UNDERWATER PRISON GATE
The underwater ruins were completely silent.
The battle with the great serpent had finally ended.
The enormous creature disappeared into the darkness below as the last traces of its energy faded through the water.
Salim and Ton remained there, staring at the strange gate that had appeared before them.
The ancient structure slowly began to open.
Stone shifted beneath the water.
A deep blue light escaped from the cracks.
The darkness around the gate seemed to move with it, almost as if something was spawning inside the water itself.
Salim's eyes widened.
"WOAH!"
Ton stared at the enormous entrance.
Salim laughed.
"Get ready. It's time to rescue Junyu and Mil."
The two of them moved forward.
They entered the gate.
Instantly—
Darkness.
Pitch black.
There was nothing around them.
No walls.
No floor.
No sound except the faint movement of water.
Ton looked around.
"Where are we?"
Then—
A light flashed directly in front of their eyes.
Both of them raised their hands instinctively.
As their eyes adjusted, they finally saw it.
A massive prison.
Ancient stone walls stretched into the darkness.
Rows of cells covered the sides.
Strange drawings covered the walls.
The entire place looked abandoned...
Yet somehow, it felt like someone had been here recently.
Ton stared at one of the drawings.
"Woah... that is like 8 inches."
Salim didn't even look at him.
He simply continued walking.
"Come on."
Ton remained completely bamboozled as they moved deeper into the prison.
ORIGINAL PRISON GATE
Meanwhile...
Michael and Ikiro finally made their move.
The ancient gate had opened after they entered the correct code.
They stepped through.
Then stopped.
Stairs.
Endless stairs.
They disappeared into the darkness below.
Michael looked down.
"Bro..."
Ikiro looked at him.
"Don't."
Michael sighed.
"Yeah."
They began descending.
Down.
Down.
And further down.
They ran.
They walked.
They jumped over broken sections of the staircase.
Minutes passed.
The deeper they went, the colder the atmosphere became.
The sounds of the castle above slowly disappeared.
Eventually...
They reached the bottom floor.
The prison.
Michael looked around.
"Yo! Ikiro, man, check this out. This is crazy."
Ikiro didn't answer.
His eyes were closed.
He was sensing the energy around them.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
"Michael... stay on guard."
Michael looked at him.
"Why?"
"Anything might happen here."
Michael looked toward the walls.
"Bro, what's up with these weird drawings here? That is definitely 8 inches."
Ikiro ignored him.
Then—
WHOOSH!
Ikiro suddenly jumped onto Michael and pushed him to the ground.
Michael hit the floor.
"What the—"
Two shadows stood at opposite ends of the darkness.
Neither group could clearly see the other.
Salim and Ton froze.
Salim whispered,
"There are two people... definitely."
Ton stretched his arms.
"How do we approach them?"
Salim looked forward.
"We fight!"
Both of them stood.
The darkness completely surrounded them.
Ton stretched his hands and suddenly jumped into the air.
Salim grabbed his bow.
Energy began forming around his arrows.
Across the prison—
Michael awakened his Valric powers.
Ikiro's body became surrounded by blue energy.
The four figures prepared themselves.
Nobody knew who they were fighting.
Nobody knew who was standing across from them.
Then—
3...
Salim pulled his bowstring.
2...
Ton raised his fists.
1...
Everyone moved.
BOOM!
Their attacks collided in the darkness.
Salim's arrows flew forward—
Michael cut through them.
Ton suddenly appeared above Ikiro—
Ikiro barely defended himself.
The entire prison echoed with their attacks.
Then...
For one brief moment...
The four finally saw each other's faces.
Silence.
Ton's eyes widened.
"TON!"
Ikiro froze.
"IKIRO!"
Michael stared.
"MICHAEL!"
Salim lowered his bow.
"SALIM!"
All four dropped their weapons.
They stared at each other in disbelief.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"
For several moments, nobody said anything.
Then they began explaining everything.
The rescue mission.
The prison.
Mil.
Junyu.
The underground ruins.
The four finally understood.
They had all been heading toward the same place.
They moved forward together.
THE CELLS
The deeper they went, the quieter the prison became.
Eventually, they reached the cells.
Everyone stopped.
There it was.
Junyu's cell.
Michael pointed.
"Woah... that's Junyu."
Inside the cell, a figure was sleeping.
Salim immediately shook his head.
"No. That's a dummy."
Everyone looked at him.
"How do you know?"
Salim simply stared at the fake Junyu.
"I just know."
Ikiro looked toward the cell.
"So Junyu already escaped?"
Salim nodded.
"Yeah."
Ton suddenly looked worried.
"So Mil might have escaped too?"
They rushed toward the next cell.
Then stopped.
Silence.
Mil was there.
Still in James's body.
Blood covered him.
Two swords remained through his torso.
Blood stained the floor around him.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Ton's expression completely changed.
"MIL!!"
His voice echoed throughout the prison.
Ton rushed toward the cell.
Ikiro immediately grabbed him.
"Ton! Calm down!"
"He's still alive!"
Salim quickly raised his bow.
He fired an arrow toward the cell.
The arrow passed through the defensive barrier.
Everyone stared.
Salim looked at his bow.
Then at the barrier.
Ikiro stepped forward.
The moment he entered—
The barrier burned him.
He immediately stepped back.
"What?!"
Salim looked at him.
Then slowly stepped forward.
He crossed the same barrier.
Nothing happened.
Salim froze.
Ikiro stared at him.
Ton stared at him.
Michael stared at him.
Salim looked at his own hands.
"What is with me?"
He looked back at the barrier.
"Am I... special?"
There was no time to think about it.
They immediately rescued Mil.
Ton carefully helped him.
Salim watched him closely.
Mil was barely conscious.
But he was alive.
Ikiro looked around the prison.
"So... Phase Three is over."
He took a breath.
"We did it."
Salim shook his head.
"No."
Everyone looked at him.
"We still have to find Junyu."
He tightened his grip on his bow.
"And for that..."
He looked toward the path leading back toward the castle.
"We have to go to the Devil Horns' chamber."
Ton nodded.
Michael prepared himself.
Ikiro gathered his blue energy.
Salim looked into the darkness ahead.
"We're coming, Junyu!"