But it shut everyone up.
Dion stopped breathing.
From the far end of the corridor, behind the pile of shattered ribs and severed arms, a hand pulled itself out of the stone.
It cracked like plaster under pressure. One hand, then a second. Both massive. Bone thick enough to be confused for armor.
Then the rest of it dragged free.
Tall. Seven feet minimum. Spinal plates like a centipede's. A skull that looked crushed and rebuilt wrong.
Rusty. Crooked. Still glowing faint blue near the edge.
Dion's voice cracked. "That's not standard skeleton size."
Just stepped forward.
The boss lifted its head. No eyes. Just twin black holes where something used to be.
The regular skeletons moved again.
Flint grunted. "It's giving them orders."
"Looks like it," Merlin said.
He was too busy sprinting away from the wall collapsing behind him.
Merlin turned to face the boss.
Wind wrapped his legs. Water lined his blade. He went low, aiming for the gap under its ribs.
The halberd moved like a whip.
The shaft clipped his shoulder.
His left arm went numb.
Pain flared, clean and sharp. Not broken but close.
'Great. We're doing this.'
Flint charged the flank. Both blades drawn. Went for the legs.
Dion leapt onto its back. Screamed something about teamwork. Drove his dagger into the back of its skull.
"Okay," Dion gasped. "Bad plan."
The boss reached up, grabbed Dion by the arm, and threw.
Dion crashed into the far wall.
Merlin cursed. Loudly.
Time. Space. Wind. Water.
He forced them to work together. Forced mana into the space between him and the halberd.
Just enough to stall.
Just breathing and impact and bones.
The boss turned slowly. Every movement deliberate. Efficient.
Merlin felt the air pressure shift.
'It's about to swing again.'
The halberd tore through empty air.
Not decorative. Load-bearing.
Rock cracked above them.
Merlin turned and slashed the exposed joint under the thing's arm.
Water froze along his blade. Time locked it for half a second longer.
The fight wasn't ending.
It was just starting.
The halberd swung again.
Way too wide. Too slow. Too obvious. Except it wasn't.
Merlin didn't fall for it. He just leaned in.
Let the system thread snap into place.
[SOvEREIGN CHAIN — ACTIVATED]
Not loud. Not flashy. Just clarity.
Every line of motion broke down around him.
He saw the boss's center of balance. The next step. The wrist adjustment.
One clean step inside the halberd's arc. The boss tried to correct—
Merlin twisted his body sideways, wind snapping tight along his legs. The momentum pushed him under the blade.
He was already behind it.
He didn't go for the spine.
He went for the tendon-like joint where femur met pelvis. Not real flesh, but still a point of articulation.
Water pressure forced the steel deeper.
Crack. The leg gave in completely.
The boss dropped to one knee.
Flint didn't hesitate.
He launched himself over Merlin's shoulder. Drove both swords straight down into the exposed backplate of the boss's spine.
Just a buckling motion.
Sovereign Chain mapped the halberd again.
It was rising. He moved before it reached halfway.
Time fractured slightly.
Enough to force the air around him to drag.
He kicked off the wall. Space bent around his step.
Landed behind the boss.
One second. One shot.
He dragged mana into his palm. Water condensed instantly. Wind compressed behind it.
Slammed it into the boss's skull from the back.
The pressure cracked the front of the face clean off.
Flint pulled his swords out.
Dion groaned from across the room.
[High-Priority Threat Neutralized]
[Path Reseal Delay Lifted]
[Reinforcements Paused — 180 Seconds]
Just turned to Flint and said—
"Wake Dion up. We're not done."
Flint crouched next to Dion.
Slapped his face once. Then twice, harder.
Dion blinked. Groaned. "I'm dead."
Merlin stood near the downed boss.
Didn't check the corpse.
Just watched the timer.
"Status," he said flatly.
Flint didn't look up. "Bruised. Winded. Not dying."
Dion coughed. Sat up. "Probably concussed."
"Too bad," Merlin said. "Three minutes."
Started dragging the halberd closer.
"Big plan?" Flint asked.
Flint nodded. "Solid."
Dion swayed to his feet. "I liked the last plan better."
Merlin dropped the halberd near a cracked wall.
Started etching into the floor with the tip of his blade.
Quick one. Not stable. Just enough to displace an incoming charge.
"You're building traps now?" Dion said. "In here?"
Flint moved to the opposite wall.
Kicked a broken sword into place.
Primitive, but sharp.
"Door's still locked," he said.
"It opens when it wants."
Dion limped over to the far end.
"Think we can bottleneck them here?"
"Think they'll let us?"
Dion sighed. "Thought so."
Each faced a different angle.
Each holding a weapon.
Merlin tapped the glyph once.
"Good enough," he muttered.
Flint rolled his shoulder.
Dion cracked his neck.
Merlin looked toward the bones at the far end.
Just whispered one thing under his breath.
The bones at the far end snapped together.
Light armor plates fused to their ribs. Blades welded to their arms. No shields. No hesitation.
Dion swore. "Runners."
"Focus right," Merlin said.
He lifted the halberd.
First skeleton came in low.
Flint met it mid-sprint. One blade up, second to the knee. It dropped. Didn't scream. The next one trampled it.
Merlin activated the glyph.
Two skeletons crashed into each other. Cracked femurs. Broken momentum.
Dion threw a rusted shield. It caught one in the face. Useless, but slowed it.
Merlin stepped forward.
Halberd swept sideways.
Three skeletons. Legs gone.
He reversed the motion. Brought it down vertical.
Merlin stepped into the arc.
Body moved faster than sight.
Halberd cut through both before they adjusted.
Dion stabbed a crawler on the floor. Missed the skull.
"Get the head," Flint barked.
Merlin caught it with water pressure laced across his shoulder. Slammed it into the floor. Crushed.
Merlin dropped low. Time dragged one step.
He clipped both knees.
Dion held the corner.
Blocked. Screamed. Kicked.
Handled another with a full-space displacement, moved it two feet right mid-swing. It missed. Got bisected.
Pulled wind into his legs.
Ram-tackled the skeleton off Dion.
Snapped its neck with the halberd's reverse spike.
Cut both before they took a second step.
Just heavy breathing.
Merlin dropped the halberd.
"Next room," he said.
And walked toward it.
The door opened wide without a creak.
Dark inside. No sound at all, like a graveyard.
Just a space large enough to fit a building.
Merlin stepped in first.
Dion wiped blood off his cheek and came in last.
The door closed behind them.
Lights activated. Dim. Cold. Focused.
They formed a ring overhead.
In the center of the room stood the boss.
Armor fused to its frame. Crown bolted to its skull. Sword the size of a coffin gripped in one hand.
The other hand? Empty. Gloved. Burned.
[BOSS ENCOUNTER: THE BLACK KING]
[OBJECTIVE: DESTROY THE CORE INSIDE THE RIBCAGE]
[WEAKNESS: CORE IS VISIBLE ONLY DURING ATTACK PHASE]
[NOTE: SHIELDING IS ABSOLUTE DURING IDLE PHASE]
Dion muttered, "Oh great. Another one with phases."
"Focus on pattern," Merlin said. "That's it."
First swing came fast.
Dion dove right. Flint dodged left. Merlin ducked low.
Sword slammed down. Crater.
Merlin rolled up. He saw the ribcage.
The core inside glowed blue.
He launched forward at an incredible pace.
Sovereign Chain activated without hesitation.
He adjusted the angle.
Armor plate blocked the path.
"Too shallow!" he called out.
It bounced off the jaw.
Flint circled behind.
"Wait for reset," he said.
Sword dragged along the floor.
"Pattern," Merlin muttered. "Watch the feet."
Second swing horizontal. Merlin jumped and barely cleared it.
Air burst behind him.
Flint closed in without hesitation and struck the back.
However there was no effect.
Dion went for the knee and missed...
Sword came back in a backhanded swing.
Ripped his sleeve open.
Came up behind the boss again.
He jumped and time slowed.
Space bent and he aimed straight through the third rib.
Core glowed brighter.
Flint yelled, "It's glowing—keep pressure!"
Dion grabbed a polearm from the ground.
Threw it. It was a direct hit.
Wave of pressure hit all three.
[Phase Two Initiated]
[Core Repaired: 60% Integrity]
[Weapon Swap Detected]
The boss dropped the sword.
Pulled out an axe. Twice as wide.
They didn't speak. Just moved.
Next round started now.