Chapter 66 – The Abyss of Three Thrones.

The descent to the third and final floor of the Amethyst Labyrinth was marked by a drastic shift in the subterranean world's very structure.

There were no more narrow corridors or mining galleries.

As they crossed the grand obsidian arch, the squad confronted a colossal expanse: The Abyss of Imperial Crypts (Level 35-36).

The cavern ceiling rose over a hundred meters high, supported by sunken cathedrals of white stone and monumental pillars of pure amethyst humming with a deafening magic resonance. Natural stone bridges spanned bottomless chasms from which an icy violet mist drifted, and particles of raw mana floated in the air like glowing snowflakes.

Diana walked in the lead, her Dragon Crystal Chestplate reflecting the abyss's purple light, her mind operating at the apex of her Intelligence 139 and 850 mana points.

Beside her, Seraphina held her silver grimoire, her eyes wide behind round glasses, absorbing the third floor's sheer magnitude.

“This floor is no ordinary dungeon…” Seraphina said, her low voice echoing through the stone vaults. “Records from House Vesperis said the Imperial Crypts were the testing grounds of Asmodeus's generals during the First Era. Every hall on this level was designed to annihilate entire Level 35 squads.”

“Then it's the perfect training ground for us.” Diana replied, without slowing her pace.

It was at the exact second the group stepped onto the Bridge of Three Sovereigns, a fifty-meter stone structure spanning the central abyss, that the third floor's first major trial awakened.

***

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The Triumvirate of Imperial Guardians

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Three colossal amethyst sarcophagi carved into the bridge entrance exploded simultaneously in a shower of razor-sharp shrapnel.

From the depths of the imperial tombs, three Level 35 to 36 entities emerged in coordinated battle formation:

1. The Dark Amethyst Knight (Level 35 - Vanguard Boss): A three-meter-tall warrior clad in heavy black crystal plate armor, wielding a shock spear and tower shield. (HP: 1,800 / 1,800).
2. The Crystal Serpent Matriarch (Level 36 - Speed and Poison Boss): A hybrid monster with an amethyst tail and armored humanoid torso, wielding twin corrosive crystal scythes. (HP: 1,500 / 1,500).
3. The Archmage Priest of Arcane Flames (Level 36 - Magic Artillery Boss): A spectral entity hovering in midair with an imperial bone staff, channeling violet fire meteors. (HP: 1,400 / 1,400).

—Three Floor Bosses at once on the same bridge! The System's voice echoed in Diana's mind, the interface floating in black gold in the corner of her vision. They have area control, extreme speed, and heavy armor. There's no room to retreat on this narrow bridge, Diana!

“Annihilation Formation!” Diana ordered, her voice cutting through the abyss's howling wind like a blade. “Seraphina, hold the Priest in midair! Kael, lock the Black Knight down! Aurelia, barrier on the vanguard! Rhea, the Matriarch is ours!”

Diana activated [Aura of Arcane Domain] and [Commander's Loot] simultaneously.

The silver-blue light and black-gold runes blanketed all five members.

***

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The Battle of Five Pillars

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The Archmage Priest raised his skeletal staff, causing the cathedral ceiling to rain down violet fire meteors over the bridge.

Seraphina didn't hesitate for a single second.

With her silver grimoire glowing with pure elemental mana, the summoner channeled her most powerful spell:

Supreme Summon: Level 36 Runic Quartz Titan!

A four-meter-tall colossal titan of translucent rock materialized in midair above the bridge. The Titan spread its solid stone arms and intercepted the barrage of arcane meteors with its own rocky body, shattering the flames in midair and leaping directly onto the spectral Priest, locking the magic boss in melee combat atop a crystal pillar.

In the center of the bridge, the Dark Amethyst Knight surged forward with a devastating charge of its shock spear against Kael.

Kael drove his Volcanic Steel Shield into the rock backed by his 720 HP POINTS.

UNSHAKEABLE STANCE + IRON TAUNT!

BOOM!

The impact of the Level 35 spear against Kael's shield generated a shockwave that cracked the sides of the bridge. But Kael didn't retreat a millimeter. The volcanic chestplate's passive reflected 35% of direct physical damage back in red flames, snapping the boss's spear tip into sparks.

Aurelia-Elysia raised her Mana Crystal Staff with 640 MP.

TRIPLE PROTECTION BARRIER + AREA HEAL!

Aurelia projected three domes over Kael and detonated a glowing lilac light sphere on the Serpent Matriarch's face, blinding the fast monster for three seconds.

Rhea turned into a streak of silver and shadow.

PHANTOM STEP!

With Agility 91, Rhea shadow-blinked through the bridge's gloom and materialized in midair directly above the Matriarch's back. Her Dragon Silk and Shadow Daggers severed the creature's poison glands and spine in two flawless critical slashes.

CRUNCH! CRITICAL DAMAGE: 520!

***

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The Commander's Arcane Destruction

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While Rhea and Kael held the two physical combat bosses, Diana advanced through the center of the bridge with Intelligence 139.

She activated her supreme control spell:

MANA PRISON!

Diana extended both hands open. Transparent chains of pure energy wrapped around the Flame Priest and the Black Knight simultaneously, sealing both of their arcane spells and magic shields for four full seconds!

Without wasting a moment of advantage, Diana used [Arcane Teleportation], blinking eight meters into the center of the enemy formation.

She activated [Greed's Flame] in her left hand and [Arcane Storm Orb] in her right hand.

BOOM!

The electric storm and black flames exploded in a vortex of destruction in the middle of the bridge. Electric shock stunned both Knight and Priest, while black flames devoured whatever remained of the three bosses' MP.

Diana finished off the combat firing two double-charged Arcane Ice Lances backed by her 850 mana points, piercing the cores of all three monsters in a fulminating sequence.

The three Bosses of the Imperial Triumvirate shattered into a monumental shower of silver ash and amethyst shards that plunged into the depths of the abyss.

***

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[HISTORIC TRIUMVIRATE VICTORY ACHIEVED!]

[Three Level 35-36 Imperial Bosses Eliminated!]

- DIANA REACHED THE MILESTONE OF LEVEL 35! (1 Level Gained — Expedition Goal Met!)

- RHEA REACHED LEVEL 33! (2 Levels Gained!)

- KAEL REACHED LEVEL 32! (2 Levels Gained!)

- AURELIA-ELYSIA REACHED LEVEL 32! (2 Levels Gained!)

(Seraphina rose to Level 37).

[COMMANDER'S LOOT ACTIVATED (+30% BONUS)]

- Direct Coins from Three Bosses: 30 Pure Silver Coins.

- Rare Items: 3x Imperial Amethyst Cores (Level 36).

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Diana conducted the fair division of loot right on the bridge:

She handed the 30% share to Seraphina, 9 Pure Silver Coins, while the Arcane Greed Faction collected its 70% share (21 Pure Silver Coins).

***

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[COMPLETE ATTRIBUTE DISTRIBUTION]

- Kael (Level 32): 10 Free Points -> +6 Vitality (67 -> 73 VIT -> HP reaches a colossal 780 HP POINTS!), +4 Strength (44 -> 48 STR).

- Aurelia-Elysia (Level 32): 10 Free Points -> +6 Intelligence (66 -> 72 INT +6 Robe = 78 INT!), +4 Wisdom (43 -> 47 WIS). (MP reaches 700 MP POINTS!)

- Rhea (Level 33): 10 Free Points -> +6 Agility (83 -> 89 AGI +8 Gear = 97 AGI!), +4 Strength (41 -> 45 STR).

- Diana (Level 35 - Commander of Greed): 5 Free Points + Class Passives (+3 INT, +2 PER, +1 WIS) -> +3 Free Intelligence (139 + 3 + 3 = 145 INT!), +2 Vitality (47 -> 49 VIT -> HP reaches 490 POINTS!), +2 Perception (66 + 2 = 68 PER!), +1 Wisdom (29 + 1 = 30 WIS!). (MP reaches an incredible 920 MP POINTS!)

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***

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The Abyss Camp - The Conversation in the Chapel

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After crossing the conquered bridge, the party pitched their magical tents inside an ancient white stone chapel carved into the canyon wall.

While Kael and Aurelia-Elysia prepared hot rations and Rhea arranged sleeping mats, Diana and Seraphina sat on the chapel's marble steps, watching the violet mist float over the dark abyss.

Seraphina held her pouch with the nine newly earned silver coins, still stunned by the ease with which the squad had destroyed three Level 36 bosses.

“You fight as if you're playing chess, Diana…” Seraphina said softly, adjusting her round glasses. “You weren't afraid for a single second.”

Diana took a sip of fresh water from her canteen, staring out into the empty abyss.

“Fear doesn't pay bills and doesn't buy weapons, Seraphina.” Diana replied with tranquility. “Fear only serves to make you hesitate and turn into a corpse.”

Seraphina looked down at her own silver grimoire on her lap.

“My family used to say that crystal spirits choose summoners with pure hearts…” Seraphina let out a bitter laugh. “But purity of heart didn't stop the Council of Nobles from taking our archive and putting my grandfather's core up for auction for fifty gold coins.”

Diana turned her face slowly toward the summoner.

Her dark eyes stared at Seraphina with deep seriousness, devoid of mockery or condescension.

“Fifty gold coins seems like an insurmountable mountain to someone alone in the Second Circle, Seraphina.” Diana said, her voice calm and heavy with unshakeable certainty. “But to the Arcane Greed Faction… fifty gold coins is merely the profit of a few weeks of well-done work.”

Diana pointed toward the bottom of the abyss:

“We reached Level 35 today. Our ultimate goal in this Circle is Level 50 to cross the portal into the Third and Fourth Circles. And when we are up there, we will count wealth in the hundreds of gold coins.”

Diana leaned her body slightly forward:

“If you keep fighting with my squad, Seraphina… you won't just buy back your family's core before the auction. You will have enough power and gold never to have to bow before any noble in this Hell ever again.”

Seraphina's eyes went wide behind her lenses.

She looked at Diana, feeling the weight of authority and ambition of that seventeen-year-old human girl who spoke about conquering entire Circles as if it were a simple mathematical certainty.

In the young summoner's chest, the loneliness and despair that had accompanied her since her family's fall dissolved like mist in the sun.

Seraphina hugged her grimoire against her chest, a radiant, emotional smile lighting up her face.

“I will stay with you, Diana.” Seraphina promised, her voice firm. “To the Fourth Circle and beyond.”

Diana gave a small, sharp, satisfied smile, rising from the chapel steps.

The Arcane Greed Faction now had five loyal members, nearly thirty gold coins in the vault, and Level 35 conquered.

The final chamber of the Amethyst Labyrinth awaited right ahead. And Diana was ready to take definitive control of that world.

FInal Notes:

Diana Level 35!!!!!!! They're focusing on leveling up now, lol. Evolution!!!!