A black rabbit!?
Its fur was pitch black, dense, and soft as silk, glinting faintly under the glow of the mana stones.
They noticed it the moment it appeared; how could they not?
Against the wasteland of snow, its coat was as dark as midnight, a stark contrast to the snow-white fur of every mana beast they had faced so far.
But even when they set their eyes on it, the rabbit didn't move, as if it were merely observing them
Its crimson red eyes followed their every movement, studying them as they fought the other rabbits.
It stood upright, nothing like the other rabbits who were hopping around on their four legs; this one stood perfectly upright, its legs firmly anchored onto the snow
Releasing his spear from his hand, Azreal began to use gravity to control the spear, letting it continue its slaughter while he focused all his attention on the strange black rabbit.
Ding!! New entity scanned.
[Name: Ironshade warden]
Classification: Mana Beast (Floor Boss)
Mana Core: Savage
Description: Forged from mana, steel, and curiosity, the Ironshade Warden was created by the dungeon to stop the descent of unwanted creatures. It is the only floor boss able to travel through its ten floors unrestricted. This small ball of frosty death will be the last thing adventurers see as they let their guards down. Its legs are as hard as mana-enhanced steel, allowing it to move just as fast as they die.
Advice: Don't allow it in the air if you want to know how your life comes to an untimely end.
Seemingly having had enough of observing the duo, the Ironshade Warden sprang forward with a speed that made the snow beneath its feet crack and splinter, each step sending shards of ice like jagged projectiles flying toward them.
It moved with uncanny precision, despite its overwhelming speed, circling them as if calculating every opening, every movement they made.
Despite its small size, the sheer aura it radiated was oppressive, a cold, metallic hum resonating through the air, chilling their marrow.
Its deep crimson eyes locked onto Oliva, seeing as she was the prey that was most distracted by its lesser variants.
But before it could rush towards her, something embedded itself in the snowy floor directly in front of the warden, only missing it by a few inches.
"Thunk—shff!"
Snow rippled outward from the shear force the spear distributed as it landed, aided by the increase of gravity around it.
The warden wasn't fazed by the spear in the slightest as it flew into the air as soon as it landed
Seeing this Azreal couldn't help but mutter, "Well, that can't be good."
Aiming to strike the warden out of the air before it could rush towards Oliva, he charged towards his spear; without an ounce of hesitation, he reached out, fingers clinging to the shaft of the weapon that was covered with a thin layer of snow.
Before pulling it out of the snow, slamming his hand back as hard as he could, and throwing the spear directly at the warden as hard as possible as if it weighed nothing.
The spear cut through the air, guided by the subtle pull of controlled gravity around it, right towards the warden, aiming to pierce right through its body.
But it was still too slow, as the warden stepped onto the air, freezing it for a fraction of a second before kicking it.
Sending the frozen step in the direction of the spear and itself in the direction of Oliva.
The spear collided with the frozen step mid-flight
"Crakk—KRSHH!"
The thin platform of ice shattered like brittle glass, fragments scattering in a sharp arc.
The impact sent the spear off-course, skidding sideways through the air for a heartbeat, but the gravitational pull Azreal had around it hummed to life.
The invisible force corrected its path, dragging the weapon back toward its intended target like an eager predator snapping its jaws shut.
But the Ironshade Warden moved fast.
Pressing its foot into the air once more, freezing another foothold out of nothing. A crystalline bloom of ice formed beneath its paw, then
It stepped again, forging a second frozen platform, and launched itself upward in an unnaturally smooth arc.
Each step shattered the instant it left it, snowflakes and shards spinning like a white comet tail behind the creature.
In two impossibly fast bounds, the Warden closed half the distance to Oliva
Its red eyes burned brighter the closer it got to her.
Its gaze was predatory.
Olivia barely had time to widen her eyes before the creature appeared above her, descending with a killing intent so sharp the air itself seemed to freeze.
Azreal felt his heart drop.
"Liv, move!" he shouted, already twisting his will, dragging at the spear with every ounce of gravitational force he could muster.
The weapon lurched in midair, accelerating into a lethal blur, aiming to intercept the Warden before it reached her.
As he himself was dashing through the snow, hoping to get to her
The battlefield trembled, snow spiraling, mana humming, the spear streaking like a falling star while the black rabbit's nose, the warden's shadow, swallowed the space around her.
Olivia didn't hesitate.
Her pitch-black sword snapped upward, placing itself between her and the descending Warden an instant before impact.
CLANG—SKREEEE!
The moment its metal-hard legs slammed onto her blade, the sound rang out like steel striking steel, a piercing vibration that shook down her arms and rattled her bones.
The force behind the blow was monstrous, far greater than its small frame let on.
Snow exploded beneath her feet as she was driven backwards
Her feet carved through the white landscape, snow bursting up around her legs like plumes of smoke.
The Warden didn't relent for even a breath; it pressed down harder, pounding onto her sword with rapid, brutal strikes, each one hammering her deeper into the snow.
Olivia gritted her teeth, knuckles whitening around the hilt as she held firm.
That's when it happened.
Her blade began to exude a thin ribbon of dark smoke, drifting upward in a slow, ghostly swirl. The smoke curled along the Warden's legs, reaching toward its face as though alive.
The creature's crimson eyes twitched.
For the first time, it hesitated.
Azreal saw the opening instantly.
He thrust out his hand.
Gravity bent.
The spear jerked in the air and then
FWOOOM—KRCK!
It shot forward like a meteor, the air itself groaning as it tore past. But the warden's ears flicked, its instincts sharper than any beast they had faced.
Just as the spear closed in, the Warden's legs compressed.
TINK—SHH!
It kicked off Oliva's sword with a metallic crack, launching itself into the air in a blur.
A thin trail of frost blossomed across the blade where its foot had pressed, spider-webbing outward in delicate crystalline veins.
The sudden release of pressure made Oliva stumble forward, gasping.
The spear sliced through the space the Warden had just occupied, a razor of wind roaring past her cheek before burying itself in the snow farther behind with a muffled
THWUMP!
Up above, the Ironshade Warden twisted midair, crimson eyes gleaming with renewed malice as frost swirled around its feet.
It had evaded them both.