Yagami advanced with heavy steps through the heart of the dark, twisting corridors lit only by half-dead torches.
Shadows danced around him like silent beasts.
But suddenly… a faint, trembling, mysterious light flickered from the end of the passage.
Yagami paused for a moment, then moved forward.
The intense darkness of the corridors had forced his eyes to adjust, so when the light hit, he narrowed them sharply.
But his body suddenly shuddered.
Not one, but two auras — heavy, ominous, brimming with malice and raw power — filled the space.
Yagami frowned, exhaled slowly, and muttered under his breath:
"Two of them?!"
He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and stepped forward.
The surrounding darkness receded like a wave.
The intense light grew closer.
Yagami narrowed his eyes further, and when the glow finally subsided…
Standing before him were two elves.
One with dark skin and blazing red hair like flames, eyes burning like fire, dressed in black with bare feet — Tswya, the Fire Elf.
The other with skin blue and translucent like ice, wavy blue hair, clean and formal attire, cold and emotionless eyes — Hikaru, the Ice Elf.
Both held strange swords: one ancient and ragged at the edges, the other gleaming and razor-sharp.
Demonic smiles frozen on their lips, motionless yet utterly lethal.
Yagami stood straight, showing not a trace of fear.
He glanced at both of them.
Their auras pressed down hard, but he remained unmoved.
He murmured quietly:
"Fire and ice combination? Troublesome… but not for me."
His eyes flashed.
His sword slid slightly out of its sheath.
The chilling sound of metal scraping echoed through the dark, eerie labyrinth.
The two elves, with cold smiles and lifeless gazes, charged at Yagami without hesitation.
Their speed was unimaginable… their blades came at him like lightning, and for a brief instant, Yagami saw his own reflection in both swords.
His teeth clenched from the pressure, cold sweat trickled down his temple…
B——————OOM!!!
A tremendous explosion shattered the entire silence of the labyrinth.
On the other side of the labyrinth…
Shinkuro stood panting in front of a massive buffalo-like monster.
Blood streamed from his forehead, his face was covered in wounds, his legs trembled.
But he was still standing.
The monster, eyes blood-red, roaring continuously, prepared for its final charge.
Shinkuro, gasping for air, said:
"I've thrown so much fire and wind magic at it… and not even a single scratch."
"Invisible Wall!"
Suddenly Shinkuro activated the spell, buying time for Saya and Kaoru.
He shouted:
"Run! Now!"
Saya, tears in her eyes:
"But Captain… you…"
"Just GO!"
Kaoru firmly grabbed Saya's hand and started running.
The sound of their footsteps echoed through the tunnel.
But suddenly Saya stopped.
Tears poured down her face.
She yanked her hand free from Kaoru's grip.
"No… I can't! The Captain is still back there! And Masaru too! I can't just leave them!"
Kaoru turned back, placed both hands on her trembling shoulders with a serious look:
"Trust the Captain. The only reason he couldn't go all out was because we were there… he was afraid he'd hurt us too. Do you understand now?"
Silence… only the sound of rapid breathing.
Saya wiped her tears with the back of her hand:
"I'm sorry… for talking to you like that…"
Kaoru smiled, ruffled her hair gently:
"Nah, it's fine. You actually remind me of my big sister…"
But suddenly…
SHRRRRRAAAKKK——!!
The sound of flesh being torn… blood splattering across Saya's face…
In disbelief, she raised her hand to her cheek…
It was covered in blood.
She looked up…
Kaoru… eyes half-open, a sword pierced straight through his chest, that same stiff smile still on his face…
And then…
He fell.
Silence.
A few heavy seconds…
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!"
Saya's scream pierced the silence of the labyrinth like a dagger… her heart shattered, and in the darkness, her grief, rage, and sorrow echoed…
At that exact moment…
Once Shinkuro was sure Saya and Kaoru had escaped the labyrinth, he took a deep breath…
He removed his glasses with a trembling hand and slipped them into his shirt pocket.
Then he raised his head.
His eyes were cold, serious, filled with fury.
Power surged within him — a golden aura like a storm swirled around his body.
"Now I'll show you, you stupid monster…"
He formed a triangle with his fingers.
The monster roared and charged with full force, shaking the ground, cracking the walls.
Shinkuro roared:
"Special Skill… Compression!"
Light gathered inside the triangle…
A moment later, a blazing blue laser erupted from the center with a deafening sound, piercing straight through the monster's forehead with insane precision and speed.
The monster let out one short bellow, then crashed to the ground in the middle of the corridor… dead.
Shinkuro dropped to one knee, panting heavily, and whispered:
"Finally… it's over…"
But before he could catch his breath…
"NOOOOOOO!!"
Saya's piercing scream shook his heart.
Shinkuro shot to his feet in horror and ran frantically toward the labyrinth entrance.
The sound of his footsteps, the pounding of his heart, and that scream… all merged into one.
But…
When he arrived…
Everything was already over.
Saya… her head severed from her body.
Her corpse lay motionless on the ground.
Kaoru… eyes wide open, staring blankly, drowned in his own blood.
Shinkuro froze in place… then his knees buckled.
He collapsed to the ground, on all fours, like a broken child…
Tears streamed down his face. His trembling voice lost between sobs and whimpers:
"No… no… no… it's all my fault… if I hadn't sent them away… if… damn it… DAMN IT!"
But…
Right at that moment, a shadow stood before him.
A figure in a black cloak, hood over the head, blood-drenched sword in hand, standing silently… the stench of death radiating from them.
Shinkuro slowly raised his head…
Without his glasses… everything was blurry.
He could only see the gleam of the blade right in front of his eyes.
He clenched his teeth, lips trembling, and growled:
"I'll ki——"
But the sentence never finished…
A deep slash… opened across his throat…
Blood sprayed violently…
His body fell lifeless to the ground…
Silence.
Only the smell of blood… and the emotionless shadow standing over him.
On the far side of the labyrinth…
Masaru was still staring at the spot where the fake Shinkuro had dissolved into black smoke and vanished.
His face was full of shock and unease.
He muttered to himself:
"Don't tell me… I actually killed him?!"
But suddenly…
A mysterious, feminine laugh echoed from behind him.
Masaru spun around instantly.
Behind him stood a girl with short hair, wearing a strange formal dress — short skirt, long loose sleeves, and eyes full of mischief.
Masaru asked coolly:
"And who the hell are you?"
The woman replied in a playful, drawn-out tone:
"Oh oh oh… so grumpy! People usually introduce themselves first, not throw insults! I'm Elizabeth!"
Masaru's brows furrowed deeply.
Without a second's hesitation, he slammed his sword into the stone floor with full force.
The magically reinforced stone cracked with a loud "GRRRRRK" sound.
Masaru said coldly:
"I asked… who the hell are you."
Elizabeth placed a finger on her chin and said:
"Really rude! But it's fine. That clone… I made it. My power is illusion!"
Masaru gave a crooked smile, tore off his sleeves, and tied the fabric tightly around his arms.
The sound of ripping cloth echoed in the silence.
"Oh? Seriously? Then you're pretty stupid, because you just gave away your power."
Elizabeth replied calmly:
"It doesn't matter if you know… because either way, you're going to lose…"
But for a split second, her eyes flickered — when she saw Masaru pulling his sword out of the magically reinforced stone he had just pierced.
She thought to herself: "How the hell did he manage to stab through a magic-restricting stone?!"
But suddenly…
Masaru roared:
"Better pay attention to the fight, little lady!"
And with explosive speed, he charged straight at her!
(To be continued....)