CHAPTER 50: INTO THE 8TH FLOOR PART III - WAVE OF ARCANE ABERRATIONS

Reality snapped in a 20-meter radius—suppressing all active elemental charges, reducing the flame swing to a physical attack and scrambling the timing of their combo.

I ducked under the flame’s arc and slid into the gap between lightning and frost, twisting my torso as I let the Emberfang energy flood my limbs.

"Eight-strike cycle. Burn style. Let’s go."

Step One.

A rising elbow to the lightning construct’s chest—

1 Burn.

Step Two.

A spinning back kick to the frost’s exposed side—

2 Burn.

They retaliated instantly—shield-constructs forming to trap me between them.

But I ducked again, dragging my foot along the arena’s edge—then vaulted upward.

Step Three.

My knee cracked into the lightning’s chin.

3 Burn.

In mid-air, the wind construct launched a tornado burst, trying to interrupt my arc.

But I twisted, pulling my body into a tight spin.

Step Four.

Aerial axe-kick downward, straight into the cyclone’s core.

5 Burn.

The explosion flared upward in red spirals as my flames tore the wind magic apart.

I landed hard—knees bent, shoulders forward.

The constructs encircled me again. Each one raised its halberd above its head—coordinated again. A full-squad execution strike.

"You think I’m letting you do that?"

Step Five.

My palm struck the flame construct’s wrist—redirecting the angle.

6 Burn.

Step Six.

A low sweep kicked shadow’s leg out—

7 Burn.

Then I rolled forward, under arc’s swing.

Step Seven.

My forearm slammed into its solar plexus.

8 Burn.

9 Burn.

10 Burn.

My body moved on instinct—flame trailing behind every strike, weaving between six titanic enemies like fire flowing through cracks in armor.

The arena’s temperature spiked.

[Warning: Burn Threshold Approaching.]

Step Fourteen.

I punched through the shield of the frost construct, shattering it.

Step Fifteen.

My foot connected with the core chestplate of the lightning sentinel, triggering the burn burst—

WHUUUUUUUM—!

A pillar of flame engulfed them all.

They staggered, circuits malfunctioning, elemental cores glitching out in rapid sparks.

"Still want to synchronize now?" I whispered.

They tried regrouping—but I wasn’t finished.

I ran, full sprint, directly toward the one who hadn’t been touched yet—the arc sentinel.

It raised its halberd to parry.

’Too late.’

I jumped and twisted, bringing my heel down in a full-force overhead kick.

BOOOOM!

The impact shattered its core into mana dust.

One down.

"Five more."

I didn’t need to drag it out.

Once the first fell, the rhythm broke. Their formation frayed, reactions lagged by milliseconds—enough for me to force openings, one after another.

The second shattered from a palm strike straight to its mana circuit.

The third combusted under the full weight of a fifteen-stack burn.

The fourth tried to retreat, recalibrate its tactics—but I was already behind it. One sweep, one flame-tipped heel, and it collapsed in a blaze of melted Riftstone.

The last two came together in a desperate final charge.

I welcomed them.

Two strikes.

Two kills.

No hesitation.

[Wave Three Cleared.]

[Remaining Time Until Next Wave: 2 minutes, 15 seconds.]

The arena dimmed again.

I exhaled through my teeth and let my body relax—but only slightly. Muscles still tense, skin still warm from the echoing flame. My mana was stable. Burn stacks long cooled off. I’d pushed fast and brutal. Just how this floor liked it.

I glanced up.

The sky hadn’t turned red yet. That was good. But I had a feeling it would soon.

"They’re not pulling punches anymore," I muttered, stepping back toward the center. "And neither will I."

’Two minutes left. Just enough time to stretch, recalibrate, and check what kind of hell Wave Four planned to throw next.’

[Wave Four Incoming...]

[Warning: Detected Threat Level – Apex Tier: Verified.]A sharp screech tore through the air as the entire arena shifted.

The floating platforms pulled away—breaking into jagged pieces, forming unstable terrain with uneven elevations, rising columns, and chasms laced with glowing runes. The central space twisted like the eye of a storm, and the sky above shimmered with unstable auroras of mana, rupturing at intervals like thunderheads.

"Terrain hazard unlocked..." I muttered, crouching slightly. "Now it’s serious."

They descended—like comets. Twelve of them. Each a warped fusion of beast and sorcery.

Mana-Gorged Chimerae.

Massive quadrupeds with molten bone plating, wings forged from crystallized mana, and snarling heads—some with horns, others with eyes that bled hexes. Their breath twisted the air. Their limbs flexed with unnatural torque. Their cores beat like drums of war.

And riding atop the largest one was a humanoid mage—no, a conduit.

Its flesh was hollowed, replaced with living script, arms stretched unnaturally thin and pulsing with dimensional veins. It wasn’t alive. It was borrowed—a ritual-born warlock, channeling something deeper within the Rift.

[Wave Four: Mana-Chained Beasts Detected. Apex-Tier Command Unit Active.]

The command unit raised one long finger toward me.

The beasts roared, the arena shattered, and they finally charged.

The first impact came like a train—four beasts diving straight at me, converging on the center point.

I braced, drew mana to my core

Blank Protocol: Trigger – Erasure Pulse.

BOOOOM.

The space around me detonated with raw nullification. Magic fractured midair—runic energy canceled, enchantments unmade. The shockwave sent the first two Chimerae flying backward, their crystal limbs dimming on contact.

I was already moving.

Flash step. Elbow to jaw.

Burn Stack: 2.

Pivot. Left hook into rib core.

Burn Stack: 5.

The beast reeled—too late.

I lunged in, body igniting from within as Emberfang Style activated fully. My hands shimmered with fire-threaded motion, fists moving in controlled arcs.

7-hit combo. Left, right, knee, heel, fist—twist, upward slam.

Burn Stack: 12.

The Chimera exploded.

I didn’t wait for the smoke.

The second one leapt with a shriek, unleashing a mana lance from its mouth—a spear of distorted cold fire.

I ducked and slid under it, my palm catching the ground as I spun, heel rising into a snapping crescent kick—

Impact.

Burn Stack: 14.

It stumbled.

I followed it mid-stumble with a two-fisted hammerblow straight to its skull.

15.

The fire triggered.

It didn’t scream. It just ceased, its healing and defense unable to keep up with the detonation.