Chapter 28 – Priests and Mages
After a few hours of rest, Adrian stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. He glanced at Cordelia.
"Ready?"
"Always," she replied, rising to her feet.
They approached the gate where the last wave of monsters had stood guard. Cordelia studied it carefully, her brow furrowing.
"Adrian, look... this gate is silver."
"The last one was iron," he noted grimly. "That means what's waiting for us next is going to be much worse."
"Figures..." she sighed. "Well then, shall we?"
Adrian nodded and pushed the heavy silver gate open. It creaked with a deep, metallic groan, revealing another eerily silent chamber. Just like the previous floor, the room was empty—except for a single spiral staircase, gleaming silver like the gate itself.
Without a word, they began to ascend.
At the top, they emerged into a large chamber illuminated by flickering, ghostly flames. Dozens of undead figures stood in priestly robes, their hollow eye sockets glowing with fire. At the center towered a skeletal priest, wreathed in black flames, his presence radiating malevolence.
With a voice like dry bone scraping stone, he growled:
"Insects... do not disturb my king's rest. Mages, kill them!"
Adrian let out an irritated sigh. "Mages… it had to be mages."
Without delay, the enemies raised their staffs and unleashed a barrage of fireballs.
"Dodge!" Cordelia shouted, forming a radiant barrier just in time.
BOOM!
Flames exploded across the room. Cordelia gritted her teeth, holding the barrier firm against the magical assault.
"Adrian, I can't keep this up forever!" she warned.
Scanning the room quickly, Adrian spotted a massive silver chandelier above the mages.
"There!" he pointed. "If I drop that on them, I can break their formation!"
He leapt high into the air, spinning mid-flight, and launched a razor-sharp wind blade with a powerful kick. It sliced through the chains above.
CRASH!
The chandelier came down like a divine hammer, crushing several of the enemy mages.
"Now, Cordelia!" Adrian called.
Cordelia launched herself forward, her legs shining with divine light. She spun midair and unleashed a devastating kick, tearing through the remaining mages in a flash of holy energy.
Adrian joined her, his fists ringing with sonic booms as he shattered the rest.
But just as they thought the battle was won, a tremendous force surged through the room. The skeletal priest raised his arms, summoning massive black fireballs.
"Burn, insects!" he roared, launching them in all directions.
"Cordelia, jump!" Adrian yelled, grabbing a chandelier chain and swinging upward.
Cordelia jumped after him. He caught her hand, and together they soared above the destruction, watching the fire obliterate everything below.
"That was way too close," Cordelia panted.
Adrian looked down. "He's powerful—but he's still a mage. That means low defense."
He turned to her with determination. "I need you to finish him."
"Me? Why me?"
"Your light power—it hurts them more than anything else. You're the only one who can end this."
Cordelia hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. Let's end it."
They dropped down. The skeletal priest raised his burning skull and sneered:
"You return for death, fools?"
Adrian cracked his knuckles. "No. We return for victory."
They charged. Fire arrows rained down like a storm. Adrian weaved through them, trying to close the distance, but a wall of flame blocked him. Cordelia tried from the flank—only to be knocked back by another fireball.
Adrian leapt and caught her midair.
"You okay?"
"Yeah… he didn't charge it fully."
"We'll never land a hit like this..." she muttered. "He keeps stopping us before we get close."
"Then we'll make an opening," Adrian said. "I'll bait the barrier. You blast a hole in it."
"Got it."
Adrian sprinted forward.
"Sonic Punch!"
"Flame Barrier!" the priest shouted, conjuring the blazing wall again.
"Cordelia, now!"
"Divine Ram Kick!"
Her radiant strike tore open the flames. Adrian dove through the gap like a bullet.
"Double Sonic Punch!"
His fists smashed into the priest's chest, sending him crashing into the wall with a deafening crack.
"Cordelia! Finish it!"
She leapt with both feet blazing in light.
"Divine Ram Guillotine!"
The impact shook the chamber, engulfing the priest in a blinding explosion of holy light.
When the smoke cleared, Adrian rushed over, breathless.
"Did we get him?"
Cordelia stared at the scorched floor, then smiled.
"Yeah… we won."
Adrian collapsed beside her. "Good."
---
Scene at the Orphanage
Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, Maria was sitting by the window when an old friend arrived.
"Maria," Joan greeted, stepping inside. "It's been a while."
"Joan!" she smiled warmly. "How's life treating you?"
"Busy as always. Maintenance duty never ends," he said with a laugh. "But the real trouble comes from those returning after crossing the barrier. It's tough out there."
Maria nodded, her gaze distant. "Only those who've been outside know how dangerous it really is."
She looked at the children playing nearby and smiled again, softly.
"I'm just glad I can protect this place now."
---
Back at the Castle
Night had fallen by the time Adrian and Cordelia exited the chamber.
"Let's rest before we take on the final boss," Adrian said. "We've fought through hell today."
Cordelia nodded. "Agreed. Let's be at full strength for whatever comes next."
They sat by the fire, shared a warm meal, and lay down under the silver ceiling—recharging their bodies and spirits for the final trial ahead.
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