Sihe i with Elnora unlog a Lazarus sword and Alex and Lilli being dragged away by the Prind Princess, we had been followed relentlessly, receiving tless invitations to attend differeings from both royal siblings. Alex and Lilli kept me informed about what they learned—one sibling seemed unsure of his path to the throne, while the other suspected something suspicious about her brother.

  Altogether, it was one giant royal headache, ohat only added to my burdens. One sibling threatened me with promises of wealth and power, while the other weled me warmly, friendship before pressing any decisions. Regardless of their methods, both were exhausting.

  I sighed as Lilli, Elnora, Alex, and I stood before the massive iron doors of the huh floor in the unknown endless dungeon. After weeks—no, months—of being shadowed, we had finally mao slip away and dive into the depths of this dungeon. I had deployed a few es of our bodies back at the academy, leaving them in our dorms as a precaution.

  Gripping my mana sword, I gazed up at the imposing iron doors. The dungeon's color palette was grim—bd gray stones lining the walls, an eerie atmosphere pressing in from all sides. Uhe previous endless dungeon, which was well-doted, this one had no known records. What we did know was that it had fewer floors, but each was far more dangerous, with a single, formidable boss guarding each level.

  Elnora summoned her Lazarus bde and took position beside me. Meanwhile, Lilli and Alex moved ahead, pushing the iron doors open. A slow, heavy creak echoed through the chamber as darkness spilled out like a liviy.

  “Lilli, light,” I whispered.

  She nodded, summoning her spirits, their glow casting a golden hue over the entrance.

  The room before us was vast, the silence punctuated only by the faint sound of breathing. As we stepped ihe spirits’ illumination revealed a horrifying sight—bones. Piles of them. Remnants of adventurers long since perished. ons, armor, and skeletons littered the ground, their owners fotten by time.

  Yet, the far half of the chamber remained shrouded in an unnatural darkness.

  “Lilli, send more spirits over there,” I murmured.

  She plied, direg more spirits toward the darkness. But as they heir light vanished—snuffed out as if devoured by the void itself.

  Alex sed the room for mana, his expression darkening. “I ’t sense a dungeon master,” he muttered.

  Something was wrong. The air was thick with something oppressive, an invisible weight pressing down on us.

  Then—

  “Shh! Do you hear that?” Lilli whispered, ing to an abrupt halt.

  We froze. The chamber fell into eerie stillness.

  “T-There’s breathing… from over there.” She pointed forward with her sword, ears twitg.

  A heavy wind surged through the room. The bess began to shift—not reg, but abs, drinking in the very essence of the space.

  Then, a silhouette emerged.

  Glowing purple eyes pierced through the darkness, and the form took shape—a massive creature bound in thick, a s. Its wings, wreathed in purple fmes, unfurled, casting flickering shadows across the room.

  Alex took an unscious step back. I could feel the raw mana radiating from the being—mana akin to my own.

  “What… what is that?!” Alex’s voice wavered, eyes wide.

  Elnora tightened her grip on her sword, her stance rigid with unease. Lilli summoned more spirits, encirg us in protective light.

  The creature stretched its wings fully, as if awakening from a deep slumber.

  Then, it spoke.

  “Who dares to awaken my slumber?” Its voice was hoarse, yet ced with something a—pity, perhaps?

  The dragon’s head lowered, its burning purple gaze log onto us.

  “Ah… The Emperor’s chosen, I see.”

  My grip on my sword tightened. “What is it talking about?” I thought.

  Silence.

  Then, the air ged. A soft, haunting melody filled the room—a song, dista sorrowful.

  (A Creepy Lulby)

  (Verse 1)Hush now, darling, close your eyes,Silver s weave lulbies.Cold as moonlight, soft as sin,ing tight, they pull me in.

  (Chorus)Rattle, rattle, whisper low,Iron kisses as they grow.Tighter, tighter, 't break free,s of night are holding me.

  (Verse 2)Rock me gently, steel embrace,Ghostly hands that touch my face.Shadows hum a hollow turapped beh a dying moon.

  (Chorus)Rattle, rattle, whisper low,Iron kisses as they grow.Tighter, tighter, 't break free,s of night are holding me.

  (Bridge)Weight so heavy, breath so thin,Laughter echoes deep within.Voices calling, soft and sweet,Pullio the deep.

  (Final Chorus - Fading)Rattle, rattle, whisper low,Iron kisses as they grow.Sleep now, darling, hush and see,s of night will cradle thee.

  When the song ehe skeletons surrounding us took formation, their purple auras growing as they reattached to one ahousands—no, hundreds of thousands—of skeletons surrounded us. Armor took shape, and at the end of the room, the dragon watched ily.

  "Survive, Grand Chosen. Rid of my s," it spoke, its voice raspy as it stood, surrounded by skeletons from adventurers of an era long past. It was like an army, but more: a forsuring something couldn’t leave.

  "We o get out of here," Alex said, stepping back.

  But as we turned around, the door behind us was gone, covered by magic. Silence filled the room, broken only by the ctter of skeletal ons as the army advanced. We readied our swords as the skeletons closed in, their formation tightening in the grand room.

  The dragon watched, its gaze unblinking, as the skeletons moved toward us. We began our assault, striking the skeletons as they lu us. But these were no ordinary skeletons; they were imbued with abilities from their past lives. Fireballs, lightning, and stone surged toward us. Elnora and I deflected the attacks effortlessly, cutting our way forward. Alex and Lilli fought side by side, dismantling the undead one by oheir strikes brutal and swift. The sound of crushed bones filled the air as we tore through the army.

  Suddenly, the room opened up to reveal more skeletons—this time heavy armor, wielding rge axes. They charged at us. We charged back, meeting them head-on, striking them down as they tried to blod parry. They could hold their ground for a time, but our teamwork was too much for them. With every swing of our bdes, we found their weaknesses.

  But then, the army kept ing. Wave after wave of skeletons, seemingly endless. It was a relentless onsught. We fought furiously, but the closer we got to the dragon, the more we realized how vast the army truly was. The dragon's bloodlust filled the room, its gaze locked onto us as we cast our spells and sliced through the skeletal ranks. The numbers were overwhelming, but we fought on.

  Then, the interface fshed: "Survive the Wardens Army. Timer: 02:00."

  The tdown was now at 10 minutes. We dashed back, reassessing the army before us. Lilli, Elnora, and Alex caught their breaths, their faces strained. We stood, exhausted but ready.

  "Why are there so many of them?" Elnora muttered.

  "They’re really pissing me off," Lilli added, her spirits sharpening her swords.

  Alex remained silent, his eyes on the dragon. "Doesn't he look familiar?" he said, voice low.

  I looked up at the dragon, a sudden fsh nition hitting me. My mind flickered back to the waiting room. One of the paintings there depicted a dragon standing high on a mountain, its silhouette framed against destru. The memory was blurry, but the name beh the painting seemed to pulse in my mind.

  "Kuragari..." Elnora whispered.

  At the mention of the he skeletons halted, then crumbled apart. The timer oerface disappeared. The s holding the dragon shattered as it moved from its ptform, unfurling massive wings.

  With a roar, the dragon released a burst of purple fire from its mouth—a beam of pure destru. The attack hurtled toward us, but I raised my mana in defense, defleg the bst just in time. The impact crashed into the ceiling above us, sending rubble raining down as we braced for what came .

  "You are not worthy, mortal," the dragon spoke, its voice eg with a powerful authority. "Who dares speak my name? You are not worthy."

  Before Elnora could respond, Alex raised his hand, his pink aura surrounding it. s of mana rose from the ground, attempting to restrain the dragon. The dragon fpped its wings, lifting into the sky. Some of the s ed around its feet, but the dragon’s immense maed them away effortlessly.

  It let out a sinister snarl, and with a fierce roar, it fired a massive beam of energy into the ceiling, causing the entire duo shake violently.

  “DON’T LET HER LEAVE!” Alex shouted.

  Meanwhile, in the academy, Evastor sat in his offiear the window, engrossed in a grimoire. Suddenly, an uliion pinged in his mind. He looked out the window, his eyes widening in realization.

  “No!” he excimed. “Out of all the great protectors they could have awakened, it had to be Kuragari!”

  He smmed the grimoire closed and shouted toward his assistant. "y office hours!" With urgency, he dashed toward the training area. Large, blue wings sprouted from his back as he took off, s into the sky. The distant purple beam illumihe night sky as he sped toward it.

  “No, no, no!” Evastor cried, his heart pounding. "Kuragari 't be free!"

  Ba the dungeon, Elnora and I charged toward the dragon, swords raised high. I cast my mana to summon s, which surged toward the dragon, attempting to bind it. But instead of fighting, the dragon soared upward, heading toward the hole it had made in the ceiling.

  "FOLLOW HER!" Alex yelled, his voice urgent.

  Alex swirled his pink mana, and sakura flowers surrounded him before he vanished in an instant.

  “Where did Alex go?!” Lilli shouted, her eyes wide with shock. "He teleport?!"

  Elnora, quick to react, eled her green mana. She cast a teleportation spell, and in a fsh, we found ourselves outside the dungeon. Alex stood there, staring up at the sky as the dragon fully expas wings uhe moonlight.

  “I—Kuragari has arrived,” the dragon spoke, its voice filled with menace. "Prepare for destru."

  Alex stood atop the dungeon, his swripped tightly in his hand. He tossed it aside with a defiaure, his pink mana swirling around him.

  “We—WE OT LET HER LEAVE!” he yelled.

  Suddenly, Evastor appeared, charging toward the dragon at full speed, uhing his katana and striking toward the beast. Kuragari swirled her purple mana, appearing distantly behind them, her eyes locked oor.

  “Those who oppose the throne shall suffer,” the dragon procimed.

  "Y-YOU 'T!" Evastor shouted, his voice trembling with emotion.

  An ice-blue mana swirled arouor as he aimed his katana toward the dragon. "THOSE ANDS ARE OLD, KURAGARI!"

  Alexander, Lilli, Elnora, and I exged gnces, stunned by the revetioor knows the dragon?

  Kuragari fixed her gaze oor, the moonlight casting ahereal glow owo. "I don’t have time to eain the emperor’s chosen. I must avenge our emperor and find the empress," the dragon growled, its voice full e.

  “Y-YOU DON’T HAVE TO!” Evastor yelled. “I WON’T LET YOU WREAK HAVO THIS WORLD WITHOUT CHECK!”

  He swung his katana at Kuragari, but before the ice wave could reach her, the dragon ed herself in her wings, enveloping herself in a barrier of purple mana. In an instant, she vanished.

  "THOSE WHO IMPOSE THE THRONE SHALL SUFFER," she spoke, her voice fading as she disappeared into the night.

  “No!” Evastor shouted, his fury boiling over. “PLETE DIVIERVENTION!”

  A massive ice crystal formed around him, and with a roar, it shot toward Kuragari. But she vanished before it could strike her, leaving only the cold air to chill Evastor’s bones.

  Evastor looked down at us, a new expression on his fae of pure horror.

  "I-I must find her," he murmured, his voice strained with urgency.

  “I’ll go with you!” Alex yelled, his palpable.

  “NO!” Evastor’s voice cracked with and as he turned sharply. “I must discipline her for her defiance.” His eyes locked on the sky, and with that, he soared upwards.

  Alex stood there, his face pale as he looked back at us. Worry swept across his features as he muttered under his breath, "What have we released?"

  At that moment, a notification popped up in front of me, and the interface fshed:

  ?Rewards:?

  ?plete Spell: Kneel?

  Special Quest Unlocked (1)

  Additional Mana Gained: +100

  ?Special Quest:?

  Tame The Great Dragon Kuragari (0/1)

  I hope you are all enjoying Arc 2! I will be on a hiatus for this ing weekend however, I will be releasing more chapter going into week!

  i Chapter: Arc 2 - 25. Rumors and Crity