As the group entered deeper into the cave, the dim light from the torches did little to push back the suffocating darkness that wrapped around them.
The air felt thick, charged with an unsettling stillness, as if something ancient and malevolent was waiting just beyond their sight. Each step forward seemed to stir the tension higher until even the most battle-hardened among them felt the weight of unease pressing down.
"Elena," Connor's voice was low, cautious.
She walked closer, her hand resting near the hilt of her sword. "Connor, this darkness… it feels just like your domain," she whispered. "Like it's alive."
Julian, walking beside them, tightened his grip on his weapon. "What if the boss here has abilities like yours?" His eyes flicked toward Connor, suspicion and curiosity mingling.
Connor shook his head firmly. "No. My skills are the result of a unique evolution, No one else should have anything similar, at least not a normal class monster. This isn't the same."
Still, the unease lingered. They discussed strategies to manage the darkness, planning ways to rotate fighters and keep support units steady despite the tension clawing at their minds.
Then they reached it—the door.
A colossal, ancient barrier with stone engravings, cracked by time but still foreboding. At the center, a snake-headed knob coiled, its eyes gleaming in the torchlight as if daring them to enter. Connor and Julian exchanged a glance and braced themselves. Both men leaned into the door, muscles straining as it groaned under their combined strength. It inched open, revealing the vast circular chamber beyond.
They stepped into the hall, their footsteps echoing against the smooth stone floor. The chamber's size was staggering, the high dome above swallowing every sound they made, save for the distant drip of water. At the far end, an iron-barred gate loomed—a silent sentinel promising no escape if things went awry.
Elena's hand tightened on her sword. "Stay alert," she whispered, but the warning was unnecessary. Everyone could feel it. Something was wrong.
Then it happened.
A high-pitched scream erupted from the walls—shrill, piercing, as if a thousand glass shards were scraping against stone. The sound sliced into their ears, sending waves of pain radiating through their skulls.
"ARGH!" Julian doubled over, clutching his head as blood trickled from his ears. Several of the weaker fighters dropped to the ground, unconscious from the sheer agony. Even the leaders grimaced in pain, struggling to stay upright.
From the walls, nine grotesque figures peeled free, their bodies moving like shadows unbound by gravity. Each one bore ash-grey skin stretched taut over unnatural forms, their faces concealed beneath silver veils that shimmered in the dim torchlight. They hovered unnaturally, their mouths still open in that harrowing scream, flooding the chamber with unbearable noise.
Connor shouted, "Furina! Attack them with your torrents!"
But Furina couldn't hear him—her hands pressed tight to her ears, eyes squeezed shut in agony. Around her, the squad was in chaos, staggering like drunkards or writhing on the floor, paralyzed by the sonic assault.
Elena acted on instinct.
"Cover the injured!" she screamed, though her own voice felt swallowed by the endless wail. She darted toward the nearest screamer, her blade flashing in the dim light.
The creature's shriek faltered for a split second as Elena slashed through it, the blow sending its form rippling like a disturbed shadow. Without warning, the creature dissolved into the wall, vanishing into the black stone as if it had never existed.
Elena spun, panting, blood trailing from her ears. "The walls!" she yelled. "They're using the walls! We can't kill them at this rate."
Connor clicked his tongue in frustration as his Darkness Surge expanded, forming an igloo-shaped barrier that encased him inside the darkened field. The barrier pulsed with swirling black particles, isolating him from the chaotic battlefield beyond—at least, that had been the plan.
But it didn't work.
The relentless screams pierced through the shadows, slipping past the veil as if the darkness wasn't even there. Waves of pain still hammered at his skull, though their intensity had dulled slightly inside the barrier. "The sound... it's imbued with powerful mana," Connor thought grimly. "Even my surge can't block it completely."
He clenched his jaw, realizing that his attempt, though insufficient, had at least reduced the frequency. The shrieks were somewhat less painful now—just enough for him to think clearly. "Not perfect, but it bought us a sliver of breathing room."
Connor gathered everyone conscious around him, their expressions a mix of pain and confusion. With sound rendered useless by the screamer's mana-laced wails, he had to think fast. Channeling a small amount of mana, he formed several **small dark orbs** that floated between his hands. Using them like tools, Connor began to **gesture in makeshift sign language**, hoping to communicate his plan.
The orbs flickered with every movement of his hands, creating rough patterns and signals. His gestures were awkward and unpolished, the result of hurried improvisation rather than any formal training. Still, he pushed through, trying to make sure **each squad member grasped the basic idea**.
Some nodded quickly, their eyes showing understanding—if not full clarity. Others, however, squinted at the strange signals, clearly lost. A few exchanged glances, trying to piece together what Connor was attempting to convey.
Connor could feel his frustration building. "They don't get it," he thought, his brow furrowing. "Damn it, this is more troublesome than I imagined."
He knew they were running out of time, and the screamers would soon launch another assault. Despite his annoyance, Connor forced himself to stay composed. "We'll have to adapt as we go."
With a sharp wave of his hand, he dismissed the orbs, signaling the team to prepare to move. Even if they didn't understand the full strategy, they had no choice but to trust him now.
Connor summoned the Infernal Kong. The massive ape materialized from the swirling darkness, its fiery eyes glowing with malevolent intensity. The ground trembled under the weight of its colossal frame as it unleashed a deafening roar that echoed through the cavern.
The screamers, however, didn't flinch—they continued their relentless wailing.
'I was right' Connor thought grimly. 'They're all Class One ranks. If they were anything lower, they would've faltered against the Kong's presence.'
Although the Infernal Kong was once a powerful Class One beast, its strength had been halved after Connor reanimated it with necromancy. Yet its menacing aura remained formidable, radiating enough pressure to challenge any foe of equal rank.
The beast locked eyes with the nearest group of screamers, its knuckles cracking ominously as it awaited its master's command. With a mental push, Connor ordered the Infernal Kong to 'attack the enemies on the right'.
The hulking beast sprang into motion, its fists pounding the ground as it charged, leaving deep cracks in its wake.
Meanwhile, the rest of the team moved left to strike the remaining screamers. Furina stepped forward, her hands glowing with swirling torrents of blue mana. "Aqua Swirl" she cried, summoning a raging spiral of water that surged toward the nearest screamer.
But as soon as the monster sensed the shift in the atmosphere, it melded back into the walls, evading the attack entirely. The torrent collided uselessly against the stone, splashing harmlessly onto the ground. Even Elena who was the fastest failed to land a hit on them.
Connor's frustration grew as the pattern became clear. "They retreat the moment we act. It's like playing a game of whack-a-mole but in an unpredictable difficulty."
Unlike holes in a game, these creatures could appear anywhere along the vast expanse of the walls, always catching them off-guard. Each time they emerged, the piercing shockwaves of their screams battered the squad's minds, bodies, and spirits**, threatening to break their resolve.
Connor knew that unless they found a way to anticipate or stop these movements, the battle would drag on—and not in their favor. Time was running out, and their strength was dwindling with each passing second.