Two days passed.
Two long, uneventful days inside the crimson labyrinth.
The endless coral formations twisted across the landscape like a petrified forest, their jagged shapes casting crooked shadows beneath the pale sky. The terrain remained as treacherous as ever, yet strangely… quieter.
Too quiet.
During those two days, Caspian and Alice had only encountered two Carapace Scavengers.
One each.
For a place that had previously seemed infested with the creatures, their sudden absence felt almost unnatural.
Caspian noticed it first.
"There are fewer of them" he said one afternoon while following the silent guidance of the Stargaze.
Alice walked a few meters behind him, surrounded by her small army.
"That's good news, isn't it?" she replied.
Caspian didn't answer immediately.
It should have been good news.
But something about it felt wrong.
Hours passed.
Then the labyrinth opened slightly.
The coral formations lowered enough to reveal the horizon for the first time in days.
And there—
Far ahead—
Two massive cliffs rose from the crimson terrain.
The nearest one stood perhaps five or six kilometers away, its dark stone face cutting sharply into the sky.
Behind it, further in the distance, another cliff rose too.
Maybe one or two kilometers beyond the first.
Caspian slowed.
"So that's where we're going" he murmured.
The Stargaze pointed directly toward them.
Alice also noticed.
"Cliffs…" she whispered.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Those look… natural."
Compared to the twisted coral labyrinth, they almost felt like salvation.
But reaching them meant crossing several more kilometers of hostile terrain.
They continued forward.
The labyrinth slowly tightened again as they approached.
Narrow passages.
Sharp turns.
Uneven ground.
Then—
Caspian stopped.
His head tilted slightly.
Velpam immediately noticed.
"You hear it too?"
Caspian nodded faintly.
Heartbeats.
Two of them.
Slow.
Heavy.
Stronger than a scavenger's.
They were approaching from the same direction, they walked together.
And their paths would intersect directly with Caspian's group.
Caspian looked down at the Stargaze.
The arrow did not change direction.
Velpam chuckled softly.
"Well."
"If the stars says forward…"
"Forward we go."
Caspian continued walking.
Soon they reached a tall coral structure overlooking a wider path below.
From the top of the formation, they could see clearly.
And what they saw made Alice freeze.
Two creatures walked slowly through the labyrinth below.
They looked like Carapace Scavengers.
But not quite.
To start with—
They were enormous.
Each one stood over three meters tall, towering above the surrounding coral structures.
Their shells were thicker, heavier, and far more imposing.
Their carapaces were colored deep black and scarlet, like ancient armor drenched in old blood.
Vicious spikes grew from the surface of their shells, curving outward like natural weapons.
Every step they took looked dangerous.
But the most terrifying difference was their arms.
Instead of heavy crab pincers—
Their upper limbs ended in long, curved bone scythes.
Natural blades.
Deadly.
Elegant.
Monstrous.
Each creature carried a large luminescent crystal clutched in its lower claws.
Alice's eyes widened.
Caspian whispered:
"Awakened Monsters…"
Alice swallowed.
But her gaze remained locked on the crystals.
"Are those…" she whispered.
"…Soul Shards?"
Caspian studied them carefully.
"Yes."
He hesitated.
"They must be at least… Transcendent rank."
Alice's face twisted.
Fear.
Greed.
Desperation.
All at once.
"We must kill them."
Her voice was firm.
"Even if it costs me an arm."
Caspian blinked.
Then his mouth moved before his brain could stop it.
"I thought you didn't have any more of those."
Silence.
Alice slowly turned her head toward him.
Her eyes were colder than ice.
Behind her, Velpam appeared laughing uncontrollably.
"Oh no."
"Oh you didn't."
Caspian coughed awkwardly.
"…Sorry."
Alice stared a few seconds longer.
Then turned back to the battlefield.
"We prepare the attack."
Velpam spoke again.
"Murderer."
Caspian sighed.
"Yes?"
"Can I use something? I promise it will be of help."
"…Fine."
Within seconds, a plan formed.
The monsters were approaching a coral arc, a natural bridge of red stone connecting two towering formations.
They would pass directly beneath it in less than a minute.
Perfect.
Alice moved back slightly with one of her bunny swordsmen, keeping a safer distance.
Caspian waited above the arc.
And when the monsters walked beneath—
The transformation began.
The Moonlight Crown Armor dissolved instantly.
Silver plates melted into flowing cloth.
The armor reshaped itself into the elegant, agile garment Velpam preferred.
Long sleeves.
Layered fabric.
A dancer's attire made of moonlight.
Velpam's hands were bare.
But his middle fingers changed.
Metallic edges formed along their sides, like part of the gauntlet Caspian had.
Sharp.
Thin.
He pressed them against his palms.
Pierced the skin.
Blood flowed immediately.
Velpam grinned.
And he flung the blood downward.
Scarlet droplets rained over the monsters.
At first—
Nothing happened.
The creatures simply paused.
Their heads tilted upward.
Then—
The blood began to sink into their shells.
Like water absorbed by dry soil.
And suddenly—
They screamed.
A horrifying, distorted screech echoed through the labyrinth.
Where Velpam's blood had touched their shells, silver light began to shine.
Thin lines of radiance crawled across the black carapace like cracks in glass.
The light stretched upward.
Connected to Velpam.
Caspian felt the effect immediately.
Power surged inside his Soul Sea.
Soul Essence flowed back toward him.
Not that he needed it now, but in the future it could be of great help.
But the pain inflicted on the monsters was obvious.
Velpam laughed.
" bet they feel like they were bathed in acid."
"Don't struggle, monsters."
"Unless you can reach your Soul Sea and purge my blood…"
"It's going to keep hurting."
The monsters roared again.
They dropped their Soul Shards.
Alice's army attacked instantly.
Four Turtle Shielders crashed onto the monsters, grabbing their bone scythes and trying to restrain them.
Four Cat Spearmen leapt onto their backs.
Their movements were graceful and precise.
They avoided the spikes on the shells.
Spears struck repeatedly at the carapace.
But—
Nothing.
The armor was too strong.
"What should I do now?" Caspian asked.
His armor had already returned to its normal form.
Velpam didn't answer immediately.
And that hesitation—
Cost them.
One of the monsters broke free.
Its bone scythe flashed.
A turtle's head flew through the air.
Decapitated.
Then—
Caspian heard a scream.
Alice.
Another turtle died.
She screamed again.
He could hear her heart beating like crazy
The monster raised its scythe again—
Velpam's voice exploded inside Caspian's mind.
"Why are you freezing?!"
"Bring your ass down there!"
"You're wearing a Supreme Armor! They are just awakened monsters!"
"Smash their shells!"
Caspian jumped.
He landed on one monster's back.
The spikes felt like annoying stones under his boots.
Around him, the cat spearmen continued striking the same point.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Cracks began to appear.
Alice screamed again, her voice almost without strength.
The turtles were gone.
Reinforcements arrived.
The Lion General charged forward, wielding a massive halberd.
The lion warrior was nearly as tall as the monsters.
His body was stronger than the humanoid part of the anatomy of their enemies.
But his weapon, a halberd, was weaker than the bone scythes.
The bunny swordsman leapt gracefully toward the monsters' faces, acting like an annoying bug.
The Carapace maceman delivered crushing blows to their legs.
Caspian saw it.
Blood.
A thin line of their blood seeping from the cracked shell.
He knew what to do.
Just like the first scavenger.
He drove his hand into the crack.
This time he tried to make his effect as fast as he could.
Some moments laters.
[You have slain an Awakened Monster, Carapace Centurion.]
[Your Moonlight grows brighter.]
[And so your shadow grows deeper.]
Caspian turned, ready to do the same to the other Carapace Centurion, but he was too late.
The lion had already ripped the monster's head off with his jaws.
The battle was over.
Alice returned moments later.
She looked… terrible.
Pale.
Even more than what she actually was.
Like a ghost.
"I need… a replacement" she whispered.
Caspian nodded.
He let her use one of the Transcendent Soul Shards.
She placed it on the corpse.
The body dissapeared.
A minute passed.
Velpam scolded him the entire time.
"You see what I meant?"
"You face something bigger than a scavenger and freeze."
"You think you're the leader of this group."
"But who sacrificed the most today?"
"Those screams?"
"I bet she felt being beheaded four times."
"Just because someone didn't know what to do."
"You didn't even improvise."
Then—
A new creature appeared.
Tall.
Cloaked.
Carrying a scythe.
A crude Grim Reaper made from parts of the Centurion and some things more Caspian didn't recognize..
Alice looked disappointed.
"Damnation…"
"The base material isn't good enough."
"This is Ascended at best."
"I wanted a Transcendent troop…"
Then she collapsed.
All her troops vanished instantly.
Caspian rushed forward, fearing the worst.
Her pulse—
Erratic.
But alive.
Then—
A drop of water fell on his face.
Caspian looked up.
Dark storm clouds gathered rapidly above the labyrinth.
The sky darkened.
The sun began to disappear.
A storm was coming.
For a moment—
A terrible thought crossed his mind.
Leave her.
Take the other Transcendent shard.
Walk away.
Velpam whispered.
"Come on, murderer."
"She already got her reward."
"You've worked together long enough."
"If she keeps carrying you…"
"You won't grow the way I can make you grow."
Caspian stared down at Alice.
Then sighed, and jumped over the other trascendent soul shard to get closer to her.
He grabbed her body.
She was extremely light.
Easy to carry.
"You are so weird" Caspian muttered.
"You're like a paradox of yourself, one moment scolding me for not helping her enough, the next telling me to let her die."
"I won't leave her to die."
"If you really thought I would…"
"…you're a disgrace to my appearance."
Velpam said nothing.
Then Caspian began running toward the cliffs.
The Stargaze pointed the way.
And while Caspian wasn't looking—
A small, genuine smile appeared on Velpam's face, even if he didn't wanted to.