The battlefield erupted with cheers.
The Dark Knight had fallen.
Its shattered body lay broken across the ruined arena while black mist leaked from the cracks in its armor like blood from a dying wound.
Around the battlefield, the surviving players finally allowed themselves to breathe.
Not because the fight was over.
But because they had survived.
For the first time since entering the dungeon, hope had returned.
Magumo rested his sword on his shoulder and grinned.
"Finally."
His chest rose and fell heavily.
"That thing was ridiculous."
Nearby, Hinabi wiped soot from her cheek and exhaled.
"You're telling me."
Her flames had dimmed considerably.
Mana reserves low.
Stamina exhausted.
Even she looked tired.
Fayzan leaned against a broken section of stone.
His armor was damaged.
Several healing effects still flickered across his body.
"But we won."
Ayame nodded.
Relieved.
"We actually did it."
Kiraya lowered her shield.
The metal was cracked.
Parts of the edge had been chipped away during the battle.
Yet she smiled anyway.
A small smile.
One earned through survival.
"Good work everyone."
The surviving members of Eternity Lions and Burning Pride exchanged exhausted looks.
Some laughed.
Some sat down.
Others simply stared at the fallen boss.
Because nobody had expected the dungeon to be this brutal.
One hundred twenty-nine players had entered.
Only twenty-five remained.
The cost had been horrifying.
But they had won.
Or so they thought.
Elias remained silent.
Standing in front of the Dark Knight's corpse.
Watching.
Studying.
Waiting.
His sword remained in his hand.
Unlowered.
Hinabi noticed first.
"...Elias?"
No response.
The guild leader's eyes remained fixed on the shattered armor.
Magumo frowned.
"What?"
Then he saw it.
The mist.
It wasn't dispersing.
It was gathering.
Slowly.
Almost imperceptibly.
Like smoke being pulled backward by an invisible force.
Elias' voice finally broke the silence.
"Everyone."
His tone was calm.
Dangerously calm.
The survivors immediately became alert.
"Back away from the corpse."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Kiraya's expression hardened.
"You noticed it too?"
Elias nodded.
The mist continued flowing.
Returning.
Reconnecting.
Reforming.
Then—
A sound echoed throughout the arena.
A heartbeat.
THUMP.
The players froze.
THUMP.
Again.
Louder.
THUMP.
THUMP.
THUMP.
The crimson light inside the Dark Knight's armor suddenly intensified.
The shattered pieces trembled.
Vibrated.
Moved.
"...No."
Ayame's face went pale.
"...No no no no..."
The armor fragments rose from the ground.
Floating.
Suspended.
Drawn together by an unseen force.
The mist thickened.
Darkened.
Condensed.
The arena floor began cracking beneath the pressure.
Magumo stared.
"...You're joking."
Nobody answered.
Because they all knew.
The system answered for them.
A new notification appeared.
Bright red.
Violent.
Different from before.
[WARNING]
[Boss Phase Transition Detected]
[Harbinger of Fractured Hearts has met the activation requirements.]
The arena shook.
THOOOOOM.
The corpse exploded.
Darkness flooded outward.
Players stumbled.
Some were knocked off their feet.
Others barely managed to remain standing.
Then the system window updated.
And every face in the room turned white.
[Dark Knight — Phase 2]
[The Fallen King of Endless Regret]
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even the White Knight stopped moving.
Hovering motionlessly across the arena.
Watching.
Waiting.
As though she had expected this all along.
The darkness slowly began taking shape.
Larger.
Taller.
More complete.
The broken armor from before was gone.
Replaced.
No longer cracked.
No longer damaged.
The new armor appeared ancient.
Royal.
Majestic.
A black crown rested upon its head.
A tattered cape flowed behind it.
Its shield had disappeared entirely.
Instead—
A massive greatsword materialized in its hand.
The blade alone was taller than most players.
Crimson runes crawled across its surface.
Pulsing like veins.
Alive.
The pressure pouring from its body multiplied.
Tenfold.
Players struggled to breathe.
Some couldn't even stand.
Ayame nearly collapsed.
"...What is this..."
Fayzan clenched his fists.
His instincts screamed danger.
The same instinct that had warned him during life-threatening raids.
Only worse.
Much worse.
The Dark Knight slowly opened its eyes.
Two crimson lights ignited beneath the crown.
Ancient.
Empty.
Endless.
Then it spoke.
For the first time.
Its voice echoed throughout the arena.
Deep.
Heavy.
Filled with sorrow.
And rage.
"Again..."
The players froze.
The boss was talking.
"Again..."
The greatsword dragged across the stone floor.
Sparks exploded behind it.
The sound alone sent chills through everyone present.
"How many times..."
The Dark Knight slowly lifted its head.
Looking directly at the surviving players.
"...must I lose them?"
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The pressure was overwhelming.
The boss raised its free hand.
Dark mist gathered above its palm.
Within the darkness—
Images appeared.
A kingdom.
A battlefield.
People.
Friends.
Family.
All dying.
All disappearing.
Over and over again.
Like memories trapped inside a nightmare.
Then the vision shattered.
The Dark Knight clenched its fist.
The illusion vanished.
Its voice became colder.
"...If the world insists on taking everything from me..."
The crimson glow intensified.
"...Then I shall destroy the world first."
BOOOOOOOM!
The arena exploded.
A wave of darkness surged outward.
Far stronger than anything from Phase One.
Players were thrown backward instantly.
Walls cracked.
Pillars shattered.
Even the White Knight was forced to retreat slightly.
Kiraya slammed her shield into the ground to stop herself.
"What kind of boss is this?!"
Hinabi's eyes widened.
For the first time in the entire raid—
She looked genuinely afraid.
"This wasn't in the reports."
"There were no reports."
Elias answered.
His expression remained calm.
But even he looked grim.
"Because nobody reached this phase."
The realization hit everyone simultaneously.
The previous challengers.
The missing guilds.
The failed parties.
They had never cleared the dungeon.
They had never even seen this form.
Which meant one thing.
Everything beyond this point was unknown.
The Dark Knight raised its greatsword.
The crimson runes ignited.
One by one.
The arena trembled.
A new system notification appeared.
[Boss Skill Preparing]
[Kingdom's Final Lament]
The surviving players stared.
And for the first time since entering the dungeon—
They understood.
The battle against the Dark Knight had not ended.
It had only just begun.