They didn't stop.
Whatever exhaustion remained from earlier was already gone. Short rests, Lan Xue's steady recovery—everyone was back in fighting condition.
Mu Chen moved first.
[Shadow Nap].
His figure blurred, then vanished entirely. A second later, a lizardman on the right platform froze mid-step before collapsing silently, throat severed.
Zhou Kang charged straight in.
[Titan Fists].
His arms swelled with raw power as he smashed through the front guards. Two lizardmen were sent flying off the ledge, bodies cracking against stone below.
"Let's go," Yan Feiyu said calmly.
They advanced together and crossed into the cave.
The interior opened wide.
A massive cavern stretched ahead, split into tiers. Stone platforms rose on both sides. Lizardmen lined the heights—archers and spear-bearers already aiming downward.
On the lower platform stood several figures apart from the rest.
Elite Lizardman Shamans.
Their scales were darker, marked with ritual carvings. Blue water-energy pulsed around their staves.
At the far end sat a throne carved from stone and bone.
Lizard King Krothak rested upon it.
Jewelry of bone and crystal hung from his body. A heavy trident leaned beside him.
His eyes opened.
Lizardmen attacked immediately.
Arrows rained down. Spears followed. Water-forged blades condensed midair and launched toward the group.
Yan Feiyu gave orders instantly.
"Han Rui, front. Lan Xue, center. Mu Chen, Zhou Kang—clear the platforms."
Her gaze flicked to Jin. "Do what you want."
Old Qiao stepped beside Lan Xue without speaking.
The formation split.
Han Rui activated [Iron Bastion], taking the brunt of the first volley. Zhou Kang and Mu Chen moved fast, clearing elevated threats with brute force and execution strikes.
Jin didn't rush.
He tracked movement.
"Left platform—two archers shifting," he said.
"Rear—water spike forming."
Warnings came just ahead of impact.
Yan Feiyu moved straight for the lower platform.
The elite shamans reacted.
Staves struck the ground.
[Waterbind Surge].
Jets of compressed water erupted upward, forming spears that curved mid-flight.
Jin intercepted one instinctively, knocking it aside, but another grazed his side.
Yan Feiyu took point.
[Fire Lance].
The attack pierced through one shaman's barrier, blasting it backward. Steam filled the lower platform.
The second shaman countered.
[Spiral Tide].
Water twisted into a rotating drill and shot forward.
Jin pulled Feiyu aside a fraction too late.
The drill clipped his shoulder and tore through stone behind him.
He gritted his teeth.
They're stronger than normal elites.
Jin steadied himself, fingers pressing briefly against his injured shoulder. The cut wasn't deep, but the force behind that spell had been far from light.
Yan Feiyu was already moving again, flames coiling around her arm as she repositioned.elite shamans had spread out, water-energy circulating more aggressively now that they'd tested their opponents.
Above them, the fight on the platforms was already ending.
Mu Chen reappeared behind the last archer like a shadow peeling itself off the wall. A single precise strike ended it before the lizardman could even scream.
Zhou Kang crushed the final spear-bearer head-on, stone cracking beneath his feet as the body flew backward and went still.
Han Rui disengaged last, lowering his stance as the immediate pressure faded.
They all turned toward the lower platform.
Jin and Yan Feiyu were still fighting.
The elite shamans pressed harder, sensing the shift in momentum.
One slammed its staff down again.
[High Tide Convergence].
Water surged inward from multiple angles, compressing into overlapping blades.
Jin called out sharply. "Two seconds—left side first!"
Yan Feiyu trusted him without question.
She pivoted, flames condensing into a narrow point.
[Fire Lance].
The first shaman's barrier shattered under the focused heat. Jin followed immediately, forcing himself forward despite the strain.
[Swift Step].
He slipped inside the second shaman's casting range and drove a [Focused Strike] into its chest, disrupting the spell mid-formation. Water backlash exploded outward, throwing both of them apart.
The shaman staggered—but didn't fall.
The staggered shaman snarled, eyes flashing blue.
Both slammed their staffs into the stone with both hands.
Water detonated outward.
From the lower platform, massive walls of condensed water surged up from the ground, curving inward as they rose. In a breath, the battlefield was split apart—two enclosed zones forming instantly.
One wall sealed Jin inside with a shaman.
Another trapped Yan Feiyu with the remaining one.
The water barriers were thick, layered, constantly circulating, reinforced with rune-like currents. Attacks from outside slammed into them and dispersed harmlessly.
"Kang—stop!" Han Rui shouted, skidding to a halt.
Zhou Kang slammed his fist into the wall anyway.
The water rippled—and held.
"Damn it."
Inside the barrier, Jin narrowed his eyes. The air felt heavier, pressure increasing with every second. Water pooled around his feet, trying to restrict movement.
A containment-type spell, he realized.
Across the barrier, Yan Feiyu had already engaged again, flames roaring as she forced space around herself.
But neither of them had time to speak.
Because Krothak moved.
The Lizard King stepped forward, trident spinning once in his grasp before slamming into the ground.
The shockwave hit Mu Chen, Zhou Kang, and Han Rui head-on.
Water surged violently, reinforced by raw physical force.
The recoil sent all three flying backward through the air.
They crashed hard—Mu Chen skidding across stone, Zhou Kang smashing through a broken pillar, Han Rui barely managing to roll and bleed off the impact.
The echo thundered through the cavern.
Krothak didn't pause.
He advanced.
Mu Chen forced himself upright first, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. His eyes sharpened as Krothak closed in.
Zhou Kang spat to the side and pushed himself up, muscles flexing painfully. "Tch… so this is the boss of this dungeon."
Han Rui planted his feet and raised his guard again, breathing steady despite the strain.
The three of them moved to intercept.
Han Rui took the first clash, bracing as the trident slammed down. His [Iron Bastion] flared violently, the impact driving him back a full step.
Zhou Kang followed immediately, fists crashing toward Krothak's torso in a brutal sequence.
[Titan Fists].
The blows landed—but Krothak barely shifted.
The Lizard King twisted, tail sweeping low. Zhou Kang jumped, but the follow-up strike caught him midair and hurled him aside.
Mu Chen vanished.
[Shadow Nap].
He reappeared at Krothak's flank, blade flashing toward a gap between scales.
The strike rang out like metal on stone.
Krothak backhanded him without even turning.
Mu Chen hit the ground hard and rolled, coughing once before forcing himself back up.
They regrouped instinctively, breathing heavier now.
Old Qiao stood beside Lan Xue, watching everything unfold.hands folded behind his back, eyes still calm.