The moment the Dark Knight collapsed, a wave of relief swept across the battlefield.
For the first time since the boss fight had begun, the surviving players felt as though they had finally made progress.
The towering knight crashed to one knee before falling completely, its massive body striking the shattered arena floor with enough force to send dust and broken stone into the air.
Hinabi exhaled slowly.
"Finally..."
Magumo rolled his shoulders and let out a grin.
"Took long enough."
Across the battlefield, Elias was already moving.
Unlike the others, he showed no sign of celebration.
No relief.
No satisfaction.
His attention immediately shifted toward the remaining threat.
The White Knight.
The radiant guardian still hovered above the battlefield, chains of light drifting around her as she watched the fight continue.
Elias raised his sword.
"End it."
His voice was calm and decisive.
The surviving players immediately understood his intention.
One more boss.
One more kill.
Then the dungeon would be cleared.
Elias took a step forward.
His blade rose.
White-gold flames gathered around the weapon once more.
Then the world suddenly changed.
A sharp crack echoed through the arena.
It wasn't the sound of stone breaking.
Nor steel clashing.
It sounded as though reality itself had fractured.
Every player froze.
Instinct screamed at them.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Elias stopped moving.
Slowly, he turned.
Behind him, the Dark Knight's body began to move.
"...What?"
Hinabi's eyes widened.
Magumo spun around.
The fallen boss rose to its feet.
Not slowly.
Not like a wounded creature recovering.
Instantly.
As though it had never been defeated at all.
The broken armor repaired itself before their eyes.
Dark energy flowed through the cracks, knitting shattered metal back together.
The massive sword that Elias had destroyed reformed in the knight's hand.
Its crimson glow intensified.
The ominous light pulsing within its armor burned brighter than before.
The Dark Knight had returned.
And it was stronger.
"You've got to be kidding me—"
Magumo never finished his sentence.
The Dark Knight vanished.
One moment it stood several meters away.
The next, it appeared directly in front of him.
Its fist shot forward.
BOOM!
The impact was devastating.
Magumo's entire body folded around the punch.
The air exploded from his lungs.
He was launched across the arena like a ragdoll.
His body smashed through broken pillars and shattered stone before finally crashing into the arena wall.
The impact left a crater behind him.
His HP plummeted instantly.
20%.
Magumo coughed violently as blood stained his lips.
His vision swam.
"That... was fast..."
The Dark Knight never even looked at him again.
Its attention had already shifted elsewhere.
Hinabi.
Her eyes widened.
Without hesitation, flames exploded around her body.
A defensive barrier formed while offensive spells gathered simultaneously.
Fire surged forward.
The Dark Knight simply ignored it.
In an instant, it appeared directly in front of her.
Its sword descended.
CLANG!
Hinabi barely blocked.
The collision sent a violent shockwave through the arena.
Flames erupted around her as she desperately absorbed the impact.
Even so, she was forced backward.
Her boots dug trenches through the stone floor.
"Tch!"
The Dark Knight struck again.
And again.
And again.
Every attack was faster than before.
Every swing carried overwhelming power.
Hinabi twisted away from one strike.
Blocked another.
Countered with flames.
But she was a mage.
She wasn't built to endure this kind of relentless close-quarters pressure.
The Dark Knight's blade rose high.
Darkness gathered around it.
A killing blow.
"Hinabi."
A calm voice interrupted.
CLANG!
Elias appeared between them.
His sword intercepted the attack.
Light and darkness collided.
The resulting shockwave rattled the entire battlefield.
Elias didn't move.
Didn't budge.
He simply stared into the Dark Knight's glowing eyes.
"You're not done yet."
Hinabi immediately understood.
She stepped backward.
"Yeah... no need to tell me twice."
The Dark Knight's focus shifted completely.
Its attention locked onto Elias.
The battle had reset.
Only now, the boss was stronger than before.
On the opposite side of the arena, the battle against the White Knight continued.
Unlike the Dark Knight, she had never stopped fighting.
Chains of light stretched through the air around her, glowing brighter with every passing second.
Sumi narrowed her eyes.
"It's getting stronger."
Kiraya stepped forward.
Shield raised.
Sword engulfed in flames.
"Then we hit harder."
The White Knight rose slightly higher into the air.
Her halo flickered.
Then she attacked.
[Boss Skill: Radiant Cascade]
A storm of light exploded outward.
Wave after wave surged across the battlefield.
The attack was faster than before.
Stronger.
More concentrated.
"A-again?!" Ayame shouted.
Kiraya was already moving.
Her sword erupted with fire.
[Sword Skill: Lionheart Resonance]
Flames roared to life.
A massive arc of fire surged forward.
The attack collided directly with the incoming waves of light.
BOOM!
The arena exploded with heat and radiance.
Fire and holy energy crashed against one another, creating a blinding explosion.
But Kiraya wasn't merely defending.
She was creating an opening.
"Fayzan! Now!"
A figure burst through the flames.
Fayzan.
His body burned with concentrated fire.
Every ounce of power he possessed was focused into a single attack.
"Got it."
[Warrior Skill: Blazing Breaker]
He charged.
The White Knight reacted instantly.
Chains shot forward.
Her sword rose.
But Fayzan was already there.
His blade flashed.
SLASH!
The attack carved directly through her armor.
A brilliant line appeared across her body.
The White Knight froze.
Her chains flickered.
Her halo cracked.
For a brief moment, silence filled the arena.
Then light shattered.
Her body broke apart into countless glowing fragments.
The fragments scattered like stars before fading away entirely.
"We... did it..."
Ayame stared in disbelief.
Sumi slowly exhaled.
"One down."
Kiraya lowered her sword.
The flames surrounding it gradually disappeared.
"Good work."
Fayzan breathed heavily.
Victory should have felt satisfying.
Instead, his eyes drifted toward the other battlefield.
Toward Elias.
Toward the Dark Knight.
"...Not over."
Then something happened.
The scattered fragments of light stopped fading.
At first, nobody noticed.
Tiny particles shimmered in the air.
Then they began moving.
Gathering.
Reforming.
Rebuilding.
"No way..."
Sumi's voice trembled.
Kiraya's eyes widened.
The fragments condensed into a humanoid shape.
Chains reappeared.
Armor reconstructed itself.
The halo returned.
Only this time, it wasn't fractured.
It was complete.
Perfect.
The White Knight stood before them once more.
And her presence had changed.
The pressure she emitted was vastly greater than before.
Ayame swallowed hard.
"She's stronger..."
The White Knight raised a hand.
Without warning, chains of light shot forward.
Kiraya barely reacted in time.
BANG!
Her shield intercepted the attack.
The impact launched her backward.
She skidded across the arena floor.
"Kiraya!"
Fayzan rushed toward her.
The White Knight appeared before him instantly.
CLANG!
He blocked.
The force crushed through his defense.
He slammed into the ground.
The floor beneath him shattered.
Chains wrapped around his body.
"Tch!"
Light tightened around him.
Every attempt to move caused pain.
Kiraya forced herself back onto her feet.
Her HP had fallen dangerously low.
15%.
Fayzan's HP hovered at the same value.
The White Knight floated above them.
Then she spoke.
For the first time.
"Vow... must be upheld."
The words echoed through the arena.
[Boss Skill: Sacred Vow]
Light erupted.
The chains tightened.
Every movement became punishment.
Every step exacted a price.
Kiraya gritted her teeth.
"Fayzan! Don't move too far!"
"Yeah! I noticed!"
Then the White Knight raised her sword.
[Boss Skill: Radiant Cascade]
Light gathered once more.
Faster.
Stronger.
More overwhelming than ever before.
Sumi's face paled.
"We can't block that again!"
Kiraya still raised her blade.
"We have to—"
Before the attack could be unleashed, a violent shockwave tore across the battlefield.
BOOM!
Darkness slammed into light.
A figure landed between them.
Elias.
"Fall back."
His voice was calm.
Absolute.
Kiraya stared.
"Elias?"
Behind him stood the Dark Knight.
Fully restored.
Beside it hovered the White Knight.
Two resurrected bosses.
Together.
The surviving players felt despair begin to creep into their hearts.
Elias simply stepped forward.
"You two recover."
"Wait—"
Fayzan stopped himself.
Because he could feel it.
The confidence radiating from Elias.
The certainty.
Elias raised his sword.
White-gold flames ignited once more.
This time the flames felt different.
Sharper.
Denser.
Perfectly controlled.
The White Knight attacked first.
Chains surged toward him.
The Dark Knight charged simultaneously.
A flawless pincer attack.
Elias stepped forward.
One slash severed the chains.
A second movement deflected the Dark Knight's blade.
A third strike forced both bosses backward.
The spectators could hardly believe what they were seeing.
"No way..."
Hinabi whispered.
"He's fighting both of them?"
Magumo stared in disbelief.
"Alone?"
Elias lowered his stance.
The flames surrounding his sword intensified.
Then he issued a challenge.
"Come."
Both bosses attacked together.
Light and darkness surged across the battlefield.
The clash that followed shook the entire arena.
Every strike from the Dark Knight was met head-on.
Every chain from the White Knight was cut apart.
Every coordinated assault was dismantled.
Yet despite his overwhelming skill, Elias wasn't dominating the fight.
He was being pushed.
Every movement required precision.
Every step required calculation.
One mistake would mean death.
Kiraya clenched her fist.
"We can't just watch."
Fayzan shook his head.
"Don't."
His eyes never left Elias.
"If we step in now..."
He paused.
"We'll only get in his way."
The others understood.
This battle had moved beyond them.
At the center of the arena, Elias clashed against both resurrected knights once more.
Light.
Darkness.
Flames.
Steel.
The collision shattered the ground beneath their feet.
And for the first time since the battle began—
A crack appeared on Elias' sword.
Magumo's grin slowly returned.
"Now this..."
He stared at the impossible battle unfolding before them.
"...this is a real fight."
Because the truth had become painfully clear.
Even Elias could not keep this up forever.
And the battle was only beginning.