The spiral staircase creaked beneath their boots as Kane's team descended deeper than ever before. The oppressive darkness thickened with each step, torches along the wall burning with greenish flame, as if mocking their approach.
Unlike the earlier floors, there was no scattered growl or rustle of lurking monsters. Here, silence reigned—the kind of silence that pressed against the chest, waiting to explode.
At last, the staircase ended.
They stepped into a cavern so vast it might as well have been an underground coliseum. The ceiling rose into shadow, jagged stalactites dripping faint moisture into pools below. In the center, a bonfire of black flame roared, illuminating the monstrous figures waiting for them.
The first was a hulking goblin twice the size of any Hobgoblin they had fought. Its skin was dark green and crisscrossed with scars, tusks jutting from its jaw. In its hands rested a massive, rune-carved glaive that pulsed with crimson light. The Goblin Chieftain.
Beside him prowled a wolf of nightmare size, its fur like iron and eyes glowing with savage intelligence. Its very breath misted the air with killing intent. The Wolf Alpha Lord.
Both turned their gazes on the intruders. The cavern trembled as though the earth itself recognized the arrival of predators far beyond balance.
Then the system flared:
[Final Boss Arena Activated – Floor 6]
Objective: Defeat the Goblin Chieftain and Wolf Alpha Lord.
Failure Condition: Total party wipe. Escape disabled.
Kane exhaled slowly, forcing his voice into the iron calm of a commander.
"We split. The Wolf will be faster—its mobility will tear us apart if we try to face both at once."
He pointed his axe toward the towering goblin.
"I'll take the Goblin Chieftain with our mage. Its strength is brute force, not speed. I can hold it, and the mage's fire can crack its guard."
He turned toward Elysia, the twins, and Reina.
"You'll handle the Wolf. Elysia, your aegis will keep Reina safe. Twins—coordinate your barrage spells with her spear. Fighters, divide—half reinforce Kane, half with Elysia."
The fighters nodded grimly, already checking weapons and shields.
"And the toys?" one asked.
At that moment, the ground rumbled. The toy soldiers began to glow with faint silver light, their wooden frames stretching and reshaping until they reached half the size of grown men. Their eyes gleamed brighter, their crude weapons reforging into something sharper under the influence of Reina's aura.
Even Rabbit and the bulky Robot expanded slightly, their presence heavier, more imposing.
Reina clapped her hands, eyes sparkling despite the tension. "They're big now! Like real knights!"
Kane allowed himself the smallest smile. "Then they'll fight as knights today."
The Goblin Chieftain slammed the butt of its glaive into the stone floor, the impact cracking the ground in spiderweb patterns. The Wolf Alpha Lord released a bone-shaking howl, echoing through the cavern.
Both bosses charged at once.
Kane raised his axe and roared, activating [War Cry], his voice a thunderclap that steeled his allies' hearts.
The battlefield was divided.The strategy was set.But the outcome… hung on the edge of a blade.
The bosses struck first.
The Goblin Chieftain lunged forward with terrifying force, its glaive sweeping down in a wide arc that split the cavern floor. Kane planted his feet, both hands gripping his axe. Sparks exploded as steel met steel, the impact so fierce it nearly wrenched his weapon away.
"Not today!" Kane snarled, twisting with sheer muscle and letting [Iron Will] reinforce his stance. The shockwave rattled his bones, but he held firm.
The goblin's glowing red eyes narrowed, tusks gnashing as it pressed harder. Kane answered with a surge of strength, axe teeth grinding against the glaive until he broke away and countered with a vicious swing.
The Chieftain barely shifted aside—the strike tearing open its shoulder with a spray of black blood.
The duel had begun. Brutal. Direct. Every blow loud enough to shake the cavern.
On the Other Side – The Wolf's Charge
The Wolf Alpha Lord launched itself like a shadow, claws raking across stone. Its target: Reina.
But before it could close the distance, a blur intercepted—Rabbit.
The oversized wooden toy slammed into the wolf head-on, both beings moving faster than the eye could follow. The collision cracked like thunder, a shockwave whipping dust and debris around them.
The wolf snarled, jaws snapping toward Rabbit's throat, but the toy sprang sideways with impossible agility, countering with a [Leaping Crash], its newfound ability. Rabbit struck the wolf's ribs, forcing it to skid across the cavern wall.
"Go, Rabbit!" Reina shouted, fists clenched, her voice trembling yet full of desperate courage.
Elysia planted herself before Reina, spear in hand, radiant wings unfolding. [Lunar Aegis] shimmered around the girl, forming a protective barrier.
The Wolf Alpha Lord rose again, its growl deeper now, hackles raised in genuine recognition of an opponent. This was no longer prey—it had met a rival.
On command, the twins lifted their staves. Their eyes glowed faintly as they chanted in unison.
"[Fireball Barrage]!"
Magic circles ignited above, spitting out orbs of flame. Under Kane's [War Cry], their power surged, each fireball roaring hotter than before. They streaked through the cavern, slamming into the wolf's flank. The Alpha snarled, fur sizzling, but its immense vitality kept it standing.
Elysia seized the opening, lunging forward with [Spear of Dawnbreak]. The radiant spear tore through the smoke and punctured the beast's shoulder. It howled, staggering back—only for Robot to step up with its new ability.
A shimmering shield field expanded outward, intercepting the wolf's retaliatory claw strike. Sparks of force rippled across the barrier as Robot's heavy frame absorbed the impact.
Reina's army—her toys—were truly fighting as her protectors now.
Meanwhile, Kane's duel with the Chieftain escalated into a clash of wills.
The goblin swung in sweeping arcs, forcing Kane to block again and again. Every strike carried crushing force. But Kane wasn't just fighting—he was commanding the flow.
"Push harder! Don't let them regroup!" Kane bellowed, his [Warlord's Command] echoing through the cavern. His words weren't just shouts—they carried power, boosting the strength and morale of his allies.
The Chieftain snarled at the distraction and jabbed its glaive like a spear. Kane twisted, letting the weapon scrape across his armor instead of piercing his chest. He countered immediately, activating [Warlord's Wrath].
His axe flared with warlike energy, cleaving downward. The strike carved a gash from the goblin's chest to hip, black ichor spraying as the Chieftain staggered.
Still, it roared defiantly, glaive spinning back into place. This was only the beginning.
The cavern was a storm of chaos—fireballs exploding, toys clashing, wolves snarling, goblins roaring, and Kane's battle cries echoing through the darkness.
But despite the danger, one truth began to take shape.
This was no longer a desperate struggle for survival.
This was a war, and Kane Wylder—the Warlord—was its commander.