..
Then—Elise, Mira, and the others arrived.
Their combined presence changed everything.
The Chimera, once toying with its prey, grew serious.
Its body pulsed with Blight Surge, its stats and movement speed suddenly increasing.
The battlefield shook.
Zayne Callister 'This is just crazy'
They were battered, exhausted, and bleeding.
But now, they stood together.
..
---
Location: The Eclipsed Labyrinth.
Year: 2026
Date: February 19th
Time: 9:55 PM
POV: Third Person
---
A deep, guttural growl rumbled from the Blighted Chimera, its mangled face twisting into something beyond rage. The wound Zayne inflicted still leaked its corrosive, black blood, but the creature paid it no mind.
Instead, its entire body shuddered—and then it grew.
Its already grotesque form expanded as Horrid Mutation activated, causing its torn flesh to regenerate not as it was—but worse. The severed eye? Replaced by a pulsing, blackened orb of raw malice, flickering with sickly green energy. The gash across its face? Lined with writhing tendrils, pulsating like a second, vertical mouth.
A new limb burst from its shoulder—an elongated, clawed appendage, dripping with toxic sludge.
Adrian, gasping for breath, gritted his teeth. "It's mutating mid-battle?!"
The ground beneath them shook violently.
A wave of corrupted energy rippled from the Chimera as it roared, triggering Blight Surge. The area around it began melting, the very air becoming thick with its sickening corruption.
Zayne, still standing before the beast, felt his body scream in warning.
But he didn't back down.
"I'll carve you apart, piece by piece," he growled, his Crimson Reaver trembling with power.
With blinding speed, he lunged—only to barely dodge as the Chimera's new limb lashed out at him, fast as a whip. It cracked against the ground, sending shrapnel and poisoned debris flying in all directions.
Adrian and Garrick threw themselves aside to avoid the impact, but the venomous mist spread fast.
Mira, from a distance, saw the creeping poison and reacted instantly.
Chaos Flames erupted from her palm, burning away the toxic air before it could reach them. "Keep fighting—I'll clear the field!"
Elise, moving with icy precision, darted past the Chimera's swinging tail, her katana flashing.
Permafrost Edge—
Her strike connected, freezing part of the Chimera's mutated limb, but the momentary success turned to horror.
The frozen arm suddenly ruptured, bursting into a spray of toxic needles aimed directly at her.
Elise twisted her body, barely managing to block with an ice barrier, but several shards tore through her shoulder and leg. Pain flared, cold mixing with venom.
She stumbled.
"ELISE!"
Zayne's and Mira's voices cut through the chaos, but Elise pushed forward, her injured leg nearly buckling under her.
The Chimera was learning. Adapting.
Every move they made—it countered with something worse.
Zayne with rage vanished again, appearing behind the beast, his Crimson Reaver crackling with power.
Crimson Echo—
A flurry of slashes erupted across the Chimera's back, leaving behind lingering red energy.
A second later—
*BOOM!*
The delayed detonations sent chunks of blackened flesh flying. The Chimera stumbled, its back momentarily exposed.
Adrian saw his opening.
Earthshatter—
He slammed the Titan's Maul into the ground, sending a shockwave of destructive force racing toward the Chimera. The ground beneath the beast collapsed, causing it to sink for just a moment—just enough for Garrick to act.
His greatsword hummed with energy.
With a single downward slash, he unleashed a crescent-shaped arc of raw force, the energy blast carving straight through one of the Chimera's legs.
A roar of agony tore through the battlefield as the Chimera toppled to one knee.
"We're breaking it down!" Adrian yelled. "Keep pushing—!"
But then—
The Chimera stopped moving.
It didn't collapse further.
It didn't try to retaliate.
A moment of silence.
And then—
Its body convulsed.
Black veins bulged across its form. Its remaining limbs twitched violently.
Mira's instincts screamed. "GET AWAY—"
Necrotic Burst.
A pulse of death energy erupted from the Chimera's core.
The explosion consumed everything in its radius, an ink-black shockwave spreading like a collapsing star. The very air curdled, flesh blackened, and the battlefield was bathed in an abyssal glow.
Adrian barely had time to throw up his Steel Morph before the force hurled him backwards, his armor cracking under the impact.
Zayne, caught mid-dash, was sent crashing through debris, his own enhanced physique barely holding together as he skidded to a stop.
Garrick slammed into the ground, coughing blood.
Elise collapsed, her ice armor shattered, her wounds reopening.
Mira's flames flickered.
And yet—the Chimera still stood.
Its twisted form radiated with unholy power.
It stepped forward—its gnarled claws rising—
Its eyes locked onto Adrian.
It moved.
Adrian, battered and barely standing, knew he couldn't block in time.
This was it.
The Chimera's claws descended—
Mira Valen "NOOOO!!"
Then—
A blinding arc of silver light tore through the battlefield.
It slammed into the Chimera, its body jerking violently, the sheer force sending it skidding backward.
For the first time—
The Chimera hesitated.
Adrian's breath hitched. His vision blurred, his body too weak to move, but his mind raced.
That attack…
It wasn't from any of them.
Through his dazed sight, he could just barely make out a figure standing in the distance, with their blade cloaked in the aftermath of the silver energy.
A new presence.
The battlefield, once filled with only their struggle—
Had gained another player.
..
.
[ Forty Minutes Ago]
Time : 9:03 PM
POV : Damian Derulo.
..
For the past few hours, I had been traveling through this endless dungeon, my boots lightly tapping against the cold stone floor. The only sound accompanying me was the faint, rhythmic breathing of Nyxi, who was curled snugly around my neck. Every so often, she would let out a tiny, soothing hiss, the warmth of her scaled body a small comfort against the ever-present chill of the dungeon.
The silence was comforting.
I exhaled softly, my breath briefly visible in the dimly lit air.
'How relaxing'
The corridors stretched endlessly ahead, illuminated by eerie, ethereal blue torches that flickered along the walls. Their ghostly glow cast shifting shadows across the cracked stone, giving the place an unsettlingly tranquil atmosphere—one that almost made me forget I was in a death trap.
Almost.
I stepped forward into a vast chamber, its ceiling towering high above, supported by several massive stone pillars. The space was eerily silent, save for the occasional drip of water echoing somewhere in the distance. My Hollow Veil kept my emotions dulled, but even so, I found myself wishing, just for a moment—
I hope the rest of the dungeon is as peaceful as this.
That thought barely settled before a cold sensation twisted in my gut.
The feeling was familiar—one that I had felt a few times before.
A deep, unsettling twist crawled up my gut.
Survivor Instinct has activated.
My fingers instinctively reached for my sword, gripping its hilt with steady precision. The quiet shhhing of metal sliding free from its sheath broke the silence, and Nyxi stirred at the sound. Her sleek, serpentine body uncoiled slightly, her glowing silver eyes flickering open.
She let out a questioning hiss, her gaze meeting mine with curiosity and a hint of mild annoyance—she had been sleeping, after all.
Even with my emotions dampened by the Hollow Veil, I still found her absurdly cute.
"We've got company, Nyxi" I muttered under my breath.
Her body tensed, her forked tongue flicking out as she scanned the surroundings, searching for a threat.
But there was nothing.
Not yet.
Survivor Instinct activates anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes before danger fully reveals itself.
I stayed still, listening.
A deep, resounding THUD echoed through the chamber.
Then another.
And another.
The rhythmic impact of something heavy, something massive, reverberated through the floor. Dust trickled down from the ceiling with each step, tiny pebbles skittering across the ground.
Then they came into view.
Towering figures emerged from the far end of the chamber, their hulking forms illuminated by the dim blue torches. Thick muscles coiled beneath jet-black fur, their enormous frames casting long, menacing shadows across the stone.
Minotaurs.
Nine of them.
A sharp ping resonated in my mind as the system delivered a notification.
---
* Dungeon Mobs <-> Ebon Minotaurs.
---
I exhaled slowly, suppressing the spike of tension in my body.
I slipped behind the nearest pillar, pressing my back against the cold stone as I peeked around the edge.
The Minotaurs moved methodically, their heavy hooves clanking against the ground like an organized patrol. They weren't mindless. These creatures had discipline. Their deep, rumbling breaths filled the chamber, each exhale like a low, guttural growl.
The closest one was only twenty meters away.
The nearest pillar I could move to was roughly eight meters ahead.
I mentally mapped out my route.
If I sprinted now—no, too risky. One wrong move, and I'd be spotted. I needed to be sure.
I waited.
The Minotaur closest to me turned its head, gazing in the opposite direction.
Now.
I moved.
Fast.
Silent.
Each step was carefully placed, my body low, my breathing controlled. My boots barely made a sound as I reached the next pillar, pressing against it before glancing back.
Nyxi tilted her head at me from my shoulder.
I narrowed my eyes.
"…What?" I whispered.
She slithered closer, nudging the edge of my mask with her snout.
Right.
Silent Dominion.
The Hollow Veil's Silent Dominion Facet masks my presence, with this i could confidently move without being too careful. Nyxi, was sharper than I gave her credit for.
I adjusted my stance, focusing.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps.
Approaching my position.
I slipped around the pillar, barely peeking as a Minotaur—a full three meters tall—stalked past.
Its red eyes scanned the area, nostrils flaring.
But it didn't notice me.
Not my scent.
Not my presence.
I stayed completely still, observing.
'It can't sense me. But what about Nyxi?'
She didn't have any stealth Facets. Yet, despite her being coiled around me, the Minotaur didn't react to her either.
'Is it because she's too close to me?'
I tightened my grip on my blade, waiting for the right moment.
Then—
The world blurred.
I wasn't behind the pillar anymore.
I was directly behind the Minotaur.
My body moved before my mind registered it, my entire being snapping forward in an instant.
My gaze flickered back—
The pillar I had just stood behind was now eight meters away.
'What the…?'
A shiver ran through me as realization dawned.
I had just teleported.
'What the hell just happened?'
I turned my head, my gaze snapping back to the pillar I had just been hiding behind. It was eight meters away.
That shouldn't be possible.
I hadn't moved.
I hadn't taken a step.
And yet—here I was, standing directly behind the Minotaur, my grip on my sword tightening.
'Teleportation? No, that couldn't be right. That wasn't one of my Facets. The only one who could teleport was—'
I glanced at Nyxi.
She met my gaze, then flicked her tongue out lazily before turning her head—not at me, but behind me.
A deep, guttural exhale rumbled through the air.
I turned.
The Minotaur stood just a few feet away, its massive form looming over me. Its deep red eyes, filled with dull intelligence, stared at me—not with rage, not with aggression, but with confusion.
It scratched its head, as if trying to make sense of what it was seeing.
'He must be wondering what I am, the effect of the mask'
I didn't give it the chance to figure it out.
I moved.
My legs coiled with power, and I leaped.
The moment my feet left the ground, the Minotaur's eyes widened, its surprise made it's reflexes slow and unable to react in time.
A blur of steel flashed in the dim light.
A clean, precise cut.
A severed head tumbled to the floor, followed a second later by its massive body.
The sound of its corpse crashing against the stone echoed through the chamber, a deep, reverberating THUD that shook the air.
Then—silence.
For a brief, fleeting moment, the chamber was still.
Then the silence was shattered.
A chorus of enraged roars erupted from the other Minotaurs as they charged in my direction, their thundering footsteps making the very ground tremble beneath me.
I didn't wait.
I turned and sprinted toward the nearest pillar, slipping behind it just as the first Minotaur arrived.
From the shadows, I watched.
The massive creatures gathered around their fallen comrade. One of them knelt, sniffing the air, while another let out a deafening bellow of fury. Their roars echoed through the chamber, a declaration of vengeance.
This time, they weren't mindless.
They weren't scattering.
They were hunting.
But that was fine.
That was better for me.
My eyes flicked across the chamber, locking onto a single Minotaur—a little farther from the rest.
Isolated.
Vulnerable.
I moved.
Fast.
My body stayed low, my steps silent. As I neared the Minotaur, my gaze flickered toward Nyxi. She understood immediately.
Eight meters away.
I pushed off the ground, leaping as high as I could.
Two meters.
Then—
The world blurred.
I teleported.
One second, I was mid-air—
The next, I was directly above the Minotaur.
It had no time to react.
My blade drove into its skull while creating afterimages, slicing through flesh and bone with sickening ease.
A second THUD echoed through the chamber.
The other Minotaurs turned.
They saw their comrade's corpse.
And this time—
Their roars were deafening.
But they weren't reckless anymore.
They didn't scatter.
They stayed together.
A solid wall of muscle and rage.
'Perfect' I thought as I took my stance.
The Minotaurs roared, their eyes burning with fury as they charged toward me, their hulking forms shaking the chamber with every step.
I tightened my grip on my sword. The air around me shifted, my instincts sharpening, my pulse steady despite the incoming onslaught.
Damian Derulo "Let's see how strong I've become [Lunar Pulse.]"
A surge of energy coursed through me. The blade in my hand shimmered with ethereal silver light, its glow intensifying as a crescent-shaped wave of raw power exploded outward in a ten-meter arc.
The moment the energy left my blade, the chamber was bathed in a pale, luminous glow.
The first Minotaur didn't even have time to react before the wave cleaved through its torso like butter, bisecting it in an instant.
The second Minotaur tried to raise its weapon in defense, but the attack struck first—its massive form was torn apart, its upper body disintegrating in a violent burst of energy.
The third one managed to let out a single guttural roar—before its head separated from its shoulders, rolling lifelessly across the stone floor.
Three dead.
Four left.
Their enraged howls filled the chamber, the sound reverberating against the dungeon walls.
They charged.
And I did the same.
The remaining Minotaurs swung their colossal hammers at me, the sheer force of their attacks capable of turning stone into dust.
But I weaved through them.
My body felt lighter—no, faster than before.
Faster than I had been in my near-death fight against the Stygian Hounds.
The realization struck me mid-dodge. My reflexes had sharpened. My speed had increased significantly.
I twisted my body, narrowly avoiding a hammer that crashed down where I had just been standing. The impact shattered the stone beneath it, sending cracks sprawling across the ground.
But I was already gone.
I moved between them like a specter, slashing as I dodged. My sword cut through their thick flesh, carving deep wounds—yet something was wrong.
Their wounds closed almost instantly.
The Minotaurs were regenerating.
A blur of movement—one of them reached for me.
A massive, clawed hand lunged forward, fingers curling to crush me in its grip—
But before it could touch me, the world blurred again.
Nyxi.
In perfect synchronization, she coiled around my neck and activated [Phantom Stride], teleporting me a meter away from danger.
The Minotaur's grasp closed around empty air.
We reappeared behind them, and I struck again.
A flash of steel.
A blur of motion.
We danced between the Minotaurs, teleporting unpredictably, striking from every angle. My sword tore through muscle, cutting deeper and deeper—but their bodies continued to mend.
One of them roared in frustration, adjusting to my speed. It swung wildly, trying to catch me mid-teleport.
Another lunged from my blind spot—
A trap.
But Nyxi reacted first.
The shadows in the chamber trembled.
Then—
*BANG*
Jet-black spikes erupted from the ground, skewering the Minotaur in rapid succession.
One.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
The dark tendrils impaled it from every angle, lifting its massive body into the air like a grotesque marionette. Blood sprayed in thick, dark streams, its deafening roar fading into a wet gurgle as life drained from its body.
The Minotaur twitched once.
Then—nothing.
It slumped lifelessly onto the blood-soaked floor.
Three left.
We teleported out before the others could retaliate.
I landed a short distance away, my sword raised once more.
My breathing was steady. My body, despite the rapid combat, felt exhilarated rather than fatigued.
The remaining Minotaurs hesitated for the first time.
Good.
I didn't give them a chance to recover.
My blade glowed again, silver radiance illuminating the battlefield.
"[Lunar Pulse.]"
Another crescent wave of energy surged forward, cutting through the air with deadly precision.
The attack connected.
The first Minotaur was obliterated instantly, its body split in half, its severed remains collapsing into a heap of flesh.
The second barely had time to react before the energy wave consumed it, reducing it to nothing but a pile of scorched remains.
One left.
The final Minotaur let out a guttural snarl, its breath ragged. It gripped its hammer tightly, muscles tensed as it prepared to make a last stand.
But it was already over.
I launched myself into the air.
Nyxi moved at the same time, manipulating the shadows beneath it.
Dark tendrils erupted from the ground, wrapping around the Minotaur's limbs, tightening like unbreakable chains.
The beast thrashed, bellowing in fury, but it was trapped.
And then—
I struck.
My blade flashed downward.
A clean, merciless cut.
The Minotaur's head separated from its shoulders.
Its body collapsed seconds later.
Silence.
The chamber, once filled with roars and chaos, was now eerily still.
Nyxi flicked her tongue, coiling tighter around my neck.
I exhaled, lowering my sword.
The fight was over.
I exhaled sharply, letting my body relax as I made my way toward the nearest pillar. My muscles ached—not from exhaustion, but from the sheer intensity of the battle.
Leaning against the cold stone, I took in a deep breath. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, mingled with the lingering traces of my own energy.
I glanced at Nyxi, who had coiled herself loosely around my neck, her obsidian scales shimmering under the dim dungeon light.
"That was a nice workout. Thanks for the help, Nyxi. Couldn't have done it without you."
A small smile tugged at my lips beneath my mask.
Nyxi responded with a low, contented hiss before shifting slightly, her body settling comfortably.
I shook my head, still amused at how in sync we had become.
Sliding my sword back into its strap at my waist, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. The screen flickered weakly, still cracked from earlier damage but functional enough.
[ Battery 44% ]
[ Date: February 19th ]
[ Time: 9:28 PM ]
I frowned. 'February 19th?… Know what? Forget it'
I shoved the phone back into my pocket, exhaling in mild frustration. The concept of time have started becoming annoying to me.
.
.
.
.
.
To Be Continued.....
A/n: Hey there lovely readers, still waiting for my phone to arrive so I can upload those images to discord.