The Rising Heroes stood alongside the rest of their platoon.
Together... They moved toward the entrance.
And just like the scouts before them, they stepped into the pitch-black darkness.
For a brief moment, they could see nothing.
Then, a blinding light appeared. Everyone covered their eyes. Slowly, their vision returned. And when they finally opened their eyes... They froze.
What stood before them was not what they had expected.
Something unexpected had happened.
The scouts had described the inside of the dungeon as a huge, vast open space.
But what Platoon A-1 was seeing was the complete opposite. They were standing inside a dark, cave-like room. And only the twenty-seven members of their platoon were present. For a few seconds, everyone stood in shock. Then they immediately began inspecting their surroundings.
The Rising Heroes, however, were quick to understand what might have happened.
They had experienced similar situations before.
Adrian stepped forward and took the lead.
"Everyone, listen. Me and the rest of the Rising Heroes have been in situations like this before."
He looked around the dark room.
"And if I'm not wrong... That open field probably does exist somewhere inside this dungeon."
He continued.
"But they have purposely separated everyone. This is their way of challenging us."
He looked toward the path ahead.
"We need to find our way through this dungeon and reach the open field."
A tall and lean man stepped forward.
A cigar rested between his fingers while he held a broad sword in his other hand. The handle of the sword had spikes along its outer side.
He wore a long red and black coat, with a pink shirt underneath.
He released a puff of smoke into the air.
"Is that so?"
He was known as the Fury of the Akari Volcano.
One of the second-in-command members of the Golden Paradox.
Arak.
He looked toward Adrian.
"Then what's our next move?"
Before Adrian could answer, another voice spoke.
"Isn't it obvious?"
A girl with a whimsical and magical aura stepped forward. A large grimoire floated beside her hand.
She wore a jacket with minimal clothing underneath and a mage hat resting on her head. She was the other second-in-command of the Golden Paradox.
Indigo.
She casually pointed ahead.
"We blast our way through until we reach the battlefield."
Arak immediately looked at her.
"Are you stupid? Obviously, we can't do that."
Indigo frowned.
"Tchhh. Why not?"
Adrian stepped between them.
"Indigo, Arak is right. We don't know what kind of traps have been set for us. We can't act on impulse."
His expression became serious.
"We need to be careful."
Indigo pouted. But she remained silent.
Not far from them, they noticed what appeared to be a hole in the wall. It looked like a pathway. With no other choice, they decided to take their chances.
The entire platoon began walking through it.
The path was narrow.
Dark. And seemingly endless.
They continued walking for hours.
Yet the path didn't seem to end.
The frustration slowly began building.
But they continued marching forward.
---
The other platoons that had entered the dungeon faced similar situations. Each platoon had been given its own path. Everyone continued moving forward separately.
Fatigue began building up among some of them.
But they had trained for every possible situation.
So they kept pushing forward.
Some platoons attempted to communicate with one another. But it seemed as though the dungeon walls themselves prevented any form of communication. No signals could pass through. And without communication, there was no way to know what was happening to the other platoons.
Questions began appearing in everyone's minds.
What if they were the only platoon stuck like this?
What if the others had already reached the battlefield?
What if the battle had already begun?
Not everyone was familiar with the enemy's tactics.
Confusion slowly began spreading throughout the army.
A similar situation was occurring in the camps of the Kingdom of Cero and every other kingdom.
Only the leaders who had remained outside the dungeons were able to communicate with one another.
They discussed possibilities. Made assumptions. Considered different theories. But in the end, they decided to wait.
Until someone from inside managed to establish communication, making any immediate decision would be too risky.
---
Back with the Rising Heroes and Platoon A-1... They continued walking.
Hours had passed.
Then finally... They heard something.
Drip. The sound of water dripping echoed faintly from somewhere ahead.
Everyone immediately slowed down.
As they carefully continued forward, another sound reached them.
Panting.
Everyone instinctively prepared themselves.
Weapons were drawn.
Everyone became alert, expecting an ambush at any moment.
They continued moving forward.
Slowly. Carefully.
Until they finally reached another open space.
And there... They found what they had known they would eventually have to face.
The Chimera Beasts.
Around eight Chimera were present inside the enclosure.
The moment they saw them, everyone took their positions.
There were twenty-seven members in Platoon A-1.
Around three or four people would take responsibility for a single Chimera.
At least one member would focus on the offensive, while others would take supporting or medical roles. Everyone quickly locked onto their targets. Sweat began forming on their faces.
The sensation was unmistakable.
Something much bigger had begun.
And this... This was only a small display of what might still be waiting for them.
But Platoon A-1 wasn't the only one.
Sooner or later, every platoon began encountering Chimera Beasts.
Not only throughout the Kingdom of Cero... But inside the dungeons of every kingdom.
Every army. Every platoon. Everyone had finally begun facing the enemy.
And within the darkness of the dungeons... The war had finally begun.