The Coliseum was silent again, save for the low hum of the gate that had appeared after the trials. The air felt heavy, not just with dust or mana—but expectation. For twenty-four hours, Team DEATH had rested—tending to wounds, sharpening weapons, and trying not to think about the silver-haired observer who had watched their every move.
Now, the gate shimmered with eerie green-blue light.
[Challenger Gate – Depths Available]
[Entry: Authorized for Team DEATH Only]
[Warning: Soul Synchronization Protocol Active]
Suho stepped forward. His eyes flicked once toward the seating above—empty now, but he could still feel them watching.
"Everyone ready?"
Mirae inhaled sharply and tightened her grip on her staff. "Let's finish what they started."
Minho rolled his shoulder and slammed his shield into the ground with a clank. "Bring it on."
Hojin was already checking his daggers. "No splitting up this time. We fight as one."
As they entered the gate, the world around them dissolved into blackness and bone.
The Depths Below
The descent was like falling through a forgotten tomb. The spiral tunnel was chiseled from obsidian, etched with glowing runes in a language none of them could read—but all of them felt. Whispers chased them through the dark, threading doubt through their minds.
At the bottom, the space opened into a cavernous pit.
An ancient sunken arena lay waiting—surrounded by crumbling statues of chained warriors. Narrow bone bridges stretched over the black mist, connecting to a central platform. Hanging above were massive iron chains and cages—some empty, some still rattling with movement.
A message flickered into view:
[Trial: Depths of Synchronization]
[Objective: Defeat the Wraith Gladiators – Soullinked Formation]
[Special Rule: Shared Pain – Attacking one affects all. Coordination is key.]
Six armored specters drifted up from the bridges. Their armor bore scars from countless battles, their faces hidden beneath spectral helms. Crimson soul-chains wrapped their forms together—one pulse across all six.
Suho's Commander's Vision activated.
Team Status
Mirae – HP 93% | Mana 70%
Minho – HP 98% | Stamina 65%
Hojin – HP 91% | Energy 88%
"Strategy time," Suho said, voice steady.
He snapped out orders like pieces on a chessboard.
"Mirae, prep the far bridges with Flame Threads—staggered ignition. Minho, control the center choke point but don't engage. Hojin—cut their links. Go for the glowing anchors, not the bodies."
His undead advanced first. Suho sent them out in a rotational pattern—circling the bridges like a slow clockwork mechanism.
Three ghouls surged across each path.
Flame Threads lit the air ablaze.
Chains hissed in the fire. Screeches echoed across the arena as Mirae's threads detonated in waves, making the Wraiths flinch.
Hojin vanished into the shadows, his body flickering like smoke. A heartbeat later—clink! A chain snapped. Then another.
Minho's shield held fast at the center, absorbing wild strikes.
"NOW!"
All four moved.
Mirae's fire exploded outward.
Minho shoulder-bashed one of the weakened gladiators.
Hojin sliced through the final tether.
And Suho—he activated Corpse Explosion, using one of the fallen ghouls as a flash bomb.
All six Wraith Gladiators collapsed at once, screaming into dust.
[Wave One Cleared]
But the arena rumbled ominously.
The Soulbinder Beast
The ground cracked. From the arena's core, a nightmare emerged.
A hulking figure stitched together from fallen champions. Skeletal arms chained to its shoulders, a half-masked helm, and runes burning across its chest. Its three eyes glowed—each with a soul inside.
[Soulbinder Beast – A-Rank Boss]
[Ability: Soul Confusion – Swaps sensory and control between targets]
It roared—and chaos began.
Mirae blinked—then gasped as her vision blurred. She raised her hands to cast… and Hojin's body responded.
Minho swung his shield and felt a fire burning in his arm.
They had been swapped.
"I—I can't control my own hands!" Mirae shouted.
"Focus! It's a confusion trap!" Suho growled. "Stabilizing!"
He activated a new skill.
[Command Chain – Active]
Boosts group synchronization. Suppresses shared debuffs and confusion.
A green pulse burst from Suho's chest, washing over the battlefield like a calming tide.
Their vision snapped back into alignment. Their thoughts stopped overlapping.
Minho barreled forward.
Hojin spun behind the beast, climbing up its chained shoulder.
Mirae summoned a triple-compressed firebomb and aimed at its rib cage.
The undead army latched onto its limbs, dragging the beast down.
"Bind it—NOW!" Suho shouted.
A sigil formed between his hands—emerald and ghost-lit.
[Bind: Gladiator's Sigil]
Chains erupted from the ground, wrapping the Soulbinder.
With a violent shudder, the beast collapsed—roaring as it disintegrated.
Victory and Awakening
[Depths Cleared]
[Relic Acquired: Gladiator's Sigil]
[Relic Effect: Reveals nearby soul echoes. Resonates with Areum's Fragment.]
[Team Level Up: +2 Levels to All Members]
[New Traits/Skills Acquired]
Suho gasped as pure power surged into his core.
He fell to one knee, gripping the sigil tightly. Areum's fragment pulsed with resonance—like a heartbeat.
Updated Status:
Kim Suho – Level 33
Undead: 44 / 50
Soul Fragments: 3 / 7
New Synergy Skill: Command Chain (Active)
Mirae – Level 24
Trait Strengthened: Flame Precision II
Bonus Effect: Reduced mana cost on chained spells.
Minho – Level 23
Skill Enhanced: Shield Impact II
Bonus Effect: Causes temporary stun on strike.
Hojin – Level 25
New Trait: Soul Dagger
Effect: Extra damage to linked or bound enemies.
The sigil hovered in Suho's palm, radiating faint music no one else could hear.
"She's calling," he whispered. "Areum's soul is close."
Elsewhere…
The silver-haired man narrowed his eyes at the flickering screen.
"They even broke Soul Confusion," he said.
A woman beside him gritted her teeth. "We should've locked Sector 19."
He shook his head. "No. Let them come. Let them think they're ready."
Behind them, the gates to Sector 19 pulsed faintly—runes awakening.
And something inside stirred.
To Be Continued…