Jax had long suspected that every door in the Crystal Cave didn't simply lead deeper.
It led elsewhere.
Another dimensional space. Another constructed reality layered atop the mountain like a stack of overlapping worlds. That was the only explanation that made sense—and the moment they stepped through the final door, that suspicion became certainty.
They did not enter a cavern.
They entered a throne room.
The ceiling soared impossibly high, vanishing into shadow and crystal light. The space was vast—wide enough to swallow armies, tall enough to feel like a stadium without seats. Mana hummed through the air in dense waves, pressing against the senses like a living thing.
Jax felt small for exactly half a second.
Then he smiled.
At the far end of the chamber, seated upon a massive throne of carved crystal, sat the ruler of the Crystal Cave.
He was tall—nearly eight feet—with long, sharp elven ears and a lean, regal frame wrapped in shimmering crystal armor. Runes pulsed faintly across his chest and shoulders. A staff of temporal crystal rested beside the throne.
To Jax's eyes, it was obvious.
A mage.
Between them stood an army.
Over a hundred crystal-armored soldiers—matador constructs identical to those they had faced before, shields locked, swords poised, formation immaculate. They did not advance. They waited.
Jax and his forces marched forward to meet them.
Shadow soldiers formed ranks. Grim and Steed lowered their massive heads. Lucy hovered close to Nyxian. Fang coiled, restless. Gryph flexed his talons.
The Vixens took position behind Jax, perfectly aligned.
Silence stretched.
Then the boss rose from his throne.
"You have done well to reach this place," he said, his voice echoing unnaturally through the chamber. "Few survive my lower floors. Fewer still stand before me."
Jax tilted his head slightly.
Great. He talks.
"But do not mistake progress for victory," the boss continued. "You will die here. Your flesh will feed my cave. Your mana will sustain my dominion."
Jax took one step forward.
"Cute," he said flatly. "Floor bosses that monologue now."
The boss's eyes flashed. "Insolent."
Jax stopped.
"It's time we end this," he said calmly. "And end you."
He raised his hand.
"ARISE."
The air behind the Vixens detonated.
Shadow and flame tore open reality itself as DANTE emerged.
The SSS-rank Adult Fire Dragon roared into existence, his massive form filling the rear of the chamber, wings unfolding with a thunderous boom that shook crystal from the ceiling.
Mana exploded outward.
The Vixens staggered—not from fear, but from weight. This was raw power beyond anything they had ever felt.
There was no doubt left in their minds.
Jax had defeated this.
The boss's composure shattered.
"Impossible—!"
His staff slammed into the ground.
"TEMPORAL STOP."
The world froze.
Arrows hung motionless in the air. Shadows halted mid-stride. Even drifting condensation from the ceiling locked in place.
Time had stopped.
Jax blinked once.
He looked around.
The Vixens were frozen. The shadow army stood immobile.
Only three things moved.
Him.
Dante.
And the boss.
"Temporal crystals," Jax muttered. "Figures."
The boss was already moving—relocating to the side of the chamber, erecting a massive crystal barrier as he fled.
"Can't affect those stronger than you," Jax said lightly. "That's got to sting."
Dante lifted into the air.
"Burn it," Jax said.
Dragonfire erupted.
Frozen soldiers disintegrated under Dante's flames before they could ever reach the shadows. Entire formations vanished in seconds.
Ten seconds passed.
Time snapped back into motion.
The Vixens gasped.
"What—where did he—?!" Bunny shouted.
Jax pointed calmly.
The boss stood at the chamber's edge, shield raised, staff glowing.
Jax started walking toward him.
Behind him, the shadow army surged forward, overwhelming what remained of the matadors. Llandra's arrows flew in support. Grim and Steed tore through crystal armor like paper.
Sixty seconds.
"TEMPORAL STOP."
Again, the world froze.
This time Jax didn't even look around.
"Dante," he said. "Shield."
The dragon roared and unleashed hell.
When time resumed, the shield was already melting.
Jax moved.
He vanished.
The shockwave of his acceleration whipped the Vixens' hair and cloaks as he passed. Peacemaker sang through the air.
One strike.
The boss was cut cleanly in half at the waist.
Jax twisted mid-motion, activating Aether Step, reappearing behind the falling body—
—and severed the head in a second, merciless arc.
Three pieces hit the ground.
Silence.
Jax drove Peacemaker into the crystal floor.
The remaining matadors collapsed moments later under the shadows' assault.
The chamber was theirs.
The Vixens stood frozen—not by magic, but by awe.
Jax turned to the corpse.
"ARISE."
Shadow swallowed crystal.
A new form emerged, crowned in black and purple mana.
SYSTEM ALERT
S-RANK SHADOW ACQUIRED
Would you like to name your new Shadow Summon?
"Yes."
"TEMPEST."
The shadow solidified, power radiating outward.
A chime echoed through the chamber.
RAID CLEARED.
TIME: 34:42:09
A new timer appeared.
CAVE RESET IN: 23:59:59
Jax smiled.
"One day," he said. "Plenty of time."
The shadow workers poured in, already beginning excavation.
Crystals. Mana bulbs. Temporal shards.
The true treasure.
A final door opened.
This one led out.
They emerged onto the mountainside, a clear path winding down toward the waiting caravan.
No traps.
No tricks.
Just sunlight.
The Crystal Cave was conquered.
And the world would feel it soon.