They pressed deeper into the caves.
Corpses lined their path like flowers blooming in decay.
Dune's hands trembled slightly."I don't like this…"
A few nodded. Far, trying to sound upbeat, forced a smirk. "Less enemies means less fighting. Less effort, less sweat."
But his restless eyes betrayed him.
Only T0 bodies so far… maybe the T1s already fed on the weaker ones, Seran thought.
Between Evonium extractions and the growing trail of corpses, something finally shattered the group's fragile calm.
A mutilated body lay ahead, already decomposing, a weapon still clutched in its hand. Its face was frozen in agony—its last moments carved in fear.
The group stiffened.
Icarus stepped closer, studying the corpse."I know him. We ran missions together… I thought he disappeared. Now I see where he ended up."
He shook his head slowly.
"I doubt he came here alone. We'll find others."
While they spoke, Seran noticed a phone slipping from the man's reinforced jacket. He picked it up and, using the only intact hand, unlocked it.
Nothing useful—until he opened the gallery.
A video. Seven days old.
He played it.
No sound.
Four raiders moved through these same tunnels. Calm. Focused. Everything seemed normal.
Then—
One of them was suddenly beheaded. Something fast. Invisible.
The footage spiraled into chaos. They ran. The cameraman kept glancing back, trying to see what was chasing them.
Another fell. Then another.
Darkness. Shaking. Panic.
Then, stillness.
Something moved away in the distance.
The camera tilted upward… fixed on the cave ceiling.
"Hey, Lag… what's got you so shaken?" Shockwave said, grabbing the phone from his hands.
Seran didn't answer immediately.
If that was a full F1 team… no single T1 could do that.
The others gathered around, watching the footage. Their expressions shifted, one after another.
A dry swallow.
"From now on—maximum alert," Frost said.
They moved forward, slower now.
More Evox corpses appeared. The air grew thick—heavy with blood and something worse.
Eventually, the tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber.
Splash… splash…
Their boots sank into shallow pools of blood spreading across the floor.
Bodies were everywhere—T1s and raiders alike. Limbs torn apart. Flesh chewed. Organs spilled. T0 corpses littered the edges, completing the grotesque scene.
"My God… where are we?" River whispered, his voice trembling.
No one answered.
Silence had given way to fear.
Shockwave broke formation, stepping toward the center of the chamber.
"Stay in formation!" someone called.
He ignored them, already searching the T1 corpses.
"Where are the cores? There's nothing here!" he snapped.
Frustration rising, he lifted his gaze—
And froze.
Two red eyes stared back at him from above.
A long shape clung to the ceiling.
Roughly seven meters. Lizard-like.
Silence.
Then—
It dropped.
Claws descended straight toward his head.
Shockwave reacted instantly, brown mana surging through his body. A wall of earth rose beneath him, intercepting the strike.
The impact didn't kill him—but it hurled him backward across the chamber floor.
The creature landed.
Now fully visible.
Green scales, dense as stone. A long, bladed tail swaying behind it. Jaws lined with blood-stained teeth. Two dark horns curving from its head.
"No… that's not possible…" Dune muttered.
Icarus stared, pale."Yeah… I think this is it for us."
Far raised his pistol, channeling mana into the chamber.
White mana—an Archetype.
"Piercing Shot."
BOOM.
The projectile struck in less than a second.
The creature barely reacted. It slid back a few meters from the impact.
No damage.
"Impossible… not even a mark."
"Running won't help" Frost said, frost energy crawling along her spear.
"We fight."
The air tightened.
The battle began.
"Spread out—don't let it breathe!" Frost commanded, stepping forward.
"It's a T2… a f*****g T2" Dune said, coating himself in a shifting armor of sand, her whip already moving.
"We try, or we die," Seran said, circling wide to the creature's rear, blade ready.
"Air Blade" Icarus shooted.
A slicing current shot toward the target.
The creature leapt—vanishing upward, claws digging into the ceiling again.
From above, it tore a stalactite free with its jaws and hurled it down toward Frost.
An ice barrier rose instantly in front of her, shattering the impact.
Now it controlled the vertical space.
Their formation broke.
River stepped forward, focusing.
The blood covering the ground responded to his will. The strain hit him immediately—but he held it.
Water within it obeyed.
Thick, red chains surged upward from the floor, snapping toward the creature.
It dodged with ease, weaving between them.
"It's playing with us," Far muttered, firing again and again, his shots carving holes into the ceiling instead.
Seran ducked as debris rained down around him.
This fight… I'm outmatched, he realized, steadying himself.
Then—
Shockwave moved.
Stone surged upward beneath him, forming a jagged staircase along the wall. He reinforced his legs and launched himself into the air.
His double-bladed axe struck.
A harsh metallic screech echoed.
The blow didn't break through—but it knocked the creature off balance.
It dropped.
"Nice one, Shockwave!" River shouted.
"Don't stop!" Frost called, already sprinting forward, launching a shard of ice mid-run.
The creature recovered instantly, landing on all fours. Its tail snapped outward, deflecting the attack.
Frost closed the distance, thrusting her spear toward its throat—
The strike slid off its scales.
Above and around them, Dune's sand constructs rained down while her whip lashed across the creature's back—unable to pierce, but forcing it to shift.
That moment was enough.
Frost twisted aside, the creature's counterattack slicing through the air where she had stood, the force of it whipping her hair back.
The others kept up the pressure—not damaging, but disrupting.
The creature moved through them with fluid ease.
Almost playful.
Then—
One of Far's shots hit its eye.
A burst of dark blood spilled.
Drip… drip…
For a split second—
Hope.
Then the air froze.
The creature stilled.
Something changed.
No longer curious. No longer amused.
Only rage.
Its body tensed—
And vanished.
A blur.
Then—
A scream tore through the chamber.
Far's arm was gone.
Torn clean off in a single bite.
The group froze.
"AAAAARGH—!"
The sound echoed violently through the cavern.
The creature stood a short distance away, chewing slowly.
Then it turned back toward them—
Leaving the gunman writhing behind.