In a dim corner of the dungeon, the cold air hung heavy and stagnant like deep water.
Lunethia was bound tightly to an icy cross, her limbs and torso shackled by heavy iron chains. Her consciousness drifted between darkness and lucidity until a soft, urgent patting against her cheek pulled her back—the touch was warm and soft.
She furrowed her brow and slowly opened her eyes.
A small white rabbit was perched on her shoulder, its ruby eyes filled with anxiety. It repeatedly patted her face with its forelegs, as if calling her back to reality.
"Mr. Rabbit...?"
The rabbit nodded vigorously, finally seeing a response. It leaped onto her chest and turned around, kicking desperately at the heavy chains with its hind legs.
However, the iron remained cold and immovable.
Lunethia gave a faint smile, her voice weak but still gentle. "Don't waste your strength..."
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze falling on the frantic little creature. "What... what is happening outside?"
The white rabbit stood on its hind legs, jumping and gesturing frantically, trying its best to convey information through exaggerated, messy movements.
Lunethia watched quietly, gradually grasping its meaning.
"You're saying—the two Queens are at war... and Rhine and the others are facing a crystal monster?"
The white rabbit nodded repeatedly, looking relieved.
Lunethia fell silent for a moment, then whispered, "Mr. Rabbit..."
She lifted her chin slightly, gesturing toward her neck. "There is a ring tied to the necklace around my neck... Please, take it to Rhine."
Her eyes grew firm and clear. "If you throw it at the enemy and shout 'Explode,' its magic will trigger."
Following her guidance, the rabbit reached out and pulled the hemp string necklace from her collar. Attached was a crystal-clear ring; inside its depths, a wisp of fire leapt and pulsed—a miniature flame sealed within glass, burning slowly in the transparency.
The rabbit froze for a second upon seeing it.
In the next moment, its gaze turned resolute. It lowered its head, bit down on the hemp string, and gave a sharp tug—
Snap.
The thin cord broke.
The white rabbit caught the small ring in its mouth and leaped lightly from Lunethia's shoulder. Its silhouette merged into the darkness, vanishing in an instant.
Lunethia watched the direction it had gone, a flickering light in her eyes.
She slowly closed her eyes once more.
In this frozen cage, there was nothing more she could do.
Her only hope now lay with the companions still fighting on the battlefield.
——
As the dense rain of weapons finally ceased, the dungeon transformed into a Shura Field woven of metal and shadow.
Countless weapons were embedded deep into the stone walls and floor. The edges of blades, tips of spears, and cold iron reflected fragmented glimmers in the dim light, looking like a cruel altar built for warriors.
The dust had not yet settled.
Gerald's figure stepped out from the haze.
A defiant, wild smirk played across the corners of his mouth.
"I'll show you all..."
His gaze was as sharp as a whetted blade. "Exactly why I am called the Empire's First Warrior."
The next instant—
He accelerated!
His body shot forward like a tiger springing from its cage, each footfall sending a rhythmic tremor through the ground. He didn't slow down for a second; mid-charge, his hand swept down to snatch a war spear from the floor. With a flick of his wrist, he funneled his strength into the shaft and hurled it with devastating force!
"Whiz—!"
The spear tore through the air, aiming straight for Ceresta's face!
Ceresta's eyes remained cold. With a casual wave of its hand, the crystal longsword flashed, easily batting the spear aside. Yet, in that split second of distraction—
Gerald had already closed the gap by several paces.
Moving with the momentum, he scooped up a broadsword from the ground. His arms bulged as he swung it downward in a horizontal cleave, as fierce as a sudden gale!
"Hah—!"
Ceresta met the blow with a cold, calculated parry.
"CLANG—!"
Steel clashed with crystal, sending a spray of sparks into the air. The massive impact caused the very atmosphere to moan in distortion as the shockwave rippled outward.
But Gerald was one step ahead.
The moment the broadsword was blocked, he let go without hesitation. Using the momentum to twist his body, he moved with the lethal fluidity of a viper, weaving to the side to avoid a head-on struggle. His hands swept across the floor—
And two gleaming daggers were suddenly in his grip.
Staying low to the ground, he lunged. The daggers blurred in a cross-pattern, driving straight toward Ceresta's knee joints!
"Stay—RIGHT THERE!"
Gerald growled, the Chakra within him surging into the blades until their edges glowed with lethal intensity. Though Ceresta was protected by its floating crystal armor, the power-infused daggers struck like stone-shattering lightning, piercing through the defenses and pinning the construct's feet firmly into the earth!
"CRACK—!"
The blades vibrated with cold light as stone splinters flew; the ground beneath spiderwebbed instantly.
In the next heartbeat, Gerald kicked off the ground, vaulting into the air like an arrow. Mid-air, his hand snatched a fallen warhammer, his arm muscles tensing like a drawn bow.
"Take THIS!"
The hammer fell like a mountain, carrying the weight of a thousand thunders as it smashed toward Ceresta's back!
Ceresta reacted instantly, forcibly pulling its sword back to defend—
"BOOM!!"
The explosion of sound shook the chamber. The crystal longsword vibrated violently. Though the hammer didn't land a direct hit on the body, the sheer force of the impact bore down, forcing the construct onto one knee. The floor collapsed further under the weight.
Fury began to seethe within the monster.
It whipped its hand back, fingers splayed—a jagged ice shard erupted from its palm!
"Ha!"
Gerald had anticipated the move. He jerked his torso backward, the ice shard grazing his hair and leaving a trail of freezing wind in its wake. He hit the ground in a roll, coming up with a sweeping kick that forced the unbalanced Ceresta back half a step.
Before he had even fully stopped, he struck again—
Snatching up a long whip, he flicked his wrist. The lash flew out like a serpent, coiling with pinpoint precision around Ceresta's arm!
"Get over here!"
He yanked hard, using the tension to launch himself into the air. Spinning like a whirlwind, he traced an arc through the sky and landed directly in front of his foe.
The next instant—
A direct front kick!
"Get back against the wall!"
The strike landed with the force of a collapsing mountain, slamming square into the construct's chest.
"BOOM—!"
The armor on Ceresta's chest shattered on impact. Its entire frame was sent hurtling backward, snapping several stone pillars like twigs before being buried deep into the far wall, sending a spray of rubble in every direction.
For a heartbeat, the air seemed to go still.
"...I've never seen Gerald go this hard," Rena whispered in awe.
"Damn! Fighting like that, he's like a one-man legion carrying an entire armory on his back!" Gareth clicked his tongue, impressed.
"This blade is actually pretty good! It's mine now!" Owen's eyes lit up. He rushed forward and scooped up a broadsword from the ground.
Milia followed suit, picking up two daggers and giving them a light toss, looking quite satisfied with their balance.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
Gerald whirled around, his eyes wide with indignation. "Were you even watching?! Don't cling to a single weapon—the battlefield changes in a heartbeat! Flexibility is king! And—STOP! Stop looting my weapons!!"
Before he could finish his rant—
A faint, sharp crack echoed from the wall.
"Snap."
In the next moment, the rubble crumbled away. Ceresta braced its hands against the wall and slowly stepped out. Broken crystals began to reorganize rapidly across its body, layer by layer, restoring its original form.
The construct was covered in cracks, yet its aura had grown even heavier, more oppressive. Within its eyes, the ghostly blue had vanished, replaced by a terrifying, burning crimson.
"ROAR—!"
A furious howl shook the very air. Its body surged forward again, pouncing like an unstoppable avalanche.
"Ugh—Old man! This thing won't die!" Owen shouted. Raising the broadsword he had just scavenged, he lunged forward without hesitation. "Stop daydreaming! It's coming again!"
Rhine was about to ignite his blade and rejoin the fray when he felt a tug at his pant leg. He looked down—
The white rabbit was clamping its teeth onto his trousers, its eyes filled with a desperate urgency.
"This stupid rabbit..." Rhine muttered with a frown. "When did it get back out here?"
The rabbit let go and hopped quickly to his side. It patted a ring lying on the ground with its forepaws, then performed an exaggerated throwing motion, pointing toward the charging Ceresta.
Rhine raised an eyebrow and let out a cold huff. "What kind of trick is it playing now?"
He glanced sideways at Karl, his tone impatient. "Karl, what the hell is this thing doing? You've been watching from the sidelines—give me an explanation."
Karl shrugged, his expression helpless, but he didn't rush to answer. He reached into his coat, pulled out a sheet of paper and a bottle of ink, and set them calmly on the floor.
"Alright, Rabbit," Karl said quietly.
He tilted his head slightly, meeting those unnervingly clear red eyes. "If you truly possess intelligence... then write it down."
He paused, adding dryly:
"I don't speak Rabbit."
The white rabbit lifted a paw and slapped its own forehead, as if lamenting the stupidity of the two men. It then dragged the paper over, dipped its paw into the ink, and began tapping the page with urgent, powerful strokes.
A line of crooked but legible script quickly took shape.
On the other side of the chamber, the battle raged on without pause.
Rhine paid no more heed to the distractions behind him. He raised his blade, and the Divine Flame erupted from the steel in a blinding flare. Looking like a warrior consumed by the sun itself, he charged straight for Ceresta.
As the searing heat of the Divine Flame closed in, the mana within Ceresta's body visibly faltered and lagged.
The floating crystal plates surrounding the construct retracted instantly, stacking themselves into layers to block Rhine's approach. Simultaneously, it raised its crystal longsword horizontally, desperately trying to maintain distance from its foe.
"Just as I thought!"
Karl's eyes sharpened, his voice low but decisive. "In this form—it can't withstand the Divine Flame!"
He barked an order: "Pin down its crystal sword and armor! Let the Boss burn the core directly!"
"Understood!"
Rena, Gareth, Owen, and Milia responded almost in unison. Like a bolt of lightning splitting apart, the four closed in from different directions. Their movements interlaced, instantly sealing off every possible path of retreat for Ceresta.
At that moment, the white rabbit finished writing.
It pounded on Karl's foot with all its might. Karl leaned down to snatch up the paper, and after a single glance, his expression shifted. Without a word, he grabbed the ring from the floor and sprinted toward the battlefield.
Right now—
The four members of the team had successfully suppressed Ceresta's armor. The screech of metal against crystal filled the air, a chaotic weave of sparks and cold glints.
Gerald, meanwhile, whipped out two thick iron chains. Chakra surged through the metal links as he lashed out, coiling the chains around both the massive crystal sword and Ceresta's arms, locking them in a crushing grip!
"It's pinned—MOVE!" Gerald roared.
Rhine let out a wild laugh, the battle-lust in his eyes burning as bright as his blade. "Great!"
He stepped forward, his flaming blade carving through the air in a spinning slash that peeled away the remaining layers of crystal armor.
The next instant—
His left hand slammed onto Ceresta's chest without a moment's hesitation.
"Burn!"
The Divine Flame exploded!
Like a long-dormant volcano finally reaching its breaking point, the white-hot fire roared from his palm into the construct's chest, effectively igniting the mana core inside. In a heartbeat, the chaotic energy within Ceresta began to churn and surge. Lightning and fire erupted in jagged bursts; the monster had become an out-of-control furnace on the verge of detonation.
"Shit!"
Rhine's face paled. He bellowed a desperate warning: "EVERYONE—FALL BACK!!"
The moment the command left his lips, the team reacted without doubt. Chains were cast aside; figures leaped backward. In the blink of an eye, they rolled away, putting distance between themselves and the core with harrowing speed.
However—
There wasn't enough time to escape completely.
Ceresta's body swelled abruptly. Crimson light lashed out in a frantic tangle, and in a flash, the construct transformed into a sphere of incandescent flame.
"BOOM—!!!"
A world-shaking explosion tore through the dungeon. Flames and shockwaves swept through the chamber like a tidal wave, shattering stone walls and tearing the very air to shreds.
Rhine, being the closest, bore the brunt of the blast. He was hurled through the air by the wall of fire, slamming violently into a distant stone wall. A thin trail of blood began to slide from the corner of his mouth.
Dust swirled in the heavy air.
As the aftershocks of the explosion gradually subsided, the dungeon was revealed to be a scene of utter devastation.
Ceresta sat slumped on the ground, its crystalline body webbed with cracks like a vessel on the verge of shattering. The violent crimson glow that had pulsed within it was extinguished, replaced by the weak, erratic flickering of residual mana.
That suffocating pressure had finally fallen silent.
"Is everyone... alright?"
Karl panted, his eyes scanning the group.
Rena rubbed her ears and gave a wry smile. "I'm okay... The blast was a bit much, but my Chakra protected me. I just need a moment to catch my breath."
Gerald stood amidst the debris, covered in a thick layer of dust but still laughing. "Haha! You kids are still too soft—look at me, not a scratch!"
"Cut the crap..."
Rhine slid down the wall with difficulty, coughing up a mouthful of blood. His voice was low, yet steady. "Check on that thing... see if it's still moving."
Gareth stepped forward immediately, giving Ceresta a sharp kick. A moment later, his expression darkened.
"It's still alive," he muttered, his tone heavy. "It's just entered a dormant state... it's absorbing the lingering mana to repair itself."
He looked up at the others, his voice dropping to a somber whisper. "Give it a little more time, and it will reboot."
The tension in the air snapped tight once again.
Owen, his breathing still ragged as he gripped his broadsword, frowned. "So what now? Do we just smash it to pieces?"
Gerald shook his head. His gaze drifted past the group, settling on a figure ahead. "No," he said deeply. "Now... it is time to have an audience with the Queen."
He pointed straight ahead.
Toward the Queen in the Violet robes.
The group followed his gaze, and their expressions shifted in unison. The massive block of ice that had once imprisoned the Crimson Queen had vanished without a trace, as if it had never existed.
The Violet Queen stood in its place, her eyes as cold as a midnight abyss. Her voice was low, echoing as if from the deepest reaches of the northern wastes. "You... you wretched ants..."
She raised her hand slightly, frost condensing at her fingertips. "Withdraw now, and perhaps I shall grant you mercy. Do not... stand in my way."
Around her, crystalline shards of ice floated in the air—like congealed incantations or a silent, rising fury waiting to erupt.
Rhine took a step forward.
Flames rose quietly from within him, coiling around his limbs like a thin suit of divine battle-armor, casting him in a brilliant, razor-sharp light.
He let out a cold, mocking laugh filled with simmering rage. "Mercy? You foolish woman—after all this, you still don't recognize me?"
The Violet Queen faltered for a moment, her brow furrowing. Clearly, she had no memory of this youth.
Rhine grit his teeth, his gaze as fierce as a burning sunset.
"I will say it once more—"
"I am the Prince of the Great Empire Solaria—Rhine Solarel!"
He enunciated every word, as if carving the memory of blood and fire back into the very air.
"The Empire you claimed was 'extinct,' the people you slaughtered—and my Father, the Emperor; my Mother, the Empress..."
"Today, I am here to collect their debt—in blood!"
As his words fell, the Divine Flame around Rhine's body surged violently. His fury transformed into a searing battle-lust, nearly incinerating the freezing mist that clung to the air.
The Violet Queen's expression shifted slightly, yet her eyes remained indifferent, as if none of it concerned her. "You have the wrong person."
Her tone was calm, carrying a chilling detachment that cut deeper than any blade. "Begone. Do not waste my precious time."
"You—!"
Rhine's rage boiled over. He was about to lunge forward when a hand caught his shoulder, holding him back.
Gerald stepped forward slowly.
His expression was no longer one of wild defiance; instead, it was heavy and complex. Deep in his eyes, there was a flicker of sorrow—the pain of being forgotten.
"Even me..."
He spoke in a low voice, thick with suppressed emotion. "Do you not remember me either?"
"The First Warrior of the Great Empire Solaria—has even that left no impression upon you?"
The Violet Queen tilted her head, her gaze turning even more frigid. "I have already said—you have the wrong person."
Her voice suddenly sharpened, falling like a guillotine.
"If you persist in this delusion... then you shall all be buried here."
The moment she spoke—
The ground trembled violently!
Mana surged around her, and countless ice crystals rose into the air like falling petals in reverse, layering upon one another until they filled the entire field of vision. Those crystals shimmered with a ghostly, cold light, carrying her will and lethal intent. They hung suspended in the air, waiting for a single command to transform into a rain of destruction.
"Damn it..."
Gerald cursed under his breath. He hoisted his shield, his Chakra swirling across its surface. His voice was low and grim. "It seems she truly... has no memory of us."
He grit his teeth. "That is—infuriating."
Karl drew his sword, his voice cool and clear. "Battle formations! Pin her down and find an opening!"
"Understood!"
Rhine roared in response, his Divine Flame billowing as if to tear the frost asunder.
Rena closed in right behind him. Her anger was different from the others—it wasn't weighted by ancient grudges, but by a straightforward, sincere protective instinct.
"Witch! Where is Lunethia? Why did you take her?!"
The Queen's gaze snapped toward Rena, sharp as a bared blade.
"Lunethia..."
Her voice was low and lethal. "She... dies today."
"Her very existence was a mistake."
She raised her hand, fingers splayed as frost condensed in her palm.
"As for the rest of you—if you wish to be buried with her, I do not mind granting that wish."
The next instant—
The countless ice crystals suspended in the air began to spin, emitting a piercing shriek as they responded to her will.
Then—
The rain of death poured down.
Ice and fire, sword and shield, hatred and unsolved mysteries—all of it interlaced once more in the depths of this long-silent palace. The battle of destiny, from which there was no retreat, had begun.