novelblue
Chapter 82: Descent into Chaos
Chapter 82: Descent into Chaos
The descent continued. Each step took Seraphis, Elowen, and Sylvaine deeper into the abyss, where the air grew heavier, the enemies stronger, and the darkness more suffocating. The dungeon showed no mercy.
They had conquered six floors, but five more awaited them before the next resting point. The deeper they went, the more sinister the dangers became.
Floor 7: The Pit of Crawling Shadows
The torches flickered weakly as they stepped onto the seventh floor. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the ground was soft, almost like flesh.
Sylvaine took a hesitant step forward. "Something is wrong with this floor."
Then the walls moved.
Long, shadowy tendrils burst forth, writhing like living creatures, reaching for them with insatiable hunger. The shadows were alive.
Elowen barely dodged as a black tendril shot toward her, slicing the air where her head had been.
Seraphis reacted instantly, her metal playing cards flashing through the darkness, severing the tendrils. But the moment they were cut, they reformed instantly.
Sylvaine scowled. "Normal attacks won’t work. We need light!"
Seraphis nodded, concentrating. The metal of her cards shimmered, then ignited with a brilliant white glow.
With a single sweep of her hand, the radiant blades slashed through the tendrils—this time, they burned away, unable to regenerate.
The darkness recoiled, hissing as it slithered back into the walls.
Elowen exhaled sharply. "That was close."
Seraphis smirked. "Just another warm-up."
Floor 8: The Garden of Stone
The eighth floor was eerily silent.
Elowen frowned. "It’s… peaceful?"
Sylvaine wasn’t convinced. "No dungeon floor is ever peaceful."
They stepped forward, the ground crunching beneath their boots. The floor was lined with statues—warriors, mages, assassins—all frozen mid-battle.
Seraphis’s instincts screamed at her. "Don’t look at their faces."
Too late.
A statue twitched.
Then another.
And another.
With unnatural movement, the stone warriors turned their heads, their eyes glowing with a cursed red light.
The moment they moved, the air grew heavier—as if gravity itself was trying to crush them.
Seraphis lunged forward, her cards slicing at the statues—but her weapons bounced off the stone.
Sylvaine gritted her teeth. "This magic is ancient!"
Elowen twirled her daggers, dodging a stone warrior’s massive blade.
Seraphis's mind raced. "We need to break the curse!"
She scanned the room—then saw it.
A pedestal stood at the center, a glowing crystal floating above it.
Without hesitation, she dashed through the battlefield, dodging statues as they lunged at her.
One nearly cleaved her in half, but she twisted mid-air, flipping over its attack.
With one final leap, she grabbed the crystal—and crushed it.
A shockwave of energy erupted.
The statues froze—then crumbled into dust.
Sylvaine smirked. "Now that was satisfying."
Seraphis cracked her neck. "Next floor."
Floor 9: The Roaring Inferno
The temperature soared the moment they stepped onto the ninth floor.
Massive rivers of lava flowed through the chamber, the heat searing their skin.
Elowen cursed. "We have to fight in this?"
Then they heard it.
A thunderous roar shook the cavern, and from the flames emerged a massive beast—a Lava Drake.
Its body was covered in molten rock, its eyes burning like embers.
The ground trembled as it stomped forward, fire spewing from its jaws.
Sylvaine cursed. "We can't get close to that thing!"
Seraphis smirked. "Then we attack from afar."
She sent her metal cards flying, but the drake's molten hide melted them before they could pierce its flesh.
Elowen clenched her fists. "Then let's cool it down."
She pulled out a vial—a frost bomb.
With precise aim, she hurled it straight at the drake’s chest.
The bomb exploded, a wave of ice spreading across its molten skin.
The drake screeched, its body rapidly cooling, cracks forming in its hardened shell.
Seraphis didn't waste time. With a flick of her wrist, she sent her metal cards straight into the cracks.
The drake let out one final roar before it collapsed, its body shattering.
Sylvaine grinned. "Nice work, sis."
Elowen smirked. "Next floor?"
Seraphis nodded. "Next floor."
Floor 10: The Blood Puppeteer
They barely stepped onto the tenth floor when the air grew thick with the scent of blood.
A lone figure stood in the center.
A woman dressed in crimson robes, her hands dripping with fresh blood.
Her eyes gleamed as she smiled. "Welcome, assassins."
Seraphis narrowed her eyes. "Who are you?"
The woman chuckled. "I am the Puppeteer. And you… are my new toys."
She snapped her fingers—and from the shadows, bodies emerged.
Corpses—reanimated warriors, their limbs twitching unnaturally, their eyes glowing red.
Elowen clenched her daggers. "Necromancer."
The undead rushed forward.
Seraphis moved first, her cards slicing through them like paper.
But the bodies didn't fall.
Sylvaine cursed. "She's controlling them with blood magic!"
Seraphis locked eyes with the Puppeteer. "Then we kill the source."
She dashed forward, dodging reanimated warriors, her cards spinning around her like a storm.
The Puppeteer laughed. "You think you can reach me?"
She raised her hands—the blood on the floor forming tendrils, lashing out.
Seraphis dodged, rolling beneath the crimson whips.
Then, with a flick of her wrist, she sent her sharpest cards straight at the Puppeteer’s throat.
She gasped—blood spraying from the wound.
The undead warriors collapsed instantly.
Sylvaine smirked. "And stay dead."
Seraphis wiped her blade clean. "Next."
Floor 11: The Minotaur Warlord
The eleventh floor was a massive colosseum, its walls lined with bones.
And at its center stood a towering Minotaur, its black fur streaked with scars.
But unlike the beasts before, this one spoke.
"At last. A real challenge."
Seraphis raised an eyebrow. "You can talk?"
The Minotaur grinned, gripping a massive double-bladed axe.
"I was once a warrior. Now, I am the gatekeeper. Only the strongest may pass."
Elowen grinned. "Then let’s test that strength."
The Minotaur charged, shaking the ground with every step.
The battle had begun.