in Rocante right now.

He already knew where and how to find the hulking horror, anyway.

Tracking the nightmarish ghoul and observing it would advance their objective of returning to the Surface more.

Who knows? Maybe it would even lead him to another one of The Five, or at least give him some other clues through its actions.

La Filosa, Rocante, the four-armed ghoul.

Three of the Five had already been found, arguably four, as he suspected that The Crown was somewhere inside the Stone Castle.

Ironically, none of them fit the description of The Eye, which was mere observation and inaction.

Rocante is always on the move.

La Filosa, although seemingly unwilling to leave her ruins, didn't seem to be merely watching in any sort of way and was even quite active in ensuring that Rocante was in top condition through their strange ritual.

The nightmarish ghoul could be a candidate, but from the earlier battle, it seemed quite active, too.

As for the unconfirmed one in the castle, it could only be The Crown, or there was no special spawn there.

This meant that the one he hadn't encountered yet was The Eye.

While Daru was lost in his thoughts, peering through a slight opening in the questionable camouflage cover, time passed.

One minute, five…fifteen…

Yet, there were still no signs of the skinny crawler…or so he thought…

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