Chapter 115 Running for your lives

Chapter 115 Running for your lives

Vandal’s crimson berserker surged through his veins like molten fury. One side of his body burned blood-red, muscles grotesquely swollen with raw, uncontrollable power. The frog warriors were already mid-leap, their clawed fists charged with crackling green destructive energy, hurtling straight toward the group.

In that split second, Vandal slammed his crimson-charged fist into the reflective floor beneath him.

Boom!

The polished stone shattered like glass under the amplified force. Jagged reflective shards exploded upward in a glittering storm. At the exact same moment, he roared, voice distorted and guttural:

“Sabine! Guard shield now! Protect everyone!”

Sabine did not hesitate. Blue resonance energy flared around her hands as she thrust them forward. A translucent, shimmering azure dome snapped into existence around the entire group just as the frog warriors unleashed their attacks.

Vandal grabbed one of the largest broken reflective shards with his enhanced strength and angled it perfectly. The incoming waves of green lightning smashed into the mirrored surface and ricocheted straight toward the crystal cage with blinding speed.

The redirected attack struck the crystal dead center.

A tiny crack spiderwebbed across its glowing surface.

Vandal spun on his heel, eyes blazing with crimson fury. He planted his feet, every fiber of his berserker-enhanced body coiling like a spring. Then he unleashed it.

Nephilim Fists of Destruction: Titan’s Punch.

A chaotic, spiraling mass of destructive crimson energy erupted from his fist, an overwhelming vortex of raw power amplified to terrifying levels by the berserker state. The air itself screamed as the titanic punch rocketed forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat.

The frog warriors’ redirected attack had already weakened the crystal. The Titan’s Punch smashed into it an instant later.

Craaaaash!

The crystal exploded violently. Shards of glowing energy burst outward in every direction as the prison cell’s power core detonated. A massive shockwave ripped through the dungeon. The ceiling groaned, cracked, and collapsed in a thunderous avalanche of stone slabs, rubble, and dust that buried everything.

The group was completely covered.

But Sabine’s blue guard shield held firm. The protective dome glowed steadily, deflecting falling debris and shockwaves alike. When the dust finally settled and the tremors stopped, Sabine lowered the shield with a gasp of exhaustion.

Everyone emerged unscathed.

Vandal stood at the center, chest heaving. He took deep, ragged breaths, forcing the crimson berserker back down. The angry red color slowly drained from his skin, retreating like receding flames until he looked mostly normal again, though still battered and bleeding from several wounds.

Inside the now-depowered prison cell, Matron Clara had watched everything with wide eyes. The way Vandal had broken the floor, redirected the attack, coordinated with Sabine, and followed up with that devastating technique left her seriously impressed. His battle instinct and quick thinking under impossible pressure filled her chest with a quiet warmth.

My daughter is in safe hands, she thought with deep relief. Very safe hands.

Chan moved quickly. With a sharp ring of steel, his blade sliced cleanly through the now-inert lock. The prison door swung open with a heavy creak.

Sabine sprinted forward without hesitation. “Mom!” She threw herself into Matron Clara’s arms, hugging her tightly as tears streamed down her face. Matron Clara held her daughter close, stroking her hair with trembling hands.

The rest of the group rushed in to help. They carefully lifted the weakened Elder Shekini, also known as Matron Shekini, and supported Matron Clara as they guided both women out of the ruined cell.

But before anyone could catch their breath, a low rumbling came from the collapsed sections of the dungeon. Large stone slabs and piles of rubble began to stir and shift. Massive shapes moved underneath, clawed hands punching upward through the debris.

The two frog hybrid warriors were still alive. They were starting to dig themselves out, angrier and more dangerous than before. They were recovering far too quickly. Their furious croaking roars echoed as they clawed their way free.

“No time,” Vandal said, his voice still rough from the berserker aftereffects. “Everyone, follow me! We’re going up!”

He pointed toward the massive hole torn open in the ceiling by the crystal’s explosion and the collapsing dungeon. Sunken, flickering torchlight from the level above spilled down through the breach like a beacon of fragile hope.

Vandal led the charge, half-carrying the weakened Matron Shekini while Chan supported Matron Clara. Sabine stayed close to her mother, helping her move despite her exhaustion. Jaclynn, Jaden, and Sera brought up the rear, eyes darting nervously at the stirring rubble behind them.

They sprinted across the ruined chamber and climbed onto the top of the now-depowered prison cell, using its sturdy reinforced structure as a raised platform. One by one, they boosted each other up toward the jagged opening in the ceiling. Vandal went last, shoving Jaden through before hauling himself up with a grunt.

“There! It’s them, and those female prisoners!” a guard bellowed, drawing his weapon. Boots thundered from both ends of the hallway as more guards converged, weapons glowing with resonance energy. “Apprehend them! Don’t let them escape!”

Vandal’s eyes narrowed. They were surrounded and outnumbered.

He reached into his spatial storage and pulled out an echo weapon: the Sky Blade. The rune-covered blade hummed to life in his grip. Its ominous green sheen shone brightly as he pumped a surge of resonance energy into it, causing the blade to shine with a brilliant cutting light.

“Keep moving!” he roared to the group. “I’ll cover us!”

As the guards closed in, weapons raised to strike, Vandal spun around and slashed the Sky Blade in a powerful horizontal arc toward the floor they had just climbed through, the broken ceiling of the dungeon below.

Shiiiing! Boooom!

A devastating wave of compressed air and resonance energy exploded outward. The already weakened structure around the hole gave way instantly. The entire section of floor, which was the dungeon’s ceiling, collapsed with a deafening roar. Stone, iron beams, and screaming guards plummeted downward into the ruined chamber below.

The frog hybrids, still emerging from the rubble, were met with a fresh avalanche of debris.

Vandal did not stop there. He followed up with two more sweeping strikes, bringing down the remaining unstable sections around the breach. Massive slabs of stone and twisted metal thundered down, completely sealing the dungeon level beneath layers of crushing rubble.

Dust billowed upward as the corridor shook violently. The guards who had not fallen were thrown off their feet, coughing and shouting in panic. The path behind the group was now completely buried, trapping the frog warriors and any remaining threats deep underground.

Vandal lowered the Sky Blade, his chest heaving with exhaustion. “That should buy us some time,” he said, voice rough. “Let’s go, before more reinforcements arrive!”

The group broke into a desperate run down the corridor. They burst out of the ruined section and sprinted toward the wooden door at the far end of the hallway, hearts pounding with the hope of escape. But just as they neared it, the door slammed open. Two elegantly dressed ladies stepped through, flanked by a squad of armed guards.

“Well, well,” one of the women drawled, her voice dripping with venom. “Just the people we were looking for. Little ones… which one of you killed our sons? Or was it all of you?”

Her cold gaze swept across the group before locking onto the weapon in Vandal’s hand. Her expression shifted from mocking amusement to something far darker.

Before Vandal or Chan could respond, the other woman, Lady Safura, cut them off sharply. “It doesn’t matter,” she hissed. “You will all die here. Then we will take our time torturing the ringleader.” Her eyes turned to Vandal with a cruel, evil smirk that promised unimaginable pain.

The guards began spreading out, weapons raised. Tension thickened the air. The group froze, backs tense, ready for another brutal fight.

But then Lady Safura’s smile suddenly vanished. Her eyes widened in shock as they fixed on the blade in Vandal’s grip.

“You are wielding my son’s echo weapon… the Sky Blade!”

Her voice cracked with raw disbelief. The realization hit her like a thunderbolt. Her face twisted with horror, then exploded into uncontrollable fury.

“Was it you?” she snarled, her voice rising into a venomous scream. “It was you, wasn’t it? You had my son killed and stole his treasures!”

A blur of vicious anger propelled her forward. She dashed toward Vandal with murderous speed, her resonance energy flaring wildly around her.

“You killed my Malouf!!”