The first gate is sealed.
The red sun had set.
The air grew heavy.
Fog rolled in, getting thicker and fast.
A low groan echoed all around them.
The vein-like trees started to twitch underneath their feet.
Elizabeth stiffened. She looked around.
"We need to hide," she whispered.
She didn't have to explain why.
They all remembered the thing that roamed here at night.
The monstrous creature they saw when they first arrived.
Sylas didn't flinch.
He looked at her—calm, steady.
"Don't worry."
Sealing the gate had trapped the creature that was here inside.
It couldn't leave now.
But Sylas wasn't planning to leave it here either.
The main gate—the one that led back to the Academy—
if he left that thing alive, there was a chance it might break through that gate.
He was not going to risk it.
He looked at the others.
They were still trembling as the sound grew louder.
Thicker.
Deeper.
"We can't leave that thing here," he said, his voice low and sharp.
"We can't risk it breaking through the gate between the Veil and the Surface."
His tone shifted again.
Now the words came out heavier and sharper.
"Therefore… it must die."
"You sure we can take that thing on?" Ryan asked.
Sylas didn't answer right away.
He could see it in their eyes—
the fear still clinging to them after the fight with Lilith.
It was not just fear, but terror.
Their hands were still shaking.
None of them talked.
They stayed still.
He took a deep breath.
"It's okay to be afraid," he said.
He stepped forward.
"Fear means you understand the danger."
He unsheathed Excalibur.
"But fear doesn't decide what happens next."
He plunged his sword into the ground,
his posture straight, his arms resting on the hilt.
"You do."
He turned his head toward them.
"I'm not asking you to be fearless," Sylas said, his voice calm but firm.
He paused, letting the silence settle over them like dust.
"I just need you to trust me."
Light began to rise from his body.
It was gold and warm like sunlight, but sharp like a blade.
"Trust me. Fight for me," he said, stepping forward.
"In return… I will protect you all with my life."
The light spread—
coating their bodies like suits of armor.
Their fear didn't vanish.
They stared at the glow.
"The only thing I desire from you all," he shouted,
"is loyalty!"
His voice thundered through the fog.
"Swear loyalty to me—me alone—
and in exchange I'll give you power beyond anything your imagination."
The world responded to his words.
The light exploded, causing the fog to burst apart.
Golden swords rained from the sky, stabbing into the ground.
Each one pulsed with light, lighting up the entire battlefield in a golden field.
And then—the monsters became visible.
They looked like large black lizards.
They had long bodies, sharp claws, and rough skin glowing with purple cracks.
Their heads were stretched, like a snake's, but without eyes.
Instead, they had wide mouths full of long, thin teeth—
strong enough to bite through almost anything.
Leading them was something more ferocious.
The leader was much bigger, a lizard-like monster covered in dark, spiked scales that glowed purple.
It had eyes all over its head—
like it was always watching you, no matter where you went.
That's the monster that moved through the fog that time.
He remembered those sharp teeth.
Now that he got a closer look,
it looked like it was born from the deepest part of the Veil.
They were surrounded.
The leader stood at the front, towering over the rest.
Sylas didn't flinch.
He reached down and pulled a sword from the ground.
It hummed with light.
He jumped—weightless.
"I feel lighter," he muttered, spinning the blade once.
He slashed through the air.
"I feel faster."
Then he vanished.
In an instant, he blinked—
reappearing beside one of the smaller creatures.
The monster turned—
too slow.
Sylas brought his sword down.
Fast.
Heavy.
A clean vertical cut.
The body split before it hit the ground.
He blinked again.
This time, he appeared in front of another.
It opened its jaws, trying to take a bite at Sylas—
but he sliced through it in one clear motion.
Top to bottom.
He blinked again, reappearing at the side of one of the crawlers.
He swung his blade down.
Its head fell before it knew it.
Then again—
above them.
He came down hard, heavy, fast—
driving the sword through its skull.
Again.
Again.
Again.
The battlefield became a blur of golden light as Sylas kept jumping from one place to another—
and falling bodies.
He didn't stop.
He was everywhere.
Only the main monster could follow his movements.
He knew he had to end this fast.
He turned to the others.
They were also fighting.
Liz was casting spells and enchantments,
while Ryan was slamming them down.
At one point, he picked up a whole tree from the ground
and started swinging it like a maniac.
And Elizabeth's sword—
it was cutting them down in clean motions.
They had smiles on their faces as they fought.
They finally felt the boost from his Domain.
As they killed, soul fragments dissolved into his body.
Since they were using his power—
their kills were his kills.
After that, he set his eyes on the main monster.
He needed to finish this before his Domain timed out.
He shot toward it.
He swung his sword—
Crack.
Nothing.
He vanished again and reappeared behind the monster in a flash.
His blade swept low, trying to slice through the back of its ankle.
Still nothing.
Its skin was too tough.
He kept moving around, trying to find a weakness.
But still—nothing.
It didn't move throughout the entire fight.
It was watching him.
Learning.
Adapting to his movements.
Soul fragments continued to flow into him.
The Domain timer ran out.
That's when the monster ran toward him.
It swung its claw-like arm downward—
but he blocked it.
Then it used the chance to twist its body,
hitting him with its tail,
knocking the air out of his stomach.
It sent him flying toward the others.
Ryan caught him mid-air before he slammed into a building.
"You okay?" Elizabeth asked, panic in her voice.
"I'm fine, but we need a plan."
Catching his breath—
"Liz, can you turn the fog into ice?"
He paused for a bit.
"If you can… I can move fast enough to strike its weak point."
"I've never done it," she muttered, "but I can try.
It'll take some time."
They helped him get up.
"I'll keep it busy. You all help her."
[Soul Core Fragments Collected: 125/200]
They scattered—
while Sylas walked toward the monster.
They lunged at each other.
Its claw met his sword.
Each strike lit up the battlefield with sparks.
Sylas was careful not to get hit by its tail.
He tried to aim his attack toward its throat,
but it knew what Sylas was trying to do.
It moved fast—
too fast for something so huge.
The fog started to feel cold against his skin.
He briefly turned to see Liz—shimmering.
Her fingers were glowing.
She pointed her fingers toward their direction.
The fog slowly started to thicken.
The air became colder.
Sylas moved faster.
He needed to make sure his body stayed warm.
The monster slowed down.
Sylas was also feeling the cold.
The fog slowly turned into snow.
The wind felt like blades.
His hands were getting numb.
His body was locking up.
"Boost me, Liz!" he shouted.
He had to end this now.
He pointed his sword at its throat and shot toward it.
His blade plunged into its throat.
But it was still moving.
At that moment, Ryan leapt into the air—
and with everything he had—
he stomped on the blade.
Using the full strength of Hercules,
the blade tore through the monster's throat all the way down to its legs—
with ease—
while Sylas still held onto the hilt.
Sylas stood over its remains,
his sword dripping with green blood.
They were breathing hard, hands on their knees, too tired to speak.
"Good job," Sylas muttered.
The words barely came out.
"You too, man," Ryan laughed.
Like before, a ball of light appeared on top of the monster's dissolving body.
He picked it up.
[System Notification]
Cursed Relic Acquired: Veilforged Plate
Type: Torso Armor
Grade: Relic
Status: Equipped
Passive Effects:
– +35% Physical Defense
– +25% Magic Resistance
– Automatically absorbs 15% of incoming damage
– Immunity to fear-based effects
Curse:
The armor feeds on impact.
The more pain it blocks, the more it remembers.
Overuse may awaken something within.
He walked toward Ryan.
"It's all you, man."
Ryan's eyes glowed with excitement.
"You sure?" he asked.
"You kinda killed it, so I can't use it anyway."
After that, they walked toward the main gate.
The two men saw them approaching—
so they slowly opened the door.
[Soul Core Fragments Collected: 150/200]