The Moon Bloom shimmered over her shoulder—light and cold becoming a single blossom. Then fired.
A piercing lance of hyper-compressed frostblood.
Right into the priest's chest.
He screamed—not because of pain, but because his god's blessing was being devoured.
He lunged in desperation—but Veyra had already vanished.
She appeared behind him. Her arm was coated in blood-ice armor now—thorned and barbed.
The ice-arm drove into his back, rupturing through his chest.
Then she whispered near his doglike ear, "You had faith. I have instinct."
With a twist, she shattered the heartstone.
The priest collapsed in a wash of frost.
The curse mark on her back shattered like cracked glass.
She stood over him, barely bleeding.
And slowly turned, descending the stairs again.
Valeris raised an eyebrow. "Silent killer."
Asher nodded. "And still evolving."
He stepped forward once more, binding the fallen boss into a soul reaper and storing it away. Then, turning to Veyra, he gave a small smile. "You're adapting fast."
Veyra smiled back. "All thanks to you."
Asher nodded again. "Let's move on to the next one. It's better if we clear all the dungeons within 30 days. Though I think we can finish them in ten, now that only eight gates are left."
Valeris and Veyra both nodded in agreement.
Without wasting time, the group set off toward the next destination—the third mountain, where the Crimson Lattice Cavern dungeon gate awaited them.
They made their way to the third mountain—a steep, blood-tinged peak shrouded in a low, persistent mist. The group ascended slowly, mindful of unstable ground and hidden crevices, until finally they reached the summit. There, embedded into the rock face, was the next dungeon gate: the Crimson Lattice Cavern.
Much like the previous two gates, this one exuded an aura of reverence and decay. Where the Flame Duke's dominion had been a spectacle of burning grandeur and the Frost Hollow Path a ruined temple of a forgotten deity, the entrance to the Crimson Lattice Cavern spoke of ancient tradition and ritual sacrifice.
The cavern's gateway was formed by intricately carved arches arranged in a lattice pattern. The red stone of the gate pulsed with a dim crimson glow as if stained by centuries of spilled blood. Faded carvings covered its surface—depictions of archaic ceremonies, ritualistic symbols, and figures crowned with blood-soaked laurels. The red light never flickered; it seemed to emanate from the very stone itself, a quiet reminder of the cult that once revered this place.
Asher stepped forward and scanned the structure with a practiced eye. "This gate was once the heart of a blood cult," he said simply. "They believed that blood, when properly offered, could open the pathways to immortality. Over time, the sacrifices and the rituals gave the cavern its name—and its power."
Valeris ran his fingers along one of the exposed carvings, feeling the cool, almost rubbery texture of stone that had witnessed centuries of devotion and decay. "It's as if the very walls remember the screams and prayers," he remarked.
Veyra surveyed the cavern's entrance, her eyes narrowing. "The aura here is different from the other gates," she observed. "There's a heavy sense of ritual and sacrifice, tempered with a quiet, oppressive sorrow. It's almost as if the cult still lingers in the stone."
Asher nodded. "We've seen gods and kings in these dungeons—those who ruled with fire and ice. Now, we face one forged from blood and devotion. That's why this gate is so unique. The guardians that reside within weren't merely monsters—they were priests, warriors, and martyrs. Their traditions and curses still echo in these walls."
The group fell silent for a moment as they absorbed the atmosphere. The Crimson Lattice Cavern was not merely another challenge. It was an edifice of forgotten rituals, its every chiseled detail a testament to lives lived for a divine cause that had long since fallen into obscurity.
Asher broke the silence. "The theme is simple like before here only one Cult Leader is lift, called the Gore Eyed Blood Feeder, just defeat hima nd the dungeon is cleared."
Veyra's gaze hardened as she nodded. "Understood," she said. "I'll see if his blood is stronger than mine."
With that, Asher led the way toward the entrance. The party stepped through the threshold of the Crimson Lattice Cavern, leaving behind the harsh winds of the mountain peak for an interior shrouded in ritualistic gloom and cold red light.
The tunnel twisted downward into the heart of the mountain, carved from stone that pulsed with dull, crimson veins. Asher and Valeris walked behind Veyra, but once they reached a circular antechamber, they stopped. The chamber walls were lined with carved figures—depictions of past cult leaders, all shown with jagged teeth, long claws, and overflowing chalices of blood. The air was thick, almost metallic.
At the center stood a tall figure.
The Gore Eyed Blood Feeder.
He was draped in blood-soaked robes that dragged behind him like dead flesh. His skin was pale and stretched thin over a tall, wiry frame. Dozens of small red eyes blinked across his face and arms, all constantly shifting and twitching. His hands were long and bone-thin, ending in sharpened claws. In one hand, he held a rusted, curved blade, and in the other, a ceremonial chalice filled with a swirling, thick red liquid.
"I smell arrogance," he rasped. His voice was dry and cracking, like old parchment. "Another offering who thinks they can deny the feast."
Veyra stepped forward calmly. "Your feast ends here."
The Gore Eyed Blood Feeder raised his chalice and threw the liquid into the air. It didn't fall—it hovered, twisting and expanding, becoming a sphere of dense blood. With a gesture, he snapped it toward her like a cannon shot.
Veyra raised a barrier of icy blood vines. The impact shattered some, but the rest coiled and hardened, absorbing the blow. She dashed forward without hesitation, her hands forming two blood-forged blades tinged with frost. The temperature dropped instantly around her.
The Blood Feeder swung his curved blade with unnatural speed. Veyra ducked under the first slash and countered with a horizontal strike aimed at his ribs. He parried with his clawed hand, but a spatter of frozen blood struck his face, briefly blinding several of his eyes.
The source of this content is Novel~Fire. (n)et
He hissed and jumped back, slicing open his own palm and hurling a stream of blood toward the ceiling. From it, dozens of red tendrils dropped down like leeches, writhing and reaching toward her.
Veyra jumped into the air and twisted mid-flight, slicing through several tendrils with her dual blades. Others latched onto her leg, trying to drain her essence, but her ice-element blood surged outward, freezing them in place and snapping them off.
The cult leader didn't slow. With a gesture, the frozen blood on the floor began to vibrate, and Veyra's eyes narrowed. He was manipulating her blood now.
Asher, watching from the side, felt amused. "He's using blood law manipulation to wrest control from her."