The Chimera Beasts all over the world had been defeated.
But for a while, nothing happened.
Then suddenly, the ground began to shake. The ceiling started to crack. Then the floor cracked as well. The cracks spread rapidly. There was no escape.
Suddenly, the entire ground gave way. Everything fell downward. Everyone began falling with it.
As they fell, everyone could see something beneath them.
Something dark. Something corrupted.
It looked as if the darkness itself was pulling everything toward it.
The darkness grew closer.
And before anyone could do anything, everyone was swallowed by that same darkness.
For a while, their world was pitch black.
Nothing was in sight.
They didn't even know whether their eyes were open or not. They didn't know whether they were still alive or not. There was simply darkness.
And then, one by one, they began to wake up.
Some were unconscious when they landed, while others slowly regained consciousness and began waking those who were still unconscious.
As their eyes opened, they saw a completely different place.
It was an open space, but it didn't feel like a dungeon.
It wasn't anything like what the scouts had reported earlier.
It felt like a different world.
Something similar to what the mythical ruins might look like.
But once again, they found themselves in the same situation.
They were in different locations, but there was nothing else around them.
As usual, they cautiously began exploring the place.
After some time, a sharp and irritating voice suddenly rang throughout the entire area.
It echoed across every dungeon.
Then came a stretched, muffled voice.
"Everyone… thanks for waiting… hope you like the starters… it's time for main course… hope your stomachs are empty… otherwise you might be eaten…"
A muffled laugh followed.
"Let's start eating them…"
A sharp, deafening sound followed at the end.
Then a few minutes later, a loud thud broke through from one side of the area.
Then another.
Thud.
Thud.
Everyone turned toward the sound.
Something was approaching.
And soon, it came into their vision.
An army of Chimera Beasts.
They were marching and flying toward them, step by step.
There were hundreds. At least thousands of Chimera Beasts were present in each dungeon. The sight alone was enough to overwhelm anyone. Everyone already knew they were at war. They knew what they had signed up for. But this moment made them realise it all over again.
This was war.
There seemed to be no escape.
There was only one choice.
Fight or die.
The morale within the army began to waver.
But before it could fall any further, someone stepped forward.
Adrian.
As the highest royalty present in the dungeon, as well as a very popular and trusted person throughout the Kingdom of Cero, Adrian took responsibility.
Even he wasn't feeling confident.
He was nervous.
He knew the situation was terrifying.
But he still stepped forward.
Then he spoke loudly and clearly.
"Everyone, calm down… This is the very moment we have been waiting for… we have trained for this… never waver, never fear. You are not alone… we fight not for glory but to protect our loved ones, for the children to have a peaceful upbringing, and one day they shall aspire to be warriors like us."
As those words left Adrian's mouth, there was a sudden pump in everyone's chest.
His words gave them courage.
Yet there was still a small doubt.
The Chimera Beasts were simply too many.
Then... Arak raised his voice.
His broadsword burned red in his hand.
"You heard the Prince. He wants us to fight, he wants us to not waver, to not fear… And we shall follow his command."
Those words didn't just uplift everyone's morale.
They uplifted Adrian as well.
The army of the Kingdom of Cero, alongside the armies of every other kingdom, stood together. They were about to face an army of Chimera Beasts.
And as the Chimera Beasts came closer, something was immediately clear. They were more corrupted than before. Their bodies were twisted. Their presence felt darker.
Yet the army standing against them was full of morale.
Their eyes were sharp.
Adrenaline rushed through their bodies.
They stood fearless.
No one stepped back.
No one ran.
They were ready.
And as the two armies finally came face to face. The war began once again.