The Box: Fate
Chapter 30 — The Iron Crucible of Solis
The air in the deep catacombs of the High Temple grew so cold that every breath the sixteen survivors took turned into a cloud of frost Standing before the massive Iron Gate was the Ancient Sentinel a giant of rusted metal and blue soul-fire This was the trial Demi God sacrifice had unlocked—the gatekeeper of the Class Advancement Shrine
Level 30... It's a wall we haven't climbed yet Sharky Bee whispered his Green Aura flickering as he analyzed the Sentinel movements His defense is astronomical
Then we break the wall! Axel Hatanaki roared his muscles bulging as his golden energy reached a fever pitch
The battle erupted with a violence that shook the very foundations of the city above Axel and Sharky Bee acted as the dual engines of the attack Sharky Bee was a blur of emerald light his daggers striking the Sentinel joints with the precision of a surgeon Every time the giant tried to swing its massive mace Sharky Bee was already behind its heels severing the magical tendons that held the armor together
Axel Hatanaki didn't bother with precision He was the hammer Using his Titan Strike he met the Sentinel mace head-on The shockwave of the collision cracked the stone floor for fifty yards
Everyone focus fire! Kataki voice commanded from the rear His Void Sight blindfold was glowing intensely He weak to concentrated mana at the center of his chest! Don't let up!
The sixteen players moved in perfect synchronization Monk Fish used his new Iron Buddha Strike sending pulses of jade energy that vibrated through the Sentinel core
* Anastasia charged forward her Spear of Destiny trailing white celestial fire piercing through the gaps Sharky Bee had created
* Murasaki and Hina combined their powers—one weaving a web of dark violet gravity to slow the giant the other channeling a massive pillar of light to burn away the void-corruption within the metal
The Sentinel let out a metallic scream its blue flames flaring It raised its hand summoning a horde of Soul-Eater Wraiths from the walls to swarm the group
Zanaki! Now! Kataki shouted
Zanaki didn't hesitate He stepped out from the shadows the Dragon Sovereign card fused to his heart pulsing with a heat that melted the frost on the floor He didn't manifest the dragon fully but he let the Dragon Breath flow through his veins He leaped into the air his eyes flashing with a draconic slit
Burn! Zanaki roared A wave of golden-red fire erupted from his palms incinerating the Wraiths instantly and melting the Sentinel outer plating
The battle lasted for hours The players were pushed to their absolute limits their mana pools draining to almost zero But as they fought they felt something shifting Every strike every dodge and every successful combo was generating a massive influx of hidden experience points
Suddenly a series of golden light pillars erupted from the sixteen players one after another
-[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: BATTLE THRESHOLD REACHED]-
-[LEVEL UP: AXEL HATANAKI — LEVEL 32]
-[LEVEL UP: SHARKY BEE — LEVEL 31]-
-[LEVEL UP: ZANAKI — LEVEL 33]-
-[LEVEL UP: KATAKI — LEVEL 35]-
[ALL REMAINING PLAYERS REACHED LEVEL 28-30]
With their new power the tide turned Axel Hatanaki delivered the final blow a Titan Strike so powerful it shattered the Sentinel into a thousand pieces of scrap metal
The massive Iron Gate groaned and slowly began to swing open
As the smoke cleared the sixteen players stood panting their bodies glowing with the residue of their level-ups They looked at their hands feeling the massive increase in strength speed and mana capacity They were no longer the weak newbies who had entered the Box They were becoming the very legends they were meant to be
Level 30... Akira said looking at his status screen We've finally crossed the threshold
Kataki walked toward the open gate the silver runes on his blindfold pointing toward a glowing altar in the center of the room The Shrine of Advancement This is where we stop being players and start being Hunters of the End
But as they stepped into the shrine a voice whispered from the shadows of the room—a voice they hadn't heard before
So many bright souls the voice giggled The Architect will be so pleased to see how much you've grown... before he harvests you
The sixteen players instantly drew their weapons Their level-up was complete but the real hunt was just beginning