The stone wolf monument stood towering, its ancient glyphs pulsing with faint red embers as the team approached cautiously.
Suddenly, the tall man who had greeted them earlier stepped forward, a strange glint in his eye. His robes swayed as if responding to an unseen force.
> "My name is Byron," he said with a smile. "An ancient researcher of the ruins… I've studied this place for decades. Perhaps I can assist."
The students exchanged glances. Most were too intrigued to suspect danger.
But Cyrus narrowed his eyes.
> "Something about him… feels wrong," he whispered to Raelyn.
Yet before he could act further, Byron was already moving forward.
---
Arrival at the Howlen Gate
They stood before the grand Howlen Gate Rock, a massive volcanic relic with runes flowing like lava veins, etched in impossible languages. The very air around it shimmered with heat.
Everyone stopped in awe.
Karen: "This… is beyond anything we saw in the textbooks…"
Lyra: "It feels like it's breathing…"
Clod: "No way. This structure—it's been dormant for thousands of years…"
But before any further analysis could be made, Byron turned around.
His calm demeanor vanished.
His grin sharpened.
> "Fools."
In a flash, dark metallic energy spiraled from his hand. The ground beneath cracked—teleportation glyphs surged as cloaked figures emerged all around.
> "I am Byron," he shouted, his voice thunderous now. "Leader of Team Gamaron! Servant of the Dark Order!"
---
The Squad Appears
Beside Byron, six powerful figures revealed themselves, cloaked in red and black:
Luis – Wielding dual curved blades pulsing with slicing energy. Blade Magic.
Arconis – Towering, with glowing stone armor. Stone Shieldon Magic.
Likara – With eerie eyes and hands shrouded in mist. Ghast Magic.
Scones – Floating mid-air, eyes alight with manipulation. Transmitude Magic.
Dekka – Surrounded by pools of molten heat. Magma Magic.
Brody – Draped in smoky robes. Shadows clung to him unnaturally. Shin Shadow Magic.
Byron stood at the center, his aura fierce, his eyes sharp as steel.
> "I am the Black Steel that breaks civilizations."
---
The Battle Begins
The moment froze for a heartbeat—then Cyrus launched forward, striking first without hesitation.
> "We were right! They're from the Dark Order!"
His Power Burst attack clashed with Luis' blades, sparking a shockwave.
Raelyn, Drake, Lyra, Clara, Veil, and the others jumped in. But the coordination of Team Gamaron was overwhelming.
Likara's Ghast Magic disoriented the healers.
Dekka split the ground with rivers of magma.
Brody's shadows swarmed around Raelyn, cutting visibility.
Scones warped attacks back to their casters with strange space magic.
Arconis tanked even Clod's dimensional slice, laughing as he stomped the earth.
---
Show vs Byron
Show, battered and panting, gritted his teeth.
> "Even if I'm weak… I'm not going to back down."
He ignited his flames, his body roaring with orange heat, and launched himself at Byron.
But Byron raised his arm—
> "Black Steel Shift: Impale!"
A spike of jet-black steel erupted beneath Show and slammed him into the Howlen Gate Rock with crushing force.
---
BOOOOOOM!
The stone gate roared—glyphs surged awake—light erupted in all directions.
> "W-What's happening!?" Karen screamed.
A vortex opened at the base of the gate.
Before anyone could react, Team Gamaron was pulled into the light—
So was Show—but into a different stream.
The next moment, the battlefield was empty.
---
Aftermath of the Gate's Activation
The students awoke outside a blistering canyon… facing the walls of the true Ignion Ruins.
But there was one missing.
> "Where's… Show?" Lily asked, panicked.
Raelyn stood silently, scanning the aura trail.
---
Meanwhile – Deep Inside the Ignion Ruins
Show slowly opened his eyes.
He was surrounded by ancient glyphs, colossal statues, and floating volcanic crystals. The air was hotter, older, heavier.
He was alone.
> "Where… am I?"
A slow pulse of flame echoed in the distance—like a heart beating within the ruins themselves.
---
To be continued…