Sword Saint's Reincarnation

Book Chapter 45: The Lantern Warden (2)

As they walked, the surroundings only became darker. After some time, the torches themselves went out, sinking the hallway into complete darkness. Only Rylan’s fire dome still shone in the dark.

Naturally, such an environment was perfect for the Shades.

Rylan stepped back as a dark claw went through where his chest had been from the side. Right after, he lowered his center of gravity to duck below another claw swipe. From above, three Shades lunged toward him after using the walls for support. Close to the floor, two other Shades targeted him with upward swipes, one from each side. Rylan let out a breath and looked ahead in a split second. Eight green fireballs rushed toward him, with four of them being small enough to accurately target his limbs.

In response to all this, his pure white, sharp Aura and blue mana roared within his body. The air around him heated up as the fractions of a second ticked by, his two hands holding Silver Twilight’s hilt tightly. Chanting went through his mind as he cast Lesser Lightning and Wind Blades.

In the next moment, he swung his sword.

Stormcaller Sword Style, Final Movement: Storm’s Descent.

His twin energies erupted in the shape of a fierce, miniature storm. They coalesced in the shape of grey clouds as lightning coursed through them, hitting everything around him. The winds picked up, spreading the clouds and the attack’s area of effect, allowing it to dominate the entire hallway. The walls cracked and crumbled as the Sword Art’s power reached them, forcing them to collapse as the lightning bolts hit every Shade almost at the same time. The Fireballs disappeared, lost in the wind and clouds. The wave of destruction filled the corridor.

It took less than two seconds for the Shades to disappear, but the Sword Art didn’t stop. It continued to flow through the hallway to reach the one hundred Undead Soldiers, Undead Mages, and Skeleton Warriors further in the back. As if they didn’t know fear, they advanced, their jaws clacking, but the result was obvious. After a few moments, the entire group of more than one hundred enemies had disappeared.

Rylan let out a breath and returned his posture to a neutral one with a nod. At his will, the Sword Art’s rampage disappeared. The lightning stopped crackling, and the clouds vanished. The hallway’s atmosphere returned to normal. He smiled to himself.

I’m glad I’m stronger now than I was when I fought the imperial Mages.

After the battle, he’d Leveled up in the Arid Wasteland and gone through his second Class Evolution. Storm’s Descent was much stronger than back then, even though he’d spent so much time guiding others and on his lectures. After a second, he turned around. Everyone was staring at him, while Mar’s Mages looked shocked out of their minds.

“…I know I’ve seen it before, but it doesn’t stop being stupid,” Regis said after a second. “You can generate just so much power while still being in the Fourth Circle. Enough to decimate such a large group of enemies at the level of the Fifth Circle.”

Mar’s Mages nodded, almost absent-mindedly. Melvin let out a big sigh.

“I thought I wouldn’t be surprised anymore, but what you had shown so far wasn’t enough to slay three Sixth Circle imperial Mages. Goddamn it,” the man said. “You’re amazing, kid. Really.”

The others nodded again, smiling. Rylan could tell they were all curious about his secrets, but were refraining from asking about them. He grinned at them and beckoned them. The group resumed its walk.

What followed was a sequence of battles where Rylan fought alone. The number of enemies never stopped increasing, with more and more Shades showing up, but the result was always the same. With each battle, Rylan could feel his senses, which had been dormant after months of no fighting, reawakening. With every foe slain, he became a bit sharper. Of course, he also Leveled up.

The Dungeon continued to get darker, as if the darkness were now a physical force instead of the mere absence of light. And finally, they reached two enormous doors.

Stolen story; please report.

Rylan glanced at the System notification floating in front of him.

[You have reached Level 90.]

The enemies weren’t too strong, so they didn’t give much XP, but because the entire Dungeon’s enemies came at me, I ended up Leveling up quite a bit.

He looked at the doors after dismissing the notification. They were closed, but he could still hear shouting from within. He furrowed his brow, then glanced over his shoulder. Nobody else had reacted. Was he the only one who could hear them because of his enhanced senses?

“There are people inside,” he quickly said. “We should go in.”

Mar’s Mages blinked, while Elizabeth and Gerard traded a look.

“What? How did they even reach the Boss room?” Lillia hurriedly asked. “Didn’t we go through hundreds of enemies? Nobody else could have gotten this far. Are you certain?”

“Yes,” Rylan replied. “I’m opening the doors.”

Melvin cursed under his breath.

“Because all of the Dungeon’s enemies were after us, they must have had a free path to the Boss chamber,” he said. “Alright, let’s go in and see the suicidal bastards.”

Rylan stepped forward and touched the doors. They started opening automatically, but once there was a big enough gap, he slipped inside and took in the environment in a flash. The Boss room was completely dark, save for a single source of light – a lantern held by a creature that seemed to be the Boss.

The monster was four meters tall and wore fully black plate armor. In one hand, it held a large broadsword, and in the other, it held a lantern that burned with a green flame. The tongues of fire flickered, casting a green hue on the creature’s dark armor. Surrounding it were a group of seven living people, with three more lying on the floor, unmoving.

“Fucking hell, how is it so strong?” one man desperately shouted, making Rylan look at him. He was a tall man with black hair and a matching beard, but judging from the cuts on his body, he was in bad shape.

Rylan quickly scanned everyone. All seven living Mages were injured, and it was likely that they had only survived this long because of their cooperation.

Were they trying to steal the Boss?

He gritted his teeth and stepped forward. At the same time, he heard his group step inside the room behind him.

“A Lantern Warden? In a Fifth Circle Dungeon? That explains a lot,” he heard Philip say, making him look over his shoulder at the man. Philip’s expression was serious as he looked into Rylan’s eyes. “Be careful. They’re just about the toughest Fifth Circle enemies there are, and they’re usually only seen in Sixth Circle Dungeons. This one got picked as a Boss, which is why there were so many Shades. Be careful.”

Rylan looked ahead again. The Mages were too concerned with the Boss to register his presence, but the Warden was staring straight at him. It was as if the room had become darker, while the lantern’s flame got brighter and larger. The tongues of fire leaked out of the lantern to flow toward the floor like blazing tentacles, making the Mages yell in surprise and curse.

“It’s coming,” Krysta said from behind. “Do you want our help?”

“No,” Rylan quickly replied. “Let me handle this alone. Create Magic Shields around those people and protect them. I’ll fight the Boss alone.”

A moment later, he shot forward with Snowstorm, drawing the Mages’ gaze. Even as he rushed forward, he could see their eyes widen with myriad emotions.

“It’s Rylan!” a woman shouted in relief, her voice then lost in the air rushing past his ears. At the same time, he felt Mar’s Mages’ mana move to create barriers around the Mages. Finally, he could fight freely.

He crossed the distance between him and the Lantern Warden in a flash, then swung down his sword.

Mountainpeak Swordsmanship, Final Movement: Mountain’s Collapse.

The Warden reacted, also swinging its weapon. Rylan’s blade became exponentially heavier and met the enemy’s weapon with an air-shaking impact. The Warden’s broadsword was immediately forced downward, but it didn’t collapse. The green flames rushed at Rylan, forcing him to step on the enemy’s sword and jump backward, then float in the air while channeling Snowstorm.

The Warden looked at its sword and its shaking arm before looking back at Rylan. The flames became fiercer, lashing out at the surroundings as they slowly surrounded the Boss in a green inferno. In this momentary lull, Rylan looked at the Mages. They were all running to his group, covered by Shields.

“Thank you, Rylan!” one man suddenly shouted as he ran, looking over his shoulder at Rylan.

“You saved us!” another yelled.

Rylan clicked his tongue. They had obviously tried to steal the Boss, but in the end, he had saved them. The fact that they had survived was likely the only thing on their minds, so there was no point in making a problem out of their choices. There would be time for them to talk once the Boss was dealt with.

As such, Rylan turned back to face the Warden. The creature was now completely surrounded by its green flames, but they didn’t seem to burn it in the least.

“If you like fire, then let me show you mine,” Rylan said to it as he held Silver Twilight’s hilt with both hands.

Both his Aura and mana moved within him, resonating with the world. Then, they erupted out of him in the shape of fire in the color of the setting sun.