The Voice Beneath
The battlefield burned.
Steel clashed. Magic roared. Screams echoed against the dungeon walls.
And in the middle of it—
Dazai staggered.
Not from wounds.
Not from exhaustion.
But from something far worse.
Inside his head—
A voice.
Low.
Hungry.
Endless.
"Let me… take it."
Dazai clenched his teeth.
"…No."
His vision flickered.
The world blurred—
Then sharpened again.
The curse pressed harder.
"They are dying."
He saw it.
His friends.
His father.
Falling.
Bleeding.
Breaking.
"You cannot save them."
"…I will."
"You cannot."
"…I SAID I WILL!"
His aura flared violently for a second—
Then stabilized.
Barely.
Kaizer noticed.
"…Dazai…?"
"…I'm fine."
He wasn't.
Not even close.
The Turning Point
The battle continued.
Relentless.
Overwhelming.
But something changed.
Subtle at first.
Then obvious.
Dazai's movements became sharper.
Faster.
More precise.
Almost unnatural.
Each strike—
Deadlier.
Each step—
Calculated.
The curse wasn't gone.
It was leaking through.
And because of that—
They gained ground.
Azlea whispered between breaths,
"…We're pushing them back…"
Anugus narrowed his eyes.
"…At a cost."
The Fall of the Goblin Lord
Kaizer darted through the fog, electricity crackling wildly.
"MOVE!"
The Goblin Lord roared—
Too late.
Dazai appeared behind it.
Blades flashing.
Slash. Slash. Twist.
The Goblin Lord froze—
Then collapsed.
Dead.
Silence hit for a moment.
"…One down…" Rio whispered.
But no one celebrated.
Because—
Two remained.
And they were worse.
Split Targets
Dazai lifted his head.
Eyes locking onto the Lich.
"…I'll take that one."
Kaizer cracked his neck.
"…Guess I'm stuck with the big ugly guy."
The Ogre Warlord roared in response.
"…Yeah, definitely ugly."
They moved.
Duel Against Death
Dazai charged the Lich.
Fast.
Too fast.
The Lich raised its staff—
"Mortis Spiral."
A spinning bone spear formed—
Sharp.
Dense.
Rotating at terrifying speed.
It launched.
Straight at Dazai.
Everything slowed.
Azlea's eyes widened.
"…No—"
Arthur stepped forward instinctively.
"…DAZAI!"
Kaizer shouted—
"MOVE!"
But—
Impact.
BOOOOM
A cloud of dust erupted.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Crushing.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Winter's Stand
The dust slowly settled.
And what they saw—
Shocked them all.
Dazai lay on the ground.
Unconscious.
But—
In front of him—
A small dragon stood.
Wings spread.
Eyes glowing.
Winter.
She trembled—
Weak.
Unstable.
But standing.
Protecting him.
Kaizer whispered,
"…She came…"
The Ogre Warlord roared and charged—
Winter turned.
Her eyes flared.
"Glacial Bind."
Ice exploded upward.
Freezing the warlord mid-step.
Cracks formed across its massive body.
Then—
Her voice echoed in everyone's minds.
"I cannot hold long."
Her gaze shifted.
To the Lich.
"Break the curse."
A pulse of psychic energy spread.
The pain.
The weakness.
The debuff—
Gone.
Everyone gasped.
Relief flooded back into their bodies.
Winter staggered.
"Now… fight."
Rage Unleashed
Kaizer's eyes burned.
"…You almost killed him…"
Electricity surged violently around him.
Fog spread thick across the battlefield.
"YOU'RE DEAD!"
He vanished.
Reappeared—
CRACK
Punch to the warlord's chest.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Anugus joined—
Lightning exploding from his fists.
Twix fired arrows coated in electric mana.
"Don't let it move!"
The battlefield roared again.
The Curse Awakens
Behind them—
Dazai lay still.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Then—
His fingers twitched.
Inside—
Darkness.
The curse smiled.
"Now… my turn."
Dazai's eyes snapped open.
Not brown.
Not human.
Black.
Empty.
Hungry.
He stood.
Slowly.
Unnaturally.
Everyone felt it.
Even the monsters.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Kaizer froze mid-step.
"…Dazai…?"
No answer.
Then—
He disappeared.
Predator of Mana
The Lich barely reacted.
Too slow.
Dazai appeared in front of it—
Grabbed its skull—
And slammed it into the ground.
BOOM
Again.
Again.
Again.
The Lich tried to cast—
Too late.
Dazai's hand glowed faintly.
Not with magic—
But with hunger.
He absorbed.
Drained.
Consumed.
The Lich's mana vanished.
Rapidly.
Violently.
The Lich screamed.
A sound of pure terror.
"…Stop…!"
Dazai didn't.
He punched.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until—
Nothing remained.
The Lich collapsed.
Alive.
But empty.
Broken.
Silence Before Return
Dazai stood there.
Breathing heavily.
The darkness flickered.
Then—
Faded.
His eyes returned to normal.
"…What… happened…?"
He staggered—
Then collapsed.
Kaizer rushed forward.
"Got you!"
He caught him before he hit the ground.
"…You idiot…"
Final Struggle
Winter flickered.
Her form unstable.
"I must rest."
She dissolved back into Dazai's shadow.
Leaving them.
With one enemy left.
The Ogre Warlord.
Still standing.
Still raging.
The Last Plan
Half the team was down.
The rest—
Barely standing.
Lerith struggled to heal.
"…I can't keep up…"
Anugus wiped blood from his face.
"…We end this now."
Dazai's eyes slowly opened.
Weak.
Heavy.
But aware.
He looked around.
At the fallen.
At the fighters.
At the warlord.
He stood.
Shaking.
"…Not… done yet…"
Kaizer grinned.
"…There he is."
Dazai looked at him.
"…You ready?"
Kaizer cracked his neck.
"Always."
The Final Combo
Dazai charged first.
Leaping onto the warlord—
Driving both kopesh swords deep into its flesh.
"Binding Strike!"
The warlord froze.
Just for a moment.
Kaizer shouted,
"NOW!"
Anugus slammed his hands to the ground.
"Nature Grasp!"
Massive roots erupted—
Wrapping around the warlord's body.
Holding it in place.
Twix pulled back her bow.
Lightning gathering along the arrow.
Kaizer raised both hands.
Electricity surged violently.
"Let's fry this thing!"
Anugus added his power.
"Don't hold back!"
Three forces—
One target.
"LIGHTNING DESCENT!"
"STORM IMPACT!"
"THUNDER PIERCE!"
They struck.
All at once.
The electricity surged through the swords—
Directly into the warlord's body.
From the inside.
It screamed.
A roar of pure agony.
Its body cracked.
Burned.
Collapsed.
And finally—
Fell.
Dead.
Escape
Silence.
Then—
The dungeon trembled.
Violently.
Walls cracking.
Ceiling collapsing.
"…RUN!" Arthur shouted.
No one argued.
They grabbed the injured—
Carried the fallen—
And ran.
Through tunnels.
Through collapsing paths.
Through chaos.
Until—
Light.
They burst out of the cave.
Falling onto the ground outside.
Breathing.
Alive.
The End of the Dungeon
A search team stood there.
Stunned.
"…They're… alive…?"
Arthur looked up.
"…Barely."
Dazai lay on the ground.
Exhausted.
Broken.
But breathing.
Kaizer dropped beside him.
"…Next time…"
"…Let's pick an easier adventure."
Dazai smirked faintly.
"…No promises."
Above them—
The sky stretched wide.
Free.
Peaceful.
For now.
End of Chapter
The dungeon is cleared.
The bond is tested.
The curse is awakening.
And the cost—
Has only just begun.