After a grueling battle with the Golden Eagle, Morpheus sat on the ground, catching his breath. Izar approached him, a look of astonishment etched across his face.
"Damn, what just happened to you?!" Izar exclaimed. "How did you suddenly unleash that ferocious power?"
Morpheus glanced at him in confusion, then replied in a low voice,
"I don't know... I felt something strange, like a primal instinct awakening inside me. It was... overwhelming, like I wanted to destroy everything in sight."
Rosemar, who had been silently observing, leaned in slightly and examined him closely before speaking in a cautious tone,
"Don't tell me... Could you be part of the Berserker lineage?"
Morpheus froze, his eyes widening. Even Izar, who was still trying to make sense of the situation, turned to her and asked,
"The Berserkers? What's that?"
Rosemar took a deep breath and began to explain,
"The Berserkers are an incredibly rare lineage. They're descendants of unions between humans and werewolves thousands of years ago. This lineage grants its holders immense, beast-like strength, comparable to feral wolves, but without the need to transform. They remain in their human form, but they enter a berserk state that dramatically enhances their power and speed."
She paused, looking at Morpheus with curiosity.
"The existence of someone with Berserker blood in this era... It's rarer than finding a legendary artifact. Most believed this lineage disappeared ages ago."
Izar, who now seemed more intrigued than ever, remarked with a mix of envy and admiration,
"Wow, Morpheus, you're one lucky guy! The power you have... it's beyond imagination."
Rosemar shot Izar a sharp look and retorted,
"You're the last person who should talk about luck. You already carry the most prestigious bloodline—Phoenix Nobility."
Izar scratched his head sheepishly, though he couldn't hide the pride in his tone.
"Well, I mean... Sure, the Phoenix bloodline gives me incredible strength and regeneration, but it doesn't have that wild, awe-inspiring edge."
Rosemar sighed deeply before turning back to Morpheus, her gaze serious.
"If you really carry Berserker blood, it means you have untapped abilities waiting to be awakened. But be careful... Berserking isn't just a power; it's also a curse if you can't control it."
Morpheus stared at the ground, her words weighing heavily on him.
"A curse?" he asked quietly.
She nodded solemnly and continued,
"Yes. Berserking grants you incredible strength, but it can take over completely if you lose control. Many Berserkers of the past lost their minds to this instinct. If you want to use this power, you must learn to master it, or it will become your undoing."
Silence fell over the group. The fire crackled softly, mirroring the tension in the air.
Izar finally broke the stillness, trying to lighten the mood.
"Well, one thing's for sure—our team is shaping up to be insanely unique. Rosemar has the Mark of the Mother of All Knowledge, I have the Phoenix Nobility, and now we've got Morpheus the Berserker. Who can stand against us?"
Morpheus managed a small smile, though his thoughts remained clouded.
"Maybe we're still far from understanding these powers fully... but if we learn to use them together, nothing can stop us."
Rosemar nodded in agreement, adding in a calm voice,
"But we must tread carefully. Power is always a double-edged sword. We need to understand the responsibility it carries before we revel in its strength."
Izar flopped onto his back beside the fire, gazing at the star-filled sky.
"You're probably right, but in this moment, I feel like we're living the greatest adventure of our lives."
Rosemar chuckled lightly and said,
"That's because you never think beyond your immediate steps."
Morpheus looked up at the stars as well, a new feeling stirring within him—one of purpose.
"Berserkers..." he thought to himself. "If this is my truth, then I must uncover it... and be its master, not its victim."
They approached the ominous volcanic castle, its walls radiating intense heat, molten lava flowing through intricate channels etched into its stone. The air was thick and suffocating, carrying the acrid scent of burning sulfur.
As they stepped inside, their eyes were immediately drawn to the massive volcanic throne in the center of the chamber. Seated upon it was a figure emanating an overwhelming aura of power.
The figure wore a colossal black armor cracked with glowing veins of molten fire. His head was nothing but flames encased in a helmet, giving him a demonic appearance. Resting on his shoulder was a titanic, molten greatsword that pulsed with fiery energy.
Before they could react, the mysterious voice echoed through the chamber:
"Valerioth, the Hell Knight. Defeat him, and you will conquer the third challenge."
Morpheus narrowed his eyes, his voice firm and resolute:
"We have to give this everything we've got."
Isaac and Rosemar nodded in agreement, their expressions grave.
Valerioth slowly rose from his volcanic throne, each step reverberating through the castle like a thunderclap. He lifted his fiery greatsword into the air.
"Careful!" shouted Morpheus.
But instead of attacking directly, Valerioth slammed his blade into the ground. A massive fissure tore through the floor, glowing with searing heat. Suddenly, a volcanic eruption burst forth, creating what seemed like a gateway to the underworld. From it emerged dozens of fiery demonic creatures, their molten bodies writhing as they clawed their way into the chamber.
Isaac's voice was filled with alarm:
"Dammit, he's summoning demons from hell itself!"
Morpheus gritted his teeth.
"Whatever they are, we need to cut them down!"
Channeling a massive surge of shadow ether into his blade, he unleashed a horizontal slash, severing several demons in half. Yet, to his dismay, the creatures reformed almost instantly, as if they were immune to damage.
Rosemar's eyes widened in realization.
"These creatures can't be destroyed as long as the gateway remains open. We have to take down the Hell Knight first!"
Isaac sighed in frustration.
"So, we're fighting an army of demons and a hellish knight at the same time? Great... this is going to be a nightmare."
Morpheus glanced at him, a determined look in his eyes.
"Isaac, it's time to show us the true power of the Phoenix."
Isaac looked at him in confusion.
"The true power? What are you talking about?"
Morpheus replied firmly:
"I know you've been holding back—whether because you haven't mastered it or because you're scared of losing control. But right now, it's all or nothing. If we don't unleash our full power, we're doomed. We'll be trapped in this infernal dimension forever."
Isaac hesitated for a moment before clenching his fists, his face now filled with resolve.
"You're right... it's now or never."
Morpheus turned to his team, taking charge as if he were their leader:
"Attack with everything you've got! This ends here, once and for all!"
Morpheus began conjuring multiple shadow bombs, while Rosemar activated her Divine Manifestation, her ethereal aura shining brilliantly.
Isaac, meanwhile, stood still, his expression one of deep concentration. He thought to himself:
"Is this really the time? What if I lose control? What if I hurt them... No! There's no time for doubt. It's now or never!"
A scorching aura began to build around Isaac, the heat intensifying until the very air around him shimmered like a mirage. Flames swirled around him in a vortex, growing more ferocious by the second.
The flames erupted into a fiery cyclone, lifting Isaac slowly into the air. His silhouette became obscured within the blinding inferno as the heat reached unimaginable levels. The others shielded their eyes, struggling to endure the searing heat.
When the flames finally subsided, Isaac emerged, transformed. His flames had turned a radiant golden hue, and fiery wings shaped like those of a phoenix spread majestically from his back. A crown of fire adorned his head, and his eyes glowed with an intense, fiery red. His very presence radiated dominance, like a true phoenix reborn.
Morpheus smirked slightly as he watched.
"Impressive..."
Isaac raised a massive flaming arrow in his hands, aiming directly at Valerioth. With a burst of speed, he unleashed it, the projectile traveling like a comet. It struck Valerioth square in the chest, forcing the Hell Knight to stagger back.
Valerioth glanced at his armor, finding a deep gash scorched into its surface. His fiery eyes burned with fury as he let out an enraged roar.
In retaliation, he swung his greatsword, sending a massive wave of molten energy toward Isaac. The attack struck Isaac's wing, but to Valerioth's shock, the wing regenerated almost instantly.
Seizing the moment, Morpheus hurled his shadow bombs at the Hell Knight. Valerioth underestimated the attack and tried to block them with his blade. But as the bombs detonated, the explosions sent him hurtling into the castle wall, enveloped in a massive burst of dark energy.
Isaac grinned slightly and quipped:
"You're always trying to steal the spotlight, Morpheus. But this time, it's my turn to shine."
Rosemar, now fully transformed in her Divine Manifestation form, stepped forward.
"You boys didn't think I'd let you have all the fun, did you?"
She summoned massive ethereal vines, their glowing tendrils surging toward Valerioth. Though he attempted to sever them, the vines regrew instantly, slamming into his chest and shattering his armor.
Another set of vines coiled around his molten blade, ripping it from his grasp and smashing it into pieces.
Rosemar's voice was cold and disdainful:
"Pathetic. You dare call yourself the Hell Knight?"
Valerioth fell to his knees, his armor cracking further with each passing moment.
Isaac cautiously approached.
"Is it over? Did we win?"
But before the words left his mouth, Valerioth's armor shattered completely, revealing his true form: a blazing infernal entity radiating overwhelming power. His molten body pulsed with an intense heat, his fiery essence now unrestrained.
He spoke in a guttural, incomprehensible language, his voice a harsh rumble that shook the castle.
The team exchanged uneasy glances.
Morpheus tightened his grip on his shadow blade.
"The real fight starts now."