Somewhere in the Darkness
"Huff..."
Vorath stood in the darkness, looking at the preparations around him.
"Everything is ready."
He looked toward Zalthar.
"Shall we start?"
Zalthar replied calmly.
"Call everyone."
Vorath grinned.
"For sure."
A maniacal grin spread across his face.
Moments later, twelve figures stood before Zalthar. Among them were Vorath and Xekar.
Zalthar slowly rose from his throne, which was made entirely of crystals. He cleared his throat.
"The time has finally arrived. The announcement of war has been made."
"Now...let the actual war begin."
He looked at the twelve figures standing before him.
"They will have to play by our rules. I hope the plan is clear to all of you. I do not expect failure from any of you."
His expression became colder.
"If they somehow spare you... just so you know, I won't."
"Take your positions."
Everyone answered in unison.
"Yes."
Zalthar then looked toward Vorath.
"Vorath. Those Chimera and your other inventions are ready, as you said? Make sure they are used properly."
Vorath smiled.
"That goes without saying."
He laughed.
"This is going to be fun."
The rest of them said nothing.
But the excitement was clear.
They were just as eager as Vorath. The urge for destruction filled the chamber.
Zalthar slowly raised his sword. Darkness engulfed each of them. One by one, they disappeared. Zalthar remained behind.
He slowly sat back down on his throne... and waited for his time to come.
---
Three Weeks Later
Three weeks had passed since the Chimera ambush.
Every nation was now on high alert.
Constant patrols had been established throughout the kingdoms.
For perhaps the first time in history, so many kingdoms were working together against a single common enemy.
Everyone cooperated. Almost everyone. There was only one exception.
Kingdom of Loscietian.
Even though they were not officially part of the cooperation, they continued exchanging information with kingdoms with whom they had maintained good relations in the past.
They still had difficulties joining hands with kingdoms they shared a rough history with, especially those that shared their borders.
But even Loscietian understood the severity of the situation.
Meanwhile, the royalty, armies, and adventurers continued their duties on the surface.
And from the shadows... Zortheus and his group continued their own work.
The mystery surrounding the jewels remained unsolved.
King Arthur still felt a certain weakness within his body. There was no cure for his condition yet.
But his commands remained absolute.
Everyone was confused by the enemy's silence. After declaring war in such a reckless and direct manner, the enemies had suddenly disappeared. It felt almost as if they were invisible.
But nobody was fooled. Everyone knew this was merely the silence before the storm.
And then... The storm finally arrived.
A massive eruption suddenly occurred from beneath the ground. The entire land shook as though an earthquake had struck. The ground cracked open.
From beneath it... A massive structure began emerging. A structure that looked like a dungeon.
But this wasn't happening in just one place. It happened twelve times. In twelve different kingdoms.
As the enormous dungeon structures continued rising from the ground, a letter suddenly appeared inside the court of every nation.
The message was the same.
"You are all invited to the Dungeon Wars. You can't say no.
A week from now, the dungeon will be fully grown.
It is futile to stop its growth. It will happen regardless of what you try to do.
We will meet you there.
And just so you know... If you fail to defeat us, the dungeon will outgrow and consume every land nearby.
You are all welcome."
A straight invitation to chaos.
The areas surrounding each dungeon were already being consumed by corrupted energy. The pressure was so intense that any ordinary person would collapse simply by entering the area. Everyone was left wondering the same thing.
Was this truly a war? Or was it a trap? What exactly were they going to face?
But one thing was certain. They couldn't take a single word lightly.
The moment the letters were received, regardless of where they were, every leader immediately began preparing.
Armies were mobilised.
Adventurers were enlisted to take the front lines.
Supplies were gathered.
Weapons were prepared.
The most difficult task, however, was hiding all of this from the public.
One loose end... And chaos could spread like fire.
The motive behind the Dungeon War remained unclear.
As far as everyone knew, the enemy was searching for the jewels.
Then they had appeared at the tournament, where the strongest adventurers in the world had gathered, only to announce the beginning of a war.
And now... Twelve dungeons had emerged simultaneously. It felt unreal.
Dungeons did not simply emerge like this.
Their formation normally took time.
Yet somehow... someone seemed to have synchronised the emergence of twelve different dungeons across twelve different kingdoms.
Just thinking about it sent chills through everyone.
One week.
That was all the time they had left. Nobody knew what future awaited them. But everyone understood one thing.
This was the endgame.
The weight of the world's fate rested on their shoulders.
Yet not a single kingdom backed down.
The fate of the world depended on this war.
---
Zortheus's Dungeon
Far away from the chaos... Zortheus sat inside an almost completely broken-down chamber.
This was his dungeon. The place was silent.
Zortheus stared at the skeleton of Celeste.
He remained there quietly. His expression was difficult to read. He was trying to keep his heart at peace. Trying to prepare himself for the war that was coming.
Then... Footsteps echoed through the chamber.
A figure entered.
"Zortheus."
The figure greeted him.
Zortheus slowly turned his head as things had taken an important turn.