Without warning, Reymanded his Master Dragon to unleash a torrent of mes, breaking up the cluster of enemies swarming Jett and giving him the precious seconds needed to escape the impending doom.


    "I owe you one," Jett huffed, catching his breath as he dodged yet another swing. "Where are these guys evening from? And this damn king won''t give me a second to rest."


    "No idea," Rey replied, keeping his eyes on the fight. "We just have to hold out till the others get here."


    Cedric, seeing the overwhelming number of enemies constantly respawning with each one they cut down, knew it was time to call in his own support. "Forge Turtle, we need some help here!"


    With a rumbling sound, Cedric''s Forge Turtle emerged from his side, its molten shell glowing with intense heat. More enemies continued to swarm, their numbers seeming endless, while the king lurked, making asional, precise sneak attacks at Jett, aiming for him whenever he let his guard down. Each strike was unnervingly urate, targeting Jett with pinpoint precision.


    "Go, Forge Turtle! [Rebound Attack]!" Cedric shouted.


    Forge Turtleunched itself into the fray, its massive shell spinning like a fiery boulder. It bounced from one enemy to the next, knocking them aside with devastating impact. The golems and soldiers crumbled under the sheer force of its attack, making it easier for Cedric to finish off the remaining enemies with swift strikes. With each hit Forge Turtlended, Cedric''s defense increased.


    Thanks to the turtle''s power, Cedric was also able to share his enhanced defense with Jett and Rey, reducing the damage they took.


    Despite this newfound advantage, the king stayed clear of the main fighting. He watched from the shadows, only making his move when Jett appeared vulnerable. Each time, the king''s attacks were wless, slipping past Jett''s defenses with unsettling ease, forcing him to keep dodging or risk getting hit.


    "You must be really lucky, Jett," Rey joked between breaths as he parried another strike. "You''ve got a stalker and a fan all in one!"


    "Shut up, man. How can you even joke at a time like this?" Jett grumbled, quickly popping a healing pill into his mouth while deflecting a few iing attacks.


    "You still don''t get it?" Rey smirked as he skillfully parried a blow with ease. "You''re a monster ma right now. Cedric and I? We''re barely being pressured: we''re just here ying bodyguard."


    As much as Jett hated to admit it, Rey was right. The overwhelming swarm of enemies seemed entirely focused on him. Golems, soldiers, even the king: they all zeroed in on Jett like he had a massive target on his back. Meanwhile, Rey and Cedric were practically in cruise control, only stepping in to block the odd strike.


    "Hey, guys…" Cedric''s voice cut through the chaos as he swung his sword. "This probably isn''t the best time to reminisce, but remember our third trial?"


    "You mean the one with those undead when Freya blew all our minds? Yeah, how could I forget? Why are you bringing that up now though?" Rey asked, dodging a swing as he spoke.


    Even though they were fighting for their lives, Cedric had a point. They all remembered that trial vividly. It was the first time they had worked together to pull off aplex strategy: and they''d barely survived.


    "We could use that same tactic we used then," Cedric suggested while blocking an enemy''s strike. "Jett acts as bait, draws them all in, and we hit ''em with an AoE attack when they''re clustered together."


    "That''s actually not bad," Jett nodded while parrying an iing blow. "Rey, you on board? I even have the perfect skill for this."


    "Well, it''s not like we have much choice," Rey agreed, giving Jett a quick nce while keeping his guard up.


    With the n in motion, Rey and Cedric gave the enemies enough space to regroup around Jett. The horde swarmed him, driven by some unseen force as if programmed to attack him and him alone. Jett skillfully danced around their strikes, baiting them deeper and deeper into the trap. As soon as the enemies were clustered tight around him, he unleashed his skill.


    [Inferno]


    Rey activated the powerful fire-based AoE attack.


    mes erupted from the ground, engulfing the enemies around him in a searing ze. Golems and soldiers alike were caught in the fiery onught, their numbers thinning rapidly.


    The tactic worked beautifully: Rey followed up with his own devastating strikes, timing his attacks right after Jett''s skill, while Cedric held the line, reinforcing their defenses and protecting them from any counterattacks.


    They alternated seamlessly, Jett setting the stage with [Inferno] and Rey cleaning up with heavy-hitting follow-up moves. Meanwhile, Cedric''s defense boosts from Forge Turtle kept them protected as they carved through the waves of enemies.


    Now, the pressing issue was clear: how were they going to escape?


    *****


    Finn''s Group


    [Spear Throw]


    Finn hurled his spear with impressive force, the weapon cutting through the air and embedding itself in two golems, shattering their cores instantly.


    "God help the bastards who designed this ce," Finn grumbled, wiping sweat from his brow.


    Meanwhile, Matthew barreled through two more golems, his massive frame making short work of their defenses. He swung his axe in a wide arc, cleaving into the third golem and smashing its core with one heavy strike.


    "We''re almost done here, now for the main event," Aiden said with a smirk as he charged forward.


    {me Sword}


    [Sword Dance]


    Aiden moved like a whirlwind, his ming sword cutting through the air with fluid grace. He spun and twisted with precision, each strike perfectly aimed at the cores of the remaining golems, breaking them apart in a cascade of fiery bursts.


    "We''re done here," Aiden stated as they finished off thest of the enemies. Without wasting a second, they sprinted toward the throne room.


    *****


    At the Throne Room


    Asher''s group arrived first,ing to an abrupt halt at the imposing door. It was massive and unyielding, not budging an inch no matter how hard they pushed or tried to manipte it.


    "We''ve tried everything," Asher said, frustration creeping into his voice as he yanked at the handle again in vain.


    Elora''s group soon joined them, each of them panting from the sprint, but even with theirbined efforts, the door remained firmly shut.


    Even when Aiden''s group finally caught up, they still couldn''t find a way in.


    "This is ridiculous. What do we do now?" Matthew growled, punching the door with frustration, his heavy fists thudding uselessly against the wood.


    "If we can''t help them, we should at least try to get thest fragment," Asher suggested, his gaze sharp as he thought it through. "It''s very possible the door won''t open until they''ve defeated whatever is waiting inside."


    "Can''t argue with that logic, I guess," Elora sighed, crossing her arms as she studied the door.


    "Then let''s go get it. The faster we get the fragment, the faster we regroup with them," Aiden said with urgency.


    *****


    The group gathered in the final marked location on the map: the princess''s room. Unlike the previous areas, where they had to search high and low for fragments, this one sat right on the floor beside the bed, almost as if someone had deliberately ced it there.


    There was a brief moment of silence as they all stared at the fragment. Some of them felt relieved, while others were uneasy.


    "This feels too easy," Aiden muttered.


    "Yeah, like we''re being set up for something," Rosa added, arms crossed.


    "Is this a blessing or a curse?" Elora asked, her brow furrowed in suspicion.


    Asher stepped forward, ready to pick up the fragment, but paused when he noticed a strange mark next to it. His eyes narrowed as recognition dawned on him: it was the same mark Seraphina had drawn before being sucked into that hidden tunnel.


    "I''ve got good news and bad news," Asher announced, straightening up. "Which do you want to hear first?"


    "The bad news," Evelina answered without hesitation, bracing herself.


    Asher sighed. "It''s very likely that once we pick up this fragment, we''ll get forcefully teleported to a new area. And it''s also possible that the ce might be dangerous."


    Everyone exchanged wary nces.


    "And the good news?" Freya asked, trying to keep the mood somewhat hopeful.


    "I know where Seraphina and Marce might be," Asher said, but his tone didn''t carry the relief one might expect. "Though, I guess there''s more bad news."


    Finn groaned, already anticipating it. "Let me guess, they were taken by force to this unknown location?"


    "Yeah, exactly," Asher replied with a smirk. "A bit surprised you were the one with the answer."


    Finn shrugged. "Hey, I''m money-minded, not stupid."


    "So, what do we do now?" Finn asked, the weight of the situation settling in.


    Asher looked around at the group, everyone waiting for the n. "We don''t have much choice. We''ll have to take the fragment and deal with whatever happens next. But at least now we have a lead on where they are."


    "Then let''s make sure we''re ready for whatever''sing," Aiden said, gripping his sword tightly.


    With their next steps decided, they prepared for the inevitable, knowing that danger was just around the corner.


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