They sat among the broken stones of the ruined street.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
The wind moved through the shattered district like a quiet ghost.
Finally, Mikel exhaled slowly.
"…you should know what happened."
Con nodded.
"Tell me everything."
Mikel began speaking.
At first slowly.
Then in greater detail.
"The first monsters appeared in the streets at dawn two days ago."
"Small ones at first. The guards thought they could handle it."
"But more kept coming."
His hands trembled slightly as he spoke.
"They crawled out of cracks… from basements… from collapsed buildings."
Con listened carefully.
Mikel continued.
"Mercenaries were called in to help."
"Daren and I joined them."
His voice lowered.
"The first wave lasted maybe an hour."
"Then…"
He swallowed.
"…the demon appeared."
Con's fists slowly tightened.
"What did it look like?"
Mikel closed his eyes briefly, as if the memory alone hurt.
"…wrong."
"That's the only word I can think of."
"It walked like a human… but its body kept changing."
"Bones moving under the skin."
"Limbs stretching too long."
Con's stomach turned.
Mikel continued quietly.
"It didn't just kill people."
"It…"
His voice faltered.
"…split them open."
Con's breath caught.
"Like something tearing through from the inside."
"Some of the victims… their bodies opened before they even died."
The words hit Con like ice water.
He had heard descriptions like this before.
From the old scholar who studied forbidden magic.
Creatures summoned from the Netherworld didn't simply attack.
They corrupted.
Distorted.
Turned living bodies into broken vessels.
Mikel lowered his head.
"Daren and I got separated during the chaos."
"The creature smashed through buildings like they were paper."
"I tried to find him afterwards…"
His voice cracked.
"…but everything was already burning."
Silence fell again.
Con's chest felt tight.
The images forming in his mind were unbearable.
Daren.
Fighting.
Shouting.
Then disappearing into the chaos.
Con forced himself to breathe slowly.
"…we should go back to the survivors."
Mikel shook his head immediately.
"No."
"But—"
"It would waste time."
His voice was firm now.
"You told me about the rune magic."
"If that circle still exists, destroying it should stop this."
Con hesitated.
Something in his chest felt uneasy.
But Mikel was right.
The rune circle was the source.
If they destroyed it—
Everything should end.
"…alright."
They stood.
Carefully navigating through collapsed streets and broken walls, they made their way toward the underground entrance.
Soon the ruined staircase appeared again.
The broken iron gate hung loosely where Con had left it.
Mikel leaned against the wall, breathing slightly heavier from his injuries.
"I'll stay here."
Con turned toward him.
"You should come inside."
Mikel shook his head.
"If things go wrong, someone needs to escape and warn the others."
He forced a small smile.
"Besides… I'd just slow you down."
Con hesitated.
Mikel added quietly,
"…be careful."
He glanced at Con's blindfold.
"You don't have the mirror's help now."
Con paused.
Then nodded slowly.
"…I know."
He stepped into the tunnel.
The underground chamber felt exactly as he remembered.
Except now—
It wasn't empty.
Five figures stood around the rune circle.
Scholars.
They turned sharply when they heard Con's footsteps.
One shouted.
"Someone's here!"
Another raised a hand.
"Stop him!"
Con didn't waste time.
"Ignis Lance."
Fire shot forward.
One scholar collapsed instantly.
The others began chanting.
Magic gathered in the chamber.
But they were too slow.
Con moved through them like a storm.
"Graviton Collapse."
Two bodies slammed violently into the ground.
The remaining scholars tried to retreat.
"Impossible—!"
"Kill him!"
Con raised his hand again.
Within moments—
The chamber fell silent.
Only one remained alive.
The oldest scholar.
He stared at the bodies around him in horror.
Then his gaze shifted to the rune circle.
Con walked toward it calmly.
The ancient symbols pulsed faintly with dark mana.
Without hesitation—
He lifted his hand.
"Mana Sever."
A sharp wave of magic cut through the stone floor.
The carved runes shattered instantly.
The entire circle broke apart.
For a moment—
Everything was silent.
Then the old scholar screamed.
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"
Con turned slightly.
"…stopped it."
The old man looked completely unhinged.
"You fool!"
His voice shook with terror.
"Do you even know what you've done?!"
Con frowned.
"…I destroyed the rune."
The scholar laughed hysterically.
"That rune was a seal!"
Cold dread crept into Con's chest.
"What?"
The old man's eyes were wide with panic.
"You've freed him!"
Con's voice hardened.
"…freed who?"
The scholar shouted wildly.
"Prince Veyrath of the Netherworld!"
The name echoed in the chamber.
Con's blood ran cold.
"If the summoned entity still exists in this world…"
The old man's voice trembled.
"…and the rune controlling it is destroyed…"
"Then the entity becomes free."
Free.
Free from the summoner.
Free from the seal.
Free to do whatever it wished.
Con felt a chill crawl down his spine.
They were supposed to banish it first.
Then destroy the rune.
He had done the exact opposite.
Outside the dungeon—
Something moved in the ruined city.
Something enormous.
Then another thought struck him.
Sharp.
Sudden.
Terrifying.
Con slowly turned his head.
Toward the tunnel entrance.
"…Mikel."
His voice was quiet.
"How did you know about the mirror?"
The scholar blinked.
"What?"
Con's mind raced.
He had never told anyone.
Not his friends.
Not Jorin.
Not a single soul.
Yet Mikel had just said—
You don't have the mirror's help now.
Con's chest tightened.
A terrible suspicion began forming in his mind.