Chapter 148: Frost and Crimson

They moved deeper.

The frozen corpse of the cavern's apex predator disappeared behind them as the passages narrowed and twisted through a growing network of tunnels. The glowing plants became sparser with every turn, while the ancient roots spreading through the walls grew thicker, their surfaces carrying faint streams of blue mana.

The air grew colder.

More importantly, the mana became denser. It was no longer simply lingering in the atmosphere. It seemed to be flowing through the dungeon itself, moving along the roots and stone toward something deeper below.

The first group of monsters appeared less than ten minutes later.

Six pale-gray plated creatures emerged from a side passage, smaller versions of the predator they had just fought. Their crystalline organs pulsed as they detected the vibrations of approaching footsteps. They charged.

Evelyne barely slowed. She raised one hand. A thin sheet of frost swept across the ground. The creatures' limbs froze before they could close the distance. A second pulse shattered the frozen joints, sending the monsters crashing onto the stone in broken heaps.

Selene stepped past the corpses without looking down.

"There will be more."

"I know."

They continued.

She was right. The deeper they went, the more frequently the creatures appeared. Three from one tunnel. Eight from another. Once, a pack attempted to surround them from behind. None lasted long.

Evelyne learned their weakness almost immediately. Rather than wasting large spells, she formed narrow spears of frost and drove them directly through the crystalline organs embedded in their bodies. When those organs were destroyed, the monsters' mana circulation collapsed and their movements became sluggish.

Selene handled anything that survived. Crimson Battle Instinct activated the instant killing intent was directed toward her. Her body moved before conscious thought could interfere. Crimson Wolf Execution Art turned each committed attack into an opportunity for a counter—short, decisive arcs that exploited the exact moment an enemy's weight settled. She never met force with force. She simply arrived where the opening would be and cut through it.

Andras occasionally intercepted one that slipped through. One strike from Eclipse Edge was usually enough. Lyra remained beside him, spear ready but rarely given an opportunity to attack. She watched. She memorized. Every movement. Every difference between how Evelyne controlled a battlefield and how Selene dominated it with a blade. The lesson was valuable even without her landing a single attack.

Then the monsters stopped coming.

Andras noticed first. He raised a hand. The others stopped. Silence settled over the tunnel—no footsteps, no distant growls, no vibrations beneath the stone. Nothing. That was more unsettling than another attack.

Andras activated Echo Resonance. The ability spread through the surrounding stone. His expression changed slightly.

"There is something ahead."

Evelyne looked at him.

"How far?"

"Not far."

He continued extending the resonance. The tunnel ahead opened into a vast stone antechamber. At the far end stood a massive door of black rock, far larger than anything they had encountered inside the dungeon. Interlocking geometric patterns covered its surface, glowing faintly with deep violet light. Mana leaked through the seams—heavy, dense, almost oppressive.

Selene's hand settled on her sword.

"This should be the core chamber."

Evelyne nodded.

Andras stepped closer and placed one hand against the door. The patterns immediately brightened. A deep vibration passed through the chamber. Then the enormous door began to move. Stone scraped against stone with a grinding roar. Cold air poured through the opening, thick with condensed mana.

Something enormous was breathing on the other side.

They entered.

The chamber beyond was vast. Its ceiling disappeared into darkness, while roots descended from above like ancient pillars. Thick streams of luminous mana flowed through those roots and disappeared into the black stone platform at the center.

Something stood upon it.

Andras stopped.

It stood nearly six meters at the shoulder. Its body was covered in overlapping plates of dark armor that seemed to absorb the surrounding light. Six powerful limbs supported its immense frame. Jagged crystalline structures grew from its spine, shoulders, and neck, each one pulsing with violent violet light. Its head was shaped like a heavily armored wedge, filled with rows of rotating crystalline teeth. The pressure surrounding its body distorted the air.

Andras's eyes narrowed.

"System."

The familiar interface appeared before him alone.

[Ding!]

[Name: Voidrend Behemoth]

[Rank: S-Class]

[Talent: Void Resonance — S-Rank]

Andras read the information once. His eyes lingered on the final line. Void Resonance. An S-Rank talent. That explained the unnatural pressure surrounding the creature. He dismissed the System without changing expression.

Evelyne had already sensed the danger.

"So this is an S-Class monster."

Selene's expression became completely serious. She looked toward Andras and Lyra.

"Stay back. We'll handle this."

Andras nodded. He did not argue. Lyra stepped back as instructed, Darksteel Spear still held ready but no longer raised to strike.

The Behemoth slowly raised itself to its full height. The crystalline structures along its spine ignited. The dungeon responded. Mana began flowing through the roots—not toward the chamber, but directly toward the creature.

The Behemoth opened its mouth. A low vibration rolled through the room.

Andras immediately felt something wrong. His Echo Resonance returned distorted, as though another force was interfering with every vibration he tried to read.

The Behemoth charged.

It moved far faster than something of its size should have been able to. One enormous limb crashed toward Evelyne. She raised her hand.

"Frostbind Array."

A geometric formation of ice appeared beneath the creature's limb. The moment it struck, crystalline chains erupted upward and wrapped around the joint. The Behemoth roared. Its muscles flexed. The ice cracked, then shattered.

Before Evelyne could react, the creature's crystalline structures flashed. A wave of invisible force exploded outward. The entire chamber trembled. Evelyne's frost formation collapsed.

Selene was already moving.

Crimson Battle Instinct activated the moment the Behemoth's killing intent shifted toward her. Her body reacted before conscious decision could form. Crimson Wolf Execution Art unfolded in a seamless sequence. She disappeared from the creature's immediate reach, then reappeared inside its guard. Her sword cut toward the exposed joint beneath its armor. The blade penetrated. Dark blood sprayed.

The Behemoth twisted violently. Selene stepped away—too late. The creature opened its jaws. The crystalline teeth began rotating faster. A compressed pulse of violet energy erupted from its mouth.

Selene crossed her blade. The impact sent her sliding backward across the stone, boots carving two deep lines into the ground. She stopped. Her crimson eyes narrowed.

The Behemoth charged again.

Evelyne moved.

"Glacial Collapse."

The temperature plummeted. A sphere of condensed frost formed around the creature's upper body and compressed inward. For the first time, the Behemoth's movement stopped. Cracks spread across its armor.

Selene immediately entered the opening. Her sword struck the same damaged joint—once, twice, three times. Crimson Wolf Execution Art chained each attack into the next, never giving the creature enough time to regain its balance. The joint cracked.

The Behemoth roared. Then Void Resonance activated again. The crystalline structures along its spine flared. The entire chamber vibrated. Selene's sword arm suddenly went numb. Her footing faltered. Evelyne's ice shattered around her. The roots above them shook violently.

Andras watched from the rear. His Echo Resonance had become nearly useless. Every vibration returned buried beneath layers of interference. Void Resonance did not simply create vibrations—it controlled the resonance of everything around it. The Behemoth had turned the entire chamber into an extension of its talent.

The next pulse hit. Selene was forced backward. Evelyne raised a wall of ice to shield herself from the shockwave. The wall cracked from top to bottom. For the first time, Andras saw both women forced to defend rather than attack.

The Behemoth advanced. Mana poured into its body from the roots. The wound in its joint began closing. The broken armor slowly reformed. Its crystalline structures brightened. This was different from the earlier predator. That creature had possessed a clear weakness. This one was connected directly to the dungeon's mana circulation, regenerating through the dungeon itself.

Evelyne seemed to reach the same conclusion.

"Selene."

"I know."

They exchanged a brief glance. Then both moved.

Evelyne spread frost across the ground—not toward the Behemoth, but around it. A network of thin crystalline formations appeared beneath the creature's six limbs, each one positioned precisely around its movement points. Selene understood immediately.

She attacked.

Crimson Battle Instinct flared. The Behemoth swung one limb. She slipped underneath it. A second limb came from the opposite direction. She ducked. A third descended. She pivoted. Every attack committed the creature to another movement. Every movement triggered one of Evelyne's hidden formations.

Frost erupted. One limb froze. Then another. Then a third.

The Behemoth roared and activated Void Resonance. The chamber shook. But this time Evelyne was prepared. The ice formations were not connected to the surrounding vibrations. They were anchored directly into the stone beneath the creature. The pulse cracked several of them. It did not destroy them.

Selene reached the creature's side. Her blade struck one of the largest crystalline structures along its spine. The first cut cracked it. The second deepened the fracture. The third shattered it. The Behemoth staggered. The flow of mana through its body became unstable. The roots feeding it flickered.

Evelyne raised both hands.

"Now."

A massive Frostbind Array formed beneath the Behemoth. Chains of ice erupted from every direction, wrapping around its six limbs and forcing its body downward. The creature resisted. Its muscles bulged. Its claws dug into the stone. Void Resonance surged. The chamber trembled violently. Several roots snapped overhead.

But Selene was already there.

Crimson Battle Instinct drove her forward. Crimson Wolf Execution Art became a blur of precise strikes. She attacked the same fractured crystalline structure again and again. The Behemoth's regeneration struggled to keep pace. One final strike landed. The crystal shattered completely. The mana flowing through the creature's body collapsed into disorder. The dungeon's energy streams flickered.

Evelyne's expression hardened.

"Finish."

Frost exploded across the chamber. This time it did not form a wall. It formed countless thin spears that erupted from the ground, pierced through the creature's weakened armor, and locked its body in place. The Behemoth roared. Void Resonance surged one final time. The entire chamber shook.

Then Selene's sword pierced the fractured region of its spine. Crimson Battle Instinct pushed her timing to its limit. The blade entered.

The Behemoth froze. Its crystalline structures flickered once, twice, then went dark. Its enormous body collapsed onto the black stone platform. The impact shook the chamber.

Silence followed.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then the dungeon changed. The streams of mana feeding the corpse abruptly stopped. The roots dimmed. The oppressive pressure disappeared. A soft golden glow spread across the platform. A magical circle formed beneath the Behemoth.

Andras stepped closer.

Several objects appeared above the circle. The first was a large crystalline core nearly the size of a man's head, containing a dense violet light that moved slowly through its center. He activated the System.

[Ding!]

[Item Status]

[Name: Voidheart Crystal]

[Type: Monster Core]

[Rank: Extraordinary]

[Properties: Extremely High Mana Density]

[Special Property: Resonance Absorption]

Andras's eyes narrowed slightly. Resonance Absorption. Interesting.

The second object was a dark metallic bracelet. He scanned it as well.

[Ding!]

[Item Status]

[Name: Voidpulse Bracelet]

[Type: Artifact]

[Rank: Extraordinary]

[Special Skill: Mana Stabilization]

[Effect: Reduces mana disruption caused by external resonance and vibration-based attacks.]

That was far more useful than an ordinary artifact.

The remaining rewards were several high-purity mana crystals and a sealed jade container.

Evelyne approached the circle, examined the items briefly, then stored them without ceremony.

"The bracelet could be useful."

Andras nodded.

"It is."

Selene cleaned her blade and sheathed it. Lyra remained silent. She had watched the entire battle without being able to participate. The S-Class monster had been far beyond her current level. But she had learned something. Not merely how strong Evelyne and Selene were. She had seen how they fought together. Evelyne controlled the battlefield. Selene exploited every opening. Neither wasted movement. Neither fought for spectacle. Every action existed to create the next advantage.

Andras noticed her expression.

"You were watching."

Lyra straightened.

"Yes."

"Good."

That was all he said.

The dungeon continued to lose its pressure. Andras looked toward the platform. The corpse of the Voidrend Behemoth remained motionless. He extended Echo Resonance. This time the ability worked normally. The dungeon's mana network was shutting down.

"We should leave."

Evelyne nodded.

They turned away from the corpse. The journey back was strangely quiet. No more monsters appeared. The lesser creatures had either fled or been affected by the collapse of the dungeon's mana network. The deeper darkness gradually gave way to the faint blue glow of the outer tunnels.

Finally, they reached the portal.

The four stepped through. Cold evening air greeted them. Behind them, the portal flickered. Its edges became unstable. Then the distortion slowly collapsed into itself.

Andras watched it disappear.

He turned away from the empty patch of grass. The carriage waited nearby. Evelyne opened the door.

"Let's go home."

Andras stepped inside. Lyra followed. Selene entered last.

As the carriage began moving toward Darkmoor Estate, Andras leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.