The staircase groaned as Plamen and Kamen ascended, every step echoing like a drumbeat into the abyss above. The air thickened, sour with the stench of rust and ash. When they reached the landing, the chamber before them spread wide like an endless grave.
Bones.
Skulls, femurs, ribcages—piled into mountains that scraped the cracked ceiling. Some were bleached white, others blackened and twisted, fused together as though melted in fire. Every now and then, one twitched, a jaw clicking or an arm spasming, as if remembering a battle long past.
Plamen's fists tightened. "This place…"
Kamen's eyes narrowed. "A graveyard. But not a normal one. Kronoshpan doesn't collect corpses. It recycles them."
As if summoned by his words, the ground rumbled. The bone mountains trembled, skulls rolling down in cascades. From the heart of the chamber, something massive stirred.
A mountain shifted. No—stood.
The Colossal Bone Hydra rose, its body a writhing mass of skeletons fused together. Three enormous skulls crowned its serpentine necks, jaws snapping with echoing cracks. Dozens of arms clawed from its chest cavity, while spears of bone jutted from its spine like spines. Hollow sockets glowed with a pale, hateful light.
The Hydra reared back and released a roar that shook the chamber. Thousands of skulls screamed in unison.
DING.
A rusted plate dropped from the ceiling, words etched into its metal surface.
Trial 5: Endure the Hydra. Destroy what cannot be destroyed.
Plamen spat to the side, eyes blazing. "Then let's destroy it."
The Hydra struck first. One skull lunged forward, its jaw snapping like a guillotine. Plamen leapt aside, landing in a sprint, his body already moving into stance.
"Boosted Martial Arts!"
He surged forward, his fist a blur. Straight punch! The blow cracked against the monster's ribs, scattering bones into the air. He followed with a knee strike, then spun into a Muay Thai elbow. Each hit landed sharp, precise, amplified threefold by his new ability.
Bones shattered, raining across the floor.
But then—the fragments twitched. Hands clawed from the ground, dragging broken ribs back into place. The Hydra's wounds resealed, fresh skulls forming from the piles around them.
Plamen's teeth ground. "It regenerates…"
The second skull whipped its neck sideways, sweeping Plamen off his feet like a battering ram. He slammed into a wall of bones, the impact knocking the air from his lungs. Before he could stand, dozens of skeletal arms shot from the ground, grabbing at his legs.
"Plamen!" Kamen raised his arm, shadows surging. Hone no Shokuzai!
The ground split beneath the Hydra's chest. Skeletal arms — darker, sharper, dripping with malice — surged upward, grappling the beast's torso. They latched onto its ribs, yanking them downward, forcing the Hydra to stagger.
"Move!" Kamen roared.
Plamen ripped free of the grasping arms around his ankles and dashed forward. His fists blurred, boosted strikes slamming into the Hydra's knee joints, shattering them one after another. Bones splintered, but even as they fell, new ones grew in their place.
The Hydra's third skull reared back, its jaw opening unnaturally wide. A barrage of bone spears shot from its throat, whistling through the air like arrows.
"Shit—!"
Plamen raised his arms just in time. Spears grazed his shoulders, slicing skin, one tearing across his chest. Pain burned through him, but he held his ground.
Kamen shouted from the side, sweat dripping down his brow. "We can't just break it—it'll keep rebuilding!"
Plamen's eyes narrowed, rage boiling in his veins. "Then I'll break it until it can't rebuild."
The Hydra lunged with all three heads, jaws snapping. Plamen darted between them, his movements blurring with martial precision. His fists smashed through ribcages, his knees shattered spines, his elbows cracked skulls. Every strike scattered bones like hail, but the graveyard fed the Hydra endlessly.
Then one of the skulls caught him.
Its teeth clamped around his torso, crushing. Bones snapped—not his, but his armor of will, his strength being tested beyond measure. His vision blurred as the pressure mounted, ribs creaking.
Kamen screamed. "Plamen!"
The Hydra lifted him high, jaws grinding tighter.
In that moment, something inside him roared louder than the beast. His vision bled red, his heart pounding with fury. His muscles screamed, but he refused to yield.
A crackling vibration surged from his fists. His rage condensed, spiraling outward in waves.
Bone Breaker Aura.
"Let—go—of—me!"
His fists detonated inside the Hydra's jaw. The shockwaves rippled through the bone, shattering its skull from the inside out. The head exploded into fragments, raining down like a macabre storm.
Plamen dropped to the ground, landing on his knees, chest heaving. A faint crimson aura flickered around him, vibrating with destructive power. Every movement sent shockwaves through the air.
Kamen's eyes widened. "…You awakened something new."
Plamen stood, fists trembling but firm. "Yeah. And now I'll use it to end this."
The Final Phase
The Hydra screeched, its two remaining skulls shrieking in fury. Bone spears erupted from its back, raining down in every direction. Plamen blitzed forward, his aura cracking each spear that came near him. They splintered before touching his skin.
He leapt, twisting into a flying knee strike. Bone Breaker Knee!
Shockwaves rippled through the Hydra's chest, caving in ribs by the dozen.
Kamen slammed his hand to the ground. Hone no Shokuzai!
A surge of skeletal arms erupted beneath the Hydra, grasping and pulling, pinning its lower body in place.
"Plamen! Finish it!"
The aura around Plamen pulsed violently. He charged, fists blazing with vibrating power.
"Bone Breaker Combo!"
Left hook—shockwave.
Right straight—cracks spread across the Hydra's spine.
Spinning elbow—its chest caved inward.
Final uppercut—the last two skulls shattered into dust.
The Hydra's body trembled, bones crumbling, the mass collapsing like a ruined tower. The graveyard screamed as thousands of skeletons lost their bond, scattering lifeless to the ground.
The Hydra was gone.
Silence.
Plamen dropped to one knee, chest heaving, sweat and blood dripping down his face. His aura faded, leaving his fists trembling. Kamen walked over, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"You did it. That thing… it would've eaten an army alive."
Plamen exhaled slowly, standing with effort. "And we're only halfway done."
Where the Hydra had fallen, a single object remained: a glowing bone relic, shaped like a jagged fang. It pulsed with eerie light.
Plamen picked it up. The fang melted into his palm, searing into his skin before vanishing. Strength pulsed through his veins — the Bone Breaker Aura now fully his.
The ground shifted. Another staircase uncoiled from the wall, leading upward into darkness.
Kamen glanced at him. "Five trials down. Five to go."
Plamen looked up the staircase, his fists tightening. "…Let's climb."
And together, they ascended, the echoes of shattered bones following them into the dark.