"No time to waste, then," Karl said, already moving, no hesitation in his voice.

His spirits responded in perfect sync.

The Dreadwolf and Dire Duskfang immediately took the lead, their paws thudding against the broken stone as they carved a path ahead with sharp instincts and sharper fangs.

Behind them, the towering Golem stood sentinel at their rear, each heavy step shaking the ground like a drumbeat.

In between, weaving through alleys like a flicker of smoke, the Shadow Assassin Lizard glided ahead, nearly invisible as it scouted for threats.

There was no room for mistakes.

Every second counted now.

The Juggernaut was hunting, and because of the [Key Tracker] skill it had activated, they were all essentially marked.

It knew where they were going, and it was coming fast.

That thought alone kept Karl's legs moving, even as the burn in his calves grew sharper.

The city warped around them as they ran, time seeming to stretch and pull as the world blurred by.

Broken buildings passed in smears of stone and steel, the wind rushing at their ears.

The key in Karl's hand pulsed rhythmically, glowing faintly as it continued to guide them.

Its glow intensified with each step, like a beacon drawing them forward, and possibly drawing something else too.

Behind them, the sounds of battle faded into silence.

But it wasn't peaceful, far from it.

It was the kind of silence that made your skin crawl.

Like something was watching, like something was waiting.

And then, they saw it.

Bodies.

Dozens of them, littered across the road ahead like discarded ragdolls.

Blood stained the pavement, pooled beneath broken bones and twisted limbs.

They weren't just dead, they were flattened, crushed entirely, as if something massive had stomped the life out of them without slowing down.

Celeste's expression tightened as she stared at the remains.

"The Juggernaut," she said quietly, not afraid, but wary.

Karl nodded.

"Yeah, but that means we're close."

The [Ascension Door] was near.

These people had clearly created their own [Ascension Keys], only to die right before reaching their destination.

And if the Juggernaut had been here recently, it could still be nearby.

Without a word, they broke into a full sprint.

The city became a blur once again.

The corpses fell away behind them as their path cleared, the buildings around them growing more ruined and aged.

The road narrowed, then widened again, leading them into what looked like the final stretch of this sector of the city.

Then they saw it, just ahead, framed between the remains of shattered towers and crumbling stone.

The [Ascension Door].

It was huge, taller than anything else in the area, a swirling gateway of shimmering energy that danced between two enormous stone pillars.

It radiated a quiet, powerful hum, the air around it shimmering like heatwaves.

It didn't belong here.

It looked like a tear in reality itself, something sacred and strange, beckoning those desperate enough to reach for salvation.

Karl's breath caught in his throat.

His heart thudded hard, fast, and full of adrenaline.

"We're almost there!" he shouted, the key in his hand glowing bright gold now, hot to the touch.

They could make it.

The path was clear.

Salvation was right there.

And then,

BOOM!

A deafening blast shattered the air.

BAM!

A building to their right exploded outward as if it had been hit by a bomb.

Debris flew like shrapnel, stone and steel raining down as something massive tore its way through the structure like it was paper.

A shockwave slammed into them, forcing Karl and Celeste to dig their heels in or get sent flying.

They skidded to a stop just in time, dust choking the air, rubble crashing down around them in thick, violent waves.

And then, it stepped through.

Towering, colossal, an unstoppable mountain of rage and destruction.

The Juggernaut.

It emerged from the ruin, its form casting a shadow that stretched across the entire street.

Every step it took left deep cracks in the pavement, the ground trembling beneath its weight.

Karl stared, blood freezing in his veins.

[JUGGERNAUT MINOTAUR – LEVEL 50]

[STRENGTH – ???] [STAMINA – ???] [AGILITY – ???] [MANA – ???]

All of its stats were hidden.

Karl couldn't even get a read on it, which only meant one thing, it was too far above him.

It looked like the creatures he'd seen once in the Spirit Cemetery, minotaurs with unnatural strength.

But this one, this one was different.

Bigger. Worse. Likely from one of the upper floors of the [Tower of Trials].

Its body was eight meters tall, wrapped in jagged black metal armor inscribed with glowing crimson runes.

Each step it took made the metal and ground groan, making it seem like there was an earthquake, debris flying jumping lowly.

Its head was unmistakably that of a minotaur, with two massive horns spiraling from its helmet, and it carried no weapons.

Which meant everybody they had just passed, had been crushed with its bare hands or feet.

It wasn't just strong. It was overwhelming. And it was looking directly at him.

Its eyes, if they could be called that, were glowing crimson slits locked squarely on Karl.

Not Celeste. Not the summons. Just him.

It had been tracking him, watching him, waiting for this exact moment.

The Juggernaut shifted slightly, its stance widening.

The sound of its weight pressing down on the ground rumbled like thunder.

It had made its decision.

Karl's thoughts exploded in a storm of panic, adrenaline flooding his system.

There was no plan. No clever trick. No escape route.

It tilted its head. And then, it moved.

CHARGE!

The minotaur lunged, its entire form becoming a freight train of muscle and metal as it used one of its skills [Charge].

Monsters like these had several skills, but it seemed like that its powers had been sealed as a mean to try and make the trial as fair as possible.

Though that objective had already failed.

It rushed down the street with terrifying speed, its horns lowered, eyes blazing.

It was too fast and there was nowhere to go.

Karl's summons hesitated for a split second.

Just a second. But that was enough.

"BRACE YOURSELF!" Karl shouted, yanking Celeste onto his back without hesitation, "Golem!" he roared, "Lift us, NOW!"

The Duskforged Golem responded immediately, pointing its massive axe forward, not as a weapon, but as a platform.

Karl didn't hesitate.

He leapt onto the axe, balancing on it while still carrying Celeste.

The golem swung upward.

FWISH!

The axe rose like a catapult, launching Karl and Celeste upward in a wide arc toward the rooftops nearby.

"HOOLLY SHIT—!" Celeste shouted, clinging tightly to Karl as they soared into the air.

One wrong landing could kill them.

But Karl's focus didn't waver.

The moment they were airborne, he unsummoned three of his spirits to keep them from getting caught in the Juggernaut's charge, [Duskforged Golem], [Verdant Dreadwolf], and [Dire Duskfang] all vanished in an instant.

Only one remained, the Shadow Assassin Lizard.

They landed hard on a rooftop, the stone beneath Karl's shoes cracking slightly from the force.

Immediately, he summoned the [Sovereign Wolf].

The massive silver beast appeared in a flash, its fur shimmering like starlight, its stance already tense.

In its mouth, the [Voidblade] gleamed with dark energy, shadows coiling around the blade like smoke.

The Juggernaut below had halted its charge.

It couldn't reach them, but it raised a massive arm anyway, lifting it high to try and smash the building from below.

It was just tall enough to try.

"Lizard!" Karl barked, "Take Celeste to the door! Get her as close as you can!"

He pushed Celeste off his back mid-command, and before she could even gasp, the Shadow Assassin Lizard leapt and caught her mid-air, vanishing down the rooftops at a full sprint toward the [Ascension Door].

"Be safe!" Celeste shouted, but didn't resist.

The Juggernaut ignored them both.

Its target remained unchanged: Karl.

The minotaur's massive arm came down with terrifying speed, a blur of metal and death.

"SOVEREIGN WOLF!" Karl screamed, "DEAL WITH HIM!"

There was no other choice, he knew this was a suicide move.

A level 50 monster couldn't be matched, not by him.

But there was no way around it.

If he ran, he'd die. If he fought, maybe he could survive.

Sovaryn growled low and deep, the [Voidblade] in its mouth pulsing with raw power.

Its eyes flicked to Karl for just a second, then it nodded.

The shadows around the blade intensified, crackling like static in the air.

FWISH!

The minotaur's arm swung down, moments from impact.

Karl didn't flinch.

"LET'S GO, SOVARYN!" he shouted.

The world narrowed to that falling fist, to the wolf beside him, to the impossible odds stacked against them.

Karl's spirit energy surged in response to his defiance, wrapping around him and Sovaryn like a protective cocoon as they prepared to meet the Juggernaut's blow head-on.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, a detached part of Karl noted that this was probably how idiots died.

The rest of him couldn't wait to prove that part wrong.

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