The sound of a metal door grinding open echoed through the underground chamber.
Revis, still bound by thick adamantite shackles, slowly lifted her head.
Chains rattled faintly as her eyes locked onto the figure stepping inside.
A woman cloaked in shadows entered the room before the door shut behind her with a heavy clang.
She also noticed that the masked woman bore signs of injury, scorch marks etched into the fabric of her robe.
But Revis didn't care.
Her lips curled into a thin, impatient line.
"It's about time you came... now get me out of here."
She said coldly, her voice hoarse but brimming with restrained fury.
The masked woman didn't respond.
Her gaze drifted downward instead... settling on the intricate magic circle etched into the floor.
Without hesitation, the woman raised her sword.
A single, clean slash.
The blade passed through the air... and through the magic circle... as if cutting through paper.
The runes flickered violently, cracked apart, and then vanished, dissolving into motes of light that scattered and faded into nothingness.
In the very next second, the masked woman reached into her robe and pulled out a small glass bottle filled with a viscous green liquid.
Acid from a Virga.
A substance harvested from one of the irregular monsters they had cultivated... powerful enough to corrode even the hardest metals.
She uncorked it and poured the liquid over the adamantite chains binding Revis.
The reaction was immediate.
HSSSSSS—
The metal hissed violently as it began to melt, bubbling and warping like wax left in a flame.
The smell of burning metal filled the room, acrid and sharp.
When the shackles weakened enough, Revis didn't wait.
With a violent jerk of her arms, she tore herself free.
CRACK—!
The remaining restraints shattered apart, metal fragments exploding outward and clattering across the stone floor.
The room trembled, dust cascading from the ceiling, but neither of them paid it any mind as Revis began stretching her body after being restrained for far too long.
She opened and closed her hands slowly, testing the sensation in her fingers.
There was a faint sluggishness—subtle, but unmistakable.
Even though her external injuries had been completely restored, she could tell that her body hadn't fully recovered.
Which meant she couldn't operate at her true strength.
'That little black-haired shit...'
Her thoughts drifted to Judas, and her expression twisted with hatred.
'One day, I'll cut off your limbs and make you taste despair.'
She carved that promise into her heart.
If there were a contest for who despised Judas the most, Revis would've fought Horn for first place without hesitation.
"Did you manage to get the jewel fetus?"
Revis asked, her sharp eyes shifting toward the masked woman.
Without a word, the woman reached into her robes and pulled out a shining green orb.
"Good... now let's get out of this hellhole."
The moment those words left Revis' mouth, the air around her shifted.
She drew in a short breath, muscles coiling beneath her skin as she clenched her fist.
With a snarl, she drove her punch straight upward.
BOOM!
The impact detonated like a siege weapon going off indoors.
A thunderous shockwave ripped through the chamber as the ceiling fractured outward, the entire room shaking violently as chunks of stone and debris crashed to the floor in a thick cloud of dust.
When the dust finally cleared, the damage was undeniable.
Even with her strength somewhat diminished, Revis had still unleashed power befitting a Level 6.
A gaping hole had been torn open above them... one that led straight to the first floor of the manor.
Neither of them said anything more.
Without hesitation, they leapt upward through the opening.
But the instant they passed through...
Their instincts screamed in unison.
Danger.
Something was waiting for them on the other side.
"Gotcha!"
A rough voice reached their ears.
The instant they turned their heads, Gareth was already there... his axe sweeping in a brutal horizontal arc.
"Shit!"
Revis twisted her body mid-air, the flat of Gareth's axe grazing past her chest instead of cleaving straight through it.
The masked woman wasn't as lucky.
She crossed her arms just in time, the axe slamming into her guard and hurling her straight through a stone pillar.
The impact pulverized it, rubble exploding outward as her body crashed through and skidded across the floor.
"Tch."
Revis landed in a crouch, fingers scraping against the floor as she steadied herself.
"You again... dwarf."
She lifted her gaze, eyes narrowing as they locked onto Gareth.
"When your lass friend blocked the only way in, I figured you two had to come out somehow. I used my old noggin and guessed where you'd pop out.""
Gareth spoke, stepping forward as his boots crunched over debris.
His axe rested casually on his shoulder, despite the crushing pressure rolling off him.
"It was a gamble... but it paid off."
Behind Revis, the masked woman rose from the rubble, brushing dust from her robe.
Fresh cracks spider-webbed across her mask.
Gareth glanced around at the destruction left in their wake.
"Well... I can't have my home gettin' any more damaged than this," he said calmly.
"We'll take this outside."
He dropped into a low crouch, one massive hand planting firmly against the ground.
"I know both of you are strong."
He continued, voice steady and resolute.
"So I'm goin' all out from the start."
His muscles swelled and tightened, veins standing out as his clothes strained... and began to tear.
Then he charged.
Like an enraged bull unleashed.
Within Gareth's status lay two skills:
[Dvergr Enhance]
A skill that drastically raises his Strength stat.
[Ardigalea]
A skill that greatly amplifies his Endurance stat.
When activated together, they formed a terrifying synergy... transforming his already monstrous physique into a living siege engine that crushed anything in its path.
And now, facing the enemies before him, Gareth had truly unleashed everything.
It was a simple tackle, nothing too flashy.
Yet to Revis and the masked woman, it felt as though Gareth had become an immovable wall and an unstoppable force at the same time.
'There's so much power in just a single charge...'
A bead of sweat slid down Revis' cheek.
As a dwarf, Gareth already possessed an abnormally tough and durable body.
Even before obtaining his falna, Gareth developed a high degree of strength well above that of other Dwarves... so overwhelming that he could send Level 1 adventurers flying with a single punch.
Among the Loki Familia, his strength was unmatched.
The strongest fist.
The most unbreakable shield.
This was Gareth Landrock, also known as Elgarm.
'How do I stop this?'
Revis' mind raced.
Dodge?
Deflect?
'Impossible.'
'That thing can't be stopped.'
They felt it instinctively.
Collision was inevitable.
There was only one option left.
Revis and the masked woman braced themselves.
Gareth slammed into them like a living catastrophe.
BOOOOOOM—!!
The impact was deafening.
A violent shockwave tore outward as the floor beneath them collapsed, unable to withstand the force.
Revis felt it before she could react.
Her guard came up a heartbeat too late.
"—GH!!"
The blow crushed into her torso, pulverizing the air from her lungs as her body folded around the impact.
In the next instant, both Revis and the masked woman were ripped from their footing... sent flying backward and blasted straight through the window.
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