Chapter : 618

A massive, muscular man stood at the very front of the rival group. His name was Gideon. He had spiky blonde hair. He wore thick metal gauntlets on his large hands. He smiled a very cruel, nasty smile. He cracked his neck loudly.

"Well, well, well," Gideon sneered. His deep voice echoed across the quiet chamber. "We finally caught up to you. We followed your little water bubble all the way down here. You did a great job finding the relic for us. We really appreciate the help."

Sayma stepped forward. She pushed her thick glasses up. She opened her notebook.

"You are trespassing," Sayma stated politely. "The 13th Unit secured the artifact first. According to the official tournament rules, the item belongs entirely to us. You must stand aside."

Gideon threw his head back. He let out a loud, mocking laugh. His team laughed loudly with him.

"We do not care about the rules," Gideon announced aggressively. He punched his metal gauntlets together. Bright sparks flew into the air. "Prince Ares does not play by polite rules. He respects raw power. We respect absolute strength. We take what we want."

Naomi gripped her daggers tightly. She glared at the massive warrior. Her green eyes flashed with intense determination. "You are not taking anything from us today. Step aside, or we will force you to move."

"Make me," Gideon challenged. He bared his teeth. "Hand over the glowing rock. If you give it to us peacefully, we might let you walk out of here. If you refuse, we will crush you into the floor. We love a good fight."

Laxmi stepped right up to the front line. Her golden eyes burned with pure excitement. She wanted a brawl. "You want a fight? You got it! I will roast you right now! My fists are completely ready!"

"Stand down, Laxmi," Princess Iris ordered softly. Her violet eyes stayed completely calm. She did not want a massive brawl. "We do not want unnecessary combat. We already secured the objective. We will not let them provoke us."

Ken Eliot slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He shoved his free hand deep into his pocket. He took another bite of his potato chip. He looked at Gideon. He let out a loud, dramatic groan.

"This is totally classic player-versus-player behavior," Ken complained loudly to the ceiling. "We did all the boring puzzle solving. We walked through the slow water level. Now the toxic players are trying to gank us for the loot right at the exit. This is why I absolutely hate multiplayer zones. The community is incredibly toxic. You guys need to find your own quest."

Gideon glared at Ken. He looked at the untucked white shirt. He saw the messy black hair. He saw the bag of snacks.

"Who is this clown?" Gideon scoffed. He pointed a large, metal-plated finger at Ken. "Is this your mascot? He looks like a complete joke. He does not even wear armor. I will snap him in half first."

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Naomi quickly moved. She stepped directly in front of Ken. Her green eyes flashed with intense, protective fury. She did not say a word. She just held her daggers ready. She completely shielded him from the aggressive warrior.

Ken smiled a big, goofy smile. He peeked over her shoulder. "Thanks, Naomi. This guy is very rude. He interrupted my snack break. He lacks basic manners."

Gideon lost his patience completely. He wanted to fight. He did not want to talk anymore. He loved violence. His entire team loved violence. They were the most aggressive fighters in the entire Belmontia Empire. They wanted to prove their physical superiority.

"Enough talking!" Gideon roared at the top of his lungs. He raised his metal gauntlets high into the air. "Take the relic! Crush their bones! Show absolutely no mercy!"

The 4th Prince's vanguard charged forward. They ran with blistering speed. They swung massive broadswords. They carried huge, heavy axes. They did not use long-range magic. They relied entirely on raw, brutal physical power. They wanted to smash the 13th Unit into the ground.

Princess Iris raised her rapier. "Defensive formation! Protect the relic! Do not let them break the line!"

Sayma pushed her glasses up. She threw her hands forward. She prepared to cast her golden honeycomb barrier. Zinia stomped her boots. She prepared to pull up a solid stone wall. Laxmi pulled her fist back to throw a massive fireball.

The two Royal factions rushed toward each other. A brutal, close-quarters brawl was just milliseconds away. The air filled with intense battle cries.

Then, the ground beneath their feet began to shake.

---

It was not a small tremor. The entire underwater chamber vibrated violently. The smooth white stone floor cracked wide open. Large fissures spread rapidly across the room. The ancient stone walls trembled. Gray dust fell from the high ceiling.

Gideon stopped his charge instantly. He looked down at the cracking floor. His aggressive smile vanished.

Laxmi stopped her fireball. She looked around in pure confusion. "What is happening? Zinia, are you doing that?"

"It is not me," Zinia stated loudly. She stumbled backward. "The magic is coming from the walls!"

Sayma pushed her glasses up. She checked her glowing blue crystal. Her dark eyes widened in pure terror.

"We have a massive problem!" Sayma warned politely but urgently. "The ambient magical radiation is spiking entirely off the charts! The defensive mechanisms of the Sunken Labyrinth are fully activating! We are completely surrounded!"

Gideon frowned deeply. The massive warrior looked at the dark walls.

The ancient, moss-covered statues lining the chamber were not statues at all. They were gigantic aquatic golems. They were made of thick, dark blue stone. Glowing red eyes ignited in their rocky faces. Coral and seaweed draped over their broad shoulders.

They picked up massive, rusted tridents from the floor. They stepped forward. They moved slowly. They possessed incredible, unstoppable physical mass.

There were dozens of them. They completely blocked the walls. They completely blocked the archway. They surrounded the 13th Unit entirely. They surrounded the 4th Prince's vanguard completely.

The golems did not care about royal politics. They did not care about the Succession War. They only saw intruders. They wanted to crush the intruders into dust.

Ken Eliot sat on a broken piece of a pillar. He slouched his shoulders. He reached into his bag. He pulled out a broken potato chip. He popped it into his mouth.

"This is exactly what I was talking about," Ken complained lazily. He chewed his chip. "This is a classic third-party scenario. Two teams are trying to have a nice, polite fight. Then a massive horde of non-playable characters spawns in the middle of the room. It ruins the entire match. The game developers are incredibly annoying today."

Naomi did not yell at him. She smiled a warm, focused smile. She stood right in front of him. "Stay behind me, Ken. This is going to get very messy."

"I am basically glued to this rock," Ken promised happily.