At Aurora's Dungeon
Endless monsters poured in. Luna stood firm, casting countless Order Magic with her Scepter of Seiryu, its light shielding them in a glowing barrier. Evil monsters clawed at the edges, unable to enter—yet the miasma seeped through, poisoning them from within.
> "What is this…? Poison?" Luna coughed, her voice trembling. "The miasma!"
Aurora gasped and staggered back.
> "Hurricane Slash!" she shouted, swinging her dagger and creating a wave of wind, but it wasn't enough.
> "The miasma's too thick!" Luna shouted. "Order Heal!"
Even as healing magic bathed them, the poison remained. Aurora tried blowing it away, and Luna attempted to filter the debuff—but the miasma clung to them like smoke. Meanwhile, little Kira stood between them, tears in her eyes, whispering the names of her missing twin and fiancé.
Monsters began surrounding them.
> "Princess! I can't hold it much longer!" Luna cried.
> "Luna!?" Aurora's eyes widened.
The barrier shattered. Monsters surged forward.
Aurora tried to run—but Luna, being a lamia, was too large to carry or drag. So they stood there, coughing, surrounded. Then—Kira stepped forward, frost forming on her cheeks.
> "Ice Spirit! I call upon you! Yuki-Onna—Frost Stasis!"
A burst of frost erupted. An iceberg engulfed them—Kira, Aurora, and Luna frozen safely inside. As the monsters attacked, the ice retaliated—freezing and shattering any who came too close. But within, the miasma still crept in... slowly poisoning them.
Suddenly, Luna's Scepter of Seiryu began to glow.
Two great spirits emerged—Spirit Order Dragon and Spirit Chaos Dragon—circling the iceberg like guardians. Their roars shook the dungeon as they blasted away the horde.
---
At the Dungeon Maker Room
The evil gods noticed.
> "What's going on!?" Byjack gasped.
"Is that… dragons?" Amarath asked in disbelief.
"Where'd they come from!? Is that snake girl using an artifact?" Byjack muttered.
> "Why can't you guys focus?" Cynthia snapped. "Look—Reshia's Shield of Genbu is glowing too!"
Dengka clenched his fists as he stared at my screen.
> "That's not all… Look again."
The gods turned and saw Aisha's Axe of Suzaku glowing—resonating with the artifact stored in my inventory.
---
—Back at My Dungeon—
Aisha slashed through hordes of undead, spirits, and skeletons, protecting me. Her Axe of Suzaku gleamed as two fiery spirits appeared—Spirit Hellfire Bird and Spirit Blood Bird, joining her side.
Another artifact in my inventory pulsed faintly—but I remained unconscious, unable to respond.
---
—At Ion's Dungeon—
Ion loomed over Hilda and Reshia, his eyes lost in a trance.
> "I have them… I can have them…" he mumbled, stepping closer.
Reshia's Shield of Genbu shimmered.
Two spirits burst forth—Spirit Terra Snake and Spirit Bone Turtle—intercepting Ion and forming a barrier.
---
—At Yuki's Dungeon—
No artifact lay hidden here, but Yuki's heart wavered under the miasma's influence. Still, she had snapped back. She slashed the final mushroom ent, assuming it was the boss… until something far larger emerged.
A true boss.
She didn't panic. Instead, she sprinted toward the towering tree and climbed up to Desmond and Kana, who lay unconscious.
---
—Back to Aurora's Dungeon—
The dragon spirits fought on, guarding the iceberg stasis. Inside, the poison crept closer. But Kira—still frozen—opened her glowing eyes.
> "Yuki-Onna… assist them," she whispered.
Her Ice Spirit joined the dragons, battling the flood of hellspawn.
But then… Hummel, the Evil God of Humility, scowled at the sight.
> "So, they awaken? I'll put an end to it." He raised a hand.
The air warped. Shadows twisted. Deep in the dungeon, the twin bosses stirred.
He whispered into the dungeon's core, commanding his twin bosses to attack. Inside the iceberg, the poison thickened.
---
Back to the Dungeon Maker Room
> "Oi! What's happening!?" Byjack yelled. "Why are their artifacts glowing!?"
> "What!?" Cynthia turned. "Why do they even HAVE artifacts?!"
All eyes turned to Serdeck.
> "Don't look at me!" Serdeck said. "I didn't know they'd take artifacts in!"
> "You added the random items!" Cynthia accused.
> "They were just so persuasive, okay!?" Serdeck pouted. "But look—Hummel's attacking!?"
> "We're not going to help?" Gaive asked, arms crossed.
> "No," Amarath said smugly. "No one can defeat Hummel. He's the Pride among us."
---
Back to Me
In my unconscious mind, a scene unfolded—ruins of a village, rubble, burning houses.
I walked slowly, dread building in my chest. Then I saw her.
> "Ai… Aisha?" I whispered.
> She was still that same little wolf-pup I met long ago... before the pain, before the promise. Back when she simply wagged her tail and followed me through fire but as I turned the other direction what I saw was truly horrifying.
Back in the real dungeon, Aisha turned toward me, still slashing monsters. She heard my voice—weak and cracked.
> "DARLING!!" she cried, racing to me. "Please wake up!"
Tears welled in her eyes, but she never stopped fighting. Her axe glowed bright as the two bird spirits circled her, burning the monsters away.
But I remained still, trapped in a nightmare spell too deep to break.
"A deer? A fish? A ram? A bat? A raven? What are they?" I saw those monsters with me.
For now.