Hermione practically sprinted through the hellscape created by the grenade explosions, covering her nose and mouth with grim determination as she charged forward without looking back.
For a fifteen-year-old girl, such carnage remained deeply disturbing.
But before Glenn could catch up, she came racing back, still shielding her face.
"The dark wizards have ignited the passage exit and they're shooting arrows from outside—impossible to approach!"
Even as she spoke, Hermione twisted to dodge an incoming arrow, dropping into a crouch to lay down suppressive fire toward the blocked exit.
"Then we continue the bombardment."
Glenn ruthlessly produced several more fragmentation grenades, immediately hurling them at the dark wizards barricading the passage.
Illuminated by firelight, the guards instantly spotted the incoming projectiles and raised weapons defensively.
The result was predictable.
The grenades, violently impacted, detonated directly in their faces. Explosive shockwaves launched the dark wizards like human fountains, hurling them through the air.
"We advance."
"Right!"
The exit now lay clear, and mere flames posed no immediate threat. Holding their breath, Glenn and Hermione broke into full sprint, using wall leverage to run sideways several steps before leaping, protecting themselves mid-air as they burst through fire and smoke with athletic grace.
Landing in combat rolls to absorb impact, both immediately assumed crouched firing positions. The dark wizards scattered by blast waves remained dazed and disoriented—under the pair's lightning efficiency, they possessed no opportunity for resistance before consciousness faded into darkness.
"The magical creatures should be inside this cavern. We enter—expect remaining hostiles. Stay alert."
Ammunition expended, Glenn executed a tactical reload and chambered a round, taking point as they advanced rapidly. Hermione maintained close formation behind.
Penetrating deeper into the cave, candlelight flickering from wall sconces revealed stacks of blood-stained cages in various sizes scattered throughout Glenn and Hermione's field of vision.
Within those prisons, diverse magical creatures remained individually confined. Despite grievous wounds, they continued ramming their exhausted bodies against the bars imprisoning their freedom, creating metallic clanging that echoed through stone chambers.
These captive magical beings were uniformly small—many clearly juveniles, roaring with voices grown weak from suffering, dried blood matting their fur.
Before the cages sat vat after vat of thick crimson liquid. Given the overwhelming metallic stench saturating the entire space, the contents required no explanation.
Through Hermione's pale skin, veins stood prominent beneath hands gripping her weapon, yet she refused to surrender reason to the fury blazing in her heart.
Moving in perfect synchronization, they entered the cavern space and pivoted simultaneously, positioning back-to-back with weapons trained on opposite sides.
Predictably, the dark wizards absent from immediate view lurked within entrance blind spots, faces twisted in predatory anticipation.
Instead they encountered an enraged lioness and a mercilessly cold serpent.
Triggers squeezed in unison, Glenn and Hermione opened coordinated fire. Despite defensive weapons, under the torrential assault of thirty modern rounds, the dark wizards launching their ambush couldn't avoid collapse and incapacitation.
Bullets punctured flesh with wet hissing as bodies crashed heavily groundward.
However, because all cave personnel had concentrated for the surprise attack, rear-positioned dark wizards gained momentary reprieve behind fallen comrades. One hurled a throwing axe directly at Glenn.
With Hermione positioned behind him, evasion was impossible. Making instantaneous decision, he raised his assault rifle horizontally, intercepting the heavy blade with brute force.
Fortunately, Glenn had employed premium materials during firearm construction—his rifle wasn't bisected by the tremendous impact.
Nevertheless, the weapon suffered significant damage from sharp steel and crushing force, the frame nearly severed completely.
Glenn discarded it without concern, shouldering the shotgun slung across his back.
For close-quarters combat within confined architecture, shotguns represented optimal choice.
Loaded with large-caliber custom buckshot, the magically enhanced weapon Glenn had crafted possessed destructive capability exceeding any mundane firearm.
"BOOM!"
Fire erupted with grenade-level thunder as Glenn squeezed the trigger. Pellet spray burst from the muzzle, transforming the proximate blade-wielder and dark wizard into perforated wreckage, launching them backward.
Moreover, Glenn's shotgun featured magazine feeding—enabling sustained assault until ammunition depletion.
"Position switch!"
Hermione's voice reached his ear. Glenn immediately sidestepped and extended his arm, unleashing shotgun devastation without hesitation, obliterating an enemy approaching Hermione.
"Ding!"
Sharp metallic collision rang beside his ear. Glenn glanced sideways—Hermione had raised her rifle stock vertically before her face while a silver needle clinked to stone.
Hair-raising realization flooded his consciousness. Glenn immediately tackled Hermione, dragging her toward the entrance while deploying a flashbang beneath them.
Bone-chilling metallic percussion continued relentlessly until soft detonation and solar-bright radiance silenced the projectile storm, replaced by involuntary screams from blinded dark wizards.
Against first encounters, Glenn's advanced weaponry consistently proved devastatingly effective.
But only during initial surprise—these cunning adversaries wouldn't succumb to identical tactics twice.
Fortunately, Glenn had no intention of granting second opportunities.
Complete elimination—zero surviving threats—remained his unwavering operational doctrine.
Following flashbang effectiveness, Glenn instantly sprang upright, vaulting into the cavern. Drawing his sidearm, he immediately acquired targeting solutions on distant dark wizards covering their eyes after launching projectiles.
Then emptied the magazine.
Craniums exploded, decapitated corpses toppled—threat neutralized.
Executing lateral slide, he evaded a heavy sword strike from a rear dark wizard fighting blind through audio positioning. Glenn's shotgun discharged repeatedly, terminating the attacker. Powering upward, he retreated and leaped before stomping downward, pinning an incoming whip beneath his boot. Yanking rearward, he jerked the whip-wielder stumbling forward within reach.
Glenn then employed the shotgun stock to pulverize the dark wizard's dentition before inserting the barrel into his oral cavity.
Subsequently depressed the trigger.
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