"Less talking, more running!" Sebastian snapped.

The entire corridor shook violently.

A ripple of mana swept through the air, and they all looked up, knowing what it meant. That was the dungeon reacting to their advance.

Behind them, the floor continued to fold inwards, collapsing into itself like an imploding mirror.

"Move!" Sebastian barked again, pushing Rowan forward with one hand. "The dungeon's purging the ring!"

Wade glanced over his shoulder. The collapsing corridor was a storm of death, filled with falling walls, screaming wraiths, and waves of mirrored debris devouring everything behind them.

He grit his teeth, activating Short Step. His form blurred forward. "I'll clear the path ahead!"

Sebastian didn't argue. The ground quaked under their boots, threatening to throw them off balance.

They raced through the narrowing passage, dodging falling beams of crystal. The reflected light from their flames and arrows fractured along the corridor's walls, giving the illusion of dozens of them running together.

Wade swung his weapon in wide arcs as he went, breaking any wraith that tried to block their path. He winded back, before firing as large a cone of Fireburst as he could, sending shattered glass spiraling through the air from the result of the explosion.

Behind him, the others kept fighting even as they ran in his wake, but for every one that fell, another clawed out from the floor or the walls.

"It's not stopping!" Rowan yelled.

"It will when we reach the next hall!" Sebastian replied.

"How do you know that?!"

"The dungeon is pushing us! That's where it wants us to go!"

A roar like thunder tore through the tunnel. Wade glanced up in time to see a massive crack splitting the ceiling.

"Down!" he shouted.

The group dove forward as the entire section of the corridor behind them crumbled.

The noise was deafening as stone and glass crashed together, the screams of the trapped wraiths cut off instantly.

They tumbled out of the collapsing corridor and into open space.

The first thing they noticed was the presence of light.

There was a rush of cool air and then, silence.

Wade landed hard on one knee, Toothpick braced against the ground. The others stumbled out behind him, coughing, covered in soot and fragments of shattered glass.

They'd made it.

Behind them, the corridor sealed itself with a groan, collapsing completely. A final echo of splintering crystals rang out before the sound faded into nothing.

The new hall they'd entered was massive.

The walls were smooth and dark, with not a single mirror in sight. The floor beneath their feet was a polished obsidian, unbroken except for faint white lines carved in intricate circular patterns.

Rowan bent over, panting. "That… was insane."

Sebastian exhaled deeply, dragging a hand down his face. "Third ring's over. Has to be."

Wade turned his head, scanning the enormous room.

The space felt wrong. Way too clean and too empty after the chaos they'd just escaped.

"It's quiet," Ingrid murmured, nocking an arrow.

Rowan gave a bitter laugh. "That's supposed to be a good thing."

"Not in a dungeon like this," she said.

Sebastian adjusted his grip on his axe. "Stay sharp. The dungeon doesn't stop waves without reason."

Wade rolled his shoulders, glancing at Ingrid. "You're right. We still have to fight the boss monster."

"Guys…" Ingrid said.

Everybody turned to her to see her staring upwards, her expression distant, eyes narrowing.

"Look." She pointed towards the center of the ceiling.

The others followed her gaze.

There, nearly hidden by the dark shadows, was a small, circular hole in the highest point of the ceiling.

A soft beam of light began to spill from it.

At first, it looked harmless, like a simple design flaw or a patch of natural light from above. But then the light changed.

It grew warmer. Brighter.

The pale hue deepened into gold.

A low hum filled the room as motes of luminescent dust drifted from the hole like falling stars. The air around them shimmered, golden threads weaving themselves into spirals of energy.

The floor trembled beneath their boots.

"Everyone, back!" Sebastian ordered, stepping between the group and the center of the hall.

The light intensified, becoming blindingly bright. The swirling gold gathered into a vortex, thickening until it took shape.

The hand appeared first, then an arm, then the silhouette of a tall, graceful figure descending from the beam.

The light shimmered once more, and the energy solidified.

Before them stood a woman, if she could be called that.

Her entire body was made of glass, transparent and flawless, yet alive with shifting gold veins of light running beneath her surface.

Her hair flowed like woven sunlight, and her eyes burned with radiant brilliance. Every step she took left a faint ring of chime-like sound, as if her mere existence resonated with the world around her.

The party stood frozen.

Rowan swallowed audibly. "You've got to be kidding me…"

Sebastian's voice dropped, grim. "The boss."

The being raised her hand slightly, tilting her head. The light around her dimmed just enough for them to see the outline of the smile on her face.

It was serene, and almost pitying. Like she was about to do something that broke her heart but she'd already made peace with it.

They all triggered Observe.

[Name: Arytemis the goddess]

[Class: Boss]

No one spoke.

Arytemis inhaled, opened her mouth, and screamed.

The sound ripped through the air like a hurricane, sending a wave of pure force exploding outwards.

In that instant, Sebastian slammed his axe into the floor. The weapon bit deep, anchoring him in place as the blast hit. His muscles strained, his teeth clenched, yet he held his ground.

The others weren't so lucky.

Wade felt the impact like being hit by a collapsing mountain. His breath was torn from his lungs as he was hurled backward, a significant chunk of his HP gone from the single hit.

Rowan and Ingrid went flying beside him, their bodies colliding with the wall behind them with bone-jarring force.

Arytemis' voice reverberated through the chamber, the sound both beautiful and terrible.

"Who dares desecrate my sanctum with their presence?"

Golden symbols flared across the walls and floor, forming intricate sigils beneath their feet.

Then, notifications appeared before their eyes.

[You have been afflicted with: Petrification]

[Effect: Terror. Inability to move.]

Wade's breath caught in his throat. His limbs locked, every muscle seizing. He couldn't even blink.

His mind screamed for him to move, to do something, but his body refused to obey.

He could only stare as Arytemis stepped forward, each footstep ringing like the toll of a bell.

And his heart pounded in helpless terror.

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