CHAPTER 1187: CONCERN FOR BATTLE AHEAD

They waited in silence, minutes stretching thin while the arena breathed around them.

No one lowered their guard. Every gaze in that place stayed sharp and their every sense pushed outward.

Magic power hummed beneath skin and armor. For now they were restrained but ready to explode at the slightest trigger.

Erend hovered above, eyes glowing as Dragon eyes narrowed.

They were certain that the monster was here. It had to be. Every level before this had followed the same rule of trial and battle facing different kinds of monsters. And this one was a Boss, something forged to surpass everything they had faced so far.

The fact that none of them could detect it made the pressure heavier.

"That means it’s dangerous," Erend said to them. "If it can hide from us, then it’s not ordinary."

They all think the same as him. Even he, Eccar, and Aesa as Dragonborns couldn’t detect this monster.

But then, the air suddenly rippled.

A distortion spread across the arena floor, like heat warping space. Shadows twisted and colors bending inward until something massive peeled itself out of nothingness.

The creature revealed itself layer by layer a few meters in front of them. Scales flashing between obsidian black, blood-red, and dull silver as if the world couldn’t decide how it should look.

It resembled a colossal chameleon, its body low and wide, with muscles that were packed tight beneath adaptive scales.

Its eyes bulged and rotated independently, glowing with predatory intelligence. A thick tongue coiled within its jaws like a loaded weapon.

It’s dense, oppressive, and feral aura that was powerful enough to make the ground vibrate slammed into them the moment it fully appeared.

"We attack this thing together," King Gulben commanded.

He moved first, golden aura igniting around his body as he surged forward, sword blazing with the same light.

Aurdis followed immediately behind him, her Magic flowing in precise support, reinforcing his strikes and guarding his blind spots.

Aerchon unleashed his true strength. Silver aura flared violently as his Magic sword cut through the air, slashing toward the monster’s flank.

While Saeldir mirrored him with his own silver power weaving sharp sigils that locked space and tried to limit the creature’s movement.

The chameleon vanished again in the middle of their strike.

Its tongue snapped out of nothingness, whipping toward king Gulben with crushing force.

He managed to deflect it, boots skidding across the obsidian floor. The creature reappeared behind Aerchon a second later, its claws raking forward, then disappeared again before retaliation could land.

Then suddenly its tail crashed down, cracking the arena floor. Luckily Aerchon still managed to move away.

Adrien and Billy stayed back, watching and calculating. Sylmira and Arty held positions beside them. Adrius and Lysander also wait. Their eyes were also locked on every distortion, waiting.

"I think this was not our time yet," Arty muttered. "It’s too crowded over there."

Adrien, Adrius, and Sylmira agree to her words. The other three listened to their superiors.

The battle erupted into a deadly rhythm over there. The chameleon would appear, strike, then vanish again. Its attack tested their coordination, forcing them to move as one with their eyes peeled open.

Erend, Eccar, and Aesa all understood it without needing to say a word.

They could end this fight instantly if they chose to. One decisive strike from any of them—let alone all three—would erase the chameleon outright, shattering the arena and everything standing within it.

The monster’s presence, no matter how dangerous, was still far beneath what a Dragonborn could unleash at full strength.

But that power came with a cost.

Those fighting below would not survive the backlash. The arena would not survive it either. This was not a battlefield meant for Dragonborn annihilation.

So the option never truly existed. It was dismissed the moment the thought surfaced. They didn’t even say it out loud.

Aesa’s gaze lingered on the battle below, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere, darker and heavier.

Her worry tightened slowly in her chest, not for the monster in front of them, but for something far beyond this Dungeon World, which was the real problem.

She thought of Zerathul and Krono’s remnants.

"What do you think Zerathul is capable of doing now?" Aesa asked with a distant look.

Erend and Eccar were silent.

If Zerathul truly managed to wield the Time Dragon’s power, then the danger would be worse than anything they were facing now.

Krono’s authority was not simple destruction. It was time itself. The ability to peer into the past, trace causality, and glimpse futures yet to unfold.

If that power was corrupted and bent to Zerathul’s will, then their resistance could become meaningless. Every move predicted, and every outcome adjusted. Every victory could be denied before it even began.

The thought chilled her.

Erend and Eccar fell into the same silence, their expressions darkening as the implication settled. They had considered it too.

Time power in the hands of an enemy was not just strength, it was inevitability.

After a moment, Erend spoke, his voice low and steady.

"If Zerathul truly gains control over Krono’s power, then this won’t just be about strength anymore. That’s why we need to be ready," he said, eyes still fixed on the battlefield below,

Eccar folded his arms, jaw tightening. "Time itself will be his weapon. He will have the ability of prediction, reversal, and preparation before we even move."

Aesa clenched her fists. "That means that every path we take could already be known to him. It was like every mistake we made waiting in advance."

Erend nodded slowly. "Yes. But only if he fully masters it. Time power isn’t something that bends easily. Krono was born with it, right?"

"Right. And Zerathul isn’t Krono," Eccar added. "He stole that power. That means he will experience instability and limits."

Aesa sighed, forcing her worry down. "Then we can’t give him time to adapt."

"That’s why this Dungeon World is important," Erend said. "We will only spend a short amount of time here, and when we are outside we will be ready."

Below them, Magic blade clashed and Magic power flared as the chameleon monster continued its deadly dance.

The fight dragged on, and it became clear just how difficult this creature truly was.

King Gulben’s golden blade cut through the arena again and again, precisely and heavily with his Magic sword, but the chameleon slipped away at the last instant every time.

One moment it stood before him, as if he could strike it at any moment, but the next second it vanished, leaving only a fading ripple in the air.

Aurdis followed his movements flawlessly, her Magic reinforcing his swings and guarding his back, yet even their perfect coordination failed to land a decisive hit.

Aerchon and Saeldir pressed harder from each side. Silver light flared as their power surged, spells and sword strikes weaving together to corner the monster.

Saeldir’s sigils spread across the floor and into the air, locking space, sealing Magic, and attempting to bind the creature’s movement.

It should have worked. But the chameleon ignored it.

Its body flickered, scales shifting color, and it slid straight through the sealed space as if the restraints did not exist.

The runes trembled, distorted, then shattered, unable to grasp something that refused to remain fully present.

The monster retaliated immediately. It reappeared above them, its tongue lashing out like a spear at them, then vanished again before a counterattack could land.

Its claws tore shallow gouges across the obsidian floor and its tail smashed down with enough force to send cracks racing outward. The Elves were being pushed back.

The realization settled over them all at once.

This Boss was not just fast. It was able to resist their control. That made it far more dangerous than any monster they had faced before.

The others were still watching from behind, waiting for their right moment to move.

"I guess this is the moment for us to move," Sylmira said quietly as she watched from behind.

Adrien looked at the battle ahead and nodded.

"Yes. I think you’re right." He turned his head toward Billy.

Billy met his gaze and gave a short nod without saying anything.

Adrius and Lysander said nothing. They only looked at each other for a brief moment before nodding in silent understanding.

"First, we need to restrain its movements," Sylmira said. She turned toward Adrius. "Archmage, I’ll need your help to make this easier."

"Yes," Adrius replied calmly and rolled the sleeves on his robe.

Sylmira stepped forward beside him, and both of them raised their hands, beginning to weave spells as glowing signs formed in the air.

"These are restraining sigils," Sylmira said under her breath to inform Arty.

When the last symbol locked into place, Adrius spoke without turning back. "Once we’re done, you can move."

The sigils in the air looked the same. Sylmira and Adrius just knew what they need right now and without saying anything they coordinated perfectly.

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