CHAPTER 343: TRY IF YOU CAN

The five of us stood inside the wide prison tunnel, the air still thick with dust and lingering heat. Cells lined both sides of the corridor, most of them broken or burned, their iron bars twisted from the recent battle. Ash floated gently through the space, drifting past the cracked stone floor.

Knight stood a short distance away, his sleek black form still as a shadow, crimson eyes glowing faintly as he watched the tunnel like a silent sentry.

Xin, who hadn’t stopped rubbing his temples since the fight ended, finally spoke up.

"Okay. Seriously. Someone tell me what the hell is going on. Why is the Empire attacking? What day is it? Did I die in the prison and now this is some weird afterlife where I follow around a guy who freezes ninety monsters just to make a point?"

Ming sighed and crossed his arms.

"Ignore him. He gets like this after battle. But I do want to know, why is the Empire here, Billion?"

I glanced at Steve, who gave me a small shrug that said your mess, your explanation.

I exhaled.

"The Holts were using this realm to run illegal experiments, turning prisoners into Abominations. They were working with the Ferans and planned to unleash those creatures against the Empire. So now, we’re wiping them out, every last one."

Xin whistled.

"Damn. You’re telling me all those years I was rotting in a cell, the Holts were cooking up mutant monsters like it was some sort of cursed soup recipe?"

"Pretty much," Steve said, casually leaning on his sword. "And you were the meat."

Xin blinked. "You know, I always thought I was tasty."

Ming rolled his eyes. "So that’s why the Empire is here. Full extermination."

"Exactly," I said. "Orders are to kill every Holt in the realm. No exceptions."

Steve grinned.

"Feels good, doesn’t it? All those years of these bastards walking around like they were the royal family, and now we get to return the favor, with interest."

North, standing beside me, brushed a lock of hair from her face.

"What about Dante’s fight?" she asked, her voice calm but edged with concern.

I nodded. "He’s holding back one of the Grandmasters of the Holts, Hugh. It’s a mess out there. If he loses—"

"He won’t," North cut in, firm.

Xin let out a low whistle.

"Wait Dante. The Dante? The Legend? Man, I thought he was just a myth."

Knight growled faintly from nearby.

Ming’s eyes flicked toward him.

"Okay, that reminds me. Who the hell is that?" He gestured at Knight. "Because that’s not a normal beast. That thing’s been standing there like a shadow statue with eyes."

Xin walked over and squinted at Knight, waving a hand in front of his face.

"Yo. You alive in there? Blink twice if you eat people."

Knight did not blink.

Steve chuckled.

"He eats people."

I cleared my throat.

"He’s mine. Just a personal pet."

Ming raised an eyebrow.

"A personal beast that can devour Abominations like soup and fire crimson beams out of his mouth?"

"Very talented," I replied simply.

Xin took a step back and whispered to Ming, "I want one."

"You can’t afford one," Ming muttered.

Knight growled again.

"I said nothing!" Xin raised his hands quickly. "I have deep respect for the murder-cat."

North gave Knight a brief glance and then returned to the topic. "What’s our plan now?"

"Clean-up," I said. "We push through the rest of this realm, take out any Holts still alive, and make sure no one escapes. The Empire doesn’t want survivors. If they get out, the truth about this realm might vanish with them."

"Revenge and justice?" Steve asked with a smirk.

"Revenge is justice," I replied without flinching.

Xin cracked his knuckles with a grin.

"Man, I’ve got a list of Holts I owe beatdowns to. Can I cross names off as we go? Makes it feel more professional."

I stared at him flatly.

"I’ve hardly left anyone alive."

Xin blinked. "Wait, seriously?"

"Seriously," I added, chuckling. "By the time I got here, I had already soloed half the damned family tree."

Ming raised an eyebrow.

"So... what exactly are we cleaning up?"

I shrugged.

"Whatever’s left. Stragglers, backup forces. Maybe a few Holts are still hiding."

North smirked.

"At this rate, they should just surrender."

We chatted as we ran, our boots echoing against the cracked stone floor.

The tension had eased slightly, replaced by a strange energy of half anticipation, half adrenaline. We rushed through the tunnel and headed straight for the portal chamber.

As we entered, the air changed.

Lyrate was already there, floating above the center of the chamber like a wraith wrapped in grace and danger.

Her long crimson hair drifted behind her, glowing faintly in the crimson mist that coiled around her body. Below her, the portal circles remain engraved on the surface.

Xin let out a low whistle.

"Okay. Whoa. Is this an angel, a ghost, or am I hallucinating again?"

"She’s real," Ming muttered, his eyes still wide.

Xin grinned and called out, "Hey there, mysterious floaty lady! What’s your name, and are you accepting dinner invitations?"

Without a word, Lyrate raised a single finger.

A spike of crimson Essence instantly formed in the air and launched straight at Xin’s head.

"Whoa—!" he yelped.

I moved fast, catching the spike just two inches from his forehead. The impact hissed in my palm.

I sighed.

"Lyrate’s a friend."

Xin blinked. "She tried to kill me!"

"She does that. Don’t take it personally," I said, tossing the spike aside. "She likes killing. Try not to encourage her."

"Noted," Xin muttered, stepping behind Ming for cover. "Deadly and beautiful. My worst weakness."

I glanced at Knight, who stood quietly near the chamber wall, watching Lyrate without blinking.

"You stay here," I said to him. "Guard the portal."

He gave a low growl, shadows curling gently around his paws.

With that, the rest of us moved on, heading upward toward the control room, the place where the Grandmaster and his associates once ran everything from behind the scenes.

I increased my pace as I rushed toward the place. My perception was already stretched thin, threading through stone, air, and Essence like a net. I’d kept it active for any shifts, any movement I hadn’t expected.

And then, I felt it.

A sudden surge. A flash of power. Violent, desperate, unstable.

I stopped instantly.

Steve skidded to a halt beside me. "What’s wrong?"

I didn’t answer right away. My eyes narrowed, my senses focused beyond the walls, beyond the ground, beyond the stone of this corrupted place. I felt the presence of both Hugh and Dante, fighting inside the dark green churning cloud.

"He’s doing something," I said quietly. "Outside. Something reckless."

Steve tensed.

"What do we do?"

I turned to him, North, Ming, and Xin. "You four keep going. Head to the control room. Try to find anything, data, records, proof of what the Holts were doing. If this place collapses, we need something to take back."

Steve nodded sharply. North looked hesitant but didn’t argue.

"Be careful," she said.

"I always am," I lied.

Then I turned and sprinted down another tunnel, one I sensed would lead me closest to the surface. My pace was fast, but not careless. I could already feel the Essence stirring within me, answering my intent.

Halfway through the tunnel, I stopped running.

Power exploded through my muscles as I released Essence into them. My wings burst out behind me, wide, gleaming with energy, Essence crackling along the edges.

The ground above me was thick, but it didn’t matter.

Essence surged through my arms as I focused, manipulating the earth itself. The stone twisted and pulled apart, parting in front of me like it had been waiting to obey.

With a single leap, I shot upward, a spiral of raw force drilling through layers of rock and metal. My wings carved the air behind me, and the tunnel I created followed in my wake, reinforced by shifting walls of Essence-hardened earth.

Then I broke through.

The surface shattered around me in a thunderous explosion of dust and stone, and I rose into the open air.

And froze.

Above the base, the sky had changed. The swirling green cloud that had loomed ominously before was now alive. From its dark core, thick blobs of green slime were falling like rain. They splattered across the base, melting through steel and rock alike. The air stank of rot and poison. Where the bubbles landed, the ground hissed and burned.

Poison. Acid. Death.

And from above, I heard laughter.

Loud, sharp, unhinged.

It was Hugh.

His voice echoed across the poisoned sky.

"Creepy old man! Even if I’m going to die, I’m taking half this damn realm with me! Hahahahaha!"

The madness in his voice twisted the air.

But a second voice followed. Quieter. Hoarse. Like sand scraping against steel.

Dante.

"Sure. Go ahead."

I blinked.

"Even now, this old man just has to flex," I muttered.

Then, his voice whispered right into my ear.

"Hey kid, I’ll let you handle this. I’m bored."

I blinked. "What?"

"Wait, what?!" I shouted.