Roman's aura was terrifying—blinding, yet suffocating. The battlefield glowed gold and black at once, as if the sun and the abyss had collided into one being. His figure looked less like a human and more like a force of nature.
"Roman!" Selena shouted, her voice breaking through the chaos. "Control yourself! This is not the time for mourning—we still have to save those who are alive!"
Her words pierced him deeper than any monster's claws. Roman's hands trembled as he looked down at the bloodied corpse of the shopkeeper—the man who had once offered him kindness, food, and trust. With a heavy heart, Roman laid a cloth over the lifeless body, covering the man's final dignity. He wiped the tears off his cheeks, and when his eyes opened again, they no longer held grief. They burned with purpose.
At that instant, the Shadow System awakened:
> "Fallen God power surging. Current synchronization: 12% unlocked."
A violent wave of energy ripped out of Roman, twisting the balance of his Yin-Yang cores. His body glowed—half pure gold, half pitch black—like an angel and devil bound inside one vessel. His Archon Sword reflected this balance, glowing with split colors that pulsed dangerously.
Each step he took forward annihilated the monsters near him into ash, his aura alone devouring their existence. Roman wasn't fighting anymore—he was erasing.
But the price was steep. His body cracked under the strain, skin burning, muscles tearing from within. One side of his flesh shone brightly with golden light, while the other half darkened like it was rotting in shadow. Yet Roman ignored it all.
He charged. He leapt. His sword danced.
Monsters fell like blades of grass under a scythe, their cries drowned by the overwhelming radiance and darkness that followed every swing. Dozens perished in moments, their numbers thinning—but his eyes weren't on them. He was locked onto the source.
From the largest portal yet, something massive emerged.
A roar shook the land, deafening and primal.
The Titan Boss had arrived.
Its body was a fortress of jagged obsidian rock, steaming with black mist. Six glowing crimson eyes rotated across its head, scanning in every direction. Its arms stretched unnaturally long, like tree trunks that could extend without end. One punch struck the ground, and an entire block of buildings collapsed under the shockwave. Its mere presence spread despair, like death had chosen a form.
Roman's pupils shrank. That thing… is the dungeon's core.
He didn't hesitate. Gathering all the broken strength in his body, he jumped, aiming straight for one of its eyes.
But the Titan was faster.
Its massive arm swung like a mountain collapsing. The fist connected, and Roman's body was launched miles away, smashing through stone walls until he lay in a broken heap.
"ROMAN!" Selena's scream echoed.
Jacob's face hardened. He knew that punch could have killed
But then—light.
A green glow wrapped Roman's body. Flesh knitted together, bones realigned. The Shadow System intervened, healing him back to life. He lived, but unconscious.
The Titan roared again, turning its fury onto the battlefield.
"Selena, with me!" Jacob commanded, unsheathing his blade.
Together, father and daughter lunged at the Titan. Jacob's calm, calculated swings carved precise slashes against the beast, his aura blazing blue like silent steel. Selena, in contrast, attacked like fire itself, her sword burning red, leaping between the monster's legs and arms, cutting with all her fury.
But no matter how many wounds they inflicted, the Titan healed. Black magic oozed out of its body, regenerating stone and flesh alike. The harder they fought, the more hopeless it became.
Selena bit her lip until blood dripped, her mind screaming despair. We can't win…
Meanwhile, in his unconscious state, Roman's vision blurred into white.
There—through the haze—stood a girl. Her silhouette was soft, her voice delicate.
"I'm waiting for you, Ronald," she whispered, her words dripping warmth. "Don't die."
The voice shook him to his core. It was familiar, like a piece of his forgotten heart. But he couldn't remember the face.
The Shadow System interrupted:
> "Warning. Spiritual Sword [Archon] charged to full capacity."
"Skill unlocked: Warherald Strike – One use only."
Roman's eyes snapped open. Pain surged, but he clenched his jaw and stood.
He didn't hesitate. Activating his flight magic, he launched himself into the air like a golden-black comet.
Selena and Jacob turned at once. Their eyes widened in shock as Roman appeared overhead, his Archon Sword glowing brighter than the sun itself.
Without words, he cast a portal beneath their feet, forcing both of them into the duke's safe room with the other survivors.
"This battlefield is mine," Roman muttered, his voice shaking the very air.
The area cleared—no innocents, no distractions. Just him and the Titan.
His Archon Sword pulsed violently, drawing every drop of aura and divinity left in his body. His aura split into two spirals—light and dark—and converged into the blade until it burned white-hot.
Roman roared, the sound of his grief and wrath carrying through the skies.
"Warherald Strike—Annihilation Cleave!"
He dove.
The Archon Sword cut downward, splitting through the Titan's skull.
The strike didn't stop. It cleaved through the neck, the chest, the stomach—until the entire Titan Boss was split cleanly from head to toe.
The world froze for a heartbeat.
Then, with a sound like thunder shattering mountains, the beast fell apart. Its body crumbled into black ash, dispersing into the wind. The portal behind it trembled violently, then collapsed with it.
Roman landed on one knee, his sword buried in the ground. His chest heaved, blood dripping from his lips. His body was broken, burning, nearly at its limit.
But the Titan was no more.
The first dungeon boss… had fallen.