Chapter 668: Through The Ruin

The floating islands grew smaller as they continued deeper into the Ruin. If before they were large pieces of land now they were nothing more than narrow platforms of broken stone, barely wide enough for the group to move across safely. Every few seconds, another fragment broke away and disappeared into the endless darkness below.

Despite the unstable terrain, Samuel kept ordering everyone forward. "Keep moving! Don’t stop!" He said it a dozen times already.

The group fought their way across the collapsing islands, but the monsters only became more numerous. They emerged from ruined buildings, crawled out from beneath broken roads, leaped between floating islands with frightening ease.

They moved as if the Ruin belonged to them. Not like Clyde and the others, who had entered this world only moments ago, these creatures knew every corner of the dying landscape.

They knew which paths were safe, which islands were connected, and where they could ambush their prey. That advantage made the battle increasingly difficult.

A massive reptilian monster suddenly jumped from a lower island and landed directly in front of Don. He raised his shield just in time to block its jaws.

"Get this damn thing off me!" Don shouted.

Maira rushed past him and slashed across the creature’s side. Blood sprayed on the stone, but another monster immediately charged from behind.

"More of them are coming!" Leyan said, firing three arrows in quick succession.

One struck the creature’s throat, one pierced its eye, one buried itself beneath its jaw.

The monster still kept moving.

"Why won’t these things die?!" Leyan shouted.

"Because you’re wasting time!" Samuel shouted back. "Move!"

Samuel drove his spear through the monster’s chest and kicked its body away.

Clyde looked toward the darkness ahead.

The islands were becoming dangerously small. Some of them were barely large enough for two or three people to stand on, forcing the group to jump constantly between them while fighting.

Mina landed beside Clyde after using Crimson Step to cross a widening gap.

"There are too many of them!" Mina said.

"I know," Clyde answered calmly.

Another roar echoed through the darkness.

Clyde turned and saw three more monsters climbing over the edge of the island. He raised his longsword. Pure Lightning erupted from the blade.

"We just need to kill them faster," he said.

Lightning flashed through the darkness.

Clyde cut down the first monster before it could reach them. Mina moved alongside him, her twin daggers flashing as she activated Crimson Step. She disappeared between two creatures and reappeared behind them, cutting through their flesh.

Samuel and the others fought as they advanced, each of them using more of their abilities than before.

Skills illuminated the darkness. Arrows flew between broken buildings. Spears pierced thick scales, curved blades tore through flesh, Don’s shield repeatedly smashed monsters away from the edge of the islands.

The Ruin became a battlefield of flashing skills and roaring beasts.

"Wait!" Samuel suddenly said.

Everyone looked toward him.

Samuel pointed ahead. "There!"

Clyde followed his gaze. Beyond several smaller floating islands stood a massive structure rising from the darkness.

It resembled a pyramid, but its shape was different from any normal pyramid. Layer after layer of enormous gray stone formed a staircase-like structure, each level becoming smaller as it rose toward the top. The uppermost section was narrow and almost completely hidden beneath the darkness. It looked ancient.

More importantly, it looked untouched compared to the surrounding ruins.

Samuel pulled the mission information from his equipment and quickly checked the description.

"A large pyramid made from gray stone..." He looked back at the structure. "This matches the description. That’s our target. We’re going there. Now!"

They immediately moved toward the structure.

The monsters noticed their change in direction and became even more aggressive. Roars erupted from every side.

Dozens of creatures appeared between the islands, some smaller than the ones they fought before while others were enormous.

"They’re surrounding us!" Arven shouted.

"Break through!" Samuel said, tightened his grip on his spear.

The group pushed forward.

Mina activated Crimson Step, becoming a streak of red as she dashed between monsters. Her twin daggers struck rapidly, opening wounds before she vanished again.

Leyan released arrow after arrow, each projectile finding its target despite the darkness.

Maira moved beside Don, her curved blades cutting through anything that came within range while Don used his shield to keep the creatures from pushing them toward the edges.

Arven unleashed one spell after another, slowing the monsters and creating openings for the others.

Samuel led from the front, his spear coated in magical energy as he fought through the swarm.

Clyde simply kept moving with Pure Lightning covering his body, illuminating the darkness around him with every step. Whenever a monster blocked their path, his longsword flashed, cutting through scales, claws, flesh.

But, the monsters refused to stop. The closer they came to the pyramid, the more creatures appeared.

Clyde noticed something strange. The monsters did not seem interested in killing them alone like mindless beasts. They were trying to stop them from reaching the structure. His eyes narrowed.

The group fought harder. Their movements became desperate as the number of monsters continued to increase. Several claws grazed their armor, leaving scratches across metal and leather.

Maira received a shallow cut along her arm. Don’s shield was covered in cracks and blood. Leyan’s breathing grew heavier, Arven struggled to maintain his spells.

Mina was beside Clyde, breathing hard.

They pushed through the final wave of monsters.

Samuel was the first to reach the edge of the pyramid’s stone platform. He climbed onto it and turned around.

One by one, the others reached the structure.

Behind them, the monsters gathered at the edge of the floating islands. Some of them roared, but none of them followed.

Clyde looked back at them. Then he turned toward the enormous stepped pyramid.

The team had finally reached their destination. Their clothes were torn in several places, scratches covered their armor and skin, their breathing was heavy.

But their wounds were not serious.

"We made it," Samuel said. Now let’s find out what the Council wanted us to retrieve."

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