Subterranean Core – 3 Minutes Until Confrontation
The air in the Core Chamber pulsed with energy. Every pulse echoed with Leo's heartbeat.
"Status?" Leo asked.
Naelia's fingers danced over the control crystals.
"Three intruders still alive. One—emotional collapse. One—critically injured. One—enraged but stable."
"They're converging toward the central heart."
Myra looked at Leo.
"They're coming for you."
Leo exhaled. His breath shimmered like vaporized silver.
"Then I'll welcome them."
Level 2 – Heart Vein Cavern
Virella gripped her glaive, staggering with every step.
Her shoulder bled, her armor was cracked, and her eyes… they no longer held certainty. Just hate.
Behind her, the Null Mage limped, missing two fingers. Burn scars ran up his jaw. His eyes glowed wild with mana withdrawal. He wasn't sane anymore.
And between them, dragging his own corpse-like weight, was the twinblade warrior.
His mind had snapped. He no longer spoke.
But he followed Virella. Like a dog.
"We kill the Core," Virella growled. "We end this nightmare."
"Even if it costs everything."
Core Room – Black Maw's Heart
The doors to the Core Room exploded inward.
Dust swirled.
And there, on the black-veined throne of obsidian, sat Leo.
He didn't rise.
He didn't flinch.
He just stared.
"I gave you chances," he said.
"I let you suffer. I let you understand."
"But you came here to kill me."
Virella didn't answer.
She launched forward in a blur, her glaive crackling with red lightning. The Null Mage screamed a spell—an anti-core sequence taught only to the elite.
The air cracked.
Leo stood.
And the entire room… shuddered.
A ring of obsidian blades rose from the floor in a circle around the platform, all glowing with soul-bonded mana.
Leo raised a hand.
"This is your final judgment."
"Let's see if you bleed like you make others."
Combat Phase: Leo vs. Crimson Crown
Virella's glaive struck first—straight toward Leo's chest.
The blade never landed.
A wall of translucent red glass—solidified dungeon will—shattered her blow in midair. Her arm snapped at the force. She screamed.
Leo didn't stop walking.
He strode forward like death wearing a boy's shape, eyes glowing gold, lines of magic etched across his skin.
"You killed monsters for glory."
"You killed cores for profit."
"But I'm not a monster."
"I'm the storm you invited in."
He raised his hand.
Five chains of light ripped from the floor and wrapped around the Null Mage, dragging him screaming into the air.
"W-wait! I was just following orders—!"
"Exactly."
Leo clenched his fist.
The chains tightened.
There was a sound like snapping celery and wet bone.
Then silence.
Virella's Last Stand
Virella's good arm reached for her backup knife. She spat blood.
"You're just like us. No better."
Leo crouched beside her.
"No."
"I'm worse."
He drove her own dagger through her armor—into her core enchantment node, shattering her magic reserves.
She didn't die right away.
She just stared at him.
"You're… a monster."
Leo looked her in the eye.
"I'm my mother's son."
He stood.
And turned away.
Dungeon Floor – Aftermath
The surviving adventurer—the twinblade—staggered away into the lower tunnels, mind broken, sanity shattered. The dungeon let him go.
A warning to the world.
Core Chamber – Later That Day
Myra paced beside Leo as Naelia cleaned up the command spells. Cael was already licking blood from his claws, grinning.
"We won," Naelia said. "No major damage."
"Reputation up," Cael added. "Word'll spread fast."
Myra leaned on the rail, eyes flicking toward Leo.
"They'll send more next time."
Leo nodded.
"Let them come."
Lyssa's Garden
Lyssa sat quietly, watching the moss bloom.
She whispered, more to herself than to Mossie:
"Did he enjoy it?"
The little moss sprite blinked.
"He protected us."
Lyssa looked down.
"So why did it feel like he stopped being human to do it?"
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[DUNGEON SOVEREIGNITY: ESTABLISHED][DUNGEON TITLE GRANTED: "BLACK MAW – THE LIVING TOMB"][THREAT CLASSIFICATION: S-RANK – REAPING ZONE][REWARD BOUNTY FOR CORE DESTRUCTION NOW ACTIVE ACROSS EMPIRE]
Closing Scene – Far Away
A scrying orb shimmered in a guildhall far to the north.
A man in royal crimson robes narrowed his eyes.
"He's no ordinary core."
"He's one of hers."
A silver-haired woman stepped beside him, eyes glowing with divine light.
"Then it's begun."
"The Children of Elara are awakening."