The forest exploded into motion.
Branches were violently crushed as a gigantic creature burst from the dense vegetation, causing the beach sand to tremble beneath the weight of its paws.
Samael immediately raised his gaze.
The creature was enormous.
Far larger than anything he had expected to encounter immediately after arriving in America.
Two massive ivory horns curved backward from its beastly head. Its jaw resembled that of a giant feline, filled with long, uneven fangs. The creature possessed six muscular legs covered in dark bony plates that resembled cracked stone.
It was grotesque.
Strange.
And completely different from any Nightmare Creature Samael had ever faced before.
The creature's red eyes immediately locked onto the two of them.
Hungry.
Violent.
Liu slowly drew her sword.
"We'll continue this conversation later."
Her voice remained absurdly calm.
As though gigantic monsters emerging from the forest were merely a minor inconvenience.
Samael slowly released the rusted sword in his hand.
The next instant, the Bow of Despair appeared in his grasp.
He understood his role in this battle perfectly.
Liu would be the blade.
He would provide support.
The creature charged.
BOOM!
Its six legs exploded against the sand as the massive body rushed directly toward Liu.
But Liu simply slid to the side.
Precise.
Light.
As though she predicted every movement before it even happened.
Samael immediately pulled back the bowstring.
An arrow of essence tore through the air.
CRACK!
The arrow struck one of the ivory horns.
Samael frowned slightly.
He had aimed for the eye.
Missed.
Meanwhile, Liu was already close to the creature.
Her sword danced swiftly.
Three cuts instantly appeared along the monster's flank.
But they were not deep.
That thing's physical resistance was absurd.
The creature roared furiously and spun its gigantic body to crush Liu.
Samael fired another arrow.
The projectile struck directly against the creature's face.
It did not deal much damage.
But it was enough to distract it for a brief instant.
And an instant was all Liu needed.
She advanced.
Her blade sliced through the air in a silver arc.
SLASH!
A deep wound opened across the creature's face.
Liu immediately retreated before the enormous claws could hit her.
The creature furiously turned toward her, making the entire beach tremble as it chased after the swordswoman.
Then—
Samael had an idea.
An extremely embarrassing idea.
But effective.
The arrow pierced through the air.
And struck directly into an extremely sensitive part of the creature.
"HRAAAAAAAAH!!!"
The monstrous roar echoed across the entire beach.
Even Nightmare Creatures possessed universal weaknesses.
The beast's red eyes instantly turned toward Samael.
Overflowing with murderous hatred.
"It worked… I'm not proud of it, but it worked."
Samael muttered quietly while already retreating.
Unfortunately, that also made him the creature's primary target.
But Liu perfectly seized the opportunity he created.
She appeared before the creature in one silent motion.
Then placed her free hand against the monster's face.
The air froze instantly.
CRACK—!
Ice rapidly spread across the creature's head.
The beast realized the danger too late.
It tried to throw Liu away with one of its massive legs—
But it was already too late.
Liu's sword descended.
A single perfect thrust.
The blade pierced through the ice.
Pierced through bone.
And stabbed directly into the creature's skull.
Silence.
The enormous beast froze for a brief moment.
Then collapsed heavily onto the golden sand.
BOOOOM!
The ground trembled slightly.
For several seconds, only the sound of the waves remained.
Samael released a breath he had not even realized he was holding.
"That was… intense."
Liu merely nodded while catching her breath.
Then the cold voice of the Spell echoed through their minds:
[Congratulations.]
[You have slain a Fallen Monster — Beast of the Alps.]
Unfortunately…
No Memory appeared.
"What rank was it?" Samael asked while approaching.
"Fallen."
Samael's expression darkened slightly.
Because that meant this was merely the bottom of the food chain in America.
Liu began carving apart the creature's corpse with her sword.
After several minutes of a bloody spectacle Samael preferred not to examine too closely, Liu held two glowing soul shards.
She raised one toward Samael, offering him his share of the spoils.
"Thanks."
He crushed the shard and absorbed it immediately.
Liu did the same with hers.
Silence settled between them again—but now it was a different kind of silence. Lighter. As though the battle had broken the ice in a way words never could.
Samael stored away the bow and resumed walking beside her.
"After watching that fight, I'm even more convinced you really do like using swords."
Liu ignored him.
But there was something in her posture—a faint tension in her shoulders—that Samael interpreted as slight annoyance.
She did not like being questioned about herself.
"Silence means consent," Samael declared teasingly.
Liu let out a faint sigh and turned toward him.
Even with the blindfold covering her eyes, Samael could feel the weight of her attention.
"Why do you want to know?"
"I want you to train me," Samael replied. "I plan to improve my mastery with every weapon."
"No."
She turned her face back toward the forest.
The silence that followed felt different. Not awkward—deliberate. Liu was waiting for him to insist.
Samael did not insist.
He simply stood there silently, watching the horizon.
When Liu finally looked back at him, she found Samael focused on the sunset.
"What?"
"Night is coming."
And with it… my Flaw, he thought.
"Forget that for now," Samael tried returning to the previous topic. "Why don't you want to teach me?"
"Because I don't want to."
"What a shame."
Samael dropped the subject with a naturalness that surprised even himself.
There was no bitterness in his voice.
Only acceptance.
"Let's go."
He glanced toward the forest.
"We should spend the night here. It's safer," Liu said.
"Okay."
And so, once again, they found themselves trapped in awkward silence.
Sitting on the beach.
Watching the evening sea.
Waves gently crashed against the golden sand. The sky burned with shades of orange and red—far too beautiful for a place so cruel.
Samael broke the silence first.
"What do you like doing?"
He copied the same question Vanitas had asked him on the plane. Maybe because he did not know what else to ask. Maybe because he genuinely wanted to know.
"Nothing."
The answer was so dry that Samael almost laughed.
"I like reading."
And then, without really knowing why, he began rambling.
"You know the book I'm reading? It's about a boy who enters the supernatural side of his world to cure his sister's illness. At first he's weak, really weak. But he's stubborn. He never gives up. Even when everything goes wrong, he somehow finds a way…"
Liu did not respond.
But she also did not ask him to stop.
And that was how night found them: two young women sitting upon the sand, one talking endlessly about a beloved book while the other listened in silence.
Then the moon claimed the skies.
Samael felt his body shrink. Grow lighter.
His shadow twisted upon the sand.
His bones seemed to melt and reform into a different configuration.
The Flaw only lasted seconds.
But to Samael, every transformation felt eternal.
An eternity of not knowing who he would become when it ended.
Liu noticed he had stopped speaking.
She turned toward him.
And for the first time, saw his female form.
His pale hair now appeared longer. His features softer. The same silver armor, now adjusted to a different body.
Liu remained speechless for a while.
It was not surprise. Nor judgment.
Only… observation.
In the end, she chose silence.
And Samael fell quiet as well, shrinking inward after having his Flaw exposed.
The wind blew between them. The ocean continued its eternal rhythm.
Then Liu asked:
"So… what happened afterward?"
Not about the Flaw.
About the book.
Samael felt something loosen inside his chest.
"Did he manage to cure his sister?"
"I haven't reached that part yet," he answered, his voice slightly lighter. "But I think he will. He's far too stubborn to fail."
Liu nodded.
And Samael began talking again.
About chapters he had read. About characters who felt real. About a world that existed only within yellowed pages, yet somehow made more sense than reality itself.
He talked.
And she listened.
Until Samael's voice became hoarse.
Until the stars completely covered the sky.
Until, without realizing it, he lay down upon the sand.
Liu lay beside him.
The enormous white serpent—Elisa—remained motionless along the line between the beach and the forest, her cold eyes scanning the darkness for threats.
Protecting them.
And that night, in America—the lost continent, the graveyard of Saints, the place where humanity had been utterly crushed—
The only sounds were the waves.
And the echo of Samael's voice rambling about a book.