The shockwave rolled outward in a wide arc, shaking the entire cavern and sending cracks through the stone pillars around them.
Aria raised a curved barrier of rock in front of the group, absorbing most of the force but splintering under the pressure.
They were not overwhelmed.
All of them were smiling.
Elion stepped forward again.
This time, he did not rely solely on magic.
He drew his sword, which had been idle in its scabbard up until now.
The sound of steel sliding free cut cleanly through the cavern noise, drawing the attention of all four girls for half a second. The Warbeast’s claw descended toward him, heavy and fast.
Elion stepped forward instead of retreating.
His blade moved once, clean and smooth, meeting the descending claw at a precise angle. The red-black hide split beneath the strike, and a deep line opened across the Warbeast’s forearm as blood sprayed outward.
The Warbeast roared in shock.
Elion did not pause.
He pivoted lightly on his heel and slipped past its second swing, carving a diagonal line across its ribs with a second fluid motion. There was no wasted movement in his steps, and no exaggerated flourish.
He made nothing but minimal, structured movements. Every strike had purpose.
The girls stared in awe at the beauty of his sword style.
Mira blinked once before speaking.
"I think he might be better with that sword than with magic."
Tessa laughed loudly, even as she circled back in to strike at the Warbeast’s weakened leg.
"He’s been holding out on us!"
Aria watched his footwork with quiet admiration.
It was balanced and controlled, like he had fought this size of opponent many times before. Even Isolde’s eyes sharpened slightly as she tracked the rhythm of his strikes.
The Warbeast grew more aggressive as blood loss began to slow its movements.
It swung wildly, attempting to catch him with brute force, but Elion parried once and then stepped inside its guard, slicing across the exposed thigh Tessa had weakened earlier. The beast staggered slightly, and that was all the opening they needed.
"Now," he said calmly.
Aria locked both of its legs in hardened stone, forcing it to remain upright.
Isolde compressed water tightly around its upper body, restricting its arms just enough to slow its next strike.
Mira focused her flames directly into the wound Elion had opened in its ribs, pushing heat deep into its core.
Tessa charged without hesitation and leapt high.
She drove both gauntlets into the burning wound with everything she had.
The Warbeast’s roar shook the cavern one last time before its massive body collapsed forward into the shallow water.
Silence filled Floor Fifteen.
They stood there breathing slightly heavier than before, but no one was close to drained. No one had panicked.
They had struggled just enough to enjoy it.
Tessa rolled her shoulders and let out a long breath.
"That," she said with a grin, "was worth the trip."
Mira brushed damp hair from her face.
"And you," she said, looking at Elion, "have some explaining to do."
"Yeah, you never told us you could use a sword like that."
He sheathed his sword calmly.
"Well, I carry a sword to training on occasion, you could have guessed." He said with a shrug, "Besides, you never asked."
"You have a lot of secrets." Tessa clicked her tongue. He had a way with words that felt like they wouldn’t be able to win an argument against him, even if they ganged up on him
Aria stepped closer and nudged his arm lightly.
"That was beautiful," she said softly.
Isolde gave a small nod. "Yeah, your sword style is beautiful. What is it called?"
"A name? I’m not practicing any particular sword style, so I wouldn’t know."
"So what you are trying to say is that you made your own?" The girls looked at him, dumbfounded.
He smiled faintly but did not deny it.
They had reached the limit; they were all about to bombard him with more questions when a faint tremor rippled through the cavern floor.
The shallow water around the fallen creature began to glow in thin threads of pale blue light, like veins of moonlight threading through glass. The cracks in the surrounding pillars stopped spreading.
The oppressive pressure that had hung over Floor Fifteen since they arrived loosened its grip, as though an unseen hand had unclenched.
Mira tilted her head slightly. "That’s new."
Isolde’s gaze lifted, scanning the cavern ceiling. "We triggered something."
Tessa cracked her knuckles, eyes bright instead of wary. "Good. I was hoping we would."
Aria did not speak. Her attention had shifted to Elion.
"You felt it too," she said quietly.
Elion glanced at her. "Yes."
The ground pulsed once more.
A low sound rolled through the cavern, not quite a roar, not quite a voice. The kind of sound that belonged to structures older than language.
Then the Warbeast’s corpse dissolved.
Its massive body broke apart into drifting motes of dull crimson light that rose slowly upward, spiraling toward the cavern ceiling.
The particles gathered above them, condensing into a hovering shape about the size of a clenched fist.
A crystal.
It floated there, turning slowly, its surface faceted but uneven, as if grown rather than carved. Deep within it, something flickered like a trapped ember.
Tessa pointed. "Loot."
Mira snorted softly. "You’re unbelievable."
"I’m correct," Tessa replied.
Isolde stepped closer, the wind stirring faintly around her boots as she studied it. "It’s a condensed mana stone," she said. "High density. Much higher than anything we’ve seen on previous floors."
Aria looked toward Elion. "Floor reward?"
"But we didn’t clear the floor?"
"I guess it’s just the beast mana core then?" Elion added.
"Most likely." Isolde agreed with him.
The crystal drifted downward, and curiously enough, it drifted toward him.
It stopped inches from his chest, hovering in place like it had reached its destination and was waiting for acknowledgement.
Tessa folded her arms. "Well? Don’t be shy. It clearly likes you."
Mira smirked. "You did carve it open."
Elion studied the crystal without touching it. His eyes narrowed slightly. The faint glow within the core pulsed in a steady rhythm. Like a heartbeat.
"Interesting," he murmured.
"Dangerously interesting," Isolde asked, "or useful interesting?"
"Yes."
Tessa laughed. "That’s not an answer."
"It is," he said.
The crystal pulsed again.
Then it moved into his hand.