Chapter 67 – The Shattered Crown.

The silence preceding the third floor's center was no ordinary silence. It was the heavy, icy quietude of a vacuum chamber, where the density of concentrated mana made skin prickle and breath condense into small white puffs in the air.

Diana walked at the vanguard of the five-member party, the plates of her Dragon Chestplate reflecting the purplish glow emanating from the end of the grand stone walkway.

Behind her, Kael adjusted the straps on his Volcanic Shield with taut arm muscles, Aurelia-Elysia held her crystal staff raised, its amethyst pulsing in a steady rhythm, Rhea moved close to the parapet shadows with controlled breathing, and Seraphina flipped through the pages of her silver grimoire, ready to summon at the slightest sign of movement.

They knew the Amethyst Labyrinth continued downward. There was a fourth floor, a fifth floor, and even darker chasms descending toward the roots of the Second Circle.

But the goal set by Diana before crossing the dungeon gate had been clear and non-negotiable: no one would leave that place before the entire squad reached Level 35.

Defeated the Sovereign of that floor was the final key to wrapping up the expedition.

Before them, the monumental doors of the Imperial Hall slid slowly open across crystal tracks without emitting a single creak.

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The Throne of the Imperial Crypt

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The boss hall possessed the scale of an entire gothic cathedral.

Colossal pillars of carved amethyst supported a black stone vault fifty meters high. In the center of the hall, hovering two meters off the floor before a broken quartz throne, rested the supreme lord of the crypts:

The Amethyst Emperor (Level 38 - Supreme Floor Boss).

The creature stood four meters tall, wearing overlapping plate armor of gleaming imperial crystal and a tattered robe of corrupted magic silk. Resting in its right hand was a three-meter-long broadsword forged from black amethyst, its blade warping the surrounding gravity.

Around the Emperor, four Floating Crystal Obelisks orbited slowly, emitting beams of purple light tracing target reticles across the hall floor.

The System interface appeared before Diana in black-gold lettering vibrating with urgency:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[SUPREME ALERT: FLOOR BOSS DETECTED!]

[The Amethyst Emperor - Level 38]

- HP: 3,800 / 3,800 | MP: 2,000 / 2,000

- Main Stats: Strength: 50 | Agility: 42 | Vitality: 48 | Intelligence: 45

- Combat Mechanics: [Orbital Fire Obelisks] + [Blade of Imperial Gravity]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Thirty-eight hundred health. Four orbital support obelisks.

Diana felt the weight of the creature's arcanum pressing onto the floor. But instead of hesitation, the Commander's dark eyes lit up with the coldness of someone who saw merely numbers to be dismantled.

“Asymmetric siege formation!” Diana commanded, her firm voice echoing through the cathedral. “Seraphina, right-side obelisks! Kael, lock down the first sword charge! Aurelia, barrier dispersion! Rhea, we break the anchors!”

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

The silver-blue light and black-gold runes blanketed all five bodies in the exact same millisecond.

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Phase One - The Storm of Obelisks

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The Emperor raised his black amethyst broadsword with a single hand.

The four orbital obelisks unleashed continuous beams of slicing purple energy that swept the hall floor like gigantic razor blades of light.

Seraphina slammed her hand onto her silver grimoire.

Summon: Level 37 Runic Quartz Titan + Barrier Sentries!

A four-meter titan of pure stone and two crystalline sentries materialized in midair, interposing their rocky bodies against the two rightmost beams, absorbing the laser impact with their mineral shields, preventing Aurelia-Elysia's footing from being severed.

The Emperor charged in a straight line across the hall, his broadsword coming down in a heavy, diagonal Strength 50 slash aimed straight at the squad.

Kael pressed forward without hesitation.

With his 720 HP POINTS, Kael drove his Volcanic Steel Shield into the rock, activating [Unshakeable Stance] and [Iron Taunt].

BOOM!

The impact of the three-meter broadsword against the volcanic shield caused the amethyst floor beneath Kael's feet to sink five centimeters into the rock. The dragon scales on Kael's chestplate flared like hot coals, and the steel's passive reflected 35% of the gravitational force back into the boss's arm.

Kael gritted his teeth until his gums bled, but didn't retreat a single millimeter. “I HELD HIM!”

Aurelia-Elysia raised her Mana Crystal Staff backed by 700 MP points.

REINFORCED PROTECTION BARRIER + AREA HEAL!

Aurelia projected two defensive domes over Kael's shoulders, mending the vanguard's muscle micro-tears before the boss's pressure could unbalance his stance.

Rhea turned into an invisible comet of Agility 91.

PHANTOM STEP!

Rhea shadow-blinked directly to the top of the first leftmost orbital obelisk. Her Dragon Silk and Shadow Daggers severed the anchor crystal with a double strike of +50% critical damage.

CRUNCH!

The first obelisk shattered in midair.

Diana used [Arcane Teleportation], appearing atop the second obelisk.

With Intelligence 145, Diana unleashed a point-blank [Arcane Ice Lance] into the crystal's core, freezing the mechanism and shattering the boss's second laser source into purple dust.

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Phase Two - Fury of Imperial Lightning

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Upon losing two of its orbital obelisks and having its HP reduced to 2,400 points, the Amethyst Emperor let out a roar of warped mana.

The outer plates of its imperial armor flew open, unleashing a violent storm of black and purple lightning that blanketed the entire cathedral.

The boss's speed surged by fifty percent.

Ignoring Seraphina's Titan, the Level 38 monster blinked across the hall in a trail of black electricity, driving a direct thrust toward Aurelia-Elysia and Seraphina in the rear guard.

“REAR GUARD, LOOK OUT!” Seraphina screamed, trying to conjure an emergency sentry.

Kael didn't think twice.

Even with his low Agility, the vanguard used the power of his leg muscles to hurl himself sideways like a living steel barrier in front of the two girls.

BOOM!

The tip of the black amethyst sword struck the side of Kael's shield with full force. The volcanic metal groaned, buckling inward, and the shockwave of black lightning tore through the protection, hurling Kael against the base of a stone pillar.

Kael's health bar plummeted from 720 to 260 HP, and the boy dropped onto one knee, spitting blood, yet keeping his shield driven into the floor between the monster and the two mages.

Aurelia-Elysia didn't panic. With her lilac eyes shining with determination, the priestess dumped 180 MP into an instant deep heal spell, restoring 200 HP to Kael's bar in the exact same second.

Diana, descending through the air via her arcane cloak, spotted the exposed opening on the monster's back.

Her dark eyes sparked with black gold.

—Diana! Now! The System roared in her mind. He spent his lightning mana! The internal core is exposed!

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Phase Three - The Sovereign's Vortex

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Diana landed on the floor five meters from the boss and activated her supreme skill:

GREED'S COMMAND - SOVEREIGN'S WILL!

A colossal column of golden light erupted from Diana's chest, fueled by the nearly thirty gold coins stored in the faction vault.

The +20% BONUS TO ALL ATTRIBUTES kicked into effect across the entire squad:

Diana's Intelligence surged to a monumental 174 INTELLIGENCE POINTS! Rhea's Agility exploded to 116 AGILITY POINTS! Kael's HP recovered to max density!

Diana extended both open hands.

GREED'S FLAME + STORM ORB + ARCANE ICE LANCE!

A triple elemental storm of black fire, pure static electricity, and a solid piercing ice stake collided straight into the top of the Emperor's skull.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!

The final magic explosion illuminated the entire cathedral in a blinding flash of blue, golden, and violet light.

Ice fractured the amethyst structure from the inside out, black flames devoured the monster's two thousand MP, and electricity shattered the imperial core into billions of sparkling particles.

The Amethyst Emperor's colossal four-meter body collapsed onto the hall floor, turning into a mountain of silver ash and broken precious stones.

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[HISTORIC VICTORY ACHIEVED!]

[Sovereign of the Imperial Crypts Defeated: The Amethyst Emperor (Level 38)]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Absolute silence descended over the cathedral.

Crystal dust settled slowly onto the black stone floor.

In the center of the crater, Diana touched down lightly, her leather jacket and Dragon Chestplate smoking with mana residue, gasping the fresh air of victory, feeling the overwhelming energy of a Level 38 monster's experience flood the entire squad.

A monumental surge of golden light enveloped the bodies of Diana, Rhea, Kael, Aurelia-Elysia, and Seraphina simultaneously:

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[EXPEDITION SUPREME MILESTONE ACHIEVED!]

- DIANA REACHED LEVEL 36! (1 Level Gained!)

- RHEA REACHED THE MILESTONE OF LEVEL 35! (2 Levels Gained — Goal Completed!)

- KAEL REACHED THE MILESTONE OF LEVEL 35! (3 Levels Gained — Goal Completed!)

- AURELIA-ELYSIA REACHED THE MILESTONE OF LEVEL 35! (3 Levels Gained — Goal Completed!)

(Seraphina rose to Level 38).

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[UPDATED STATUS PANELS - ELITE SQUAD]

- Diana (Level 36): Strength: 18 | Agility: 23 | Vitality: 51 | Intelligence: 151 | Wisdom: 31 | Perception: 70 | Willpower: 8 | Luck: 3. (HP: 510 / MP: 980)

- Rhea (Level 35): Strength: 49 | Agility: 95 (103 AGI) | Vitality: 25 | Intelligence: 7 | Perception: 13 | Willpower: 6 | Wisdom: 4 | Luck: 1. (HP: 250 / MP: 70)

- Kael (Level 35): Strength: 54 | Agility: 8 | Vitality: 82 | Intelligence: 6 | Wisdom: 4 | Perception: 5 | Willpower: 17 | Luck: 1. (HP: 870 / MP: 30)

- Aurelia-Elysia (Level 35): Strength: 5 | Agility: 7 | Vitality: 6 | Intelligence: 81 (87 INT) | Wisdom: 53 | Perception: 17 | Willpower: 5 | Luck: 1. (HP: 60 / MP: 790)

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Intelligence 151 for Diana with nearly a thousand mana points.

Rhea had crossed the legendary barrier of 103 Agility points.

Kael with nearly nine hundred hit points. Aurelia-Elysia with 87 Intelligence and nearly eight hundred mana.

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

The Emperor's Final Harvest

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

With the passive +30% Commander's Loot bonus activated by Diana, the bounty left by the Supreme Boss was monumental:

- Total Coins: 35 Pure Silver Coins.

- Legendary Item: 1x Heart of the Amethyst Emperor (Level 38).

Diana carried out the division of loot with Seraphina:

She handed over the 30% share to the summoner, 10 Silver Coins and 50 Bronze, while the Arcane Greed Faction collected its 70% share (24 Silver Coins and 50 Bronze).

Seraphina held the coins with tears in her eyes, realizing that in just four days with Diana's group she had accumulated nearly thirty silver coins toward buying back her family's core.

***

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

[FULL FINANCIAL AUDIT]

Previous Balance: 291 Silver Coins (29.1 Gold Coins).

Supreme Boss Loot Share (+30% Bonus): +24 Silver Coins and 50 Bronze!

[NEW ABSOLUTE NET WORTH: 315 SILVER COINS AND 50 BRONZE (31,550 Bronze! / EXACTLY 31.55 PURE GOLD COINS!)]

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Three hundred fifteen silver coins safely stored in the vault.

More than Thirty-One Pure Gold Coins.

***

Diana walked to the center of the ashes and picked up the Heart of the Amethyst Emperor, stashing the glowing jewel into her reinforced pouch.

She turned around.

At the back of the cathedral, a large black stone arch led to the labyrinth's fourth floor, but Diana didn't take a single step in that direction.

The goal had been set before entering: everyone was at Level 35 or higher.

Kael stood laughing with his 870 HP, Aurelia-Elysia put away her staff backed by her 790 MP, Rhea cleaned her daggers with the invisible speed of her 103 Agility, and Seraphina hugged her grimoire with a smile full of hope and loyalty.

Diana pointed her black steel dagger at the return teleportation portal glowing at the side of the hall.

“The siege expedition is concluded.” Diana declared, her voice crisp and firm echoing through the quiet cathedral. “We reached our goal. Let's go home.”

The squad marched together toward the return portal's light.

The Arcane Greed Faction was returning to the Ivory Citadel at Level 35, with thirty-one gold coins in the vault and power enough to challenge any authority in the Second Circle. The final stretch toward Level 50 was officially open.

Final Notes:

The number of this chapter is... Something.