CHAPTER 27: STONE AND SACRIFICE

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The footfalls grew louder as they advanced. Heavy. Methodical. The sound of stone grinding against stone with each step.

The corridor opened into a chamber. Twenty feet across. Torches providing flickering light that cast dancing shadows on walls.

Three shapes stood in the center. Waiting. Hunting.

Lesser Stone Golems.

Each one was roughly six feet tall. Humanoid shape but clearly not human. Bodies carved from granite. Angular. Crude. Arms thick as tree trunks. Legs like stone pillars. No faces. Just smooth stone where features should be. Their cores glowed faintly through cracks in their chests. Pulsing orange. Concentrated earth mana.

They turned as one. Sensed intruders. Their movements were slow. Deliberate. But there was weight behind them. Power.

"Spread out!" Raze moved left. "Don’t let them corner us!"

Julius went right. Unarmed. His destroyed sword left behind on floor two. He’d have to fight with his bare hands and whatever he could find.

The center golem moved first. Raised one massive arm.

Then brought it down like a hammer.

Boom!

The impact cracked the stone floor. Sent fragments flying. The shockwave knocked Raze backward even though he’d dodged the direct hit.

His Combat Reflex had saved him. Predicted the strike. Let him move before it landed. But the area effect was still devastating.

The left golem charged. Faster than something made of stone should move. Its footfalls shook the ground.

Thud!

Raze used Scarlet Leap. Blurred sideways. The golem’s fist struck where he’d been standing.

Crash!

Stone met stone. The wall cracked from impact force.

He countered. Azure Edge came around in a tight arc. Aimed for the golem’s arm joint.

Clang!

The blade struck stone. Bounced off. Left barely a scratch. The golem’s body was too hard. Too dense. Regular strikes wouldn’t work.

"The cores!" Julius shouted. He’d grabbed a broken piece of the floor. Heavy stone chunk. Used it like a club against the right golem. "We have to hit their cores directly!"

The center golem raised both arms. Brought them down together.

Boom boom!

Double impact. The floor splintered. Cracks spread in all directions.

Julius stumbled. Lost his footing on unstable ground. The right golem’s fist came around.

Wham!

Direct hit. Caught Julius in the chest. Sent him flying across the chamber.

Crash!

He hit the wall. Hard. Slid down. Gasping. His Initiate Low Endurance was barely adequate. That hit should have killed him. Might still have broken ribs.

"Julius!" Raze couldn’t help. The left golem was on him. Swinging. Relentless.

He used Instant Transmission. Blinked behind the golem. Struck at the back where the core glowed through stone cracks.

Slash!

Azure Edge found the opening. Bit into the core. Not deep. Just a chip. But damage.

The golem roared. No mouth. The sound came from its core. Grinding. Angry.

It spun faster than expected. Backhanded Raze.

Wham!

The impact was devastating. Raze flew. Hit the ground rolling. His B rank Endurance absorbed most of the damage. But most wasn’t all. His ribs screamed. His vision blurred.

The center golem advanced on Julius. Raised one leg. Preparing to stomp. To crush.

Julius rolled. Barely. The stone foot came down where his head had been.

Boom!

He scrambled up. Grabbed another stone fragment. Threw it at the golem’s core with desperate strength.

Crack!

Direct hit. The core chipped. The golem staggered.

Raze recovered. Used the opening. Charged the left golem. Used Scarlet Leap to get above it. Came down with Azure Edge aimed at the exposed core.

Slash!

The blade sank deeper this time. Found critical mass.

Crack!

The core shattered. The golem’s body lost animation immediately. Became just stone. Toppled forward.

Crash!

One down. Two remaining.

But they were learning. The center and right golems moved together now. Coordinated. Flanking.

The fight became desperate. Brutal. Minutes of dodging. Striking. Taking hits that should be fatal. Surviving through sheer endurance.

Julius finally landed a critical hit. His improvised stone club found the right golem’s core at the perfect angle.

Crack!

It shattered. The golem fell.

The center golem fought alone now. More aggressive. More dangerous. Its attacks came faster. Harder.

Raze and Julius attacked together. Wore it down. Found openings. Finally shattered its core.

Crack!

Silence fell. Just heavy breathing. Pain. The first encounter complete.

"That was one," Julius gasped. Blood ran from his mouth. Internal injuries. "Eight more before the boss."

"Can you continue?" Raze’s ribs throbbed. His shoulder ached. Everything hurt.

"Have to. No choice." Julius stood on shaking legs. "For my sister."

The second encounter was worse.

Three golems in a narrow corridor. Less room to maneuver. Their area attacks overlapped. Created zones of unavoidable damage.

Boom boom boom!

The impacts were constant. Relentless. Stone fragments flying. Floors cracking. Walls crumbling.

Raze took a direct hit to his left arm. Felt something crack. Not broken completely. But damaged. His arm barely responded.

Julius took a glancing blow to his head. Nearly knocked unconscious. Blood poured from a scalp wound.

They survived. Barely. Three cores shattered. But the cost was mounting.

Third encounter. Fourth. Fifth.

Each fight was brutal. The golems were strong. Tough. Their cores were difficult to reach. Protected by dense stone bodies.

By the sixth encounter, Julius was limping badly. Multiple injuries. His movements were slower. Less coordinated.

Raze’s left arm was useless now. He fought one-handed. His blade work suffered. But his movement skills compensated. Barely.

The seventh encounter nearly killed them.

Three golems in a large chamber. They worked together perfectly. Created attack patterns that left no escape routes.

Boom! Crash! Wham!

The impacts came from all directions. Raze and Julius were battered. Beaten. Bleeding.

Julius took a hit that should have killed him. Stone fist to his spine. He screamed. Collapsed. Couldn’t stand.

Raze fought alone for precious seconds. Dodged. Struck. Used every skill he had. Finally shattered one core.

Crack!

That gave Julius time to recover. To stand. To rejoin the fight.

Together they destroyed the remaining two golems.

But Julius could barely walk now. His back was injured. Possibly serious. He’d used his last healing draught. Nothing left.

"I can’t," he gasped. "I can’t keep going. I’m done."

"You’re not done." Raze grabbed him. Supported his weight. "Two more encounters. Then the boss. We’re almost there."

"I’m slowing you down. Leave me. Clear it yourself."

"Not happening. We finish this together." Raze’s voice was firm. "Your sister needs you alive. So stay alive."

The eighth encounter was a nightmare.

Julius could barely fight. Raze had to protect him while engaging the golems. It was impossible. Unsustainable.

He took hit after hit. His B rank Endurance was the only thing keeping him conscious. But even that had limits.

Boom! Wham! Crash!

The impacts were devastating. Bones cracked. Skin split. Blood poured.

But he fought. Kept fighting. Used his last stamina enhancer. Pushed beyond exhaustion. Beyond pain. Beyond reasonable limits.

Finally. Finally. Three cores shattered.

Crack!

He collapsed. Couldn’t stand. His body was giving out. Everything screamed in protest.

Julius crawled to him. Both men lay on broken stone. Bleeding. Broken. But alive.

"One more," Raze whispered. "Just one more encounter. Then the boss."

"We’re going to die," Julius said. Not scared. Just stating fact. "We can’t beat the boss like this."

"We don’t have a choice. Your sister. My promise. We finish this or die trying."

They lay there for long minutes. Recovering what little they could. No healing draughts left. No stamina enhancers. No supplies at all.

Just determination. Just the desperate need to survive.

Finally they stood. Helped each other up. Two broken cultivators refusing to quit.

The ninth encounter was ahead. Final mobs before the boss.

They approached slowly. Every step agony. But still moving. Still fighting.

The chamber was large. Three golems waiting. They looked the same as all the others. Stone bodies. Glowing cores. Methodical movements.

But Raze’s Combat Reflex screamed warning. These ones were different. Stronger. Faster. The dungeon’s final test before the boss.

"Together," Julius said. "We hit them together or not at all."

"Together."

They engaged. The fight was desperate. Frantic. Neither man had anything left. Just willpower. Just the refusal to die.

The golems were faster than expected. Stronger. Their attacks came in patterns designed to kill. To finish wounded prey.

Boom boom boom boom!

Raze dodged. Barely. Used Instant Transmission. Appeared behind one golem. Struck its core.

Slash!

The blade chipped it. Not enough. The golem spun. Backhanded him.

Wham!

He flew. Hit the wall. Felt more ribs crack. Tasted blood.

Julius fought two golems alone. Unarmed. Injured. Desperate. He used broken stone. Used his own body. Threw himself at their cores with suicidal determination.

One golem’s fist came around. Too fast to dodge.

Wham!

Julius went down. Hard. Didn’t get up.

Raze screamed. Rage. Fear. Desperation. He used Scarlet Leap. Crossed the chamber in a blur. Struck the golem that had hit Julius.

His blade found the core. Driven by fury. By need.

Crack!

The core shattered. The golem fell.

Two remaining. Both turned on Raze.

He was alone now. Julius unconscious. Possibly dead. Everything riding on him.

The golems attacked together. Perfectly synchronized. Their fists came from opposite directions.

No escape. No room to dodge.

Raze used Instant Transmission. Blinked upward. Materialized above both golems. Came down with Azure Edge in both hands despite his damaged arm.

The blade struck one golem’s core. Found the opening.

Crack!

It shattered. That golem fell.

But the other’s fist caught him mid-fall.

Wham!

The impact was catastrophic. Raze’s vision went white. Pain beyond description. His Endurance was maxed. He should be dead.

But he wasn’t. Somehow. His body refused to quit.

He landed hard. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t move. The remaining golem advanced. Raised its fist for the killing blow.

This was it. The end.

Then Julius moved. Somehow. Despite everything. He grabbed a stone fragment. Threw it with his last strength.

Crack!

The throw was perfect. Hit the golem’s core at the exact right angle.

The core shattered. The golem toppled.

Crash!

Silence. Complete. Total.

Two broken cultivators lying in the ruins. Neither could move. Both barely breathing.

Minutes passed. Slowly. Painfully.

Finally Raze stirred. Forced himself to sit up. Every movement was agony.

Julius was breathing. Unconscious but alive. His back injury was severe. But not fatal. Not yet.

Raze crawled to him. Checked vitals. Still alive. Still fighting.

The boss room doors were ahead. Massive. Carved with intricate golem imagery. The final challenge.

The Greater Stone Warden waited beyond. The ultimate test.

Raze looked at his condition. One arm barely functional. Multiple broken ribs. Internal injuries. Exhausted beyond measure. No supplies. No backup. No hope of victory in his current state.

But Julius’s sister was dying. Sophie was waiting for him to return. Promises had been made.

He stood. Somehow. His legs shook. His vision blurred. But he stood.

Grabbed Julius. Dragged him toward the boss room. The unconscious cultivator left a blood trail. But Raze didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

They reached the doors. Raze propped Julius against the wall. Made sure he was stable. Breathing.

Then faced the doors. His hand on the handle. Azure Edge in his barely functional grip.

The Greater Stone Warden was beyond. The final boss. The last obstacle between them and salvation.

Raze was broken. Beaten. Barely able to stand.

But he’d come too far to quit now.

He pushed the doors open.

Creak.

The sound echoed in the massive chamber beyond. The boss room was enormous. Circular. Hundred feet across. And in the center.

The Greater Stone Warden rose. Massive. Twelve feet tall. Stone body carved with intricate runes. Arms like battering rams. Core glowing bright orange through chest cracks.

It turned. Sensed the intruder. Its movements were slow. But purposeful. Inevitable.

Raze stepped inside. Barely able to walk. Armed with a damaged blade and sheer determination.

Behind him, Julius stirred. Regaining consciousness. His eyes opened. Saw where they were.

"The boss," he whispered. "We made it."

"We made it." Raze’s grip tightened on Azure Edge. "Now we just have to survive it."

The Greater Stone Warden took one step forward. The impact shook the entire chamber.

Boom.

The final battle had begun.