Dinio hovered in mid-air, surveying the desolation around him with a sinister, satisfied grin. The scattered remains of the dungeon's contents littered the landscape, a chaotic reminder of his overwhelming power. For a moment, he basked in his perceived victory, relishing the freedom and destruction he had wrought.
But his grin faltered as a grim realization dawned on him. His body—his true form—remained bound. Despite obliterating the dungeon and expelling everything within, the chains that held him had not been broken.
His eyes narrowed, and a low growl escaped his lips.
"Tch... so even after all that, my body remains sealed. It seems this cursed dungeon's grip won't be undone so easily."
Clenching his fists, Dinio muttered to himself,
"Looks like I'll need to gather more mana before I can free myself completely. No matter... this body will serve well enough in the meantime."
With a flick of his hand, a swirling portal of dark energy erupted in the air before him. Without sparing the ruined landscape another glance, he stepped through the portal, vanishing into the void to plot his next move.
[Inside the Dungeon, Moments Before the Extraction]
Al and Melina sprinted up the spiraling staircase, their breaths ragged and hearts pounding as the deafening roars of the pursuing monster echoed behind them. Just as they reached the next floor, a massive shadow leaped in front of them, blocking their path.
The creature's glowing eyes locked onto them, its gnarled claws scraping against the stone as it snarled. Panic surged through Al.
"Wh-what?! There are two of them now?!"
He stammered, his voice trembling with fear. He turned to see another beast closing in from below, its monstrous form making escape impossible.
Melina tried to steady her own rising panic, gripping Al's arm to calm him. "Don't panic," she said firmly, though her voice wavered ever so slightly.
"Let me think, there has to be a way out."
Before she could formulate a plan, the beasts roared in unison and lunged at them from both directions. With no time to react, Melina made a split-second decision. She grabbed Al's hand and leapt over the side of the staircase, pulling him into a freefall.
"Are you insane!?"
Al shouted as they plummeted toward the dungeon's cavernous depths.
"We're going to die!"
Above them, the two monsters collided mid-air, their ferocious clash sending shockwaves that rattled the crumbling dungeon walls. Al turned to Melina, frantically shouting as they fell.
"What kind of genius plan was this? Jumping to our deaths? Really?!"
Melina didn't answer, her mind racing. The jagged stone floor below rushed toward them, closer by the second. It seemed inevitable—impact was only moments away.
But just as they were about to hit the ground, the air shimmered around them, and in an instant, the dungeon disappeared. Al and Melina suddenly found themselves outside, suspended high in the sky, surrounded by an expanse of open air.
"What the—?"
Al barely managed to say before he realized he was now plummeting toward the ground alone. Looking around in panic, he spotted Melina nearby, also falling, but at a distance too far to reach.
"Melina!"
He shouted, his voice lost to the rushing wind. The two of them tumbled helplessly, the earth rushing up to meet them as they hurtled toward an uncertain fate.
As Al tumbled through the sky, he suddenly collided with something mid-air. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and he quickly realized it was one of the monsters. Its massive claws scraped the air around him as it twisted its grotesque body, jaws snapping hungrily in his direction.
Al's eyes widened in terror as the creature lunged toward him, its razor-sharp teeth gleaming. The rush of wind made it difficult for both of them to maneuver, but the beast was relentless. Each time it snapped at him, Al twisted his body desperately, narrowly avoiding being ripped apart.
"Why won't you just fall like a normal monster?!"
Al yelled, flailing as he dodged another close call.
The chaotic scene spiraled further out of control as Al caught sight of Melina. She, too, was locked in a mid-air struggle with another beast, dodging claws and teeth as they plummeted toward the ground. Her focus was razor-sharp, each movement precise, but the sheer ferocity of the monster made her situation just as dire.
Al clenched his teeth, his body moving purely on instinct as he twisted and turned, narrowly avoiding death with each snap of the creature's jaws.
"I am really starting to hate dungeons,"
he muttered through gritted teeth, frantically scanning the sky for Melina while doing his best to survive the relentless assault.