The last lizard-like monster crumbled to ash under Ignis’s flames, its body disintegrating into fine grey dust that scattered on the wind. Ignis lowered her fists, a wide, satisfied grin spreading across her face.

"Too easy! These things are barely worth the effort!"

She cracked her neck, flames still flickering around her shoulders. But before she could bask in her victory, the ground beneath them shuddered violently.

A deep, guttural tremor ripped through the earth, shaking the cracked stone and sending loose rocks skittering across the ground. The group staggered, steadying themselves as the tremors grew stronger, more erratic.

Lilith’s crimson eyes narrowed, her silver threads already stirring around her fingers. Her voice carried a note of dry, almost amused resignation.

"It seems our journey will be more... challenging than anticipated."

From the fissures that had splintered the ground, monsters began to emerge.

They rose from the earth like nightmares given form—massive, insectoid creatures with chitinous bodies that gleamed dully in the grey light. Their legs were thick, segmented, ending in jagged claws that scraped against the stone with a sound like grinding bones. Tentacles writhed from their backs, lined with rows of serrated teeth, and their heads were featureless save for a single, glowing eye that pulsed with a dull, hungry light.

Sixteen of them.

[Trench Wyrms Lv. 75]

Adam’s eyes widened, his voice carrying a note of genuine disbelief.

"How are there still monsters around here?!"

Isolde’s voice was calm, but carried a thoughtful edge, as if she was piecing something together.

"It’s possible this place doesn’t want us to leave. The Void’s influence might have twisted the land itself... making it hostile to anyone trying to escape. I’m not entirely sure, but it would explain why they keep coming."

Adam glanced at the Compass of Desire in his hand, its needle still pointing forward, unwavering. His voice was thoughtful, almost curious.

"Huh. Yeah, maybe you’ve got a point."

The creatures opened their maws, and a unified, piercing screech erupted from their throats.

"KRIIIIEEEEKKKK—!"

The shockwave slammed into the group like a physical wall, sending them staggering back. The sound rattled their bones, clawing at their minds with a discordant, grating frequency.

Ignis’s eyes blazed with excitement. Her flames flared brighter, her voice carrying a wild, eager note.

"I’ll slaughter them all!"

She lunged forward—

And stopped.

Alice’s hand shot out, threads of shadow wrapping around Ignis’s ankle, halting her mid-step. Her voice was sharp, cutting through Ignis’s battle-lust like a blade.

"Don’t be reckless. There are too many of them. You’ll get yourself hurt. Are you stupid?"

Ignis’s head snapped toward Alice, her golden eyes blazing with indignation.

"Hey! Let me go! I can handle them!"

Alice’s cat ears flattened, her tail lashing once. Her voice carried a note of cold, unyielding authority.

"Don’t be a fool. We don’t know how many more are hiding underground. If you charge in alone, you’ll be overwhelmed. And then we’ll have to waste time saving you."

Ignis’s flames flickered, her pout deepening, but she didn’t argue further.

Adam stepped forward, his crimson eyes sweeping over the sixteen creatures. His voice was calm, measured, carrying a note of grim certainty.

"She’s right, Ignis. So calm down and don’t do anything stupid."

Lilith’s silver threads coiled around her fingers, her voice smooth and sharp.

"I’ll bind their movements. Alice, can you slow them down?"

Alice’s ear twitched, a faint, almost predatory smile crossing her face.

"Gladly."

She lunged forward, her form dissolving into shadow as she closed the distance on the nearest Trench Wyrm. Her claws extended, dark violet energy flaring along their edges, and she drove them deep into the creature’s flank. The chitin cracked under the assault, ichor spilling from the wound.

Lilith moved in perfect synchronization, her silver threads lashing out in all directions. They wove a web of binding silk around the Trench Wyrms, snapping taut and pinning the creatures to the ground. Several thrashed, their massive bodies straining, but Lilith’s control was absolute.

From the shadows at her feet, Soulreaver emerged, its black blade gleaming with a hungry, eager light. Lilith’s hand closed around the hilt, and she surged forward, her movements fluid and precise. She weaved between the creatures, her blade carving deep gashes into their chitinous hides, each strike precise and deadly. One wyrm lunged at her, its tentacles whipping toward her face. Lilith twisted, the attack passing inches from her skin, and drove Soulreaver into the creature’s eye. It convulsed and collapsed.

Alice’s shadow-infused claws raked across the bound creatures, dark violet energy flaring with each strike. The chitin cracked under the assault, ichor spilling from the wounds. But Alice’s cat ears flattened, a sharp curse escaping her lips.

"Tch. Their carapaces are tougher than they look. My attacks aren’t cutting as deep as I’d like."

Azrynn didn’t hesitate. She drew her bow in one fluid motion, a glowing rune arrow already nocked. Her yellow eyes blazed, and she loosed the arrow with a sharp cry.

"Burn!"

The arrow struck the nearest bound wyrm, and a burst of concentrated flame erupted from the impact point, searing through its chitinous hide. The creature screeched, its body convulsing as the fire consumed it from within.

But another wyrm lunged from the side, forcing Azrynn to dive out of the way. She rolled, coming up in a crouch, her bow already raised.

Isolde’s Crimson Blossom Crown pulsed as she thrust her hands forward. Blood surged from her palms, forming into a massive, swirling vortex of crimson energy that expanded outward in all directions. The blood wave slammed into the approaching wyrms, sending them stumbling back, their chitin sizzling where the blood touched.

"[Crimson Tide]!"

Adam’s voice cut through the chaos, sharp and commanding.

"Ignis, stay put. This is your punishment for charging in without thinking."

Ignis’s flames flickered with frustration, but she held her ground, her golden eyes blazing with barely contained energy.

Meanwhile, the Trench Wyrms regrouped. Their single eyes pulsed with a sickly, green light, and their bodies began to convulse. A thick, viscous fluid sprayed from their pores, coating the ground and the surrounding air in a corrosive mist.

The acid hissed where it touched the stone, eating into the rock and sending up clouds of acrid, blinding smoke. Visibility plummeted, the battlefield dissolving into a murky haze. The creatures moved within the fog, their forms shifting, disappearing and reappearing in the gloom.

Lilith’s voice came through the haze, calm but edged with frustration.

"They’re using the acid to obscure our vision. I can’t see more than a few feet ahead."

Ignis’s voice came from somewhere in the smoke, sharp with impatience. "Can I burn it now?"

Adam’s voice cut through, sharp and commanding, though a hint of dark amusement crept beneath the edge.

"Still not yet."

A low chuckle escaped Adam as he narrowed his eyes, crimson gleaming through the murk. His voice dropped, almost to himself.

"Let them think they have the advantage. It’ll make it sweeter when we tear it away."