Traveling as zamasu

The last thud of shifting stone sealed Finn, Riveria, Gareth, and their team of six into a narrow corridor. 

The sound faded, replaced by stillness and the weight of realization: they were cut off.

Finn placed a hand on the closed slab. It was cold and unmoving. Nothing came from the other side.

"Status," he said, turning away. His voice was calm but firm. Around him, the others were already scanning the space. 

The corridor sloped downward, the far end disappearing into shadow. Riveria's staff cast a pale green light, enough to make out the smooth stone walls and faint dust in the air.

Riveria was already checking for lingering magic. Gareth tightened his grip on his axe, his eyes focused ahead.

"We continue toward the control core," Finn said. "No detours. No unnecessary fights. If we lose more time, the enemy regroups."

No one disagreed. The plan had changed, but the mission hadn't.

"Minor scrapes, Captain," said Alberich, a solidly built Level 5 swordsman. "No serious injuries from the shift."

Riveria was already at work, her staff moving in controlled arcs as she tested the air. Her brow tightened.

"The magic here is heavier than before. It's suppressing my detection range. I'm only getting a short radius now." She paused, adjusting her stance. "No enemies nearby, but the layout feels intentional—like it's pushing us forward."

Finn didn't comment. He just nodded once, then looked ahead.

"Form a tight formation. We'll move at pace. Gareth, front. Alberich, left flank. I want eyes on everything."

The team shifted without question. They had no map, no connection to the others, and no time to wait. 

Their goal remained unchanged: reach the control core and secure it, whatever it took.

Finn took it in quickly, pushing aside any reaction to the separation. The goal hadn't changed—only the path had. 

He turned to the group, voice steady.

"Priority holds. We head for the Control Core. Avoid fights unless absolutely necessary. Riveria, lead detection. Speed takes precedence."

There was no time to worry about the others. He trusted them to handle their parts. Disabling Knossos was the best chance any of them had.

Gareth shifted Gulliver onto his shoulder, the hammer's weight unbothered by the tight walls.

"Right behind you," he said to Riveria. "Let's see what this place has planned next."

They moved as one, tight and efficient. Riveria led, staff raised, her detection magic casting a steady green glow that reached barely a dozen yards ahead. 

Finn stayed just behind her, spear in hand, eyes sharp. Gareth and the rest followed, weapons ready, shields half-raised. 

Their boots hit the stone with soft, controlled steps. 

The air grew colder. 

The slope steepened. 

Aside from their own movement, Knossos was silent—eerily so.

Riveria suddenly raised a hand, stopping the group. "Trap. Magical. Five paces ahead," she said, pointing at a faint shimmer on the floor.

"Bypass?" Finn asked.

"Maybe. Left wall is thinner. Weak point. I can break through, but it'll set off an alert. They'll know where we are and which way we're going."

Finn didn't hesitate. "Do it. Stealth's no longer a priority. We move fast."

Riveria nodded and fired a controlled blast from her staff. 

The wall cracked and collapsed inward, creating a narrow gap just large enough to pass through. As expected, a high-pitched alarm sounded the moment the breach was made.

"Move," Finn ordered. They slipped through the breach single file, entering a parallel corridor. The alarm kept blaring. 

"Double time." Finn picked up the pace, the team following. They had no illusions—enemies would be coming. The push to the core had begun.

****

Aiz landed in a crouch, Desperate drawn and ready. Tiona and Tione hit the ground beside her, both steadying their large blades. Bete dropped nearby, already baring his claws, his fur on edge.

"Damn shifting floors," Bete muttered, throwing a glare up the slope they'd just slid down. 

It ended in a solid wall ten feet above—no going back. A low growl echoed from ahead, closer than before.

Tione checked the area. 

The tunnel was rougher, wider, sloping deeper underground. "No sign of Raul or the others," she said. "We're on our own."

Aiz's eyes stayed fixed ahead. "Monster. Strong."

"Good," Tione said, adjusting her grip on Urga. "Time to make noise."

She looked to Tiona, Bete, then Aiz. 

"Finn's aiming for the core. We hit everything else. We should prioritize max disruption—wreck anything that looks important, kill every Evilus or hybrid that crosses us. If we run into allies, great. If not, keep moving. Force them to come to us."

It was blunt, clear, and made to suit their team—raw force used as a spearhead to destabilize Knossos from within.

Bete grinned, teeth bared. "Finally, someone talking sense. Let's wreck this place."

Tiona swung her greatsword in a wide arc. "Disruption time!"

A deep roar came from the gloom. A Stone Lizard charged, larger and more heavily armored than before, its eyes glowing red—an obvious monster-hybrid.

Tione didn't hesitate. "Bete, flank left! Tiona, right! Aiz, center! Keep it from settling!" She charged straight ahead, Urga ready.

Aiz moved swiftly, Desperate cutting a deep gash across the Lizard's snout as it lunged. 

It roared and snapped at her, but she dodged away. 

Bete struck from the left, claws tearing into the softer hide between the stone plates, drawing dark blood. 

Tiona smashed her Urga down on its right leg, cracking the scales and buckling the limb. Tione drove her blade into its chest, staggering the beast.

Outnumbered and overwhelmed, the Stone Lizard didn't last. Tiona's next strike shattered its skull. It collapsed with a heavy thud.

"Pathetic," Bete muttered, wiping blood from his claws on the fallen beast's hide. "Where's the real fight?"

Tione glanced down the tunnel, her expression hardening. "Company. Sounds like a squad."

Four Evilus fighters appeared around a bend, clad in dark leather and scrap metal, swords and bucklers ready. Their eyes widened at the scene.

Tione didn't wait. "Aiz, Bete, lead! Tiona, cover the rear! No survivors." She charged forward, Urga swinging ahead.

It was over quickly. Aiz moved through the fighters with precision, Desperate flashing as she cut down her targets. 

Bete tore into the second wave before they could react. Tiona held the rear, her greatsword blocking any threats that tried to flank. Tione finished the last opponent with a decisive chop.

"Search the bodies," Tione ordered, scanning the area. 

"Weapons, potions, keys—anything useful. Then we keep moving. Find something important to destroy." She kicked open a heavy wooden door embedded in the tunnel wall. 

Inside was a small storeroom stacked with crates and barrels. "Tiona, smash it."

Tiona laughed sharply and stormed into the room, Urga swinging. Barrels burst, crates shattered, and supplies spilled across the floor. 

In moments, the storeroom was wrecked.

"Good," Tione said. "Now move. We're hunting commanders—anything that looks critical."

They advanced down the tunnel with loud, deliberate force, their goal no longer concealment but disruption. 

Let Knossos feel the pressure from within.

****

The attack came without warning.

The wave of magical pressure hit Lefiya like a hammer to the chest. Not physical—magical. Heavy, suffocating. 

Her grip slipped on her damp staff, and she stumbled back, vision blurring as raw killing intent poured through the chamber. Forest Teardrop's glow flickered.

Shapes moved in the dim light—too fast for monsters. Figures in dark armor, faces masked, weapons already drawn. Behind them, half-seen shadows stalked the edge of the light. Xenos—unmistakably so. Twisted, intelligent monsters. High-level. Hostile.

The first volley of magic hit Raul's shield directly. It shattered on impact, throwing him back into the stone. He groaned, dazed, blood running from his temple.

"Ambush!" Marten shouted, dropping to one knee. "Three at the front—mages! We've got casters!"

"Elina! Shields!" Lefiya barked, instincts taking over. She raised her staff. "Luminous Wind!"

A shimmering dome of light formed around them just in time to block a second volley. 

Explosions rattled against it—fire, lightning, something corrosive. The barrier held, but it pulsed under strain.

"Elina, start casting! Marten, reinforce the wall! Raul's down!"

The tunnel ahead was too narrow to escape through easily, and the flanking path was blocked. They were pinned. 

One of the Xenos—a reptilian brute with glinting bone armor—charged forward and crashed into the dome. It cracked under the weight.

Marten grimaced, chanting again. "Stone Wall!" A waist-high wall erupted in front of the dome. It slowed the brute, but not for long.

"Lefiya—left flank!" Elina shouted.

Lefiya pivoted, hurling an Arcs Ray toward one of the masked figures. It missed—barely. The figure was fast. Experienced. It disappeared behind cover.

"We're outmatched," Marten muttered grimly, panting. "These aren't fodder."

The wall shattered as the brute Xenos charged again, this time joined by two others—a mantis-like creature wielding twin blades, and something feline that darted into the shadows. 

The dome cracked a second later, and the next blast of dark energy tore into their ranks.

Raul tried to sit up, but couldn't. Elina dragged him toward cover. Marten held the rear, launching a weak bolt of wind magic to slow their pursuers.

"Fall back!" Lefiya yelled. "We can't hold here!"

They bolted for the tunnel behind them, dragging Raul along. Spells and shouts rang out from every direction. 

The Xenos didn't pursue blindly—they herded, cut off exits, moved with frightening coordination. Evilus agents shouted orders in an unfamiliar language.

A thunderous impact rocked the tunnel behind them—another brute had collapsed the entrance with its bulk. 

Dust and stone rained down. 

The group was forced down a steep side path.

"Split!" Marten shouted. "We'll draw them!"

Lefiya hesitated—but then an explosion hit the wall nearby, and the blast knocked her from her feet. 

The floor tilted. Something gave way.

She slipped.

A moment later, Lefiya was tumbling down a narrow shaft, her scream cut off as she crashed into darkness. 

Dust filled her lungs. Her staff clattered somewhere nearby. The light from her magic dimmed to almost nothing.

Above her, the fight continued—shouts, magic, steel on stone. But she was alone now. Isolated.

She sat up slowly, body aching. The tunnel around her was narrow and cold. She couldn't hear the others anymore.

Her hand found Forest Teardrop. She gripped it tightly, forcing herself up. Somewhere ahead, a growl echoed. Deep. Wet.

Not human.

Lefiya steadied her breath. No way back. Only forward.

Chapter 36 end