Chapter 25 – The Awakening of a Monster
The air inside the hidden dungeon was thick with death. The scent of decay clung to the stone walls, and the faint echoes of something unnatural stirred in the darkness. Riven moved forward without hesitation, his steps silent, his presence like a shadow bleeding into the void.
This was a place no one had dared to enter in centuries.
But he remembered.
This was where the real boss lurked.
In his past life, he had uncovered its existence too late, long after someone else had taken its power. But this time, he was ahead of the game.
A wicked smirk curled at his lips.
Tonight, he would claim what was his.
---
The Hidden Chamber
A massive stone door stood before him, engraved with symbols long forgotten. The very air vibrated with a malicious presence.
Most would hesitate. Most would turn back.
Riven placed his hand against the door.
Boom.
A pulse of black energy surged from his palm, and the symbols shattered. The door groaned, ancient mechanisms grinding as it slid open, revealing a cavern that stretched into infinite darkness.
And then—it moved.
A twisted, grotesque mass of flesh and bone shifted in the depths of the chamber.
Two colossal, glowing yellow eyes snapped open.
A low, guttural growl rumbled through the cavern. The very air seemed to freeze as the creature's presence filled the space, like an ocean of dread pressing down on everything.
The Forgotten Monarch.
A being erased from history.
A monster that once rivaled kings.
And now, it belonged to Riven.
The beast lunged.
A maelstrom of shadows erupted around Riven as he vanished.
A split-second later—
Boom!
The place where he had stood was obliterated, a crater left in its wake. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the cavern, dust and debris swirling like a storm.
Riven reappeared behind the monster, his eyes glowing crimson.
His voice was calm. Unshaken.
"You're slower than I expected."
The beast howled.
Dark energy poured from its form, shaping into countless skeletal warriors—undead knights, rotting abominations, spectral assassins. They flooded the chamber, their soulless eyes locked onto Riven.
A lesser man would falter.
Riven merely smirked.
"You call this an army?"
Then let me show you a massacre.
---
A Storm of Shadows
Boom—!
Riven vanished.
A second later, five undead exploded, torn apart as he materialized in the midst of them. His dagger flashed, slicing through armor and bone with surgical precision.
The knights swung their rusted blades—too slow.
He was already behind them.
A single step, and—
Slash!
A headless body crumpled.
A specter screeched, claws aiming for his throat—
Riven twisted mid-air, snapping its arm before impaling it through the skull.
The battlefield was his stage. And he danced through it with effortless grace.
To the watching eyes, it wasn't a fight.
It was a slaughter.
---
The Forgotten Monarch's Wrath
The beast roared.
A wave of pure darkness surged from its core, swallowing everything in sight. The cavern itself shuddered, as if reality was on the verge of collapse.
Riven stood his ground.
His own shadows rose to meet the abyssal tide.
For a moment—there was only silence.
Then—
BOOM!
The impact tore through the dungeon. The undead army was ripped apart, obliterated by the sheer collision of forces.
When the dust settled, only two figures remained.
Riven.
And the Forgotten Monarch.
Both stood unmoving, their powers coiling around them.
Then, the beast spoke.
"Who… are you?"
Riven's smirk widened.
"The one who will take everything from you."
He moved.
The final battle had begun.
---
The Dungeon Exit
By the time Riven emerged, his body pulsed with newfound power. His presence was different—darker, sharper, deadlier.
The noble students waiting outside instinctively stepped back, a primal fear settling in their bones.
Something had changed.
Something was wrong.
Julius Alden, the so-called prodigy, locked eyes with Riven—
And felt pure terror.
He didn't know what had happened inside.
But he knew one thing.
The Riven he once knew was gone.
And in his place—stood a monster.