CHAPTER 173: INTERVENTION

The night air hit colder once they stepped out of the ramen shop, the warmth of broth still clinging faintly to Lucen’s throat. The streets were quieter now, lantern lights flickering and a few cars rumbling by in the distance. Their footsteps echoed off the narrow road, Varik steady and controlled, Lucen looser, his hood pulled low again.

Lucen let out a satisfied sigh. "You know... noodles weren’t a bad idea. Don’t tell me you eat there every night."

"Not every night," Varik said without looking at him.

Lucen smirked. "So what, just when you drag rookies out of burning buildings?"

Varik didn’t answer. He never did when Lucen fished too hard.

The silence stretched, broken only by the buzz of an old streetlamp overhead. Then, suddenly, the ground trembled. Just once at first. Then again, harder.

A sharp crack rang out from a nearby alley as the pavement split like glass. A shimmer of red light poured upward, jagged and alive, rippling through the air in a pulse. The temperature shifted, warm and biting, as if someone had lit a furnace under the street.

Lucen’s hand went to his pocket knife out of instinct before pulling back, letting mana stir instead. "Well. That’s new."

Varik had already shifted, stance solid, his eyes narrowing on the spreading rupture. "Dungeon break."

’Just our luck. Ramen still digesting, and the world wants to collapse again.’ Lucen rolled his shoulders, smirking despite the pit in his stomach. "So much for a quiet night."

The shimmer swelled, tearing wide until the portal split fully open, jagged red light pouring into the street. And then came the sound. A low, wet screech, like metal scraping against bone, growing louder as shapes pushed through.

The first creature stumbled out, long-limbed and spined, its skin pale like stretched parchment with veins glowing faintly beneath. Its jaw opened far too wide, unhinged, rows of teeth glinting. Behind it, more shapes pressed against the tear, clawing their way through.

Lucen whistled low. "Great. They’re ugly this time."

"Stay sharp," Varik said. His blade was already out, steel catching the streetlight, his presence grounding the chaos like a pillar.

Lucen cracked his knuckles, mana circling through his arms like heated liquid. ’Alright. Let’s see how far I can push this without showing off too much.’

The first monster screeched and lunged, claws scraping sparks against the pavement as it came straight for them.

Varik moved first, a blur of motion, his sword cleaving downward in one clean stroke. The creature split apart in a spray of dark ichor, collapsing before it could even fully hit the ground.

Another crawled out, skittering sideways with unnatural speed. Lucen snapped his hand up, a quick glyph of light sparking in the air before firing off in a sharp bolt. It caught the thing in the chest, bursting it backward into the alley wall with a wet crunch.

Lucen blew out a slow breath. "Two bowls of ramen and we’re back to pest control. I swear the world hates me."

Varik didn’t respond, already watching the portal, where larger shapes were pressing forward, their shrieks rattling glass in nearby windows.

The break wasn’t stopping. If anything, it was widening.

Lucen’s smirk slipped slightly as the ground shuddered underfoot again. ’That’s not normal. Crimson-class? No, too unstable. This feels worse.’

He glanced at Varik, voice casual even as his pulse spiked. "So, what are we thinking? Clean break, or is tonight gonna turn into overtime?"

Varik’s eyes never left the tear. "Overtime."

—

The crackling light of the dungeon rippled across the street like liquid fire, jagged shadows stretching long over the asphalt. Windows rattled in their frames, a dog somewhere down the block barked wildly, then went silent.

The first few monsters had been small, spined crawlers, long-limbed and sloppy. But now the tear widened with a sound like tearing metal, and heavier shapes pressed against it. Hulking silhouettes, horns, wings beating against the distortion as they shoved their way through.

Lucen’s smirk faltered into a sharp line. ’That’s not just crimson. That’s closer to violet.’ His stomach knotted. He flicked a glance at Varik. If Varik noticed, he didn’t show it, his expression the same, calm as stone.

The first of the hulks burst free. A giant, scaled thing, shoulders brushing the edges of the rupture. Its skin shimmered like obsidian, and when it opened its mouth the roar shook the nearby cars, alarms blaring in chorus.

"Big boy," Lucen muttered, sliding a step back.

Varik moved forward, blade angled low, his voice flat. "Stay left."

The beast thundered toward them. Asphalt cracked beneath its weight, each step sending vibrations through Lucen’s legs. He clenched his fists, mana pulsing hot through his veins. He let some leak into his eyes, not much, just enough to sharpen his vision, to see the lines of heat running across the creature’s hide.

Varik hit it head-on. His swing met the beast’s claw mid-arc, steel screaming against scale. The impact rattled Lucen’s teeth, but Varik didn’t budge. He shoved, forcing the monster back half a step, then pivoted and carved a line across its chest.

The creature roared again, staggered, then turned toward Lucen.

’Of course it does.’

Lucen snapped his wrist, flinging a burst of white-hot mana like a flare. The blast cracked across its face, making it stumble sideways. Not enough to kill, but enough to blind.

Varik was there in the next instant. His blade came down in a vertical slash, biting deep through its skull. The monster shuddered, let out a rattling groan, then collapsed in a heap, shaking the ground.

Lucen lowered his hand, muttering, "That’s one." He looked toward the portal. "And we’ve got... yeah, a lot more."

The tear pulsed again, stretching wider. Half a dozen crawlers spilled out in a frenzy, limbs scraping sparks as they rushed. Behind them, something winged flapped violently, the sound of leather and bone echoing through the night.

Lucen drew his own sword this time, letting a trickle of mana run along the steel. It hummed faintly, a glow hidden beneath the edge. He angled it casually. "You take the ugly ones, I’ll take the uglier ones."

Varik didn’t answer, already cutting down the first crawler that leapt. The sword cleaved clean through, ichor spraying the pavement.

Lucen stepped into the path of another, flicking his wrist. His blade moved fast, almost too fast, carving upward through the thing’s jaw before it could land a hit. Blood hissed against the charged steel. The crawler shrieked once before crumpling.

’Still too easy. If I push harder, Varik’s gonna notice. If I hold back too much, I’ll look sloppy. Gotta ride the line.’

Another one lunged at his side, Lucen pivoted smoothly, kicking it square in the chest before stabbing straight through its throat. His hood slipped back slightly with the motion, hair falling into his eyes.

He blew it away with a sharp exhale, muttering under his breath, "Goddamn pests."

Across the street, Varik cut through three in a single arc. His sword moved like lightning, but controlled, no wasted energy, no wasted motion. Monsters fell in heaps around him, and his boots didn’t shift an inch.

Lucen felt a twinge of annoyance. ’Show-off.’

The winged one finally tore free of the portal, a screech tearing through the night as its leathery wings spread wide. It swooped down hard, claws reaching.

Lucen didn’t think, he raised his blade, letting mana coil along its edge, and slashed upward. The arc of power ripped into the creature’s chest mid-dive, searing flesh. The beast let out a distorted wail before spiraling sideways and smashing into the side of a parked car. The vehicle flipped from the impact, glass shattering across the asphalt.

Lucen whistled low. "Guess that’s not coming out of my paycheck."

Varik’s voice cut through the chaos, calm even as he split another crawler in half. "Focus."

Lucen rolled his eyes but steadied, adjusting his grip on the sword. More shapes pushed against the portal, faster, smaller ones, shadows darting like feral dogs. Civilians screamed in the distance, the sound sharp, panicked, carrying over the city blocks.

Lucen froze for a beat, hearing it. ’Shit. Civilians. Of course they’d wander close.’

"Varik!" he shouted, pointing toward the noise. "We’ve got people!"

Varik glanced once, then nodded, slicing clean through the last crawler in his range. "Go. I’ll hold the breach."

Lucen hesitated a half-second. "You sure?"

Varik’s eyes cut to him, unflinching. "Now."

That was enough. Lucen bolted, boots hammering across broken asphalt. Mana surged into his legs, each step carrying him faster, until the shouts grew louder, clearer.

He rounded a corner and spotted them, a family of three, pinned near an overturned delivery truck. Two smaller beasts skittered around the wreck, eyes glowing faint red, jaws snapping.

Lucen didn’t slow. Mana flared along his blade as he closed the distance, the glow crackling hotter than he meant it to. ’Dial it back, dial it back—’

He swung. One clean stroke, splitting the first beast in two. The second turned just as his free hand lashed out, releasing a condensed pulse that slammed into its chest like a battering ram. It flew backward into the truck’s side, crumpling on impact.

The family screamed, shielding themselves, then froze when they realized he wasn’t attacking them.

Lucen sheathed his sword slowly, forcing his expression neutral. "You’re fine. Get up."

The man stammered, clutching his kid. "W-We can’t— the road’s—"

Lucen glanced once at the blocked path, then extended his hand. Mana hummed, forming into a shield-like barrier in front of them, translucent but solid. He jerked his chin. "Move. I’ll cover."

They didn’t argue. The three scrambled behind the shield, running past him down the street. The kid looked back once, wide-eyed, terrified, before disappearing around the bend.

Lucen let the shield drop, rolling his shoulders. ’Good. Now—’

The ground shook again. He turned back toward the portal just as another massive figure pushed through , larger than the last, easily towering over the nearby buildings. Its eyes burned like molten rock, and its claws dragged sparks as it climbed free.

Even from here, Lucen could feel the mana radiating off it like heat from a forge. His stomach tightened. ’That’s no crimson-class. That’s— damn it, that’s violet. Maybe worse.’

Varik stood alone in front of it, blade gleaming, completely unshaken.

Lucen jogged back, sword drawn, smirking despite the dread curling in his gut. "You couldn’t save me one of the little ones, could you?"

Varik didn’t look at him, eyes fixed on the towering beast. "Stay behind me."

Lucen snorted, rolling mana along his blade until it hummed faintly. "Yeah. Not happening."

The creature roared, shaking the entire block. Windows shattered, glass raining down in cascades. Then it lunged.

Varik met it head-on, sword clashing against claw with a thunderous crash. Sparks exploded. The street cratered beneath their feet.

Lucen darted to the side, heat burning his throat as he condensed a searing bolt in his palm. ’Alright, big guy. Let’s dance.’