The team pressed forward behind Kaito, their figures swallowed by the fog as the palace grounds gave way to a sprawling maze. The deeper they ran, the heavier the mist became. Even with the +10 vision buff from the Lumina Sight potions, their sight was still cut off beyond five yards. The walls of the labyrinth seemed endless, twisting in every direction.
Kaito halted briefly at the entrance, his voice steady but firm. "Listen carefully. Hiroto, you will open the way with Iron Guard and rush forward without stopping. Everyone else stay right behind him. Do not hesitate. No matter what happens, never stop moving your feet. Aika, your only job is to keep healing Hiroto. Everyone else, use minor regeneration potions to sustain yourselves. Now that you all understand, let's go."
At his command, they readied themselves. Kaito activated Mana Step, but not Windveil Step, knowing that moving too quickly would leave his teammates behind. The effects of the earlier speed scrolls still lingered, boosting their pace. Without hesitation, Kaito took the lead, his steps light and sure as he plunged into the maze. The others followed in tight formation, their outlines flickering faintly in the dense mist.
Their vision was severely restricted, the fog swallowing everything beyond a narrow space. After a few minutes of running, Kaito's sharp voice cut through the air. "Hiroto, Iron Guard. Aika, heal him."
Without delay, Hiroto slammed his shield forward and invoked Iron Guard. Aika's healing light enveloped him just as two Wraith Soldiers burst from the mist. Their halberds flew through the air with terrifying force, crashing against Hiroto's shield. The impact sent vibrations up his arm, nearly throwing him off balance, but Aika's constant healing restored his health before it could dip too far. Behind them, the others pushed on, sheltered by Hiroto's defense.
Their speed was their only saving grace. The team tore through the twisting paths for nearly ten minutes, weaving through turns and narrow corridors. When the effect of the first speed scroll began to fade, each of them tore another, the parchment bursting into light that wrapped their bodies and renewed their momentum. Whenever mana ran low, recovery potions were quickly swallowed without hesitation.
Still, unease gnawed at them. In Echoing Deep, they had advanced step by step, clearing monsters until they reached the boss. But here, they were doing nothing but running, burning through scrolls and potions as though throwing money into a fire. The thought unsettled many of them.
Worse, the sound of pursuit was constant. Countless Wraith Soldiers surged from the mist behind them, their ghostly cries echoing through the narrow halls. Their numbers seemed endless. Earlier, when they had fought the Wraith patrols, everyone believed it would be manageable to face them again. But now, seeing this tide of enemies pressing from behind, they silently wished the system could give them extra legs just to keep running.
Thankfully, the maze worked in their favor. The passages were narrow, forcing the Wraiths to crowd each other and slowing their advance. This gave the team precious seconds to widen the gap.
"Turn left ahead," Kaito called out, pointing to a narrow path cutting across the mist. "Once everyone enters, Hiroto, block the entrance with your shield and use Iron Guard. Aika, cast Purify on the Wraiths chasing us. Lucien, once Hiroto starts to falter, unleash Inferno Surge. Nina, if the situation worsens, freeze them with Glacial Prison. And if Hiroto goes down, Ravenblade and Suzune, step forward and block, but do not attack unless I say so."
His words came sharp and clear through the team's chat, each instruction leaving no room for confusion. They nodded as one, their footsteps pounding against the stone floor of the maze as they pushed toward the narrow passage.
Everyone quickly pulled into the narrow pathway, their footsteps echoing off the stone walls. Hiroto positioned himself at the entrance, shield braced firmly as he blocked the way. The moment he stood in place, a barrage of blows rained down on him. Halberds and spectral strikes hammered against his guard, each impact pushing him backward inch by inch. Endless damage indicators floated above his head as the relentless pressure threatened to overwhelm him.
Just as Hiroto's footing began to falter, Kaito stepped up behind him. Pressing both palms firmly against Hiroto's back, Kaito steadied him like a wall. The force of the strikes could no longer drive Hiroto back. His body stiffened, anchored by Kaito's strength.
"Lucien, hurry! Nina, prepare your Glacial Prison!" Kaito's commanding voice cut through the chaos.
Lucien's staff lit with flames as he finished his incantation. "I am ready."
Kaito then said, "Hiroto, retreat! Nina, cast Glacial Prison!"
At his words, Hiroto shifted aside, and Nina released her spell. An icy wave surged forward, spreading across the mist and engulfing the swarm of Wraiths. Frost raced over their bodies, freezing them mid-step and locking their weapons in place. Their ghastly forms crackled under the weight of the spell. Above their heads, damage indicators of –30 flickered repeatedly.
Nina's brows furrowed in frustration. Against ordinary monsters, her ice spells dealt far greater harm. But these Wraiths carried unusually high resistance to frost. Seeing her output reduced to a mere trickle left her deeply dissatisfied.
Before the frozen Wraiths could recover, Lucien thrust his staff forward. "Inferno Surge!"
A roaring pillar of flame erupted in the middle of the corridor, swirling outward into a sea of fire. The blaze expanded instantly, engulfing every frozen Wraith in sight. The mist itself seemed to ignite as torrents of heat consumed the narrow passage. Above the Wraiths' heads, damage indicators exploded in sequence: –300, –310, –295, –320. The numbers continued cascading as the Inferno Surge burned for a full five seconds.
The Wraiths shrieked in unearthly agony, their spectral forms writhing violently. By the time the flames died down, their health bars had plunged, nearly drained in a single spell.
The sight left everyone speechless. Even Lucien himself stood frozen in shock. Never before had he dealt such devastating damage. Against elites and special elites, landing even –100 with a spell was usually considered fortunate. Yet here, every tick of damage soared past that mark.
What Lucien did not realize was that the Wraiths belonged to the demon category. Thunder and fire magic naturally inflicted amplified damage against them, multiplying the effects several times over. For creatures steeped in cold and darkness, flames and thunder were their greatest nemesis.
As the spell ended, Hiroto stepped forward once again, shield raised, blocking the survivors that still pressed from the rear. The narrow pathway worked to their advantage, only two or three Wraiths could attack at once. For larger ones, even a single body filled the entrance. Their numbers meant little when the terrain restricted them. With Aika's healing spells covering Hiroto, their attacks became meaningless.
Ten long minutes passed as the last remnants were methodically cut down. By the end of Lucien's another Inferno Surge had annihilated nearly all of the Wraiths that had pursued them. The system notifications chimed in succession, their experience bars surging upward once again.
Only silence and the faint flicker of dropped loot remained. A fresh pile of equipment and coins glittered at the entrance where the Wraith soldiers had fallen.
Kaito stepped forward and began sorting through the spoils. His eyes scanned quickly as he counted the haul. More than fifty pieces of equipment had dropped in total. Among them were nineteen of Mysterious Iron rank, the rest of Bronze rank. In addition, each slain Wraith had dropped around five silver coins, which together amounted to five gold and ten silver coins. Even more, ten faintly glowing Level 0 Mana Cores lay among the loot.
The sight stirred excitement across the group, but Kaito's focus lingered on the Mana Cores. They were valuable forging materials, often used to imbue weapons with special magical effects. Yet he knew they would not serve his immediate goal. To upgrade the Solstice Blade, his growth-type weapon, he needed at least Level 1 Mana Cores. These Level 0 cores were useless for the blade's evolution. Still, he carefully collected them, such items would prove worthwhile in forging and enchanting equipment later.
The team's breathing steadied as they gathered the rewards. Once again, they had survived a deadly pursuit, cutting through overwhelming odds with perfect coordination.