The torches ignited one by one as Haruto approached the end of the corridor.

  Flames bloomed along the walls like silent witnesses awakening to observe the final act.

  At the end of the passage stood a colossal door.

  It towered above him, ancient wood reinforced with blackened metal bands that had clearly endured centuries of punishment. Even without touching it, Haruto could feel something leaking through the seams of the structure.

  A pressure.

  A warning.

  The aura radiating from the door crawled across his skin like cold fingers, sending an involuntary shiver down his spine.

  The message was obvious.

  Something dangerous waited behind it.

  He narrowed his eyes.

  “It must be the boss.”

  The thought came almost casually.

  Confidence had begun to settle deep within him after tearing through everything the labyrinth had thrown in his path. His blood scissor claws hung loosely at his sides as he approached the door with deliberate steps.

  Then he scoffed.

  If this was truly the final obstacle of the dungeon, then there was no reason to hesitate.

  Haruto lifted his leg and kicked.

  The door exploded inward with a thunderous crack.

  The ancient hinges gave up instantly as the massive structure slammed against the stone floor of the chamber beyond.

  Haruto stepped through the entrance calmly, sliding his hands into his pockets as if he had just entered a quiet room rather than the throne chamber of a labyrinth.

  His crimson eyes scanned the space, searching for something worth fighting.

  Something worth devouring.

  But what he saw was not what he expected.

  Haruto stopped.

  His eyes widened.

  The chamber was enormous, its ceiling stretching high above like the interior of a cathedral carved from stone. Torches lined the perimeter walls, their flames casting shifting shadows across the vast expanse.

  And at the center of it all stood a throne.

  A massive throne sculpted from blood-red crystal.

  Jagged.

  Sharp.

  Magnificent.

  It looked eerily similar to the crystallized weapons formed from his own blood, yet far grander in scale. Every edge radiated an overwhelming authority, as if the structure itself was a symbol of dominion.

  Power.

  Rule.

  Conquest.

  But Haruto barely noticed the throne.

  His attention snapped to something else.

  A corpse.

  Or rather…

  What remained of one.

  A colossal humanoid statue hung beside the throne, its massive stone body pinned against the wall like a grotesque trophy.

  Its head was gone.

  Completely severed.

  A gigantic blade had been driven through its chest, the weapon piercing deep enough to anchor the entire body against the stone surface behind it.

  Dark blood coated the surrounding wall, streaking down across the stone floor like a frozen waterfall of blackened crimson.

  Haruto stared.

  His first instinct was immediate.

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  Run.

  The urge rose from somewhere deep within his instincts, primal and absolute.

  He did not understand why.

  But every nerve in his body screamed the same warning.

  Leave.

  Now.

  The vast chamber felt wrong.

  It was empty.

  Yet at the same time it felt overwhelmingly full.

  The pressure saturating the air was so dense it felt like the atmosphere itself was pressing down on him from every direction. His muscles tightened instinctively as the invisible weight bore down on his body.

  Whatever had done this…

  Whatever had killed that giant…

  He was not ready for it.

  Haruto slowly took a step back.

  Then another.

  But before he could retreat further—

  “It is about time…”

  The voice echoed throughout the entire chamber.

  Deep.

  Monstrous.

  Disturbingly calm.

  The instant the words finished resonating across the stone walls, an overwhelming pressure crashed down on Haruto like a collapsing mountain.

  His body froze.

  For the first time since entering the dungeon, he felt something he had not experienced once since gaining his powers.

  Suppression.

  His knees nearly buckled beneath the crushing aura.

  Haruto gritted his teeth and forced Astrons through his muscles, reinforcing his bones and tendons as he resisted the invisible force bearing down on him.

  Slowly, he lifted his head.

  His gaze moved toward the throne.

  The seat itself remained empty.

  Yet the pressure was clearly coming from behind it.

  “It seems my suspicions were indeed correct.”

  A blood-drenched armored hand appeared first.

  Long.

  Segmented.

  Chitinous.

  It gripped the edge of the throne as something began to rise from behind it.

  Then the creature revealed itself.

  A towering humanoid figure stepped forward, its silhouette unfolding beneath the torchlight like a nightmare taking shape.

  Its body resembled that of a man, yet every surface was encased in a polished black exoskeleton that shimmered like obsidian under flame.

  The armor-like plates layered across its frame formed a natural carapace, each segment sharp and perfectly aligned for both protection and mobility. Its limbs were long and powerful, the proportions slightly exaggerated in a way that made every movement appear predatory.

  Its shoulders broadened as it straightened to its full height.

  Two curved mandibles protruded from the lower half of its face, clicking softly against each other with a metallic sound that echoed faintly across the chamber.

  Then its eyes opened fully.

  Twin crimson lights.

  They gleamed like drops of burning blood within the creature’s shadowed skull.

  The gaze locked onto Haruto instantly.

  Cold.

  Calculating.

  Predatory.

  Haruto’s expression stiffened.

  The sheer malice radiating from the insectoid creature struck him like a blade pressing against his throat. Yet the thing that unsettled him most was not the aura.

  It was the fact that it had spoken.

  Clearly.

  Calmly.

  Like a thinking being.

  The humanoid ant stepped beside the crimson throne, towering over it slightly as it tilted its head and examined Haruto.

  Its posture carried an unmistakable sense of superiority.

  As if the boy standing before it was nothing more than a minor obstacle.

  A dull thorn in its path.

  Haruto felt it instantly.

  The gap.

  The difference in power between them was so enormous it felt almost unreal.

  Every instinct within him sharpened.

  This was not a monster like the others.

  This thing was a warrior.

  Then it vanished.

  Haruto’s eyes flashed as his mind reacted automatically.

  Thought acceleration activated.

  The world slowed.

  The flickering torches stretched into elongated streaks of light. Dust particles drifted through the air like falling snow.

  Within that distorted flow of time, Haruto forced Astrons into his legs and spine, amplifying his reflexes to match his accelerated perception.

  His eyes searched.

  And found it.

  The insectoid had already crossed half the chamber.

  Even slowed by his perception, the creature was still terrifyingly fast.

  Too fast.

  Its armored fist was already inches away from his face.

  Haruto twisted his body to the side at the last possible moment.

  The punch grazed past him.

  Air exploded around his head as the attack missed by a hair’s breadth.

  But the ant did not pause.

  The moment its strike failed, the creature pivoted smoothly on one leg and rotated its body with frightening efficiency.

  Its other arm snapped forward.

  The clawed hand sharpened into a spear-like formation as it thrust toward his throat.

  Haruto shifted his footing again, narrowly slipping outside the line of attack.

  Another thrust came instantly.

  Then another.

  And another.

  The insectoid unleashed a relentless barrage of piercing strikes, its claws slicing through the air with lethal precision as each attack targeted a vital point.

  Head.

  Neck.

  Heart.

  Spine.

  There was no wasted movement.

  No hesitation.

  This was not blind aggression.

  It was technique.

  Haruto realized it immediately.

  This creature was an experienced fighter.

  A highly coordinated combatant capable of adapting its attacks in real time.

  And worse…

  It was getting faster.

  Haruto was forced backward with every exchange.

  Step by step.

  Strike by strike.

  His breathing tightened as he focused everything on evasion, barely slipping past each lethal thrust by fractions of a second.

  He didn’t even notice when his back hit the wall.

  Stone pressed against his shoulders.

  Cornered.

  The insectoid saw the opening instantly.

  Its mandibles clicked softly.

  Then it drew back its arm.

  The claw clenched into a spear-like blade as it lunged forward with terrifying speed.

  Haruto’s instincts screamed.

  For a split second, he could almost see it.

  His own head flying from his shoulders.

  But he pushed his ability to its absolute limit.

  Time slowed further.

  The incoming strike stretched across his vision like a descending guillotine.

  With the tiny window granted by his accelerated perception, Haruto twisted sideways.

  The claw missed him by millimeters.

  Then it struck the wall behind him.

  BOOM.

  The impact shattered the stone surface instantly.

  The wall cracked apart like fragile glass, the destructive shockwave rippling through the entire chamber and racing down the labyrinth tunnels beyond.

  Deep within the dungeon, monsters stirred.

  And challengers felt the tremor beneath their feet.

  Haruto dashed away the moment the attack embedded itself in the wall, creating distance as he turned back toward his opponent.

  Then he froze.

  The insectoid’s arm was buried halfway into the stone.

  The surrounding wall had splintered outward from the impact point, fractures spreading like spiderwebs across the surface.

  The creature slowly pulled its arm free.

  Chunks of stone crumbled away as it retracted the limb with effortless strength.

  Then its glowing red eyes shifted back toward Haruto.

  This time there was something new in its gaze.

  Recognition.

  Its mandibles clicked softly.

  “How interesting…”

  …