The West Ridge

Toma let out a short grin, Kaito looked at the path ahead and then back at the group. "On a side note," he started. "Do we even actually know where the West Ridge is?"

She let out a sigh. "I memorized the map," she muttered. "We're heading the right way."

The sun finally dipped below the horizon, as lantern town was no longer in view. They kept on following the dirt path through open grassland, but the further they went, the worse the scenery looked. Broken fences were scattered near the road, and the smell of charred wood in the air.

Shiro stopped and turned to kaito with a smirk then he placed a hand on Kaito’s shoulder.

Rei glanced back with a smirk. "Come on, you can't deny that it's fun."

"Guess that old man was telling the truth," Rin said softly.

One of the corrupted leapt faster than expected, kaito barely got his sword up in time to block, the impact threw him back several feet but he quickly regained his balance, before he could process what had just happened another one lunged at him. He twisted his body, dodging the claws just as they went past his face.

Shiro rushed in to face one, he swung his blade in a wide arc, trying to cut one down, but the creature’s claws slammed against shiro’s blade, he lept back to gain distance but the corrupted followed, this time aiming a second strike at Shiro's ribs. Shiro shifted his blade in time to to stop it's claws but he underestimated it's strength and his shoulder felt the impact heavily.

"This is not how I imagined this going!" Toma said to himself before charging forward, he jumped above one of the beings and landed a punch on it's face, forcing it into the dirt. He didn't stop there, he kept on punching over and over until the creature finally reduced to ash.

Another corrupted pounced on Toma from behind aiming for his head but he dodged the initial strike then grabbed the being before slamming his elbow into its jaw, and followed up with a brutal knee to its ribs but this one didn't fall.

"These bastards don’t die easy!" Toma said.

On the other side of the grounds, rei swung his blade, slicing one of the corrupted's leg. But the monster grabbed his arm mid motion and flung him through the air and into a tree.

Meanwhile, kaito sliced across a corrupted's chest half expecting it to fall but it didn't, Instead the creature let out another screech and swung its claws at him.

"What the hell are they made of?!" Kaito shouted as he moved out of the way.

On the other hand Rin moved quick, her blades danced through the air, two quick slashes, a spin, and a precise slice to the neck then it crumbled to ash, She moved on to another following up with a continuous barrage of slashes and the creature turned to dust.

"We have to change our strategy, single hits won't work, hit them with continuous strikes!," Rin said, exhaling sharply.

The team adjusted instantly. Kaito and Shiro moved in sync, one drawing the attention while the other delivered the strike. Toma slid his bladed knucklebusters over his fists as he fought another, Rei covered him more cautiously now, stepping in when needed.

Sweat, dirt, and blood covered the squad as exhaustion began to catch up, Kaito’s arm trembled from the constant impact of clashing his blade against their claws. He blocked a heavy swipe, but the force was enough to send him crashing down to one knee.

"This is becoming a serious pain!"

Kaito saw an opening and sliced through it's chest. This time, it finally shattered into ash. Next to him, Toma finished off the last of the corrupted hoard with a crushing uppercut.

Rin stood still, steadying her breath. "It's... over."

Silence slowly returned to the ridge. The only sound left was the ragged, exhausted breathing of the five of them.

They regrouped in the center of the destruction. The ground was littered with black ash. Everyone was bruised and cut, barely able to stand. Shiro stood holding his wounded shoulder.

He looked over at Rei. "Well, that was fun."

Rei didn't answer. He just looked away, his usual cocky attitude nowhere to be found.

"I took down six of those guys," Toma said, forcing a smile. "But hey, who’s counting?"

A weak, tired chuckle broke the tension. Rin crouched down near one of the scorch marks on the floor. Her expression shifted as realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

"Hey, guys..." she said quietly.

"What?" Kaito asked, looking over.

Rin looked back at them, her face pale. "Didn't the report say the corrupted being terrorizing this ridge... had claws that seemed to be on fire? Heated claws,

"What's your point?" Shiro asked.

"Out of the fifteen we just fought," Rin said, her voice trembling. "Not one of them fits the description. So if it wasn't part of those fifteen..."

The squad went dead still.

"Then that means--" The squad took a stance as they prepared themselves 

From beneath the shadows of the corpses, a new figure crawled out. As it stepped into the moonlight, its claws glowed molten red.

Kaito stared at it, his grip tightening on his sword. "...You can't be serious."

Fear flickered in their eyes as they tried to shake off their injuries, tightening their grips for a fight they weren't ready for.

The heated claw fully emerged from the shadow. Its presence felt heavier, more suffocating. Shiro gritted his teeth and forced himself up, the rest of the squad followed his lead. They were wounded, bleeding, and exhausted, but they weren't backing down yet.

The corrupted let out a deafening roar that shook the trees, and then it lunged. The squad moved at the same time, meeting the charge head on.

Rin was the first to reach it, she went immediately for the kill aiming for its neck but the creature was faster than its size suggested, It swung it's arm foward catching Rin mid motion and slamming her back. She hit the ground hard, coughing up blood, Rei and Toma tried to team up, moving in from both sides to overwhelm it but they never got the chance, it swiped at them with it's tail knocking them both off their feet. They went down hard, sliding across the dirt. 

Shiro dodged a lethal slash and jumped over a tail swipe, landing in a perfect position for a clear shot. He gripped his  blade, preparing to deliver a finishing blow, but his wounded shoulder flared up as pain ran through his body, He gave it everything he had, trying to force the blade through, but the corrupted didn't even bother to dodge. It swung its claw, sending Shiro flying back until he crashed violently into a tree.

Only Kaito was left standing.

He gripped his blade so tight his knuckles turned white. His heart was hammering against his ribs, but he moved in. He didn't have a choice.

The creature’s heated claw clashed against Kaito’s steel. The force was overwhelming. In the struggle, one of the molten claws sliced deep into Kaito’s side. He let out a strangled cry as the extreme heat of the wound seared his flesh, the pain far worse than any normal blade.

Kaito fell back, barely able to stay on his feet. He was beaten, his body screaming at him to stop, but he stood his ground on nothing but pure will.

The corrupted loomed over him, it's jaws opening wide to finish him off. Kaito stared up at death.

Suddenly, a flash of brilliant red light tore across the ridge.

It happened so fast the eye could barely track it. In a single heartbeat, the massive monster was shredded, it's body disintegrating into a cloud of black ash.

The silence that followed was heavy, A figure appeared from the shadows, calmly sheathing a blade with a sharp click. The stranger walked toward Kaito’s collapsed body and knelt down, holding him steady.

"You did good," the stranger said quietly.

Everything went dark.