Chapter 230: Ch 230: Countdown to Destruction- Part 1
Selene’s heart pounded as the ground quaked beneath her.
The monsters poured out of the newly ford dungeon like a flood. Soon, there would be no way for her or anyone to stop these monsters from tearing the earth apart.
’Too many...’
They clawed their way forward—hulking beasts with glowing eyes and bodies pulsing with raw energy.
Selene gritted her teeth and threw her hand forward.
"I’ll need to borrow the twin’s power. Well, this will just help with our narrative, so that’s a good thing."
Frost exploded from her fingertips, spreading along the ground in jagged spikes.
Several creatures screeched as their legs froze mid-motion, ice locking them in place.
’Good.’
But before Selene could breathe a sigh of relief, another wave surged forward.
Larger. Stronger.
High-rankers.
Selene’s system flashed warnings.
[Warning! Creatures detected: undetermined-rank threat.]
Shit.
Selene clenched her fists, pushing more power into her ice to slow them down. She did not even know what the system ant by ’undetermined’.
All she could do was try to stop these monsters from heading out by forming ice around their ankles to hold them in place.
But they shattered her restraints like glass.
Her body scread in protest as she funneled more energy into her core, trying to control the chaos.
’Just a little more—’
A massive beast slamd against her ice barrier, sending shockwaves through her limbs.
Selene staggered, barely keeping her footing.
"I can’t... hold them..."
Her vision blurred as her energy drained at an alarming rate.
Another monster tore through her defenses, its glowing red eyes locking onto her.
Selene’s breath hitched.
’They’re getting out.’
Her mind raced.
"If I detonate the whole area..."
Her core pulsed violently, ready to overload.
Selene’s fingers tightened.
’I’ll take them—and myself—with it.’
She closed her eyes, preparing to trigger the explosion.
But before she could—
"Selene!"
A familiar voice cut through the chaos.
Selene’s eyes snapped open.
Ethan.
He was a blur of motion, cutting through the beasts like a whirlwind.
Silver energy danced around him as his blades glead in the light of the portal.
Selene’s heart lurched.
"Ethan..."
He moved with deadly precision, slashing through the creatures trying to break free.
"Don’t you dare do sothing stupid!"
Ethan shouted, his voice strained but steady.
Selene’s grip loosened slightly, her mind clearing as she watched him push back the tide of monsters.
’He’s holding them...’
A flicker of hope ignited inside her.
’I can still fix this.’
Selene’s eyes narrowed.
"Ti to try a little harder at holding these fuckers back."
The ground around her froze in an instant, sharp tendrils of ice crawling along the dirt, trapping the creatures’ limbs.
Ethan used the montary advantage to slice through the nearest ones, forcing them back toward the portal.
Selene kept pouring her power into the ice, reinforcing it.
’Just a little longer.’
The beasts snarled and thrashed, but the ice held.
For now.
"Ethan!"
Selene called out, her voice tight with urgency.
"There’s no end to them!"
Ethan grunted as he drove his blade into another creature.
"I can see that!"
Selene’s mind spun.
’The portal...’
She bit her lip, dread pooling in her stomach.
"The only way to stop this..."
Her eyes flicked toward the swirling rift.
"...is to close the dungeon."
Ethan’s head snapped toward her.
"No."
"I have to go in," Selene said, her tone leaving no room for argunt.
"Selene—"
"Hold the fort."
Her gaze was already locked on the portal.
"I’ll clear the dungeon."
Ethan’s jaw clenched.
"Damn it, Selene!"
"Trust ."
But before Ethan could say another word—
Selene was already moving and before she knew it, she was past the dungeon’s door.
The dungeon’s pull was imdiate.
Selene’s body tensed as the unnatural energy wrapped around her.
It was colder than she rembered.
Darker.
’Sothing’s wrong.’
The mont she crossed the threshold, the air grew heavier.
A chilling sense of dread crawled up her spine.
’What is this place...?’
But she didn’t have ti to dwell on it.
Selene pushed forward, her steps echoing in the dim void as she ventured deeper into the dungeon.
Her eyes scanned the shifting darkness for threats.
’I have to close it... before it’s too late.’
Selene’s footsteps echoed through the dungeon’s twisted corridors.
She felt the energy shift.
The core was close.
But sothing wasn’t right.
’This place...’
The darkness pulsed around her, almost like it was alive.
Her system humd softly in warning.
[Unknown anomaly detected.]
Selene’s eyes narrowed.’
’Whatever’s waiting for ... I’ll deal with it.
Her grip on her blade tightened as she moved deeper into the unknown.
"Ethan... hold on."
Her heart pounded in her ears as she approached the core’s location.
’I’ll end this...’
Before it ends all of us.
Back outside—
Ethan’s grip on his blade tightened as he watched Selene disappear into the portal.
"Damn it."
Monsters were still pushing against the ice, their numbers growing.
Ethan’s jaw clenched as he weighed his options.
I can’t hold them off forever.
His system pinged softly, almost as if it was trying to offer a lifeline.
A skill flashed before his eyes.
[Skill: Dinsional Lockdown.]
Ethan’s breath caught.
[Warning: Using this skill before maximum rank will result in a severe penalty. Stats will be reduced by 50% for one week.]
’Half my stats... gone.’
It was a death sentence in their world.
Ethan’s knuckles turned white.
[Duration: 30 minutes.]
’Thirty minutes...’
Enough ti for Selene to get in, clear the dungeon, and shut the damn portal.
’But if she doesn’t...’
Ethan’s gaze hardened.
’There’s no other choice.’
His hand trembled as he activated the skill.
[Dinsional Lockdown.]
A pulse of silver energy erupted from Ethan, spreading outward in waves.
The monsters froze mid-motion, their bodies suspended between dinsions.
Half-in.
Half-out.
The system chid softly in his mind.
[Lockdown active. Tir: 30 minutes.]
Ethan exhaled sharply, his body already feeling the drain.
The system’s penalty hit instantly—
A crushing weight on his core.
His strength plumted.
’Damn...’
Ethan’s vision blurred for a mont, but he forced himself to stay standing.
"You better hurry, Selene..."
He clenched his teeth as the countdown began.
29:57...
29:56...
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