Heavy ringing footsteps tolled through the snowy landscape.

Asahi, Primrose, Ignatius, Grandpa, Trid, and Stone-faced Stephen sat and saddled on Ames, running from the incoming threat. For such a size, it was not expected to run this quickly. It was almost as if the creature were a wolf, opening its delusional maw and swallowing and devouring them fully. Asahi clenched tightly onto Ames's black ears as the whole group sat on the giant kitten, taking them up the icy slopes. Then, given a brief time, they dismounted the kitten and stood at a flame spire blazing through the impenetrable ice.

"Looks like we are far from it now," Primrose said, feeling the wind blow against her face.

Asahi, covering his glowing eye, stared right at the beast. It moved like a turtle, but each step made a dent in the earth. Snow powder got in his eyes, but that did not make him falter. Instead, it motivated him, as he burned through the smoke and stepped near the end of the cliff. As Trid and everyone else gathered at the edge of the slope, Grandpa spoke.

"You know it's weird that we lost the damn carriage that took us here." He said. "Look how much we have to pay for a damn ride now. Unbelievable, damn it."

"Grandpa, it isn't that much. Our lives are worth more than that piece of junk." Primrose spoke without thinking.

Asahi, taken aback by her response, closed his hand on his sword and clutched it fully. He couldn't tell Primrose, Trid, or Grandpa about their fate. If he needed to find a way to extract the Orb's fragments, now would have been an amazing time to do so. In the end, they decided to fight the titanic beast, furrowing their brows and brandishing their swords.

"If we need to stop it..." Ignatius ignited flame in her palms. "...we have to reach its heart."

"And where exactly are we supposed to find the heart?" Primrose asked.

Ignatius, as she pointed her flame-filled finger at the middle citadel atop the beast, replied to the pink-haired maiden.

"Deep in the citadel, one must 'explore' the beast. Then, when you find the core, it will transform back into a castle."

"Easier said than done," Asahi warned, clutching onto his blade. There, feeling the faint ripples of memories battling a war inside his head, he watched as a snowstorm engulfed the land. Ignatius lit up a bonfire with her hands, then unleashed it, paving a way through the darkness.

"The sun is awfully cloudy now..." She said, with orange hair flying in the white snow. "... I suggest sitting on the very top of the castle."

As Ames molded back into a fluffy scapular, Asahi, Trid, and...

"Don't forget about me!"

"Nope. Get behind me." Asahi interrupted, pushing Primrose to the side. "I don't want you to get hurt, that's the whole reason why I didn't choose you in the first place.

After sparking up a debate, the three, Asahi, Trid, and... Primrose... decided to dismount Ames and start climbing the speedy giant.

. . .

The problem?

It's too steep.

No matter what they did, they had fallen into a trap.

The creature was too fast for its size, moving back and forth, crumbling and shaking the earth. Asahi, Trid, and Primrose then sat next to the bonfire, pondering what to do, while Ignatius, Grandpa, and Stone-faced Stephen approached the creature.

"Ugh, I can't get up, damn it!"

Grandpa had struggled climbing the beast itself.

The castle beast seemed to crawl like a spider, moving exceptionally fast, as if in some sort of nightmare. The question that arose was... "How was such a creature made in the first place? What is its purpose?"

Nothing but silence answered his curiosity.

After running around, the creature lowered its back and panted heavily. True, even if they were speedy, they had to be exhausted at some point. If now was the chance, he would take it instantly. And so, he had done just that. Asahi, Trid, and Primrose hopped onto the rightmost leg of the beast, then climbed the wooden stakes attached to the Walking Citadel. Even skeletons were involved, raiding and breaking the bonfire. But they have already climbed too far.

As Asahi felt the crisp, cold air sheltered in the walls of the speedy citadel monster, he grabbed Trid and Primrose, then launched them over the side. Now, they had to reach the stairs. With each slippery movement, they lumbered at the entrance of the Sprinting Citadel, feeling the earth shake from the beast's rapid movements. Then, entering, they saw Stone-faced Stephen holding onto his molten moon shard and hammer, ready to blast this place into smithereens.

Asahi then slipped down the ladder and felt the citadel chug and move. The windows emitted a faint, dim light from the shrouded sun as the beast zipped back and forth, tossing everyone inside in a rapid, nauseating motion, like juggling balls. Luckily enough, Asahi reached the central core. It seemed to be a giant glass orb, merged with what seemed to be roots. A fascinating specimen of the mix. Unlike anything he saw before. Before he could hit it, a recollection flashed in his glowing eye.

. . .

Thousands of these swift, nimble creatures sprawled back and forth, terrorizing and eating all the people. With their swift speed and pretty much impenetrable surface, it was absolute anarchy for the world of Gincad. But what truly made them unique was the 'citadels' that mimic actual places. It's not just citadels that these slug-like beings can morph into. It could be houses, using memories of those they devoured as a source. These creatures were called Mimic Sprinters.

. . .

As the memories faded, he wondered what happened to these Mimic Sprinters. Not out of love for them, but out of genuine curiosity. Yet, Asahi wouldn't receive this answer, not even with Paxon's eye. Knowing that many are behind his back, Asahi, with his metal fist, threw a socking punch and shattered the bulging orb. Asahi, feeling a sudden wave of nostalgia press on him, began wrenching at...

... the pulsating heart of Alaunus. It was just like the time they went inside the throat of the beast, shattering it by targeting its heart; this very metaphor resembled that event. As his eyes flash back to the present, suddenly, the entire citadel...

(THUMP)

Collapsed onto the ground. Ignatius raced outside with Stone-faced Stephen and Grandpa, while Primrose, Trid, and Asahi celebrated their victory. After all that turmoil of getting here and fighting the beast, now all they had to do was...

(FLEW)

Suddenly, from above, a girl with dark hair and hot pink eyes invaded the scene, grabbing the bounty object and stealing it from their grasp.

'Asahi gritted his teeth in rage, remembering the massacres that were caused by her. Those corpses, those lines, everything came right back haunting him.

'With a satisfied smile, the young woman unleashed a storm of knives, hitting each and every one of them, not speaking a word until she reached the entrance.

She spoke with a rapid, taunting cadence.

"Thanks to you fools for beating the Sprinting Citadel, I am now free to do whatever I please." This woman, evil and unthoughtful, was none other than...

"Kika."

. . .

Stone-faced Stephen hurled his hammer at the pillars, sending the ceiling crashing down toward Kika.

Asahi, Primrose, and Trid scrambled aside, opening a path for Stephen's attack. Kika danced through the mayhem, dodging hammer swings and tumbling debris. Her grin sharpened as she hurled knives that ricocheted off stone, each one landing with unnerving precision.

Though immortal, Primrose shrank back, fear flickering in her eyes. Kika's assault reignited Asahi's resolve. If he hoped to save Primrose, Trid, and Grandpa, he had to win now. He could not always depend on Ames; sometimes, he would have to stand alone. And that's exactly what he did.

Instead of running away, Asahi used this chance to 'use' Paxon's eye. Grandpa dodged and picked up his wooden blade, clattering on the figure, before slicing through the snow. Then, Kika grabbed a shockwave canister and tossed it at the ground, impelling off the deceased Mimic Sprinter. She sprinted, but just before she could get away.

Asahi KICKED the girl back, shoving his feet at her stomach and pushing her down to the floor. He then squinted at her and punched her face once more, forcing her to bleed. Then another push, and then a shove down the cold floor.

There had not been this much hatred in Asahi for a long time.

But thinking of being responsible for all the massacres happening in the previous loop, it was well-deserved.

(SLAM)

(SLAM)

(SLAM)

Asahi kicked, and punched, and thrusted, until not even blood could be spilled anymore. Primrose, Trid, and Grandpa all stared in terror as Asahi humiliated Kika with hate, truly feeling the taste of vengeance.

"Asahi!" She screamed at him as he kicked.

"Asahi, you can..."

"That's what you deserve." He said, clenching his fists, spitting at her. "For killing all the people I love. For the turmoil you put me through."

Kika, breathing heavily, her nose bleeding on the surface of the stone, couldn't understand Asahi since she had never done these things in THIS loop. But this was his moment. Vengeance can sometimes be bittersweet.

After... (SLAM) After they.... (SLAM) After he finally stopped, he signaled Primrose and the rest and left Kika lifeless on the floor, clenching his teeth and... (SLAM). This was his two-hundred-seventeenth time kicking Kika. He thought she had died. But even after, as they left with the ball from the Sprinting Citadel, Kika angrily thrusted and screamed.

"When.... when I come back... you will..." She was already too late. They had left with her prize. "...you WILL regret it!"

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