A brutal explosion tore through the air—the moment the chains flickered with red light, the child's body detonated, sending flesh and shattered bone flying in all directions, staining the nearby floor and walls with blood. The air was filled with the stench of scorched flesh and rust. Luna, Dan, Vivella, and Gar stood frozen, speechless for a long time.
"They… they even used children…" Vivella's voice trembled, a flash of uncontrollable fury in her eyes.
"The chains… are detonation control devices," Luna murmured, her mechanical eyes flashing rapidly between red and blue, as if decoding the devices' mechanism.
"This kind of act… no longer deserves to be called human," Gar gripped his staff, the faint aura of dark souls swirling around him seeming to respond to their master's rage.
"They not only use lives as tools—they trample dignity beneath their feet," Dan said in a low voice, his twin blades spinning at his fingertips, a glint of cold fury in his eyes. "They must pay for this."
Though the children's explosions temporarily halted part of the black humanoids, those injured quickly resumed their movements. The lack of red-glowing chains around their necks suggested they were currently free from control. Like a wave of black storm, they surged toward the second floor.
Terrible screams rang out one after another.
"Get away! You filthy knock-offs!" someone on the top floor screamed, trying to flee. But the black humanoids pounced, ripping into his flesh with sharp fangs. The sound of bones breaking sent chills down the spine. The man collapsed, struggling, as his blood pooled on the floor. His final screams drowned in a sea of corpses.
In an instant, the second floor became a living hell.
"…We must stop those black humanoids from going higher," Luna said through gritted teeth. Her mechanical arm activated, and the magical circuits in her palm lit up.
"It's time to act," Gar nodded. With a wave of his staff, two pale skeletal soldiers clawed their way out of the void, growling as they marched forward.
"I'll flank them," Vivella readied her bow, its arrowhead glowing with emerald light.
The four were just about to strike—when a voice, familiar and terrifying, froze them in place.
"Long time no see… my old friends."
That voice seemed to pierce their very souls, leaving their bodies paralyzed. Then, a humanoid mass of black energy seeped from the floor, slowly taking form. It was Orion—the trapmaker of the Tenfold Trials.
He had no distinct face, but his presence alone tightened every nerve. A being that devoured the light itself—his very aura made the air heavy.
"Orion…" Luna whispered, her eyes reflecting a swirl of complex emotions.
"So, the gang's all here," Orion sneered coldly, his voice laced with mockery and a strange satisfaction.
"Orion!" Vivella shouted, spinning her bow as an arrow shot forth. "We finally meet!"
Almost simultaneously, Luna, Dan, Vivella, and Gar launched their attack. Light, shadow, magic, and blades poured down upon the black figure.
Luna unleashed a brilliant white electromagnetic pulse that slammed into Orion's chest, carving a deep scar into the floor. Dan followed closely, his twin blades—one of ice, one of fire—slashing at Orion's arms. He softly chanted the Song of Tides, the flowing incantation disrupting the energy around them.
Gar swung his staff, sending a wave of dark fire toward Orion's head, summoning two undead knights that charged without hesitation. From afar, Vivella fired a barrage of arrows infused with purification magic, each one aimed precisely at Orion's energy core.
Their coordination was flawless. The assault raged like a storm.
However—
Orion stood unmoved, countering everything with only a basic energy shield. He didn't even raise a hand to attack. Each defense seemed pre-calculated—ice and fire blades failed to pierce, the black flames were absorbed, purification arrows veered off target, and Luna's blast only triggered a ripple around him, causing no harm.
"That's it?" Orion sneered. "Do you really think you've grown that much over the years? Or do you believe strength in numbers can change fate?"
His gaze swept over them, forcing each of them to step back involuntarily.
"We don't believe," Gar said through clenched teeth. "We know that justice will defeat you."
"Justice?" Orion's tone dripped with mockery. "Your so-called justice is nothing more than sugar-coated lies told by those in power to pacify the masses."
Dan's twin blades struck out again, this time carrying a high-frequency wave from the Song of Tides. He roared, "Shut up!"
Orion's shield trembled slightly—perhaps affected. Yet he stood firm, his cold gaze still locked on them.
Then, the black humanoids behind seemed to sense Orion's presence. They turned and began to charge toward him, roaring—only for Orion's crimson eyes to flash.
"Do what you were made to do."
His voice, like a curse, echoed through the air.
Instantly, the raging black humanoids froze, then turned into lifeless puppets standing obediently beside Orion. Then they moved again—not toward him or the group, but past them, racing upward to higher floors.
Luna's eyes widened. "He… he can control them?"
"Not just control," Gar said quietly. "He's the mainframe."
"What now?" Vivella asked through clenched teeth, her bow drawn again, eyes brimming with killing intent.
Dan stood tall, eyes fixed on Orion. "We keep fighting—but stay calm. He's only an obstacle… not the end."
Orion watched them silently, as though waiting for their next move. Black energy surged within him like pure chaos. He hadn't attacked—yet he seemed capable of destroying everything in an instant.
In that moment, even the air stood still.
"Orion!" Gar took a sudden step forward, his roar thundering, "Was all of this your trap?"
Standing amidst layers of blood mist, Orion's expression remained indifferent, though a mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips. "You've finally figured it out. Too bad—it's already too late." His gaze swept over the group, and he shrugged with disdain. "Yes, this is my scheme—and it's far from my only one."
Before he finished speaking, Orion waved his right hand lightly. A formless black force shot out like chains, instantly binding Luna, Dan, Vivella, and Gar in midair. Their bodies trembled violently, as if caught by an invisible giant hand gripping their throats, rendering them completely voiceless.
Orion turned and looked down at the struggling black humanoid creatures. Raising both arms, he released a strange, black-red energy from his palms, as though drawn from the abyss itself. "Go… become the fear they all dread," he whispered.
The black-red energy flowed into the creatures. Already frenzied, they let out piercing screams as red light surged through cracks in their skin like pulsing veins. Their muscles swelled, and reason left their eyes—only madness and destruction remained.
"Now enjoy the feast!" Orion laughed maniacally before his figure turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished into the air.
At the same time, the force that bound the four was lifted. Luna and the others crashed heavily to the ground, their breaths mingling in exhaustion.
"He's gone—but the monsters are still here!" Luna sprang to her feet, conjuring a magic circle between her hands as her mechanical wings unfurled behind her.
"Let's go!" Dan unsheathed his twin blades, his eyes icy as he dashed into the horde of black humanoids. Like a fish through water, he cut off one's arm with a swift strike, then slashed another across the neck with his second blade.
"The will of the dead, I shall awaken." Gar calmly chanted an incantation. A shield made of white bone rose around him, and the ground split open as several wraiths formed from black mist emerged, entangling the creatures in battle.
"I'll support you!" Vivella stood at the rear, her silver bow drawn to its fullest. Her arrows were wrapped with green vine magic, and each shot pierced the heart of a black humanoid. Whenever an ally was injured, she wove healing circles with her hands to restore them.
The guards and mages on the upper levels joined the fight, casting fireballs, frost arrows, and lightning strikes to push back the enemy. Meanwhile, adventurers stationed in YaDu City also raised their weapons to fight alongside the defenders.
"They're holding them off! We're gaining control!" someone shouted.
Soon, the black humanoids were forced into the second-tier area. Just as the crowd began to relax, a new horror emerged.
The severed limbs and shattered torsos weren't truly dead. They began to twitch and crawl, as though driven by some will. Severed arms reached toward severed legs, broken torsos clung to shattered heads. Within moments, the fragments frantically converged, as if following an unseen command.
"Fall back!" someone cried out.
Boom!
A muffled explosion shook the castle. As the black mist parted, a towering black humanoid five meters tall stood in the center of the crowd. Its body was jet black, covered in blood-red markings like some sacrificial totem. Its arms were unnaturally long, and its eyes burned with a blood-red glow that seemed to devour everything it looked at.
With a roar, it charged toward the first tier. The guards formed a defensive line, and the mages cast their spells. Fire, ice, and lightning struck it all at once, bursting in waves of sparks. But it did not retreat—it only grew more violent.
"We can't hold it!" a young mage yelled.
Suddenly, a burst of wind sliced through the battlefield.
"It's him!" Vivella looked up.
A figure soared from the lower levels into the sky, black wind swirling behind him. It was Leo—now awakened.
His eyes were sharp and cold, and the pentagram etched on his collarbone glowed with a dark light. Black energy flowed down his shoulder into his right arm, merging with his broken sword. The blade flared to life, shimmering with crisscrossing red and violet magical patterns, like a dragon awakened.
"Orion," he murmured, "I'll end the mess you left behind with my own hands."
The massive black creature sensed the threat and let out a beastly roar, charging at Leo.
The two collided in the air with a thunderous crash.
Leo's sword struck, black-violet energy tearing through the sky and slashing the giant's left shoulder. But the creature quickly countered with a punch. Leo dodged, but the shockwave sent his blood surging.
"We're with you!" Luna shouted.
She launched into the air with her mechanical wings, electricity crackling between her palms before slamming it into the giant's back. The surge caused it to stagger.
Dan leapt up, singing the mysterious and chilling Song of Tides, which disrupted the creature's senses. His twin blades flashed and crossed, deeply embedding into its waist.
"With the power of the dead, I bind you!" Gar summoned bone spikes from below, which twisted up around the creature's legs, halting it briefly.
Vivella leapt to a high platform and fired three arrows. Each exploded into green vines that bound the creature's right arm, preventing it from swinging freely.
"Now's our chance!" Luna cried.
"Let's finish this!" Leo roared. His sword gathered wind and lightning into a single blade, thrusting it toward the monster's chest. The magical energy pierced through, and the giant convulsed, letting out a furious wail.
The five worked in perfect harmony, suppressing the creature in waves. Wounds multiplied across its body. It tried again and again to break free from the vines, the bone locks, and the haunting song—but each time, it was struck down, restrained, and weakened.
The crowd watching was stunned.
"Who… are these people?"
"That sword, that magic… it's just like the legends of the Silver Pentagram Adventurers!"
"It's them—it's really them!"
Some gripped their weapons in excitement. Others wore grave expressions, sensing that a true storm was about to begin.
At the center of the battlefield, Leo's gaze remained unwavering. He knew this was far from over. Orion had only just raised the curtain.