The monster lunged first. Its movements grew even faster—blurred silhouettes of blades flickered in the air, slicing through space. Alex barely managed to cross his swords—his blood blade in the right hand and the dark one in the left—when the enemy’s sharp weapon screeched against his, forcing him to slide backward across the stone floor.

  The monster didn’t stop. Another strike—this time from above, as if it meant to cleave Alex in two. He bent his knees, slid under the attack, and spun, delivering a horizontal strike with the dark blade at the monster’s legs. The sword slid across its armor with a dull sound, leaving a dark mark, but the creature didn’t fall. Instead, it kicked Alex hard in the side.

  He was hurled against the wall—his back thudded against the stone, and a sharp breath escaped his lips. But he rose instantly, running his hand over his side, healing the cracked rib with magic.

  They clashed again.

  The blood sword met the monster’s blade with a furious clang. Sparks burst in all directions. Alex spun around the enemy, launching a series of rapid attacks—from above, the left, below. The monster deflected most of them with its bladed fingers, but the dark sword still pierced its side.

  Thick, black fluid seeped from the wound, but within moments the flesh began to mend—the monster was regenerating again.

  Suddenly, the creature stomped the ground—sending a wave of debris flying. Alex shielded himself with a blood barrier, but dust filled the air, clouding his vision. The monster seized the opportunity and slashed at Alex’s neck from the left.

  Alex barely managed to block with the blood sword. The strike was so powerful it nearly tore the weapon from his hands, but he held firm. Now it was his turn—an upward slash with the dark blade sliced through the monster’s chest plate, forcing it back a few steps.

  While the creature healed the crack, Alex placed a hand on the deep gash on his shoulder and sealed it with magic.

  And again—they collided, their figures blurring into a single shape. The monster hurled itself into the fight, twisting and attacking from unexpected angles. Alex countered with agility, intuition, and flawless swordsmanship.

  One of the monster’s blows broke through the defense, leaving a deep wound on Alex’s thigh. He healed it quickly, never stopping his attack. In response, he slashed the air with the dark sword, driving it deep into the creature’s shoulder.

  The monster suddenly leaped back, skidding across the stone floor, stopping only at the cavern wall. Its eyes flicked to its shoulder, where thick black liquid flowed. Alex’s dark sword had pierced the armor again. A flicker of disbelief crossed the creature’s mind:

  “How is he still keeping up with me? Sometimes he even outpaces me… How is that even possible?!”

  The monster didn’t wait any longer. A sharp, guttural breath—and its entire body filled with dark, explosive mana. Alex answered in kind—his eyes lit with a purple glow, both swords at the ready.

  They vanished.

  A thunderous noise erupted, as though the air itself had been torn apart. All who watched widened their eyes—there was no sign of Alex or the monster. Only narrow lines of pulsing aura slashed through the cave in all directions, tearing space and occasionally clashing.

  “What... what is that speed?” Eliria whispered, eyes fixed on the fleeting streaks of darkness and flame crossing the cave. “I can’t... I can’t follow their movements at all...”

  “Incredible...” came Heinrich’s voice nearby. He pressed a hand to his ear, eyes never leaving the battle. “My Lord... are you seeing this?”

  In the earpiece, a voice answered—awed and deeply sincere:

  “Yes. I see it. And I can’t believe my eyes... Come on, Alex. Finish him!”

  The storm resumed in the cave. Alex and the monster darted from wall to floor, ceiling to tunnels. Their swords and blades sang a song of steel where every note could kill. Each clash sent shockwaves that shattered stone around them.

  The cavern began to collapse. A crack split through the wall, and with a crash, a massive chunk fell. As it plummeted, Alex slipped between it, deflecting the monster’s strike with the dark blade and countering with the blood sword to the chest. The creature turned, blocked with its bladed hands, and they vanished again in a burst.

  Another collapse. Tons of rock crashed down—but a moment later, they reappeared among the debris, blades colliding in a blast of sparks. Fragments of stone flew in every direction.

  They stopped only when they clashed in the center of the cavern.

  One strike. Then another. A third.

  The ground cracked beneath them. A massive crater formed, its fissures spreading in all directions. Dust rose like a wall, even dimming the glow of the blue crystals buried in its thickness.

  Among the crater’s cracks, they continued to fight—strikes flew from both sides so quickly that their echoes rang through the cave. The monster’s sharp blades sliced the air, while Alex’s swords struck with merciless precision. Attack, block, counter—each movement was perfection.

  And again—a dash.

  They broke distance, reappearing in another part of the cave. Strike. Another. Then another. The ground couldn’t take it, and from the next clash, a second crater formed—deeper, wider. A cloud of dust covered the battlefield.

  At its center—a new flurry of strikes. This time, Alex landed solid hits—the dark blade cut into one shoulder, the blood sword into the other. A burst of dark energy—and both of the monster’s arms were severed, crashing onto the stone with a thud.

  The creature shrieked, leapt back—and suddenly shot into the air. Blood splashed downward, but the wounds were already closing. Moments later, it hovered above, and its arms regrew—stronger than before.

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  “Die!” it roared, thrusting both palms downward.

  Flames burst from its hands—a continuous stream of fire struck the ground, chasing after Alex. He leapt aside, dodging. But the fire didn’t stop—the monster, still airborne, relentlessly pursued him with flame.

  Realizing he had to end the attack, Alex conjured several dark orbs, woven from pure shadow, and hurled them skyward. The monster spotted them and redirected the flames to destroy the threat.

  But when the fire clashed with the darkness—nothing happened. The orbs didn’t dissolve, didn’t weaken. They simply advanced.

  The monster’s eyes widened. It immediately halted the attack and dived downward. Flames engulfed its arm-blades, and just as the orbs closed in, it slashed them apart with cutting strikes. A blast of darkness collided with fire, raising a new cloud of dust around it.

  Alex charged forward again, not wasting a second. Through the dust—a strike. The twin blades slashed the monster’s left side. A counterattack. Alex parried it and drove his blade into its thigh. Another blood arc—to the chest. And another—to the ribs.

  The monster snarled. Panic shone in its eyes.

  “What is happening to him?! Why... why am I losing?!” it screamed inwardly.

  It cast a quick glance to the side, where the boss lay. The spider, still motionless, was encased in ice created by Heinrich.

  The monster gritted its teeth, heart racing.

  “No... I can’t die here. Not now!”

  It looked briefly at Alex, just as he raised his blade for another strike.

  “I have to... I have to escape him!”

  Summoning a dense wall of fire in front of itself, the monster dashed toward the boss. It slipped through the dust, barely evading Alex’s blade, and sped toward the icy barrier.

  Alex noticed where the monster was rushing and, without wasting a second, conjured a new protective shield in front of it — a dense, impenetrable barrier made of pure darkness.

  The monster screamed and crashed into it with all its blades. And then again. And again. And again, unleashing a flurry of relentless attacks. Yet the barrier held. Alex strained every muscle, every fiber of his body to keep it intact. He couldn’t let the monster reach the boss.

  With every passing second, the onslaught weakened. The monster, furious and exhausted, turned around. Its eyes — wild. It began frantically searching for a way to escape.

  “I need to hide... escape... get away...” flashed madly through its thoughts.

  And then it saw — an opening in the ceiling, formed during their battle. It was almost directly above Alex.

  The monster roared and lunged at Alex. The boy reacted instantly, raising both swords for a strike. But the monster, just inches from him, suddenly veered off course and vanished into the dark tunnel above. Alex’s blades sliced through nothing but air.

  "You won’t escape," Alex muttered and, without hesitation, gave chase.

  He bounced off the walls like a shadow at incredible speed. Within seconds, he was above the monster. And then — both swords came flying down. The monster managed to deflect them, but Alex was already within striking distance. A flurry of lightning-fast blows to its body — fists empowered by darkness and sheer rage. The final punch hit with such force that the monster was launched back to the ground like a cannonball.

  A dull thud. The earth cracked, the cave trembled. A massive crater formed from the impact. Around it rose the largest cloud of dust in the entire battle.

  Alex hovered in the air above the crater, arms outstretched. Two magical circles appeared, releasing dark flames. Flames that didn’t burn — they consumed. With a roar, they descended upon the monster.

  It had just regained consciousness — and immediately saw what was coming. With its last strength, it stretched out its arms, creating a fiery barrier. Its defense clashed with the darkness — and began to crack. Then — in a single moment, the barrier shattered, and Alex’s flames engulfed the monster.

  It screamed. Its body writhed in the dark. Its regeneration could no longer keep up. Its flesh could no longer resist.

  “Could I have... lost...?” echoed one final thought.

  The monster’s last scream rang out, and a moment later, its aura disappeared.

  Alex felt it, and immediately ceased the attack. His feet touched the ground. He was breathing heavily, his mana nearly depleted. In front of him — only a black smear remained where the so-called S-rank monster had been.

  The cave trembled once more.

  "No, not now..." Alex whispered.

  Again, debris began to fall from the ceiling. Some pieces were heading straight for the barrier of darkness that protected his family and Eliria. Without a second's delay, Alex summoned several dozen spears of darkness and launched them directly at the debris.

  He immediately turned his gaze to the boss. With a single motion, a dark spear shattered the icy barrier and pierced the spider's body straight through. The spider stopped moving.

  A portal opened in the center of the cave.

  Alex rushed to his family. He dispelled the protective shield, helped his father to his feet, then threw his arm over his shoulder. All the girls were already on their feet, and within moments Heinrich joined them.

  Alex looked over each of them, and then, in silence, they walked through the portal — returning to the guild building.

  They reappeared in the same small guild room where their raid had begun. Gabriel removed his arm from his son’s shoulder.

  “Thank you, Alex. I can take it from here,” he said softly.

  Alex only nodded in silence.

  They stepped into the corridor and then into the main hall. There, in the spacious chamber, about two dozen people had already gathered. Some were actively talking, others were just waiting. Among them bustled a familiar girl with long brown hair and glasses — the same one who had met Alex and Eliria earlier.

  Upon seeing them, she immediately ran up, quickly examining each of them.

  “You’re back! How are you? How did you get out of the dungeon? What happened to the monster?!”

  Alex opened his mouth to respond, but Heinrich beat him to it. He stepped forward and spoke confidently:

  “All questions — to me. What matters most is that we’re alive. The monster is dealt with. I personally killed it.”

  Gabriel took a breath and was about to say something, but caught a brief, meaningful glance from Alex. He held his tongue.

  “I’m just glad all of you made it back,” the girl replied, then turned to Alex. “Do you need anything?”

  “Just a hot shower... and a few hours of sleep,” Alex answered with relief.

  She nodded and returned to the others with Heinrich. They didn’t hide their astonishment — especially when all eyes landed on Alex at once.

  The boy conjured a magical circle beneath his family’s feet, and in an instant, they vanished from the hall.

  They appeared right in front of the estate.

  Alex smiled, lifting his gaze to the sky.

  “It feels so good to finally get out of that cave... and see the sun again.”

  “That’s exactly how it is,” Emma said gently, then looked at Eliria. “Come with us. You need some rest.”

  “N-no... you all need peace and quiet, I don’t want to be a burden,” the girl protested, blushing.

  “Don’t say that,” Gabriel interjected. “You saved our lives. We’re grateful to you.” And with those words, he bowed.

  Emma bowed next, followed by all the maids.

  “It... it was my duty... as a healer...” Eliria murmured, blushing even more. “Please, rise.”

  They straightened up. Emma gently took Eliria’s arm and led her toward the mansion.

  “I’m so happy to finally meet you. Alex talks about you all the time.”

  “A-about me?.. Really?..” Eliria asked shyly.

  Emma only smiled mysteriously in response.

  Everyone moved forward. Alex lingered behind, watching them. His face glowed with a warm, happy smile.

  But the moment he took a step — a wave of dizziness hit him. He clutched his head, barely able to stand.

  “What... is happening to me?” he rasped.

  “My Lord!” Sirena’s voice rang in his mind. “You used far too much mana… Your body is exhausted. You must rest immediately!”

  Alex tried to lift his gaze to the sky... but the image before his eyes blurred.

  "...Alex?" Gabriel called from behind. "I could really go for something tasty right now, huh, son?"

  There was no reply.

  Gabriel turned around... just in time to see Alex collapse to the ground.

  “Alex!” cried Eliria, Emma, and Alpha at once, as the entire family rushed to his side.