The guardian of corruption loomed over the ruins, its monstrous form towering above Jihoon and his team. Every movement it made sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, its jagged limbs carving into the stone like blades.
Ryujin lunged first, his blade igniting with his energy. "Keep its focus on me!" he shouted, slashing at the creature's legs. His strikes cut through the corrupted vines wrapping around its body, but they barely slowed it down.
Sora stood to his side, weaving her water magic into defensive barriers and sharp whips that lashed at the guardian's limbs. "We can't let it get close to Jihoon!"
The creature swung a massive arm down toward Ryujin. He barely dodged, rolling to the side as the ground exploded in a shower of rubble. "You don't have to tell me twice!"
Seojun, positioned at a higher vantage point, launched precise energy bolts at the creature's joints, aiming to weaken its movement. "It's slowing down! Jihoon, how much longer?"
Jihoon stood at the center of the ruin, the whispers in his mind growing louder with every second. He gripped his staff tightly, the Nexus crystal glowing fiercely as he concentrated on finding the artifact's core.
"Almost there!" Jihoon shouted, sweat dripping down his brow. "The artifact is beneath us—it's rooted deep in the earth. I need more time to unseal it!"
The guardian let out an earth-shaking roar, its corrupted energy flaring. The ground around it splintered, and dark tendrils erupted, aiming for Jihoon.
Sora cried out, slamming her hands into the ground to summon a barrier of water around Jihoon. "Not on my watch!"
The tendrils lashed against the barrier, cracking it but not breaking through. Jihoon spared her a grateful glance before turning his focus back to the spell.
Ryujin jumped onto the creature's back, plunging his blade into its neck. "This thing's tough, but it's not invincible!" He twisted the blade, forcing the creature to stagger.
The guardian flailed, throwing Ryujin off. He landed hard but rolled to his feet, coughing. "That was less fun than I expected."
Seojun launched another volley of energy bolts, aiming for the creature's face. "We can't keep this up forever, Jihoon!"
With a final surge of power, Jihoon slammed his staff into the ground, releasing a wave of light magic. The whispers shrieked in his mind before abruptly falling silent. Beneath the ruins, the artifact's core revealed itself—a pulsating, blackened crystal wrapped in corrupted vines.
"There!" Jihoon yelled, pointing at the crystal. "Destroy that, and the corruption will collapse!"
The guardian roared, charging toward Jihoon to stop him. Ryujin and Sora intercepted it, pushing their abilities to the limit to hold it back.
"Seojun, the crystal!" Jihoon commanded.
Seojun nodded, channeling all his energy into one final, devastating attack. A glowing spear of energy formed in his hands, and with a determined shout, he hurled it at the crystal.
The spear struck true, shattering the blackened core. The crystal exploded in a burst of light, and the guardian let out a deafening wail as it dissolved into ash. The corruption receded, the vines withering and the oppressive energy fading.
Jihoon fell to one knee, exhausted but relieved. "It's done."
Ryujin approached, wiping blood from his face. "You're lucky I like you, Jihoon. That thing almost killed me."
Sora laughed weakly, collapsing onto a nearby rock. "We survived… somehow."
Seojun grinned, though his hands trembled from the effort. "One artifact down, how many more to go?"
Jihoon stood, his resolve stronger than ever. "As many as it takes."