Ethan led the group at a full sprint toward the rendezvous point they'd agreed on earlier. It didn't take long before they arrived—but when they got there, only Ataneya was waiting.

"Elira's not here?" Ethan frowned, scanning the area.

Among them, Elira was the strongest. She should've been the first to arrive.

Something's wrong.

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

BOOM!

A thunderous rumble echoed from the distance, followed by a blinding beam of light that split the sky.

RUMBLE!

A moment later, Elira appeared, flashing into view—her expression tense, almost panicked.

Ethan rushed toward her. "Elira! What happened?"

"My Lord!" she gasped. "We need to move—now! I ran into something… someone. He's bad news. Way beyond what we can handle. We have to go before he catches up!"

Ethan's eyes widened. Elira—being chased?

"Move! Now!"

Without hesitation, Ethan spun on his heel and bolted. The others—Feylora, Seraphina, and Ataneya—immediately followed, no questions asked.

They ran. Hard. But no matter how far they went, it felt like the threat was still right behind them, closing in.

Then, up ahead—something shimmered into view.

A portal.

It pulsed with unstable spatial energy, warping the air around it.

"What is that? A portal?" Ethan skidded to a stop, staring at it. "Should we go in?"

He hesitated. Charging into an unknown portal was usually a terrible idea. But right now? They were being hunted. And this might be their only shot at shaking their pursuer.

The lesser of two evils.

"Everyone, with me! We're going in!"

Without waiting for a response, Ethan dashed into the portal. One by one, the others followed—Seraphina, Elira, Ataneya, and Feylora—all vanishing into the swirling light.

ZZZZZZT!

The world around them twisted and blinked. Light flared, and the scenery shifted in an instant.

Then—ding!

A system notification chimed in Ethan's ear.

"Ding!

Player Valkarion, welcome to the Gate of Carno!"

"What?" Ethan blinked, stunned. "This is the Gate of Carno?"

He narrowed his eyes, realization dawning.

The Gate of Carno—this was the other Plane World the three-headed wolves had mentioned. A high-tier dungeon world, crawling with Tier 15 monsters and worse. A place only the strongest dared to enter.

And they'd just stumbled into it by accident?

Talk about luck… or maybe bad luck.

Ethan shook his head and quickly issued orders to scout the area.

They found themselves in the middle of a vast, eerie swamp. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the ground squelched beneath their feet. But strangely, there were no signs of life—no creatures, no movement. Just silence.

And darkness.

The place was saturated with pure, concentrated dark energy. For anyone who wielded Dark Magic, this was a goldmine.

Ataneya and the others didn't waste time. They sat down right where they were and began absorbing the ambient energy, refining it into their own power.

But then—

Ataneya's eyes snapped open. Her expression shifted instantly.

"Something's wrong. Everyone—back! Now!"

Her voice cut through the silence like a blade, sharp and urgent.

Everyone froze.

And then—

Something terrifying began to stir.

BOOM!

RUMMMMMMBLE…

Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook violently. The entire dark swamp trembled as something massive began to rise from the murky depths.

From the endless black mire, a colossal serpent emerged—its entire body slick with mud and sludge, its scales glistening with a strange, oily sheen. But what caught everyone off guard were its eyes—unnaturally beautiful, almost hypnotic, yet filled with a terrifying, ancient power.

And the aura it gave off…

It was overwhelming.

The moment its presence fully manifested, the entire environment reacted. The dark magic in the air, the land, the sky—everything began to twist and churn around it. Even the purest strands of darkness in the atmosphere were drawn toward the creature, becoming part of its power.

It was like the entire swamp had become its weapon.

"This thing…" Ethan's face darkened as he instinctively took a step back.

"Tier 15? And not just that—SS-rank?" he blurted out.

"Yeah…" Ataneya and Elira both nodded grimly, their expressions tense. "Definitely Tier 15 SS-rank."

As Tier 15 SS-rank Crimson Ultimate Heroes themselves, they could feel it clearly. There was no mistaking that kind of power.

Which also meant one thing—this place, the Gate of Carno, was on a whole different level.

They'd barely stepped foot in here, and already they were facing a monster that would've been a final boss in any other world. In the Graveyard of Legends or even Nethora, something like this wouldn't have shown up so casually.

"My Lord!" Feylora suddenly spoke up, her voice tinged with excitement. "I can feel it—my Fairy bloodline is reacting to him. I think I can suppress him!"

Ethan blinked. "What?"

Feylora nodded quickly, her eyes glowing faintly. "He's in serpent form, but I can sense it—he has Fairy blood in him. Not just traces, either. It's strong."

Ethan's mind raced. The last time Feylora absorbed Fairy blood, it gave her a small boost. But this? A full-blown Tier 15 SS-rank creature with Fairy lineage?

If they could take it down… it might be enough to push her over the edge.

Maybe this was the breakthrough they'd been waiting for.

Without hesitation, Ethan gave the order.

"Everyone—attack! Hit it with everything you've got!"

Sure, the thing was powerful. But it wasn't an SSS-rank. And Ethan had two of those SS-rank monsters on his side—Ataneya and Elira.

Two Tier 15 SS-ranks versus one?

Hell, even four-on-one if you counted Feylora and Seraphina.

There was no way they were losing this fight.

"Let's go!" he shouted.

The team didn't need to be told twice. They unleashed their power all at once, a barrage of devastating energy slamming into the serpent like a meteor storm.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

RUMBLE!

CRACK!

The swamp exploded with force as the serpent was hammered by wave after wave of raw power. Its massive body writhed and twisted, scales cracking, mud flying in every direction.

"ROOOAAARRR!"

The serpent let out a furious, bone-rattling roar.

Its scales began to ripple and peel back, revealing glowing veins of energy beneath. The surrounding dark magic surged toward it, feeding it, strengthening it.

And then—

From deep within its core, a familiar energy erupted.

Fairy bloodline.

It burst out of the creature like a storm, forming violent, spiraling gales of magic that tore through the air.

...