One piece: Without a system, I have to survive!

The ruins trembled beneath our feet as we launched ourselves toward the Forsaken King. The ancient warrior stood motionless for a moment, as if judging our resolve, before its burning blue eyes flared with renewed intensity.

Then, it moved.

The king swung its massive sword in a sweeping arc, cutting through the air with terrifying speed. The sheer force of the swing split the ground apart, sending a violent shockwave that sent debris flying in every direction.

I barely managed to twist my body mid-air, narrowly avoiding being cleaved in half. Shira, her reflexes razor-sharp, ducked low and rolled forward, closing the distance between her and the colossal entity. Vex, always one step ahead, had already vanished into the shadows, reappearing behind the king with his daggers poised to strike.

"Now!" I shouted.

Shira leaped, her sword igniting with energy as she brought it down toward the king's chest. Vex followed, aiming for the exposed joints in its ancient armor.

The king, however, was not so easily overwhelmed.

With unnatural speed, it blocked both of their attacks—raising its gauntlet to parry Shira's strike while twisting its torso to evade Vex's blades. The impact sent sparks flying, and a deep, hollow laugh echoed from within its skeletal frame.

"Is this all the fire your souls can muster?"

A pulse of dark energy erupted from the king's body, sending all of us hurtling backward. I crashed against a fallen pillar, pain jolting through my spine as I struggled to regain my breath.

I gritted my teeth. This wasn't working.

We needed a different approach.

I looked around, searching for something—anything—that could give us an edge. That's when I noticed the glowing runes engraved into the ruins surrounding us. They pulsed faintly, in sync with the king's movements.

Could these ruins be fueling it?

I shouted to Shira and Vex. "The runes! They're connected to it somehow!"

Vex wiped blood from his lip and grinned. "Then let's break them."

Shira nodded, already moving. "I'll keep it busy."

She dashed forward, her sword ablaze with power. The king turned toward her, raising its blade to strike, but I didn't wait to see what happened next.

I sprinted toward the nearest rune, drawing my weapon. If we were going to take this monster down, we had to sever its connection to this place.

And we had to do it fast.