Chapter 670: Just Stone

Everyone stared at the newly formed creature, their apprehension giving way to grim determination. There was no point in wasting time. The moment the stone guardian emerged the need to fight became inevitable.

They drew their weapons and prepared for the battle.

Clyde stepped forward, moving to the front beside Samuel. He needed to determine whether the creature possessed any intelligence before they committed to killing it. If it could think and communicate there might be another way to deal with it. To find out, he needed to engage it at close range.

Samuel glanced at him and gave a brief nod. They didn’t need to say anything more. They had fought together many enough times to understand each other’s intentions.

The stone guardian suddenly threw back its head and roared. The deafening sound reverberated throughout the room, forcing everyone to grit their teeth as the vibration stabbed at their ears.

Before the echo faded, the creature lunged forward, its enormous body surging toward Clyde and Samuel with surprising speed.

Samuel moved first, gripping his spear as he stepped into the attack. Clyde advanced alongside him, his longsword raised to meet the guardian’s charge.

Steel hit the stone with a deafening clang, sparks scattering across the chamber as their weapons collided with its limbs.

The two men attacked from opposite sides, attempting to divide the guardian’s attention.

Samuel thrust his spear toward its joints while Clyde targeted the gaps between its thick stone plates.

However, the creature proved far more formidable than its bulky appearance suggested. Its movements were fast and precise and its every swing carried had strong force.

Samuel narrowly avoided a sweeping blow before darting back in with another thrust.

Clyde seized the opening and slashed at the guardian’s side, but his blade only carved a shallow groove across its rock body.

The creature twisted abruptly and swung its massive arm toward Samuel, catching him before he could retreat.

Samuel was hurled across the chamber. He struck the ground hard and slid several meters before coming to a stop.

"Samuel!" Maira shouted.

"I’m fine!" he answered, forcing himself back onto his feet.

With Samuel thrown out of the immediate fight, Clyde found himself alone against the guardian. He shifted his grip on the longsword and braced himself as the stone Demon advanced, its shadow swallowing the ground beneath it.

The others moved to assist, but the guardian’s relentless attacks made it difficult to find a safe opening.

Don raised his shield and started toward Clyde. Maira and Leyan searched for an opportunity to strike from the flanks. Arven remained behind them, preparing his skills and watching for a chance to support the others without getting caught in the attacks.

Clyde just paid little attention to them. His eyes fixed on the stone Demon as he carefully observed its movements.

Beneath its rough stone exterior he could sense the pulse of Demonic energy. He allowed a thin stream of his own magic power to spread toward the creature, probing its presence and searching for any sign of awareness.

But nothing happened. The guardian did not show any change in its movements. It did not hesitate, react to his magic, or display the slightest indication that it had noticed his attempt to reach it.

Clyde tried once more, directing his energy deeper into the creature’s presence, but the result remained the same.

His expression grew colder, realizing that it was only a mindless guardian, an ancient construct left behind to protect whatever lay beyond the staircase. There was no point in holding back.

Clyde tightened his grip on his longsword as the guardian raised its massive arm again.

The stone guardian swung its massive arm toward Clyde. He raised his longsword and blocked the attack, bracing himself against the impact.

The force rattled through his arms, but rather than resisting it with his full strength, he deliberately loosened his stance and allowed the blow to send him flying backward.

His boots scraped across the stone floor before he finally regained his balance. He glanced at the guardian, then casually lowered his sword.

There was no reason to reveal his true strength over a mindless guardian. The creature was troublesome, but not enough to get his full attention. Besides, he had no intention of doing all the work himself when the others could handle it.

"Clyde!" Mina called out, her voice tinged with worry. "Are you hurt?"

"I’m fine," he replied, brushing the dust from his coat. "Don’t worry about me."

Mina studied him for a moment, checking for any obvious injuries. When she saw that he was standing steadily and showed no signs of distress, her concern gradually faded. She turned her attention back to the stone Demon, her expression hardening as she tightened her grip on her daggers.

She dashed forward, moving swiftly toward the guardian’s flank. At almost the same moment, Don charged in with his shield raised, drawing the creature’s attention away from the others. Maira slipped past him and struck at the gaps between its stone plates, while Leyan fired arrows at the runes scattered across its body.

Samuel had recovered from his earlier fall and rejoined the fight, his spear flashing as he thrust at the guardian’s joints. Their attacks came from different directions, leaving the massive creature struggling to respond to all of them at once.

The guardian roared and swung wildly, but its movements had become increasingly sluggish under the relentless assault.

Cracks spread across its chest and shoulders as Maira’s blades hit it, Leyan’s arrows embedded on its weakened sections, and Samuel drove his spear into a damaged joint.

Don seized the opening and slammed his shield into the creature’s legs, throwing its balance off. The guardian staggered, and Mina darted beneath its sweeping arm before slashing at the cracks along its side.

After a long battle, a final coordinated strike struck the weakened stone around its chest.

The guardian stopped moving. The runes across its body glowed faintly. Then the light faded, and its body crumbled apart. Stones crashed onto the floor, scattering across the chamber in a cloud of dust, leaving the group standing amid the scattered remains.

Clyde watched from a short distance away, his longsword resting loosely at his side.

As expected, the others had managed to deal with the guardian without requiring him to reveal anything more than necessary.

They moved to the next floor after that.

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