The world broke.
Not slowly.
Not gradually.
But all at once.
The moment Ryota's fist shattered the centaur's blade—
The battlefield lost its balance.
Steel fragments scattered like falling stars.
The dragons recoiled.
The air trembled.
And Rio—
Moved.
"Ryota—!"
Her voice cut through the chaos.
Sharp.
Precise.
A signal.
Not a call for help—
But a command.
Ryota didn't hesitate.
Didn't question.
Didn't think.
He moved.
The dragons lunged again.
Seven colossal bodies surged forward—
Claws.
Fangs.
Wings tearing through the air.
Elemental breath gathered once more—
Fire.
Lightning.
Ice.
Wind.
Earth.
Light.
Shadow.
All converging toward him.
Ryota stepped forward.
Not back.
A claw came first—
He grabbed it.
[Scalular Impact]
The force—
Reduced.
Nullified.
Redirected.
He twisted his body—
And threw the dragon sideways.
It crashed into another mid-air—
Both spiraling out of control.
Another dragon dove from above—
Jaws wide.
Ryota looked up—
And punched.
A simple motion.
A reckless one.
But—
[Scalular Impact]
The force multiplied.
Compressed.
Released.
BOOM.
The dragon's skull caved slightly—
Its massive body launched upward instead of downward—
Like gravity had reversed for it alone.
Behind him—
Rio steadied herself.
Her HP bar flickered.
27%.
Low.
Dangerously low.
But her eyes—
Clear.
Focused.
Unshaken.
The gryphon descended.
Lightning gathered around its wings—
A shriek—
Then—
A strike.
Rio raised her blade.
The Crimson Bloodmoon shimmered—
Deep red.
Like liquid steel infused with something alive.
CLANG—
Lightning collided with crimson.
Energy burst outward—
Sparks and embers scattering in every direction.
Rio slid back—
Boots carving into the ground—
But she held.
Then—
The phoenix returned.
A blur of fire and shadow—
Its massive talons seized her—
"—!"
And flung her.
CRASH.
Her body slammed into the far wall.
Stone shattered.
Dust erupted.
Her HP dropped.
27% → 22%
Ryota turned.
"…RIO—!"
Too late.
The centaur moved.
Even weaponless—
It wasn't finished.
A new blade formed.
Condensed energy.
Massive.
Unstable.
Deadly.
It swung.
Toward Rio.
She saw it.
Felt it.
Knew—
She couldn't fully dodge.
So—
She didn't.
She raised her saber.
CLANG—
The impact—
Was catastrophic.
The ground beneath her—
Shattered instantly.
A crater formed—
Expanding outward—
Cracks splitting the battlefield like veins.
Her arms trembled.
Her HP dipped again.
22% → 19%
But she didn't fall.
Because—
At that exact moment—
Ryota arrived.
He burst through the chaos—
Ignoring the dragons—
Ignoring the pain—
Ignoring everything—
And punched.
[Scalular Impact]
Maximum Output.
BOOM.
The centaur's torso twisted unnaturally—
Its entire body lifted—
Then—
Collapsed.
Its weapon—
Shattered.
Silence.
Just for a second.
Rio exhaled.
"…Good timing."
Ryota grinned.
"…You too."
Then—
The dragons returned.
Faster.
Angrier.
More desperate.
They chased Ryota—
Claws reaching—
Breath attacks charging—
Rio raised her musket.
Bang.
Bang.
Bang.
Each shot—
Precise.
Controlled.
[Chronos Eye]
Activated.
The bullets struck—
And time bent.
The dragons slowed.
Not stopped—
But dragged—
Like moving through thick water.
Ryota noticed instantly.
"…Nice!"
He pivoted—
Counterattacked—
Slashing—
Punching—
Throwing—
Every movement amplified by his ability.
And then—
Rio spoke again.
"…Ryota."
He turned.
She stood there.
Barely standing.
Mana—
Almost gone.
HP—
Critical.
But her blade—
Glowed.
Brighter than ever before.
"…One more."
He understood.
Immediately.
He moved.
Closed the distance.
Stood beside her.
She raised her blade.
"Mythic Weapon Skill—"
The air trembled.
"Moonlight Melody."
The first slash—
Released.
A crescent wave of crimson light—
Cut through the battlefield.
Then—
Another.
And another.
And another.
Not one.
Not two.
But dozens.
Each slash layered over the next—
Filling the entire space.
Turning the battlefield into a storm of red.
Her mana dropped—
Rapidly.
90% consumed.
Her body trembled.
But she didn't stop.
Because—
Ryota reached out—
And grabbed the blade.
"…Got it."
[Scalular Impact]
He didn't reduce the force.
He amplified it.
Every slash—
Every wave—
Every fragment of energy—
Multiplied.
Distorted.
Weaponized.
The air screamed.
The dragons—
Hit first.
One—
Split clean in half.
Another—
Its wings severed instantly.
A third—
Obliterated mid-flight.
The gryphon—
Torn apart by intersecting waves.
The cerberus—
All remaining heads—
Erased.
The phoenix—
Pinned—
Then—
Cut.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until nothing remained.
The centaur—
Already broken—
Was cleaved in two.
Even the corrupted knights—
Couldn't escape.
The female mage—
Split before she could cast.
The dual-blade knight—
Frozen mid-strike—
Then erased.
The spear knight—
Gone.
Without a trace.
And finally—
The world itself—
Couldn't hold it anymore.
CRACK.
The walls split.
CRACK.
The ceiling collapsed.
CRACK.
The entire dungeon—
Shattered.
Light burst in from above.
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Absolute.
Dust settled slowly.
Ash drifted.
Fragments of what once was—
Fell endlessly into nothing.
At the center—
Two figures stood.
Barely.
Rio—
Breathing unevenly.
HP critical.
Mana—
Empty.
Ryota—
Bruised.
HP at 14%.
Still standing.
Their hands—
Still on the blade.
A quiet moment passed.
Then—
Rio let go.
"…That…"
A breath.
"…Was inefficient."
Ryota laughed.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…But it worked."
She didn't argue.
Because around them—
There was nothing left.
No enemies.
No threats.
No trial.
Only—
Victory.
And somewhere—
Deep within the ruins of the destroyed dungeon—
Something began to glow.
Waiting.
For the ones who had just done—
The impossible.
The battlefield didn't end.
It changed.
The dust had barely settled.
Fragments of stone still fell from above, tapping against the ruined ground like quiet echoes of destruction. The air was thick—heavy with the aftermath of power that should not have been released at this stage of the game.
And yet—
Everything was still.
The dragons—
Down.
Their massive bodies scattered across the shattered terrain.
The centaur—
Split in half, motionless.
The monsters—
Collapsed.
Broken.
Defeated.
Only three figures remained standing.
The corrupted knights.
They stood in silence.
Unmoving.
Unshaken.
As if the destruction around them—
Meant nothing.
Rio exhaled slowly.
Her grip tightened slightly around her weapon.
"…Still alive."
A quiet observation.
Not surprise.
Not frustration.
Just—
Acknowledgment.
Ryota rolled his shoulder.
"…Yeah…"
He glanced at them.
"…They don't look like they're planning to drop either."
The three knights stepped forward.
In unison.
The spear wielder.
The dual-blade assassin.
The spellcaster.
Perfect formation.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
Rio raised her flintlock.
Her breathing steadied.
Her vision sharpened.
One shot.
That was all she needed.
She aimed—
Gone.
"…!"
The spear knight vanished.
No sound.
No trace.
Then—
Impact.
CLANG—
The spear struck her musket—
Knocking it violently from her hand.
Before it could hit the ground—
BOOM.
The knight followed through.
Slamming the weapon into the floor—
Pinning it beneath the spear's weight.
Rio's eyes sharpened.
Fast.
But not enough.
She moved instantly—
Pivot—
Step—
Kick—
THUD.
Her foot connected with the knight's torso—
Forcing him back several meters.
He didn't fall.
Of course he didn't.
Instead—
He raised his hand.
A second spear formed.
Condensed from black energy.
And without hesitation—
He threw it.
Straight at her.
Too fast.
Too close.
But—
"Got it."
Ryota moved.
His hand shot forward—
Grabbing the spear mid-air.
The impact alone—
Would have shattered a normal player's arm.
But—
[Scalular Impact]
The force—
Reduced.
Neutralized.
He grinned.
"…Nice throw."
Then—
He threw it back.
But not at the same target.
CRASH—
The spear pierced through the air—
And slammed into the female knight—
Pinning her—
To the wall.
Her staff dropped.
Her body restrained.
A clean reversal.
Rio blinked once.
"…Good catch."
Ryota shrugged.
"…I'm getting used to it."
But there was no time.
The dual-blade knight had already moved.
A blur.
He appeared in front of Ryota—
Blades crossing—
CLANG—
Ryota raised his sword—
Iron Steve—
Blocking just in time.
The impact rang out.
Metal against metal.
Force against force.
The knight pressed forward.
Relentless.
Precise.
Ryota gritted his teeth.
"…You're fast."
The knight didn't respond.
Of course he didn't.
Another strike—
Another clash—
The battlefield—
Once again—
Descended into chaos.
And then—
Something changed.
A glow.
Faint.
At first.
Then—
Stronger.
Crimson light spread across the ruins.
Covering the broken ground.
The fallen bodies.
The shattered sky above.
Rio froze.
"…No…"
Ryota glanced around.
"…What now—?"
The ground trembled.
Not from movement—
But from something deeper.
Something awakening.
The dragons—
Moved.
Their broken bodies—
Shifted.
Dragged.
Pulled—
Toward each other.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Bones fused.
Scales merged.
Wings overlapped.
A massive form began to take shape.
Larger.
Denser.
More terrifying.
A single entity—
Born from seven.
The air warped as it rose.
Ancient Dragon—
Almarduke.
Its eyes opened.
Seven colors—
Burning as one.
A roar followed.
Not loud—
But absolute.
The entire dungeon trembled in response.
But it didn't stop there.
The fallen monsters—
The phoenix.
The cerberus.
The gryphon.
The unicorn.
The golem.
All of them—
Moved.
Their bodies twisted.
Melted.
Merged.
Forming something unnatural.
Something wrong.
A beast with multiple heads.
Multiple limbs.
Multiple elements—
All clashing within one body.
Its presence alone—
Distorted the air.
The Guardian Chimera.
Silence fell.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Even the corrupted knights—
Stopped.
For the first time—
They hesitated.
Rio stared.
Unblinking.
"…This…"
A pause.
"…Wasn't in the original trial."
Ryota laughed nervously.
"…That's not good, right?"
"…No."
A soft sound echoed.
"…Ah…"
Both of them looked up.
A small figure floated above the battlefield.
Tiny.
Fragile.
Almost—
Out of place.
A blue fairy.
Glowing softly.
Watching.
"…Candidates…"
Her voice echoed.
Gentle.
Yet—
Ancient.
"…You have exceeded expectations…"
Rio's eyes narrowed.
"…System guide?"
The fairy tilted her head.
"…No."
A pause.
"…I am the witness."
The dragon roared again.
The chimera shifted.
The knights steadied their stance.
And the fairy smiled.
"…Survive this."
A pause.
"…And the World Key will be yours."
Silence.
Ryota exhaled slowly.
"…So basically…"
He looked at Rio.
"…We're not done."
Rio picked up her musket.
Dusting it off.
Her grip steady once more.
"…No."
A pause.
Her eyes locked onto the two beasts.
"…Now it begins."
The air tightened.
Because what stood before them now—
Was no longer a trial.
It was a calamity.
And only two players—
Stood against it.