Chapter 31 - Battle Begins
- Two hours later -
Before they entered the dungeon, the thick air, filled with anticipation, surrounded them with its heaviness. The rubble they now stood on was a far cry from the modern buildings they had left behind. Destroyed walls, shattered windows, and the eerie silence of the night surrounded them like a suffocating blanket. The moon was barely visible through the dark clouds, casting everything in a dim, almost ghostly light. The remains of an ancient structure loomed ahead, its destroyed arches forming an entrance to a deeper, more dangerous place.
Zayn, with his dark eyes scanning the horizon, looked at Lucas with a calm yet direct expression. "So, are you ready?" His voice carried a hidden tension, as if every word was weighed down by the inevitable bloodshed.
Lucas was unshaken. He nodded slowly, his dark eyes fixed. "Yes, we are ready."
The team stood before the dungeon's gate, the black stone and ancient construction ominously looming before them. A distant low roar echoed from deep within the dungeon, sending a tremor of unease through the group. But Lucas remained unaffected. He had faced worse before. Much worse. What awaited them was just another test. Another test of strength.
Before stepping through the threshold, Lucas turned to Andre and Darleen, giving them a brief but sharp glance. "Remember," he said calmly, "speak naturally. As you always do. Don't overthink it."
Andre smiled, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Do you think I'm a fool?" he joked, his blonde hair shimmering faintly in the dim light. "I'm ready."
Darleen's eyes, dark and calculating, remained cold. She nodded simply. She was always the quiet one, but Lucas knew she would follow his instructions without question. She didn't need to say much to convey her understanding.
Zayn watched them closely, his face unreadable as always. "Before we enter," he said, in an informal but probing tone, "tell me, what are your classes?"
It was a simple question, one that might seem trivial in another context. But in a place like this, where strength and skill determined survival, every detail mattered. Lucas was the first to answer.
"I'm a fighter," he said steadily, his hands relaxed by his sides but ready to strike at a moment's notice.
Darleen's voice was soft but firm. "Healer."
Andre, always with a smile on his face, nodded quickly. "Fighter."
Zayn nodded at their answers, then turned to face the group. "I'm also a fighter," he said, as if that was all that needed to be said. Fighter. That was his only identity in this world—a man who could wield power, a man who could kill without hesitation. He gestured toward the dungeon gate. "Alright, let's go kill these monsters."
And so, the moment of decision passed. The team entered the dungeon.
Inside the dungeon, the scene was far from what they had expected. The interior revealed a vast, almost unsettling sight: before them stood a massive palace, its dark stone walls rising into the shadows, as if it were a living, breathing entity. A long red carpet stretched before them, leading to an unseen power, and the heart of the palace appeared to be hidden behind a curtain of thick black fog. At least, that's how it appeared at first glance to Lucas.
The guards. There were so many of them. Perhaps hundreds. Their forms were still, like statues, but the tension in the air was palpable. Each guard wore black armor, their weapons at the ready, their postures organized and steady. They stood still, but Lucas knew these weren't just simple statues; these were the first line of defense for the palace. And they would fight to the death.
Zayn looked at them, unaffected but thoughtful. "Hmph," he muttered under his breath. "Guards. Rank B." He sighed and adjusted his black cloak. "Alright, Rin," he said, looking at his partner, "you know what to do."
Rin, the mage, seemed almost bored of standing there, his black gloves gleaming, his posture slightly hunched. His black hair fell over his eyes, but the cold, calm energy radiating from him was undeniable. "Yes, I know," he replied, his voice flat as usual.
The moment Zayn said those words, Rin moved. At a speed that seemed almost supernatural, he rushed toward the guards, his staff crackling with magical energy. He was a mage capable of destroying them from a distance.
But Lucas wasn't going to let Rin steal all the glory. He glanced at Andre, his eyes steady but with a clear command. "Go," Lucas ordered softly.
Andre stared, as though the order had surprised him. "What? Should I just wait until he does everything?"
Zayn immediately overheard the conversation, glancing over his shoulder, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Rin can handle them alone," he said, a hint of authority in his voice.
Lucas smiled faintly, full of mischief. "Don't worry. Andre can handle them alone too."
Zayn stopped, narrowing his eyes as he assessed Andre. "But his rank is only B."
Lucas shrugged. "Hmm. Tell your friend Rin to stop, and you'll see Andre's power."
Zayn pressed his lips into a thin line but sighed, clearly unwilling to argue. "Alright." He turned to Rin, who was about to launch an attack. "Rin, don't go. Andre will handle them."
Rin stared, looking stunned. "What? What are you saying? He's Rank B!"
But before Rin could finish his sentence, Andre had already vanished.
Andre's speed was astonishing. Lucas barely saw his movement before Andre became a blur, his body seeming to slip between cracks in reality. Before anyone could respond, Andre's skill was unleashed.
Light Strikes
Six beams of bright light pierced the air, each one targeting a different guard with deadly precision. The first guard barely had time to comprehend the attack before his body collapsed to the ground, his armor turning into a heap of glowing rubble.
The rest of the guards only stood for a moment, but that moment was all Andre needed. He moved at lightning speed, each strike a phantom of brute force, each hit reinforced by the power of light. His fists connected with flesh and bone, and with each blow, the guards fell faster, their bodies barely able to stay together under the relentless assault.
"Don't stand in my way," Andre muttered through clenched teeth, his voice barely audible over the sounds of battle. His eyes burned with primal hunger, each guard he felled feeding the fire inside him.
Zayn, Rin, and Lucas watched in stunned silence as Andre fought. The guards' attempts to resist the attack were weak at best. No one expected this level of power. Zayn watched with a faint expression of respect on his face.
But Rin was still trying to process the fact that a Rank B fighter could unleash this raw power. "What...?" he muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.
Zayn finally sighed, shaking his head. "Told you," Lucas said, his voice filled with quiet amusement. "This is the result when you underestimate someone."