As they passed through the towering doorway, Takeshi and Nyx stepped into a colossal hallway, lined with ancient pillars that stretched toward the high, shadowed ceiling. At the far end, an ornate door loomed, promising more danger beyond.
The air grew heavy, pressing against their chests with silent warning. Each step echoed through the vast chamber until the ground shuddered beneath them.
Without warning, the ceiling cracked open and an enormous shape crashed down. An orc — nearly twice their size — stood before them, its four muscular arms gripping a jagged sword and a spiked club. Its savage eyes locked onto the two intruders.
Takeshi drew his sword and unsheathed his gun in one fluid motion, stepping protectively in front of Nyx."Stay close to me," he ordered, his voice sharp with focus.
The orc let out a deafening roar, the sound waves rattling the very walls. The force knocked the wind from their lungs and dulled their senses, sending both of them staggering. Before they could recover, the creature lunged, smashing pillars and shaking the floor with every rampaging step.
Nyx gritted her teeth and teleported them behind a shattered column, her breath ragged."That thing's strength is unreal!"
Takeshi's eyes stayed locked on the beast, scanning its every move."So far, this might be the toughest thing I've seen in this dungeon."A thought sparked in his mind."When I was here before, the bosses were always bound to a mana crystal."
Nyx, still catching her breath, glanced at him."A crystal?"
"Yeah. If I'm right, this one has one too — and if we destroy it, the fight's over."
His sharp gaze swept over the orc until he spotted it: a glowing red mana crystal pulsing within its upper torso, radiating an ominous energy.
"Nyx, listen. When I give the signal — hit it with everything you've got. Trust me."
Without hesitation, she nodded.
Takeshi bolted from cover, gun raised, firing to grab the orc's attention. The beast snarled, charging with brutal speed, its club slamming down hard enough to splinter stone. He dodged by a hair's breadth, countering with a sword slash across its chest — but the blade barely left a scratch on its thick hide.
Enraged, the orc tore through the chamber, pillars crumbling and debris flying. Takeshi used the chaos to weave in and out, firing shots and slashing where he could. Though his attacks chipped away at the creature, they weren't enough.
In a blur, the orc seized him mid-strike, lifting him like a ragdoll and hurling him into the stone wall. Pain exploded through his body as he crumpled to the ground.
"Takeshi!" Nyx's voice cracked, her eyes wide with panic.
Rage flared in her chest. Ignoring her fear, she teleported directly in front of the beast, summoning a relentless wave of magic that rained down like a storm. The orc, battered but unyielding, powered through the assault and snatched her out of the air with one of its giant hands.
"Nyx!" Takeshi forced his battered body to move, pain screaming in every muscle.
The orc lifted her toward its gaping maw.
"Takeshi! Help me!" Her voice trembled with raw fear.
But his body wouldn't respond fast enough. The beast's jaws snapped shut — and she was gone.
Time froze. Takeshi stood in stunned silence, the world blurring around him. A heavy, unfamiliar voice whispered through the void:
"Do you wish for power?"
His fists clenched, heart twisting with rage and helplessness.
"Grant me your power!" he roared.
A violent green aura erupted around him, distorting the air. His body lifted from the ground as the newfound energy surged through his veins, warping space and time itself.
The world rewound, the moment reversing until Nyx hovered once more in the orc's grip — just seconds before her fate was sealed.
This time, Takeshi moved with unnatural speed. His gun, pulsing with green light, fired. The bullets tore through the creature's thick flesh, forcing it to drop her. He caught Nyx mid-fall, pulling her into safety before turning to face the beast.
His sword radiated with blinding green energy. With a single swing, invisible shockwaves split the air, severing the orc's arms one by one. Stepping in close, he drove his blade straight into the pulsing red crystal embedded in its chest.
The crystal shattered.
The orc let out one final roar as its body collapsed, shaking the chamber in its death throes.
The green aura around Takeshi flickered and faded. His strength vanished, and he dropped to his knees, barely able to keep upright.
Nyx scrambled to his side, her hands trembling as she pressed them against his chest, channeling every last drop of her mana.
"Takeshi!" she cried, voice cracking with emotion.
His eyes fluttered open, faint but alive."Nyx... are you okay?" he whispered.
Tears welled at the corners of her eyes, and she smiled softly."You're the one who saved me... Of course, I'm okay. Now stop talking and rest."
A faint chuckle escaped his lips, his body finally surrendering to exhaustion.
Nyx stayed by his side, her hands never leaving his, as she worked to stabilize his wounds — refusing to let go.