The arrow on Luke's bow pulsed with such intense energy it seemed to vibrate in the air, white-blue light coursing along the shaft like veins of living fire. The drawn string gave off a low, almost musical hum as the magic built.

He drew in a deep breath, feeling the mana burn through his fingers and up his arm, focusing every fragment of strength into that single shot. Then he released. The arrow snapped forward with a sharp crack. A white streak lit the space for an instant. The impact wasn't just a sound, it was a sensation, a flash that blinded for a moment as if the very air had been split apart.

The explosion followed, a white wave expanding in every direction and ricocheting off the massive stone walls. The projectile struck the Warden Captain at the heart of the detonation, a metallic crash reverberating with the heavy thud of armored mass slamming against stone. The floor shook. A sharp report echoed through the ceiling and arches. Heat gathered in the air, knocking dust from the corners of the chamber.

The smoke shifted color. A viscous green haze spread through the room as if it had a will of its own. The acid cloud crawled up the walls, flowers, moss, and ornaments dissolved like melting wax, dripping dark residue. A metallic, corrosive stench filled the air.

Luke, Charlie, and Morvat fell back to the edge of the garden.

He glanced down at Angélica's bow in his hand. It was cracked, the string snapped. A little more mana and it would have been destroyed for good. He dismissed it back into his inventory to start repairs.

The three of them waited in the corner as the acid cloud devoured the space. Even Luke knew how lethal it was to breathe that stuff or get caught in it at all. It would corrode skin, eyes, lungs, everything. This new version even ate through clothes and metal.

A roar echoed inside the green fog. No death notification had appeared. The monster had survived.

Luke had already learned something new about this upgraded acid cloud: it dissipated faster than the standard version. After a few moments, the haze thinned and vanished. The creature stood there in full view now, sword in hand, no longer invisible. Its armor was almost completely gone, one arm missing, body pocked with holes from the blast and acid. The helmet hung in fragments, revealing twisted pieces of its face.

It reminded Luke of Nemesis, a villain from an old zombie game. Mutilated but not finished, the thing limped forward, sword gripped tight, eyes locked on him. Charlie raised her shield, the surface shifting back into a sword. The fight wasn't over.

Luke spun the twin black kukris in his hands, activating the Demonic Blade Dance. The air around him rippled, as though his own shadow had torn loose. Ahead, the maimed Warden Captain roared and broke into a run, sword trembling with rage. Even crippled, its charge had weight and precision, each step like a hammer striking earth.

Charlie slid forward to intercept, her weapon shifting back into a shield. She braced for impact, deflecting the blade with a flawless block. Morvat darted in from the side and slammed into the creature, trying to throw it off balance. Brittle armor groaned under the collision. The Warden Captain spun, stabbing short and fast, the thrust grazing Charlie's shoulder.

Luke moved in on the opening. Dark Dash carried him to the monster's flank, his blades carving precise arcs. One strike slipped through an exposed gap, black blood spraying into the air. He hurled one kukri at its skull, but the Warden blocked with its sword and countered in a heavy lunge.

Charlie was there first, shield raised, absorbing the blow in a shower of sparks. The impact rattled her arm, but she didn't budge. Morvat shoved the creature sideways, buying a sliver of space.

Luke stepped back, letting his two tanks handle it.

"At long last, you've grown up," Artemis murmured.

Luke didn't answer. He already had a plan. Charlie snapped her spectral chain forward, wrapping it around the creature's arm and yanking hard. The Warden staggered, fighting to tear free. That was the opening they had been waiting for. Charlie charged with her blade held like a spear and drove it into the Captain's skull. The impact rang out metallic, the blade sinking a few inches before grinding to a stop.

The monster lurched. The spectral orc leapt again but this time the enemy's sword punched through its chest, shattering it into shards of green glass that dissolved into nothing. The creature raised its mutilated face, eyes burning with hate as it fixed on Luke and Charlie. Both of them fell back in perfect sync, sprinting out of the garden.

"Come get me!" Luke shouted, pulling it toward the corridor.

The Warden Captain roared and gave chase, limping, half its face gone and one arm missing, yet still fast, driven purely by rage. Charlie sent the sword embedded in the monster's face to her inventory and pulled it back out. Metal scraped stone behind them, sparks flashing as wild swings slammed into the walls, always just missing.

Ahead, the corridor opened into the library, where another battle was already in full swing. Mason, Allison, and Eleanor were locked against their own Warden Captain. They turned, startled, as Luke and Charlie burst into the room with the mutilated one on their heels. There was no time to explain.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Luke rolled across the dark wood floor, narrowly dodging the strike following him in. The library loomed vast, lined with towering shelves stuffed with ancient books. The smell of scorched paper mingled with iron and sweat. Mason, Allison, and Eleanor fought hard, blades and arrows carving streaks of light as energy burst from each clash.

Behind him, the mutilated Warden staggered into the room with a guttural roar. Charlie was right behind, her shield already materialized. She didn't need Luke to explain, she understood instantly.

"Charlie!" he shouted.

She lashed her spectral chain at the exact moment the Warden tried to strike. The pull wrenched the creature forward, off balance. Charlie was already moving, flowing into a sprint, sword ready to strike.

The enemy dropped to its knees. All Luke saw was Charlie's blade cutting a perfect horizontal arc, a Force Infusion flaring along the edge. Half the Warden Captain's skull split under the blow. She didn't stop. Spectral Charge erupted around her, transforming her momentum into a mass of crushing energy that slammed the creature backward, straight into the other Warden Captain.

"Clear out!" Luke yelled.

The two Wardens crashed together in the center of the library with a thunderous impact. Charlie raised her hand, and for a heartbeat it burned red.

[Doomexplosion Activated]

When the monster's HP hit zero, the Mark of Doom did its work. It flared across the mutilated Warden's body like a pulsing rune. First a contraction. Then a black and red flash detonated outward, sweeping the room in a wave of hot, heavy air. Shelves shuddered, papers burst into flame under the surge of shadow energy. The creature's roar broke into a strangled scream as its body unraveled into spectral fragments that rose and drifted down like glowing ash.

The shockwave tore through the library, slamming into the second Warden Captain. It stumbled back, armor twisting and peeling away, fissures spiderwebbing across its helm. Yet it didn't fall. Two points of light, its eyes, blazed hotter in the dark. It staggered, tried to stand again, still upright out of sheer stubbornness.

[Princess Charlie has slain a Warden Captain – Lvl 70]

**[Princess Charlie has reached Level 41! Skeleton (Rank F)] (+1 bonus point to all attributes, +1 free point)**

*The [Death Knight] class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 49! (+3 Str, +3 End, +2 Agi, +2 Vit, +2 Int, +1 Per, +2 Free Points)*

**[Princess Charlie has reached Level 42! Skeleton (Rank F)] (+1 bonus point to all attributes, +1 free point)**

*The [Death Knight] class of Princess Charlie has reached Level 50! (+3 Str, +3 End, +2 Agi, +2 Vit, +2 Int, +1 Per, +2 Free Points)*

[WARNING: Princess Charlie's class has entered Mandatory Evolution!]

The second Warden staggered in the center of the library, legs trembling, dark blood leaking through the fissures of its ruined armor. The afterglow of the Doomexplosion still burned against the walls, lighting the monster like an actor on a stage of shadow and embers.

Allison tightened her grip on the katana, the heat of the blade pulsing against her palms. She inhaled slowly, searching for balance. Around her, the library reeked of scorched paper; charred books slid from shelves, pages fluttering like dry leaves. She tilted forward, muscles coiled, eyes locked on the jagged gaps in the creature's helm.

The Warden tried to take a step but almost crumpled. Through the cracked visor, a sliver of rotten flesh showed, teeth clenched in silence. Yet it still raised its sword, shaking, desperate for one last strike.

Allison dashed. The movement was so sharp and clean the air snapped like a whip. Her glowing katana carved a streak of light through the dim. A heartbeat later, the blade cleaved straight through the monster's skull with almost no resistance, slicing down from crown to chin. The heat of the strike widened the fissures, glowing red as they spread.

For a moment, the creature stood frozen, as if it hadn't realized what had happened. Its sword slipped from its hand with a dull clang. Knees buckled. A deep metallic crack rolled through the armor, spreading from the inside out.

A final muffled roar escaped as its armor shattered like glass. Then the Warden fell forward with a crash that rattled the nearest shelves. The plating disintegrated, fragment by fragment, collapsing into gray powder that dissolved into the air until nothing remained but burn marks on the floor and the echo of the fight.

Silence dropped over the library. Mason straightened, leaning on his blade. Eleanor lowered her bow, fingers trembling. Luke rose from where he'd taken cover from the blast.

"What was that explosion?" someone asked him.

"Just me improvising… and it worked," he muttered, brushing ash from his shoulder.

"We need to check on the others," Mason said, already moving for the corridor.

"Nice work," Allison called over to him and Charlie.

Eleanor stared at the slick remnants on the floor. Luke gave a small nod, reading her expression. "I know. That skill's disgusting."

They moved quickly down the corridor, still on alert. The sound of battle had gone silent; only the stink of blood and scorched metal lingered. When they reached the hall where Evangeline, Ronan, and Jack had been fighting, the scene was over: their Warden Captain lay dead. The trio was alive.

At that moment, a bright panel flared before Luke's eyes:

[Special Event "Third Fortress Mission" Completed]

[You have successfully defeated the three major threats! The Great Serpent, the Fallen Stone Angel, and the Three Warden Captains!]

They had done it. The third fortress was theirs.

Luke opened Charlie's system interface, curious. The mandatory evolution alert pulsed at the top—her class had finally hit Level 50. He closed it quickly, bringing up his own screen. More notifications waited for him:

**Your class [Demonic Predator] has reached Level 60! (+10 Strength, +7 Perception, +6 Agility, +6 Vitality, +6 Intelligence, +5 Endurance, +8 Free Points)**

[You have unlocked a new Class Skill]

**[You have reached Level 50! Half-Demon (Rank F)] (+1 bonus point to all attributes, +1 free point)**

[ALERT: Rank Evaluation Requirements Completed!]

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