Chapter 2070: Zephyrus’ Side |
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Lolth had gone completely insane and unhinged. The entire mountain trembled as every dungeon she had already claimed with her curse began to shake violently. Endless darkness surged from them, curses spreading everywhere all at once, while the number of corrupted monsters swelled to a ridiculous degree.
However, some people had yet to realize that her invasion had finally begun—let alone what had happened between her, Dimenion, and Sylphy’s party.
Inside the Stone Cathedral Dungeon, the young party had just defeated the final boss. The heavy curse lingering in the atmosphere began to fade drastically. Everyone was taking a well-earned break, but Zephyrus noticed something strange when the accessory Sylphy had given him suddenly lost its connection.
"Sylphy? We completed the dungeon. Are you there? Are you taking longer?"
The Stone Cathedral Dungeon was composed entirely of giant, interlocked temples, cathedrals, and castles made of solid stone. Every monster inside was a hardy stone construct with immense physical strength and durability, but little else.
There were three bosses in total: the first was the Stone Sentinel, a giant humanoid stone golem; the second was the Stone Titan, an even larger humanoid golem armed with multiple limbs and weapons; and the final boss was the Stone Dragon, a massive dragon-shaped golem brimming with power and durability, fueled by a potent false dragon heart—a powerful crystal forged from the fusion of many elemental crystals.
The party had taken a long time to defeat it, especially with the curse boosting the monster close to Tier 10. Thankfully, they managed to bring it down by attacking from every angle and using every spell and technique they could muster, slowly shattering its hard body and destroying the core.
It had taken them roughly three hours, but they were finally done. All of them celebrated, sitting atop the giant dragon’s body while marveling at its dazzling, bright interior. The creature was so massive that entire caves and small ecosystems existed within it, leaving them all in awe.
"What’s wrong?" Celica noticed his unease and walked over with a concerned look in her eyes. In this dungeon, Celica’s powers had evolved even further as she assimilated the golems here and added them to her collection. She had also deepened her mastery of golem creation by studying and replicating the technology that powered the Stone Cathedral Dungeon’s constructs. "Are you worried about Sylphy? Is she okay?"
"I don’t know. Her presence was suddenly cut off from the item she gave us," Zephyrus sighed, standing in silence as he tapped the bracelet.
"Maybe she just forgot to reconnect?" Celica suggested. "Sylphy’s smart, but she can be clumsy sometimes."
"Y-You think so?" Zephyrus wondered. "I don’t know... I have a bad feeling about this."
"What? How? Why?" Celica tilted her head curiously and patted his head. "Maybe you’re just tired..."
"No, it’s not that..." Zephyrus shook his head, sighing. "Sorry, I might be overreacting. I just... have a bad feeling. As her brother, I can sense these things. I... I can tell Sylphy isn’t in a good place right now. I can’t say she’s in danger, but... she’s... I don’t know. I can’t say she needs our help, but something feels wrong."
"Is that so?" Celica wondered, tilting her head. "Hm. Maybe you’re just worried, but if you’re this adamant, it wouldn’t hurt to leave and check on her. We can do that!"
"I guess we could," Zephyrus nodded. "Hey everyone, why don’t we wrap things up and go? I’m worried about my sister. Haven’t you noticed that the connection was lost?"
Everyone exploring the interior of the giant Stone Dragon regrouped with Zephyrus.
"Now that you mention it, you’re right. I can’t feel her presence anymore," said Celeste. "Hmmm, what’s going on?" She tapped the bracelet so frantically it seemed it might break at any moment, until Ruby stopped her.
"Celeste, be careful how you handle the things Sylphy made," she said with a stern expression. "They aren’t easy to repair, let alone create. Please be careful!"
"Sorry," Celeste replied. "I’m just trying really hard to get any reaction, but there’s nothing! What the hell is happening?"
"Hmm, I’ve been analyzing mine as well. Although some spiritual energy remains, you’re not wrong—something is off," said Ruby, rubbing her chin as she tapped the bracelet. "Sylphy’s presence has been completely cut off. Did she abandon the bracelets? Grow weaker? Fall asleep? Now this is worrying..."
Mist walked over with clear worry on her face, though she remained confident in her friend. The two of them had faced dozens of threats together throughout their lives. Sylphy had saved her before and always seemed invincible. There was no way something bad could happen to her in the middle of some random, weak dungeon. "Calm down, everyone. Sylphy’s fine. I’m sure of it! She’s the strongest, after all. Has she ever lost? And the dungeon she went to isn’t any harder than this one... Plus, she’s not alone. She has Aquarina and all her familiars! She has a million of them, including divine ones that are basically god-level. Nothing could happen to her."
"I think she would appreciate all that faith you have in her, but let’s be realistic for a second," Celeste said. "We can’t expect her to always handle everything perfectly. Being worried is valid, Mist. You’re a bit too confident in her invincibility... Sylphy isn’t invincible either. We should go check on her."
"Hmm, I know," Mist sighed. "I’m not being overconfident. It’s just... Sylphy’s Sylphy, you know?"
"I agree with you," Zephyrus nodded. "Nevertheless, I’m worried. We should head outside and check on her. This dungeon is purified now, so we don’t have to worry about anything here."
"I guess you’re right. Let’s move outside then," Celeste said. "Hm? Where’s Lara?"
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