Extra To Protagonist

The floor shook.

Only once.

But it shut everyone up.

Even the skeletons.

Merlin turned.

So did Flint.

Dion stopped breathing.

From the far end of the corridor, behind the pile of shattered ribs and severed arms, a hand pulled itself out of the stone.

Not the floor.

The stone.

It cracked like plaster under pressure. One hand, then a second. Both massive. Bone thick enough to be confused for armor.

Then the rest of it dragged free.

Tall. Seven feet minimum. Spinal plates like a centipede's. A skull that looked crushed and rebuilt wrong.

And in its hands?

A weapon.

A halberd.

Rusty. Crooked. Still glowing faint blue near the edge.

Dion's voice cracked. "That's not standard skeleton size."

Merlin didn't reply.

Didn't blink.

Just stepped forward.

The boss lifted its head. No eyes. Just twin black holes where something used to be.

Then it screamed.

No mouth.

Still screamed.

The regular skeletons moved again.

Faster.

Reckless.

Flint grunted. "It's giving them orders."

"Looks like it," Merlin said.

Dion didn't speak.

He was too busy sprinting away from the wall collapsing behind him.

Merlin turned to face the boss.

He didn't wait.

Didn't strategize.

He lunged.

Wind wrapped his legs. Water lined his blade. He went low, aiming for the gap under its ribs.

The halberd moved like a whip.

Merlin ducked.

Too slow.

The shaft clipped his shoulder.

His left arm went numb.

Pain flared, clean and sharp. Not broken but close.

'Great. We're doing this.'

Flint charged the flank. Both blades drawn. Went for the legs.

One connected.

It didn't care.

Dion leapt onto its back. Screamed something about teamwork. Drove his dagger into the back of its skull.

The dagger snapped.

"Okay," Dion gasped. "Bad plan."

The boss reached up, grabbed Dion by the arm, and threw.

Dion crashed into the far wall.

Didn't move.

Merlin cursed. Loudly.

Then reached deep.

Time. Space. Wind. Water.

All of it.

He forced them to work together. Forced mana into the space between him and the halberd.

Just enough to stall.

Then he ran.

Circling.

Dodging.

Flint followed.

No time to talk.

Just breathing and impact and bones.

The boss turned slowly. Every movement deliberate. Efficient.

It didn't rush.

It didn't have to.

Merlin felt the air pressure shift.

'It's about to swing again.'

He rolled forward.

The halberd tore through empty air.

Shredded a wall.

Not decorative. Load-bearing.

Rock cracked above them.

Dust fell.

Merlin turned and slashed the exposed joint under the thing's arm.

Water froze along his blade. Time locked it for half a second longer.

It landed.

Hard.

But not enough.

Still standing.

Still moving.

The fight wasn't ending.

It was just starting.

—

The halberd swung again.

Way too wide. Too slow. Too obvious. Except it wasn't.

It was clearly bait.

Merlin didn't fall for it. He just leaned in.

Let the system thread snap into place.

[SOvEREIGN CHAIN — ACTIVATED]

Not loud. Not flashy. Just clarity.

Every line of motion broke down around him.

Arcs.

Speed.

Angles.

He saw the boss's center of balance. The next step. The wrist adjustment.

He didn't wait.

He moved.

One clean step inside the halberd's arc. The boss tried to correct—

Too late.

Merlin twisted his body sideways, wind snapping tight along his legs. The momentum pushed him under the blade.

He was already behind it.

Blade up.

Strike vertical.

He didn't go for the spine.

He went for the tendon-like joint where femur met pelvis. Not real flesh, but still a point of articulation.

His blade hit.

Mana surged.

Water pressure forced the steel deeper.

Crack. The leg gave in completely.

The boss dropped to one knee.

Flint didn't hesitate.

He launched himself over Merlin's shoulder. Drove both swords straight down into the exposed backplate of the boss's spine.

Sparks.

Bone shards.

No scream.

Just a buckling motion.

Still not down.

'Stubborn bastard.'

Merlin turned.

Sovereign Chain mapped the halberd again.

It was rising. He moved before it reached halfway.

Time fractured slightly.

Enough to force the air around him to drag.

Slower world.

Faster thought.

He kicked off the wall. Space bent around his step.

Landed behind the boss.

One second. One shot.

He dragged mana into his palm. Water condensed instantly. Wind compressed behind it.

'No more blade.'

He formed a spike.

Slammed it into the boss's skull from the back.

The pressure cracked the front of the face clean off.

Jawbone dropped.

Helmet flew.

Flint pulled his swords out.

Dion groaned from across the room.

The boss teetered.

Then fell.

Straight forward.

Unmoving.

[SYSTEM UPDATE]

[High-Priority Threat Neutralized]

[Path Reseal Delay Lifted]

[Reinforcements Paused — 180 Seconds]

Three minutes.

That's all they had.

Merlin exhaled.

Didn't smile.

Didn't celebrate.

Just turned to Flint and said—

"Wake Dion up. We're not done."

—

Flint crouched next to Dion.

Slapped his face once. Then twice, harder.

"Up."

Dion blinked. Groaned. "I'm dead."

"You're not."

Merlin stood near the downed boss.

Didn't move.

Didn't check the corpse.

Just watched the timer.

[2:54]

"Status," he said flatly.

Flint didn't look up. "Bruised. Winded. Not dying."

Dion coughed. Sat up. "Probably concussed."

"Too bad," Merlin said. "Three minutes."

He turned.

Started dragging the halberd closer.

Not for flair.

For use.

"Big plan?" Flint asked.

"Kill faster."

Flint nodded. "Solid."

Dion swayed to his feet. "I liked the last plan better."

[2:17]

Merlin dropped the halberd near a cracked wall.

Started etching into the floor with the tip of his blade.

Space glyph.

Quick one. Not stable. Just enough to displace an incoming charge.

"You're building traps now?" Dion said. "In here?"

"Always been."

Flint moved to the opposite wall.

Kicked a broken sword into place.

Set it angled up.

Primitive, but sharp.

"Door's still locked," he said.

Merlin nodded.

"It opens when it wants."

[1:39]

Dion limped over to the far end.

"Think we can bottleneck them here?"

"Maybe."

"Think they'll let us?"

"No."

Dion sighed. "Thought so."

[1:14]

They stopped moving.

Each faced a different angle.

Each holding a weapon.

Breathing steady.

No speech.

No speeches.

Just waiting.

[0:52]

Merlin tapped the glyph once.

Activated.

Weak pulse.

It held.

"Good enough," he muttered.

Flint rolled his shoulder.

Dion cracked his neck.

[0:21]

Merlin looked toward the bones at the far end.

Already shifting.

Already rising.

He didn't sigh.

Didn't curse.

Just whispered one thing under his breath.

"Round three."

—

[0:03]

[0:02]

[0:01]

The bones at the far end snapped together.

New skeletons.

Smaller.

Faster.

Light armor plates fused to their ribs. Blades welded to their arms. No shields. No hesitation.

They sprinted.

Dion swore. "Runners."

"Focus right," Merlin said.

He lifted the halberd.

Didn't swing.

Waited.

First skeleton came in low.

Flint met it mid-sprint. One blade up, second to the knee. It dropped. Didn't scream. The next one trampled it.

Merlin activated the glyph.

Space warped.

Two skeletons crashed into each other. Cracked femurs. Broken momentum.

Dion threw a rusted shield. It caught one in the face. Useless, but slowed it.

Merlin stepped forward.

Halberd swept sideways.

Three skeletons. Legs gone.

He reversed the motion. Brought it down vertical.

Spine. Shattered.

"Left," Flint said.

Two incoming.

Merlin stepped into the arc.

Used wind.

Body moved faster than sight.

Halberd cut through both before they adjusted.

Dion stabbed a crawler on the floor. Missed the skull.

"Get the head," Flint barked.

"Trying!"

Another sprinted in.

Merlin caught it with water pressure laced across his shoulder. Slammed it into the floor. Crushed.

[Remaining: 11]

They were thinning.

But not stopping.

Two flanked right.

Merlin dropped low. Time dragged one step.

He clipped both knees.

Flint finished them.

Dion held the corner.

Blocked. Screamed. Kicked.

Merlin didn't look.

Handled another with a full-space displacement, moved it two feet right mid-swing. It missed. Got bisected.

[Remaining: 5]

Flint stabbed.

Twisted.

Dion got tackled.

Merlin turned.

Pulled wind into his legs.

Crossed the space.

Ram-tackled the skeleton off Dion.

Snapped its neck with the halberd's reverse spike.

[Remaining: 2]

They backed off.

Briefly.

Wrong move.

Merlin moved.

Too fast.

Cut both before they took a second step.

[Remaining: 0]

[Wave Cleared]

[Door Unsealing]

No one cheered.

Just heavy breathing.

Blood.

Dust.

Merlin dropped the halberd.

"Next room," he said.

And walked toward it.

—

The door opened wide without a creak.

Dark inside. No sound at all, like a graveyard.

No system message.

Just a space large enough to fit a building.

Merlin stepped in first.

Flint followed.

Dion wiped blood off his cheek and came in last.

The door closed behind them.

Lock clicked.

Lights activated. Dim. Cold. Focused.

They formed a ring overhead.

In the center of the room stood the boss.

Twelve feet tall.

Skeleton.

Not like the others.

Armor fused to its frame. Crown bolted to its skull. Sword the size of a coffin gripped in one hand.

The other hand? Empty. Gloved. Burned.

Eyes burned red.

Still.

System pinged.

[BOSS ENCOUNTER: THE BLACK KING]

[OBJECTIVE: DESTROY THE CORE INSIDE THE RIBCAGE]

[WEAKNESS: CORE IS VISIBLE ONLY DURING ATTACK PHASE]

[NOTE: SHIELDING IS ABSOLUTE DURING IDLE PHASE]

Dion muttered, "Oh great. Another one with phases."

"Focus on pattern," Merlin said. "That's it."

The boss moved.

One step.

Stone cracked.

Second step.

Sword raised.

First swing came fast.

No windup.

No sound.

Just a blur.

They scattered.

Dion dove right. Flint dodged left. Merlin ducked low.

Sword slammed down. Crater.

Merlin rolled up. He saw the ribcage.

The core inside glowed blue.

He launched forward at an incredible pace.

Sovereign Chain activated without hesitation.

Motion mapped.

He adjusted the angle.

Blade in.

Didn't reach.

Armor plate blocked the path.

"Too shallow!" he called out.

Dion threw a dagger.

It bounced off the jaw.

Flint circled behind.

"Wait for reset," he said.

Boss straightened.

Core vanished.

Sword dragged along the floor.

"Pattern," Merlin muttered. "Watch the feet."

The boss turned.

Second swing horizontal. Merlin jumped and barely cleared it.

Air burst behind him.

Flint closed in without hesitation and struck the back.

The armor rang.

However there was no effect.

Dion went for the knee and missed...

Sword came back in a backhanded swing.

Fast. Way too fast.

Merlin pulled wind.

Dodged sideways.

Clipped.

Ripped his sleeve open.

Didn't stop.

Rolled.

Came up behind the boss again.

It paused.

Core visible.

He jumped and time slowed.

Space bent and he aimed straight through the third rib.

Blade pierced.

Crack.

Core glowed brighter.

Didn't break.

Merlin dropped.

Flint yelled, "It's glowing—keep pressure!"

Dion grabbed a polearm from the ground.

Ran forward.

Threw it. It was a direct hit.

The core cracked.

Boss roared.

Armor expanded.

Wave of pressure hit all three.

[Phase Two Initiated]

[Core Repaired: 60% Integrity]

[Weapon Swap Detected]

The boss dropped the sword.

Reached back.

Pulled out an axe. Twice as wide.

They didn't speak. Just moved.

Next round started now.