CHAPTER 60: CHAPTER 60

Ezra’s eyes snapped open.

His vision blurred at first, but the flickering glow of torches steadied it. He found himself lying on cold stone, in a cavernous chamber that stretched upward like the hollow ribcage of some great beast. Flames guttered inside wall sconces, spilling restless shadows across the floor.

Beside him, three figures lay motionless—Renji, Xavier, and Dravis.

Ezra pushed himself upright, wincing at the ache in his limbs. His gaze swept over them carefully. Their breathing was steady, their wounds gone. The dungeon’s mechanism had healed them.

A faint, humorless chuckle left his lips. "Well... that explains it."

He rose and went to them, kneeling to shake Renji’s shoulder, then Dravis’s. One by one, their eyes fluttered open.

Weakness clung to them like chains. Their expressions darkened, each carrying the weight of what they had endured.

Xavier spat bitterly, his voice hoarse. "Remembering the past... never a good thing. Fuck this trial."

Dravis gave a weary laugh, though it lacked joy. "Hey, Ezra. Can’t we choose a normal dungeon for once? This one’s... too much, you know?"

Renji’s tone was quieter, but sharper. "It sure leaves a bitter taste."

Ezra looked at them—each broken in their own way—before answering with deliberate calm. "I know. Digging into the past never brings anything good. But don’t dwell on it. What’s gone is gone. Focus on the present. Focus on surviving."

He reached for the weapon that rested at his side and unsheathed it.

A crimson blade shimmered in the torchlight, dark veins crawling along its edge, a black gem at the hilt pulsing faintly—like a heartbeat.

"I’ve acquired it," Ezra said evenly, though his eyes lingered on the weapon with unease. "But it won’t matter. We can’t attack until we reach the final phase. The boss is waiting."

Dravis exhaled and forced himself to his feet. "Fair point. If only a single sword strike could finish it all... would’ve been too easy, huh?"

A humorless silence answered him.

One after another, they rose, stretching out stiff limbs, forcing strength back into their bodies. The four of them stood before the chamber’s strange gate—a jagged arch of stone, etched with runes that pulsed faintly like veins beneath skin. Together, they pressed their hands against its surface and pushed.

Stone groaned. The gate shifted.

As it slid open, a surge of pale light burst from within, scattering like shards of glass. The air howled.

Before any of them could react, something white and formless shot forward—swift as lightning—and plunged into Renji’s chest.

His body convulsed. His scream twisted into silence.

Then his eyes opened. White, soulless.

Renji’s hand went to his sword in a blur. The blade hissed free, arcing downward with lethal intent.

Ezra’s crimson blade met it in time. Steel clashed, sparks igniting between them. The impact rattled through Ezra’s bones.

He gritted his teeth. Fuck. This wasn’t in the novel... Maybe I forgot. Or maybe... the author just wanted a new plot.

Renji pushed forward with terrifying force. His strikes came again—wild, merciless, filled with the malice of the spirit now inside him.

Ezra held his ground, blocking, redirecting. His mind raced. Then his eyes hardened.

"Dravis. Xavier." His voice cut sharp. "Go. Now. I’ll handle him. I’ll bring him back."

The two hesitated for only a heartbeat. Then, seeing the murderous light in Renji’s eyes, they nodded grimly and sprinted down the other passage.

Ezra and Renji stood alone.

Renji’s blank eyes glowed. His body shivered with something not his own. Then he moved.

A second slash came down, followed instantly by another, then another—each faster than the last. His sword blurred, a storm of steel.

Ezra met them strike for strike, the cavern echoing with the fury of their blades. Sparks burst. Stone cracked beneath their feet.

The last clash threw them both backward, boots scraping across stone.

Ezra’s lips curved into a thin, dangerous smile. "So... you were hiding this much strength. Almost at my level." He raised his blade, crimson edge gleaming.

"But strength alone won’t save you."

He lunged, his sword arcing in a crescent slash. Renji twisted aside, dodging cleanly—but Ezra’s knee shot up, smashing into his stomach. Air burst from Renji’s lungs. Before he could recover, Ezra’s second kick snapped into his face, sending him sliding backward, crashing against the cavern wall.

Ezra lowered his sword slightly, his eyes cold.

"Because I’m stronger."

The words rang in the chamber like a verdict.

________________________

Meanwhile—

Dravis sprinted through the twisting corridor, boots pounding against stone slick with condensation. His breath came ragged, words tumbling out between clenched teeth.

"What the fuck just happened back there?!"

Xavier kept pace beside him, jaw tight, eyes never leaving the path ahead. "How should I know? Forget that for now—we need to reach the boss chamber. If my guess is right, it’ll still be in its first phase. Peak Rank 2, maybe beginner Rank 3. We can hold it there until Ezra comes."

But the dungeon had other plans.

A faint hiss split the silence. Dravis barely registered the sound before a black-fletched arrow cut through the air, gleaming with green poison. His eyes widened. There was no time to dodge. He raised his gauntlet instinctively—

Crack!

The impact tore through steel, splintering it like glass. The poison sizzled across the fractured metal, eating into the cracks.

"The hell—?!" Dravis staggered, gripping his arm, but the dungeon’s cold mechanism surged to life. From the walls, hidden slots opened.

Dozens of arrows hissed forth, blotting out the dim torchlight.

"Shit—DOWN!" Xavier barked. His sword flashed free, his body twisting into motion. He drew a wide arc—then another, faster. Sword shadows erupted from his blade, multiplying until a storm of steel encircled them. Hundreds of phantom blades cut into the oncoming arrows, shredding shafts midair, splinters raining across the ground.

Clang—clang—clash!

The last arrow shattered. The echo still hung in the air when the floor rumbled beneath their feet.

Stone tiles shifted. From the cracks surged iron spikes, lunging upward like the fangs of a beast.

"Keep moving!" Dravis shouted, his gauntleted arm raised despite its damage. He barreled forward, body rolling just as a spike grazed his side. Sparks screeched across his armor.

A second row of spikes shot up, sharper, faster. Dravis slammed his good arm against the wall, vaulting himself over, landing hard but still running.

Xavier didn’t slow. He angled his blade downward and channeled his aura. Sword energy crackled, slicing the rising spikes cleanly at their base, leaving jagged stumps that glowed faintly from the heat of his strike.

The two pressed forward—but the dungeon escalated.

From above, stone panels groaned open. Chains unfurled, ending in hooked blades that swung like pendulums, crossing the corridor in deadly rhythm. Their edges dripped with venom, each swing faster than the last.

Dravis cursed. "This place wants us dead!"

He slammed his gauntlet into the first chain, stopping its arc with sheer force. Metal shrieked. He braced, muscles straining, then wrenched it aside, tearing it free from the ceiling.

The second blade swung low, aimed to cleave Xavier in half. His sword flashed once, twice, then split the chain mid-swing. Sparks cascaded as the blade clattered harmlessly to the floor.

Still they ran.

Still the dungeon tested them.

The corridor narrowed, walls pressing inward. From the gaps, darts began to fire, each tipped with shimmering toxin. The air filled with the hiss of death.

Dravis’s gauntlets snapped open—hidden plates releasing tiny round shields that rotated around his arms. He swung them wide, deflecting darts with a barrage of clangs.

Xavier moved like flowing water, sword arcs weaving a web of silver light. Each dart that came his way was bisected midair, falling in harmless halves.

The deeper they went, the worse it became.

The floor ahead dissolved into a pit of roiling darkness, illusions of grasping hands reaching upward. The only way forward was a narrow beam spanning the gap.

"Balance test? Are you kidding me?!" Dravis snarled, already stepping onto the beam.

The hands reached higher, clawing for his legs. He swung his broken gauntlet down, smashing them apart with raw strength.

Xavier’s approach was different. His every step was measured, his sword a counterbalance, aura rippling outward. Each time a phantom hand rose toward him, his blade flicked once, dissolving it into mist.

The pit stretched on forever. The beam shook under their weight. But step by step, strike by strike, they pushed across.

Finally, the pit ended. They leapt down onto solid ground again, panting, sweat beading their brows.

The corridor opened. Ahead, in the distance, a massive set of double doors loomed—the boss gate. Faint, pulsing red light seeped through its cracks like blood.

Dravis wiped his mouth, spitting iron from the taste of blood. "We made it..."

Xavier’s eyes remained sharp. "No. We survived the traps. The real test starts now."

____________________

Renji moved like a predator unchained. His blade slashed in furious arcs, every strike heavier, sharper, more brutal than the last. The whites of his eyes glowed faintly, veins bulging across his temples as the spirit’s malice drove him into madness.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Steel shrieked against steel, sparks raining across the cavern. Ezra was forced back, boots skidding across the stone floor as Renji hammered down on him again and again, each blow threatening to split his guard.

Then Renji bit into his lip—blood spilling down his chin. It sizzled as it touched the blade, the runes carved into his curse technique flaring awake.

Whum!

The air grew heavy, pressing down like a mountain. Crimson light burst across Renji’s arms, veins glowing as his blood sacrifice amplified his strength. His next strike tore through the air like a guillotine.

Ezra caught it on his sword, his arms shuddering from the impact. A deep line split open across the stone beneath his feet.

Renji didn’t stop. His off-hand slammed into the ground.

"—!"

Chains of rock erupted upward, jagged and binding, reaching for Ezra’s legs like fangs.

Ezra shifted, sword flashing. Shing! Each chain was sliced apart, fragments tumbling in sparks and dust. But Renji was already there, blade cutting from the side, body twisting with unnatural speed.

The strike carved across Ezra’s chest, blood spraying.

Renji pressed harder, his movements losing all restraint. His blood burned brighter, dripping from his arms and hissing as it fueled the curse. With every second, his power climbed higher, his speed sharper, his killing intent suffocating.

The cavern itself shook under the weight of his assault.

Ezra’s guard dipped, his shoulder stung, his breath grew heavy under the relentless storm. To anyone watching, it would look like Renji was overwhelming him, his fury unstoppable.

But Ezra’s face never changed.

No fear.

No anger.

Only cold, sharp stillness.

Another strike came, faster, deadlier—Ezra tilted his head, the blade grazing his cheek. Blood trickled down, but his eyes didn’t flinch. He parried, redirected, stepped back once.

Then he stopped moving back.

Renji’s next swing met something different. Ezra’s blade didn’t just block—it commanded. The parry twisted Renji’s strike aside, leaving him wide open.

Ezra stepped in. Bam! His knee rammed into Renji’s gut.

Renji staggered, but before he could recover, Ezra’s elbow smashed into his jaw. His blade slashed next, shallow but decisive, cutting across Renji’s arm and sending his weapon’s edge veering away.

From there, the tide reversed.

Ezra’s movements became sharper, each one precise, suffocating. He didn’t waste strength. He didn’t falter. His blade was everywhere—turning Renji’s storm into fragments, forcing him back step by step.

Renji roared in silence, blood glowing as he tried to trigger the curse again. His veins bulged, cracks spreading across his arms as he sacrificed more and more of himself. His sword came down with monstrous force—

Shing!

Ezra cut through it. His blade redirected the strike as if it was nothing, then turned into a brutal counter, carving across Renji’s chest.

Renji’s body shook. His strength faltered.

Ezra didn’t stop. He pressed in, cold and merciless. A kick slammed Renji sideways, his back hitting the cavern wall. Before he could stand, Ezra’s sword was already descending.

The flat of the blade smashed against Renji’s temple.

Thud.

His body went limp, crashing to the ground. Blood spread beneath him, the glow of his cursed technique fading into nothing.

Ezra stood above him, his face expressionless, his blade still dripping with blood. He exhaled slowly, lowering the sword.

"...Pathetic."

With a flick, he sent the blood flying off his weapon, then sheathed it with calm precision. Renji lay unconscious at his feet, stripped of all fury, his body broken but alive.

Ezra turned, his eyes already coldly focused on what lay ahead.