The moment her words fell, Ben's sense of danger flared. He quickly sent out an order, then moved in front of Elvira. This time, he went all out—his enhanced chitin surged over his body like armor. Six jagged legs burst from his back, enclosing his front like a shield. His hands snapped together, bracing for impact. The shieldbearers leaped forward, raising their shields, while the rest moved to cover their backs.
A vertical line split across the egg. A second later, a flood of notifications filled Ben's vision—pain followed, along with a deafening clang.
[Your Krell Scout has perished!]
[Your Krell Scout has perished!]
[Your Krell Scout has perished!]
His six spider-like legs were severed in half. The attack only stopped when it slammed into his chest. Ben's gaze sharpened. His armor regenerated instantly, the pickaxe materializing in his grip as he swung without hesitation.
A massive shockwave exploded outward. The force pressed down on him, but finally—the enemy revealed itself. A gray humanoid knight, covered in blocky armor, stood before him. Its arms weren't arms at all—one had formed into a katana-like blade, the other into a lance. Ben's mind raced. 'A sword and a lance. If he had to guess…'
The knight shot forward, the lance thrusting toward him like a bolt of lightning. Ben reacted—his body twisted as he blocked the attack. "My beloved!!!" Elvira's panicked voice rang out, a magic circle forming in her hand. But before her spell could take effect, Ben had already moved.
As the lance's tip pierced his shoulder, his body shifted—Metamorphosis kicked in. His flesh twisted, morphing into a gaping hole lined with sharp teeth. CHOMP. The fanged maw snapped shut, biting into the lance, forcing it to a dead stop. At the same time, his legs transformed—the same ones he had used to escape the white lava.
Ben didn't hesitate. With the knight's lance trapped in his maw, his powerful legs propelling him forward like a war beast. The ground shattered beneath him, his full weight slamming into the knight.
The armored figure was hurled backward, its blocky frame crashing into the wall with enough force to send cracks crawling up the concrete. Dust exploded outward, filling the air with a suffocating haze. Ben didn't stop. The moment his feet touched the ground, he kicked off again, his pickaxe whistling through the air.
The knight's katana-hand lashed out, intercepting the strike. Sparks erupted as metal screeched, the force sending a shockwave that rippled through the room. Ben clicked his tongue. 'Strong.' But that didn't matter. He'd fought worse. His chitin shifted, his arms mutating—thick serrated claws extended from his elbows, his pickaxe still gripped tightly in one hand. The knight didn't flinch. It thrust its free hand forward, the katana extending mid-air like a growing blade. Ben's instincts screamed. He twisted at the last second, the katana slicing past his ribs—too close. But instead of retreating, he used the momentum to spin, his claws tearing across the knight's side.
The knight's armor groaned, a deep gash ripping across its torso. But instead of staggering, it bent unnaturally—its waist rotating a full 180 degrees. Ben's pupils shrank.
The lance shrunk back into its arm, reforming into a massive spiked shield—and then it swung.
Ben barely raised his arms in time. The impact sent him flying, his body smashing into the floor and carving a deep trench through the stone. "Elvira—!" He barely had time to yell before the knight charged. Its katana raised high, gleaming with a killing intent that promised instant death.
Before it could land, Elvira's voice rang out. "Fireball!" A crimson explosion erupted behind Ben. Elvira's magic tore through the ground, a wave of blood-red energy slamming into the knight's side. The sheer force sent it staggering, cracks splintering across its blocky armor.
Ben didn't waste the opening. His flesh writhed, chitin surging over his body as spider limbs burst from his back. He leaped, twisting mid-air, his pickaxe and claws aiming straight for the knight's exposed weak point. "Die!"
The knight reacted, raising its blade, but it was too slow. Ben's claws pierced through its side, ripping out chunks of metal, while his pickaxe smashed down onto its head. The knight froze. A single second passed. A hollow void split open within its helmet. Before Ben could finish it off, something shot out from the darkness. A cube slammed into Ben's chest with bone-crushing force. His body lurched backward, skidding across the stone floor. His instincts flared. He knew this thing. The cube monster. It moved. Ben swung.
The pickaxe collided with the cube, sending it flying and bouncing across the ground like a broken toy. The moment it landed, its body dissipated into nothingness. Ben exhaled, but something shifted. The knight's armor was transforming.
Ben's gaze snapped to it, his instincts screaming louder than ever. An unnatural energy pulsed from its body, warping the air like heat waves. That feeling was wrong. Even Elvira tensed, her eyes narrowing. "My beloved…" she murmured. "That… doesn't feel right."
Ben didn't need to answer. He agreed. The cracks in the knight's armor sealed, metal knitting itself together as if time were reversing. The eerie energy spread outward, twisting the surroundings and distorting the space around them. Inside the helmet, a mouth formed. A wide, eerie grin curled into something unnatural. Its hollow void stretched as if it were laughing in complete silence. It raised its hand. Thumb down.
Ben's brow twitched. "The hell is it—" The knight's hand shifted. Its fingers twisted unnaturally, metal bending as its entire palm crushed inward, folding into a knuckle. Then, with slow, deliberate motion, It raised its middle finger. A blatant, mocking gesture, dripping with pure arrogance.
Ben's eye twitched. "You son of a—" Before he or Elvira could react, the knight's body disintegrated, vanishing into thin air like it had never existed. Silence fell. A loud mechanical chime echoed through the chamber. Followed by sound of fireworks.
[Take your reward in the next room!]