The room began to violently shake. The three other golems embedded in the pillars crumbled out, their forms breaking free from the stone. Each one turned toward the team, their cores whirring to life and glowing with deadly mana.
"Another mana beam!" Sosuke grabbed Rin and pushed her out of the way, taking the brunt of the blast as a beam shot from one of the golem's cores. The impact sent him flying across the room, slamming into the black stone wall with a pained grunt. The mana seared across his body, sparks of lightning flickering off his skin as he struggled to rise.
Arthur darted toward the nearest golem, eyes sharp, sword flashing in the dim light. He moved with precision, slipping past the massive arm that tried to crush him, and drove his blade into the exposed core. The golem let out a metallic screech, its body cracking apart as it collapsed into a heap of shattered stone.
Lyra turned as another golem lunged at her. She raised her hand, conjuring a sigil mid-air without an incantation.
"How…?" Sosuke gasped, still catching his breath.
"My core technique can form barriers that are practically unbreakable," she said, smirking. "Figured I could use it for something other than shields."
A translucent barrier flickered into shape just as the golem's fist smashed down, splintering against the unyielding wall of mana. Lyra twisted her hand, reshaping the energy into a massive hammer. She swung it with a fierce cry, the blow sending the golem careening across the chamber. As it struggled to rise, she shifted the mana once more, forming a sleek bow. Drawing back on the string, she conjured an arrow of pure arcane energy.
"You always open your core when you've got no other options," she said, releasing the shot. The arrow struck true, piercing the core and shattering it into fragments. The golem crumbled to pieces.
The last golem charged toward Sosuke and Arthur. They exchanged a glance — no words, just instinct. Sosuke dashed forward, lightning crackling around his body, and slid beneath the golem's arm, slicing at its leg with his katana. Arthur mirrored his movements, darting around the other side and slashing his sword across its back. The golem stumbled, trying to catch its balance, but Sosuke was already in the air, spinning into a downward slash. Arthur followed in perfect sync, their blades striking the core simultaneously. The golem exploded into rubble.
Ryoma dropped down from above, delivering a crushing kick to the remaining fragments. He dusted off his hands with a satisfied grin. "Guess that's that."
Sosuke wiped sweat from his brow, glancing at Arthur. "Not bad."
Arthur gave a small nod. "You too."
Ryoma patted Sosuke on the back. "What'd you say we go somewhere after this mission? Now you don't have to visit your 'friend' in the hospital anymore."
Rin tilted her head, eyeing them curiously.
Sosuke scratched his cheek, awkwardly smiling. "Heh, yeah, sure. You're right. We haven't gone anywhere together, have we? We've only been around each other for missions. Sorry about that."
Ryoma threw an arm around his neck. "As long as you make up for it by paying."
The massive doors at the end of the chamber rumbled open with dramatic weight, revealing a dark corridor. But the path they'd come from was gone, leaving only the unknown ahead.
"Great, we can't even go back the way we came," Sosuke muttered.
"It's like a portal or something." Lyra peered into the darkness, then glanced at the diverging paths. "There's a fork up ahead. We should split."
"I'm going with Sosuke!" Ryoma declared. "Just us two — it's decided."
Rin chuckled softly, amused by Ryoma's antics. Sosuke caught her gaze and returned a small smile.
"Wait." Lyra intertwined her fingers, a soft glow forming around her hands as a sigil appeared in the air. "I'll loan you one of my spirit summons so we can communicate." A small orb of mana emerged from the sigil, floating gently toward Sosuke.
"Thanks… I've never seen this before." Sosuke studied the orb curiously.
"Summoning spells are outdated and hard to learn," Lyra said, smirking. "But not useless."
She turned and followed Rin and Arthur down the second path, their footsteps fading into the shadows.
"Time to go," Ryoma said, giving Sosuke a playful nudge.