The wind howled through the ruined courtyard as Ranold, Mathias, and Ralphina stood face to face with the human-type sorcerer mana beast.
Its crimson eyes gleamed with twisted intelligence, and dark glyphs glowed across its body like veins of molten shadow.
With a cold smirk, it raised its hands, and from circles of corrupted mana that erupted across the ground, bestial knights,warped suits of armor with beast skulls for helmets,emerged one after another, their roars echoing like the cries of tortured souls.
"Stay sharp," Ranold muttered, his voice low as his palms began to seep black mist. "This one's using summoning magic beyond human control."
Mathias swung his staff forward, blue chains of ethereal light spiraling outward as he invoked his Cage of Dominion spell.
The glowing barriers shot toward the sorcerer,but each time they neared, one of the bestial knights intercepted, shattering the construct with a thunderous crash.
Ralphina clenched her fists, her green eyes flashing. "They're covering for him! Ranold, open a gap!"
Ranold raised both arms, channeling the darkness around them into a dense surge. Black tendrils of mana burst from beneath the earth, sweeping through the battlefield like serpents.
Several of the knights were thrown aside, their armor clattering as they were devoured by the void-born magic.
"Now, Mathias!" Ranold shouted.
Mathias spun, reforming the luminous cage and sending it crashing down toward the sorcerer again,but the creature snarled, shattering it with a pulse of pure mana, the impact throwing Mathias backward. "Damn it! He keeps reading my rhythm!"
Before the sorcerer could retaliate, Ralphina pressed her palm to the ground.
The soil pulsed dark green as shadowy vines and petals of midnight bloom emerged, wrapping around the area like a cocoon. "You'll lose your sight for a moment, monster," she whispered.
The concealment field spread, cloaking their presence. Inside the veil, only flickers of movement could be seen.
The sorcerer hissed, scanning the darkness,just as Ranold emerged behind him, eyes gleaming with a cold, focused fury.
With a swift, silent motion, he whispered, "Fade into oblivion," and his blade, forged of condensed shadow, cut clean through the sorcerer's neck.
The mana beast's head fell, its body dissolving into wisps of smoke. The bestial knights collapsed instantly, their armor crumbling to dust.
Ranold exhaled, glancing at Ralphina and Mathias. "Good work. Now the path ahead should be clear."
Ralphina brushed the dirt off her hands. "Then let's hope the others are making progress."
—
Inside the fortress of the dungeon boss, the air was thick with malice and heat. Venus, Bayle, and Darel stepped through the towering doors, their boots echoing on the obsidian floor.
At the far end of the hall sat a General-like human mana beast, towering and regal, clad in ancient black armor etched with glowing runes.
His posture was calm, almost kingly, as he rested one hand on the massive blade beside his throne.
His voice, deep and resonant, filled the chamber. "So… the intruders finally arrive."
Venus tightened hisgrip on his twin blades, blood from the earlier battle still drying on his armor. "We're not here to talk."
The General rose from his throne, the ground trembling beneath his steps. "Good. Neither am I."
The fortress darkened, and the final battle was about to begin.
---
The ruined courtyard trembled under a surge of mana as Ranold, Mathias, and Ralphina confronted the human-type sorcerer mana beast.
Its humanoid frame was cloaked in torn robes that rippled like smoke, the veins across its pale skin pulsing with red light.
A crooked smile stretched across its face as it lifted its hand, conjuring dark glyphs that burst open with a hiss.
From the burning circles, bestial knights crawled out,armored horrors with wolf-like skulls and clawed gauntlets, growling as they surrounded the trio.
Ranold's eyes narrowed. "A summoner-type. Figures,Just then he has a little headache like he had said or seen the exact thing at one point "
He slammed his palm to the ground, and dark energy spiraled outward. Black mist surged up, forming a narrow corridor through the encroaching beasts.
After some time of thinking he laughs "I have seen this before then so be it we will just eliminate you again"he said to himself "Mathias,your opening!"
Mathias nodded sharply, spinning his staff as silver chains of light erupted from its core. "Cage of Dominion!" he roared, sending the chains darting through the mist toward the sorcerer.
The first attempt was blocked instantly,one of the bestial knights leapt in front of the spell, shattering into smoke but breaking the formation.
The second cage failed too, crushed under the weight of the sorcerer's counter pulse,a wave of crimson energy that bent the air around them.
"Persistent little insect," the sorcerer hissed. "Let me return the favor."
Before Mathias could recast, the creature vanished in a flicker of red light and appeared right before him.
The ground cracked under its sudden arrival. Its hand, wreathed in black mana, grabbed Mathias by the chest and slammed him into the stone wall.
Ranold shouted, "Mathias!" and sent a volley of shadow bolts, but the sorcerer moved faster than the eye could follow.
With a grin of pure malice, it stomped downward, its heel crushing into Mathias's leg with a sickening snap.
Mathias screamed, pain tearing through his body as his leg twisted unnaturally beneath him.
"Such fragile bones," the creature mocked, pressing harder. "You mortals always think you can bind what you don't understand."
Mathias begins to have less faith in actually been able to defeat the beast.
Ralphina's eyes flared in fury. "Get away from him!"
Her hands glowed dark green, and vines made of shadow and thorn burst from the earth, whipping through the air to lash at the sorcerer.
It deflected them with a swipe of its arm,but that moment of distraction was all Ranold needed.
Ranold extended his hand, channeling the deepest shade of darkness he could muster.
The ground beneath the sorcerer split apart, tendrils of living shadow shooting up, wrapping around the creature's limbs and dragging it down slightly.
Ralphina crouched beside the writhing Mathias, whispering an incantation as her vines expanded, weaving into a thick concealment cocoon of black petals and mist.
The battlefield dimmed, the air turning heavy and silent. Inside the shroud, visibility vanished.
The sorcerer snarled, scanning the darkness. "You think you can hide from me?"
But from the very shadows it mocked, Ranold emerged behind it,his silhouette nearly blending into the void. His eyes glowed violet, and his blade was formed entirely of condensed dark mana.
"Hide? No," Ranold whispered coldly. "I'm ending you."
He swung once,clean, silent, perfect. The blade sliced through the sorcerer's neck, and the creature's expression froze in disbelief as its head tumbled from its shoulders.
The crimson light in its body flickered and died. The bestial knights shattered into dust, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Ranold exhaled, lowering his weapon as the concealment veil faded. Ralphina rushed to Mathias's side, checking his mangled leg. "He's alive,but we need to get him treated, fast."
Ranold looked toward the spot the Socreor was annihilated and said "Then this fight ends here.
—
The air in the Boss Fortress was suffocating, thick with heat and the oppressive pressure radiating from the General-type human mana beast seated upon his throne.
The dim torches along the obsidian walls flickered violently as Venus, Bayle, and Darel stepped forward.
The General rose slowly, his towering figure wrapped in black armor lined with molten veins that pulsed like a heartbeat.
"I have waited," he said, voice echoing like rolling thunder. "Prove your worth,or perish."
Without warning, the General moved. His sword,a colossal slab of dark metal,swung in a blur. The sound tore through the hall like a storm's roar.
Darel barely saw the strike before the shockwave hit. The impact slammed into him like a tidal wave, sending him crashing into the stone wall.
The ground split beneath him as his body went limp.
"Darel!" Bayle shouted, teeth clenched as he caught sight of his ally's unconscious body lying amidst the rubble.
Venus didn't waste a second. His twin blades ignited in flames as he dashed forward, each strike a blur of light and heat.
The General met him head-on, parrying the blows with inhuman strength, sparks flying with every clash.
Bayle flanked from the side, gathering torrents of water around his arms. "Don't get too close, Venus,this one's mine!" he yelled, thrusting his palms forward.
Jets of compressed water fired from his hands like lances, striking the General's armor,but they only left shallow dents.
The beast smirked beneath his helm. "Pathetic."
With a sudden pulse of mana, the General swung again. The strike created a shockwave that shattered the floor and flung Bayle across the room.
Blood splattered the ground as Bayle skidded to a halt, coughing heavily.
Venus dashed forward to intercept the next blow, flames erupting around him in a blazing cyclone. "Get up, Bayle!" he roared as he parried the giant's sword. "We're not done yet!"
Bayle staggered to his feet, his body trembling. "Heh… you never give up, do you?" He raised his arm, summoning one last surge of his remaining mana.
Water spiraled violently around him, condensing into a massive sphere of pressurized liquid hovering at his palm.
"Let's see you block this!" Bayle screamed, thrusting the sphere forward. It shot through the air with a shrill hum before piercing clean through the General's chest.
The sound of rending metal echoed as the beast stumbled back, growling in pain.
Venus caught the opening. "Now!" he shouted. His flames expanded, engulfing the wounded General,but as the smoke cleared, the beast still stood.
Though blood poured from the hole in his armor, his eyes burned brighter.
"You have spirit," the General growled, gripping his sword once more. "But spirit alone will not save you."
Venus dropped to one knee, exhausted, his breath ragged. The fire around him dimmed, then suddenly flared back to life, burning gold instead of red.
The ground cracked beneath him as his aura expanded, flames spiraling upward like a pillar of light.
Bayle, still conscious but barely, looked up through blurred vision. "What the… his mana… it's changing…"
Venus clenched his fists as fire erupted from his body, consuming him entirely. His voice came out deeper, filled with power. "I'm done holding back."
The golden fire fused with his armor, forming a blazing mantle that rippled like wings of light. The General roared and charged, but Venus met him halfway, colliding with such force that the entire fortress shook.
Their clash sent waves of flame and mana rippling outward. Venus's movements became faster, sharper,each strike leaving trails of gold that scorched the air.
The General tried to counter, but Venus's power was overwhelming, his aura devouring the beast's darkness.
Then Venus raised his hand, his eyes burning with fierce determination. "Burn, and vanish!" he shouted.
In that instant, an explosion of fire erupted, engulfing everything around them. The flames roared like a living storm, uncontainable, divine.
The General screamed as his armor melted, the golden inferno searing through every part of him.
Even Bayle, lying wounded at the edge of the battlefield, shielded his eyes from the blaze. "That… that's not the Venus I knew," he murmured weakly, tears mixing with blood. "He's left me behind… and become something greater."
A groan escaped from behind him,Darel, stirring from unconsciousness. He blinked through the haze, his gaze falling on the blazing battlefield. "That power… is that really Venus?"
Venus's figure stood in the center of the inferno, his body outlined in radiant flame. With one final roar, he thrust his blade through the General's chest.
The beast let out a guttural cry before its form crumbled into ash and vanished into the fire.
The flames slowly dimmed, leaving Venus standing amidst the smoldering remains, his armor glowing faintly.
Bayle, half-conscious, smiled faintly. "Guess… we won't need a torch anymore," he muttered.
Venus exhaled heavily, his gaze still locked on the spot where the General had fallen. "No," he said quietly. "This was only the beginning."
---
The fortress was silent now,only the sound of flickering embers crackling across the shattered floor remained.
The walls were scorched, molten cracks glowing faintly where Venus's flames had devoured everything. The air was thick with the scent of burned stone and metal.
Bayle lay sprawled against a broken pillar, his breathing ragged, blood seeping through his torn armor. His vision blurred in and out of focus as footsteps echoed softly nearby.
Darel groaned as he pulled himself from the debris, clutching his ribs. His voice was hoarse, dazed. "Bayle… what—what happened? The last thing I remember was that monster's strike…"
Bayle coughed, forcing a weak grin. "Heh… you missed one hell of a show."
Darel blinked, still trying to piece things together. He looked toward the center of the room where Venus stood motionless, surrounded by the faint glow of golden embers. "Was… Venus the one who finished it?"
Bayle exhaled shakily, his eyes glimmering faintly as he gazed toward their comrade. "Finished it? He burned through it.
That General,he was a walking calamity, Darel. Every strike he made could've split the fortress in half. He crushed you in one blow, nearly took me apart too… I thought that was the end of us."
He paused, wincing as he tried to adjust himself. "But then… something changed in him. Venus stopped fighting like a man—and started burning like something else. I've never seen fire like that."
Darel frowned slightly. "His flames… looked different when I woke. They weren't the same as before."
Bayle nodded slowly, his voice trembling as he spoke. "Yeah. When he stood up after I hit the General with my last water sphere, it was like… the fire recognized him.
It answered him. His whole body lit up, not in red, but gold. Like the sun itself had come down to fight through him."
He chuckled weakly, though his eyes stayed distant,haunted. "The General tried to crush him, swung that massive blade with all his fury… but Venus didn't even flinch.
He caught it,with his bare hands, Darel,and it melted right in front of him. The heat was so intense, the floor turned molten. I could feel it from here."
Darel's breath caught. "He… caught the sword?"
"Yeah." Bayle's tone softened. "And then he roared. I swear, it wasn't just a shout—it was like the flames themselves screamed through him.
The entire room turned to fire. Even the General… that monster screamed until his body burned away."
He turned his head slightly, his lips twitching into a faint smile. "I couldn't move by then. My legs were useless. But I watched it all. Venus stood there,alone,in that inferno. He didn't even look human anymore. His flames consumed everything… even fear."
Darel lowered his head, eyes wide with awe. "And that's what woke me. The heat… it felt like my soul was burning too."
Bayle coughed, a drop of blood staining his chin. "He's changed, Darel. That fire,it wasn't just magic. It was power born out of rage, pain, and resolve. Whatever he tapped into… he's not the same Venus we knew."
He let out a pained laugh, voice fading. "Guess he's left us both behind."
Darel looked at Venus, who stood silently amid the fading embers, his back turned to them. The faint shimmer of golden flame still flickered around him, quiet but alive.
"He didn't leave us behind," Darel said softly, his tone resolute. "He just showed us how far we still have to go."
Bayle smiled faintly at that, eyes closing as exhaustion overtook him. "Then we better catch up soon… before that fire burns the whole world."
The hall fell silent once more,Venus still standing like a statue of flame as the light dimmed around them.
---
The golden flames that once raged through the fortress now dwindled into flickering wisps, dancing weakly around Venus as if reluctant to leave him.
The walls,melted, cracked, and scorched, stood as silent witnesses to the destruction he had wrought.
Venus remained still in the center of the ruined hall, his body trembling faintly, his chest rising and falling in uneven breaths.
The heat that had once poured from him like a living inferno was fading, replaced by an eerie calm.
His armor, once molten with radiant light, now cooled and darkened, the golden hue receding like a dying ember.
The mantle of fire that had crowned his back dissolved into thin air, leaving only the faint shimmer of smoke drifting upward.
He looked down at his hands,burned, trembling, scarred. The brilliance of his transformation was gone, and what remained was a man whose strength had devoured itself.
The echo of the General's death still lingered in the air, a haunting silence that pressed on his ears. Venus's vision blurred; the world around him pulsed faintly as exhaustion gnawed at his mind.
He thought of Bayle,wounded, barely conscious and Darel, who had just risen from his fall.
He wanted to call out to them, to say something,anything,but no sound came. His throat was dry, his body heavy as stone.
"Was this… power really mine?" he thought, his gaze dimming. "Or something else burning through me?"
A faint glow flickered across his body as the last traces of the golden fire dissipated completely. The air grew cold once more, and the fortress,without the flames' fury,felt vast and hollow.
Venus took one step forward, then another, his boots dragging against the charred floor. But before he could reach them, his knees buckled. His vision faded to black as he fell forward, collapsing to the ground with a dull thud.
"Venus!" Darel shouted, rushing toward him, limping as he crossed the rubble-strewn hall. He caught Venus's shoulders, turning him over carefully.
Steam rose faintly from his armor, and sweat rolled down his temples, but his face, though pale,was calm, almost peaceful.
Bayle, still leaning against the broken pillar, cracked a weak smile. "Heh… finally stopped burning."
Darel pressed two fingers against Venus's neck and exhaled in relief. "He's alive—just completely drained. Whatever that was, it took everything out of him."
Bayle looked at Venus's motionless form, then up at the soot-blackened ceiling where faint trails of firelight still lingered.
"He burned brighter than any flame I've seen," he murmured. "But even the brightest fire… has to rest."
For a moment, none of them spoke. The fortress was quiet again, its once-terrifying aura replaced by the stillness of aftermath. The enemy was gone,but the cost of victory lay before them.
Darel adjusted Venus carefully, laying him against the wall. "We'll rest here until he wakes," he said softly. "After that… we move forward."
Bayle nodded faintly, his gaze never leaving Venus. "Yeah. Because if that kind of power sleeps inside him… we're going to need it again soon."
As the last ember faded, the three warriors sat in the dim light of the ruined fortress,one fallen, one broken, and one still standing guard.