The roar of the Dreadmaw Sovereign still echoed through the cave.
"Give back... my key." His voice no longer sounded like a living creature. It sounded more like a mountain that was collapsing.
All the walls of the cave were shaking. Massive stones were breaking off from the ceiling and falling one after another.
If it were not for the ice created by Lian’s skill acting as a protective layer for the cave, the whole cave would have collapsed.
His red eyes were locked on Lian, on the key that was still between his bloody fingers.
That key was very important to him. He did not know what the key was, but he knew that it attracted all the energy and acted like an endless source for his core.
As long as he had that key, his core would never run out of mana.
But he did not dare to take it by force. He was afraid this damned human would suddenly destroy it.
But Lian could no longer even move a finger. All his mana was empty. All the bones in his body were crushed.
The only thing that had kept him alive was a stubborn will that miraculously kept him from dying.
A few ters away, Seris had fallen to one knee. Her sword lay next to her, and her breaths were broken.
Even raising her head had beco difficult for her. Between them, Alisa was still alive and perhaps in the best condition. But even she was dying from the cold. She was not an Awakened, and her resistance to cold was very low.
And now she was lying on the ice, and the cracked ice surrounded her. If she had not gone toward Lian at the last mont, she would have frozen too.
She crawled on the ground with trembling hands. Each movent caused pain to explode in her entire body. Tears and blood mixed on her cheeks.
Her knees dragged on the broken ice, but she did not stop. She crawled toward Lian, toward the key, toward the only hope remaining.
She did not know what the key was, but she knew that Lian had done everything to get it, and the monster wanted it too.
Maybe... just maybe... the key was the way out.
Luckily, she was not far from Lian. Before the monster could do anything, she finally reached him. Her trembling hands reached out and pulled the golden key from between Lian’s bloody fingers.
At that mont, a strange silence ruled the cave. The Dreadmaw looked at the key.
For the first ti, sothing like worry appeared in its eyes.
"What do you want to do with that key?"
Alisa said nothing. She just looked at him with hatred.
The monster stepped forward.
"Give it back. If you give it back right now..."
It took a second step.
"I will let you live."
Lian, who was half-conscious, opened his eyes a little when he heard that. Even Seris noticed. This was the first ti. The first ti this creature was making an offer.
The first ti it was begging for sothing. And that showed how important that key was to it.
Alisa barely raised her head. Her eyes were still red from crying, but she was no longer that scared, quiet girl. Sothing inside her had broken, and sothing much darker had taken its place.
She stared at the monster.
"You... are responsible for my sister’s death." Then she said with a rough, trembling voice.
Her hands tightened around the key.
"Sooner or later..." Tears flowed from her eyes.
"I will kill you with my own hands."
Then suddenly, a panel appeared in front of her eyes.
[Golden Exit Key Obtained]
[Would you like to activate it?]
[YES] [NO]
Alisa looked at the panel in disbelief. So this key was the way out?
She did not hesitate even for a mont. Her hand landed on the first option.
YES.
And suddenly, the key exploded. Golden light filled the entire cave, and a blinding shine swallowed everything.
For the first ti, the Dreadmaw was truly terrified.
Its eyes widened.
"No!"
Its scream shook the entire mountain. It charged forward at full speed. The frozen ground under its feet shattered. Its claws reached toward Alisa.
But it was too late. Space split open right in front of the three. A massive crack of golden light, like a wound between two worlds. A strong pull ca out of it.
Everyone was pulled toward the crack.
Lian’s half-dead body lifted off the ground. Seris was also lifted off the ground. Alisa was the last.
The Dreadmaw scread.
"Co back!"
Its hand almost reached them, but the crack was faster. All three disappeared into the light. At that mont, the crack closed.
Silence took over the space. For a few seconds of absolute silence, the Dreadmaw stood motionless.
It looked at the empty space in front of it. At where the crack had been. At its own empty neck. At the destroyed heart. At the plan it had spent thirty years on.
And now it had also lost the endless energy source.
Then the mountain exploded. A terrible roar ca from its mouth. The pillars of the cave collapsed. The walls shattered.
The ceiling began to fall. The whole mountain was shaking as if the apocalypse had co.
At the sa ti, in another world, the Academy.
In the student dorm, silence ruled. Kain was sitting on his bed, a phone in his hand. His face looked tired.
"Still no news from him?" A girl’s voice ca from the other end of the call.
"No." Kain sighed.
Suddenly, silence filled the space until...
"What if he is dead?"
The other end of the line went quiet.
"He had no power. He had no chance of surviving inside the ruined realm." Kain continued.
"Shut your mouth!" Suddenly, the girl’s voice rose.
"Don’t talk about his death again. He must be fine." But even the girl herself did not believe her words.
"You know he is probably dead." Kain lowered his head.
Silence.
Then the sound of sobbing was heard from the phone.
"Damn ... that night I was happy because of the new realm’s appearance." He also sighed and clenched his fist.
"While Lian was summoned as one of the sacrifices."
"I should not have been cold with him that day... I wish I had talked to him..." The girl said with a broken voice.
"I wish I had told him I forgive him..."
And at that mont, golden light appeared in the room. Kain froze.
Space split open, right in the middle of the dorm.
His eyes widened.
"What... happened?" The girl on the phone noticed that sothing was wrong.
The crack opened wider, and suddenly a body was thrown out of it.
BOOM!
The body landed directly on the bed.
Kain looked and then froze. His mind did not accept it. He could not accept it. His face lost its color.
"Lian...?"
The bloody body on the bed moved a little. One of his eyes was gone. His clothes were torn to pieces. His whole body was soaked in blood.
He looked like soone who had been pulled out of hell.
The girl on the phone shouted.
"What happened?!"
Kain stared in disbelief.
"Lian is back!" Then he shouted.
And he ended the call. Without even a second of delay, he ran to the door. He had to get help.
Imdiately.
At that mont, Lian barely opened his eyes. His gaze fell on the ceiling of the room.
It was not stone, not darkness, not the sll of blood. It was the familiar ceiling of the dorm.
Finally...
A very faint smile appeared on his lips.
And with his last bit of consciousness, he whispered.
"So... I finally got out of that hell..." Then his eyes slowly closed, and everything faded into darkness.
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