Alex stepped right up to the monster. The creature looked at him with the same sinister smile that hadn’t left its face.

  "Finally," the monster said, clenching its fist. "Finally, someone has come who might be able to entertain me."

  Without wasting a second, he swung his fist with full force straight at Alex’s face. The air tore, and the strike was so powerful that a crater formed under Alex’s feet, while a cloud of dust rose throughout the boss’s chamber. Everyone who remained behind froze—like the world itself held its breath, waiting to see the result.

  The monster's grin widened.

  "Weakling," he muttered and tried to pull his arm back. But… nothing happened.

  He yanked again. And again. But the fist didn’t move. His arm was locked in place.

  Only when the dust began to settle did everyone see what had happened.

  Alex stood completely still, firmly gripping the monster’s fist just a millimeter from his face. Both his own hand and the monster’s were wrapped in a dense layer of blood—magic that restrained the creature, not allowing it to break free.

  Alex looked up. His lips slowly curved into a calm, confident smile.

  "My turn."

  His free hand shot forward and struck the monster square in the chest with a dull thud. Another wave of dust exploded into the air as the monster’s body flew backward, crashing through a portion of the cave wall. The sharp crack of flesh and bone being crushed drowned out even the sound of the impact.

  In Alex’s other hand remained something… heavy.

  It was the monster’s severed limb.

  At the moment of impact, Alex had yanked the captured arm toward himself. As the monster’s body flew back while the arm stayed anchored in place, the flesh tore apart.

  Alex glanced at the severed limb, from which dark, inky blood dripped. His face remained expressionless. He curled his lips slightly in disgust, then carelessly tossed the arm aside. It hit the stone floor with a dull thud.

  The monster, now rising from the rubble, roared furiously. His glowing red eyes burned even brighter. In the next instant, he burst forward, becoming a blurred shadow. His speed was incredible, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Flames swirled around his one remaining arm, and his fist, like a meteor, flew down from above, aiming straight for Alex’s head.

  "This is it. He won’t even realize what hit him..."

  That thought flashed through the monster’s mind the moment his flaming fist nearly touched the boy’s hair.

  But—twist.

  Alex, with lightning-fast reflexes, shifted his body to the side, dodging the deadly strike by a fraction of a second. The monster’s fiery punch missed, and his eyes widened for a brief moment in shock.

  The boy was already clenching his fist, concentrating dark mana into it. His eyes flashed. The punch—short, precise, focused—landed squarely in the monster’s face.

  An explosion. A shockwave from the sheer force of the blow rippled through the cave, raising an even greater cloud of dust than before. The monster was torn from space, hurled to the left like a projectile. He slammed into the wall with such force that a crack stretched all the way up to the ceiling.

  Everything froze for a few seconds. All sound ceased, and only the slowly settling dust bore witness to what had just taken place.

  "This… is incredible," came the voice in Heinrich’s ear. "His power… it’s astonishing. And it’s nothing like what he showed in the fight with Elian…"

  The voice was even, but filled with clear awe. Heinrich said nothing, silently observing, never taking his eyes off Alex as instructed.

  A little to the side, still trembling from the recent ordeal, Alpha watched what was happening and whispered barely audibly:

  "How is this even possible?.."

  Beside her, Eliria still held her hands above Gabriel’s body, sending streams of healing mana into him. But her eyes—full of astonishment—were fixed on Alex, standing in the swirling dust like someone from another world.

  "I’ve never seen such power in him before…" she said quietly. "And… his magical aura… it’s different. Deeper. Stronger."

  Suddenly, Gabriel’s body twitched, and he coughed loudly. All eyes immediately turned to him. Emma, who sat closest, gasped and threw herself onto his chest, hugging him as if afraid to lose him again.

  "Easy, love…" Gabriel croaked, wrapping his arms around his wife. "It’s all right… it’s all right…"

  His gaze slowly moved over everyone present, finally settling on the figure standing dozens of meters ahead.

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  "Is that… or am I just seeing things…" he trailed off, nodding toward the figure in the dust.

  "You’re not seeing things," Delta replied, never taking her eyes off the same spot. "That really is Alex."

  Gradually, the dark, oppressive aura of the monster began to dissipate. The pressure that had bound every muscle suddenly weakened, and the air once again became breathable. The fear that gripped the hearts of everyone present slowly began to recede.

  Alex still stood motionless. His gaze was fixed on the spot where he had sent the monster. Though he could not see it—since the dust around the crack had not yet settled—he could feel its aura and knew the monster was preparing a new attack.

  When the dust finally cleared, a familiar figure appeared before Alex’s eyes. The monster stood upright, as if nothing had happened. Its severed arm was back in place, the plates on its chest restored—no cracks, not a scratch. On its face—still that same predatory grin.

  "Nice hits," it said with admiration. "Not enough to cause me serious harm… but still… You’re the second person who’s managed to injure me. Take it as a compliment."

  Its eyes narrowed, and the grin widened.

  "And even my aura couldn’t paralyze you. Impressive. But…" the monster tilted its head to the side, resting its chin on its hand. "You’re too serious. And it seems… you're holding back."

  It glanced over Alex’s shoulder at Gabriel, Emma, the maids, and Eliria.

  "Oh, I think I know why…"

  It snapped its fingers.

  Alex instantly appeared in front of his companions in a defensive stance. His eyes didn’t leave the monster.

  Then—from all the tunnels—other creatures began to emerge. Different, grotesque, with powerful auras that weighed heavily on the mind. Twenty in total. Twenty monsters, each of them feeling like an A-rank boss on their own.

  "Meet the guests," the monster said ominously, stepping forward. "They’ll take care of everyone… while you and I… have a bit of fun."

  Alex’s eyes narrowed. His body tensed. One thought flashed through his mind:

  “There’s no choice. I’ll have to use the darkness.”

  The monsters surged forward.

  "ALEX!" Eliria screamed, panic cutting through her voice.

  Alex turned only for a moment—a brief, confident glance over his shoulder, and a warm smile.

  "You have nothing to worry about."

  He turned back to face the approaching horde of monsters. In his hands, dark magic circles flared to life, and from them erupted pure darkness.

  A pillar of black flame surged forward, consuming everything in its path. The monsters didn’t even have time to scream—their bodies turned to ash, as if they had never existed.

  But Alex didn’t stop.

  He directed the darkness further—toward the main monster.

  It managed to raise a barrier of flame in front of itself, which hissed as it clashed with the dark magic. The two elements collided, and the cave trembled. Debris began to fall from the ceiling.

  Alex ended the attack—he had another task.

  Bloody tendrils burst from his hands, shattering the largest pieces of falling debris mid-air. At the same time, he conjured a dense dark barrier above the entire group, shielding them from the rain of smaller stones.

  "This… is incredible," a familiar voice whispered in Heinrich’s ear. "He’s using darkness… And not just using—it’s under his control. I wasn’t wrong to wait these eight months. He’s surpassed all my expectations. Standing against an S-rank monster… and even pushing it back." The voice was calm, but a faint tremor of awe ran through it.

  "This is… dark magic…" Gabriel whispered, his eyes fixed on the silhouette of his son standing before the barrier.

  The falling debris ceased. Alex stepped out from under the protective dome, leaving it behind for the others. His expression was serious.

  "This cave won’t hold much longer. Even holding back my power, I can see everything cracking. I can’t move my family to the entrance, and I can’t kill the boss to open the exit… A monster like this must not be allowed to escape the cave. There’s only one option—end this. Quickly."

  In a flash, Alex charged forward. The monster still held its flame barrier, but Alex maneuvered around to the right. It noticed him and conjured another barrier on its right side. However, a fist brimming with dark mana broke through the defense and slammed into the monster’s ribs. It bent sideways but remained standing.

  The counterattack came immediately—the monster swung and landed a solid hit. Its fist crashed through the air and struck Alex square in the face.

  Dust flew up. The monster felt a rush of satisfaction—“Finally hit him!”—but it lasted only a second. Its eyes caught the outline of a figure emerging through the dust.

  Alex was still standing. Unharmed. He merely spat out some blood.

  "Nice hit," he said coldly, and in the next instant, his fist struck the monster’s torso once more.

  It tried to block—raising both forearms—but it was no use. The plates cracked, and the monster was thrown backward.

  It looked up—Alex was winding up again.

  “Block again!” the monster thought.

  It raised its forearms again, but this time—crack.

  Two powerful strikes. One forearm—shattered. The other—too. Pieces from elbows to palms were flung aside, hitting the ground. Blood splattered on stone, and Alex was already preparing his next blow.

  The monster leapt back, retreating to the other side of the cave. Within seconds, its limbs fully regenerated.

  “He’s overpowering me… His strength… his speed…” raced through the monster’s mind. “Could he be stronger than me? Could he… defeat me? What is this… strange feeling? Fear?”

  But in the next moment, a familiar grin returned to its lips.

  “No. That can’t be. I’m not afraid. I just let him warm up, as the Fool instructed. But… the games are over now.”

  The cave fell into heavy silence again, which abruptly ended as the monster’s magical aura ignited with renewed force. It expanded throughout the chamber, pressing against the stone, the air, and even the faint light from the crystals. Its body trembled, and the transformation began.

  With a crunch and dull clang, black plates spread across every inch of the monster’s body. Where there had once been exposed areas—now there were none. Its skin was entirely concealed under a layer of smooth black armor, hugging its muscular frame like a second skin.

  Its fingers elongated and fused, forming long, pointed blades that gleamed in the dim light like swords. Its figure grew taller—more threatening. And when the transformation was complete, a loud, beastly roar erupted from its throat, shaking the walls of the cave once more. This was no creature’s cry—it was a challenge.

  The dark aura radiating from the monster grew thicker, heavier—almost tangible. But this time, it couldn’t reach the hearts of those behind Alex—a protective barrier of darkness stood firm. They could see the horror—but they did not feel it. They looked upon terror—and did not tremble.

  Alex, watching the transformation, did not look away for even a second. And when it was over, he silently stretched his arms to the sides. In his right hand formed his usual blood-red sword—thick and pulsing. But in his left—something entirely new.

  Darkness gathered in the center of his palm, forming a hilt, then a blade—black, dull, as if it absorbed the very light around it.

  Alex was no longer holding back. A real battle lay ahead.