The fifth tunnel loomed ahead, dark and unyielding. Damien entered cautiously, his summons flanking him as the faint echoes of their footsteps reverberated through the narrow path.
As they delved deeper, they came across a solid blockade of rocks and debris, seemingly piled deliberately.
The demons must have been hiding something behind it, and Damien was determined to find out what.
“Cerbe,” Damien called, stepping back to give his summon room. “Can you break through this?”
Cerbe nodded, his human form exuding confidence. He raised his hand, and a small fireball began forming in front of his palm.
It wasn’t as large or intense as his usual attacks, but Damien figured it was enough for this task. With a flick of his wrist, Cerbe launched the fireball at the blockade.
Booom!!
The explosion rocked the tunnel, scattering dust and smaller debris, but the blockade itself barely budged.
Cerbe frowned, glancing back at Damien, who gestured for him to increase the intensity.
The air grew hotter as Cerbe summoned a stronger fireball, its flames roaring to life with greater ferocity. He hurled it at the blockade, and the resulting explosion shook the tunnel violently.
Booooom!!
Scatter… Scatter…
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However, instead of clearing the path, the explosion dislodged even more rocks from the ceiling.
They crashed down onto the existing blockade, fortifying the barrier instead of breaking it. Damien let out an exasperated sigh as he stared at the now even more obstructed tunnel.
“Looks like brute force isn’t the answer,” Damien muttered, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He stepped forward, summoning his Earth Manipulation skill.
Raising his hand, he directed the magic at the blockade, willing the rocks to shift and scatter.
The spell worked to some degree—small chunks of stone crumbled and fell away—but the progress was pitifully slow.
He tried again, pushing more essence into the skill, but the result was the same. After several minutes of repeated attempts, Damien had only managed to clear about a foot of the debris.
His frustration grew with each failed attempt. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he stared at the seemingly impenetrable barrier.
“What the hell is going on?” he muttered, suspecting something was interfering with his magic.
Finally, Damien threw up his hands in defeat. “Forget it,” he said, stepping back. “We’ll come back to this later.”
Cerbe, standing nearby, looked equally disheartened. “I failed to destroy it,” Cerbe said, his tone laced with regret. “I only made it worse.”
Damien shook his head, placing a reassuring hand on his summon’s shoulder. “It’s not your fault,” he said firmly. “That blockade is… unusual. Something’s messing with my magic, and it’s probably why we couldn’t break through. Don’t let it get to you.”
Cerbe nodded slowly, though the disappointment in his eyes lingered.
“Come on,” Damien said, motioning for them to leave. “Let’s check the final tunnel.”
The last tunnel stretched deep into the earth, its air thick with an unbearable stench.
Damien’s stomach churned as he stepped inside, and his summons seemed equally uneasy. When they reached the end of the tunnel, the sight before them was both unexpected and grim.
Decaying corpses of mana beasts littered the cavern. Their twisted, rotting forms were piled haphazardly, their once-magnificent bodies reduced to grotesque remnants.
The air was heavy with the stench of death, and flies buzzed around the remains.
“This must have been their home,” Damien said quietly, his gaze sweeping the cavern. “Before the demons took over.”
The realization weighed heavily on him. These mana beasts had likely been the original inhabitants of the tunnels, only to be slaughtered and discarded like refuse. The sight fueled Damien’s resolve to root out the demons that had caused this.
“Cerbe,” Damien said, turning to his summon. “Burn it all.”
Cerbe nodded, stepping forward. Damien and Fenrir retreated to the tunnel’s entrance as Cerbe unleashed a torrent of flames, engulfing the corpses in a blazing inferno.
The fire roared through the cavern, consuming everything in its path. The stench was replaced by the acrid smell of burning flesh and smoke.
When the flames finally died down, Cerbe emerged from the tunnel, his expression calm but grim. “It’s done,” he said simply.
Damien nodded. “Good. Let’s finish this.”
The glowing green crystals embedded in the cavern walls caught his eye. Their faint light added an eerie beauty to the otherwise grim setting.
He considered harvesting them, knowing they would fetch a high price on the market, but quickly dismissed the thought. Money wasn’t his priority, and even if it were, he had more essence cores than he’d ever need.
Instead, Damien focused on sealing the tunnels. “Cerbe, Fenrir—block all six paths,” he commanded.
Cerbe took the lead, using controlled explosions to cause rocks to collapse at each tunnel’s entrance.
Fenrir followed, pushing the debris further into place to ensure the paths were completely obstructed. Together, the two summons worked efficiently, and soon, all six tunnels were sealed off.
Damien clicked his tongue, satisfied with their work. He turned toward the cavern’s main exit, and without needing to give a verbal command, Cerbe stepped forward. “Give me a moment,” Cerbe said, summoning his signature fireball.
Boooooom!!
The powerful blast shattered the rocks blocking the exit, sending fragments flying in all directions. The path was now clear, and Damien, along with his summons, walked out into the fresh night air.
He stopped just outside the cave, turning to Cerbe one last time. “Destroy the whole thing,” he ordered.
Cerbe grinned and unleashed his full power.
He opened his mouth, a thick ball of crimson fire forming in front of it and in one move, it shit forward like a column.
Boooooom!!!
The ground trembled as a massive explosion rocked the cave, causing it to collapse in on itself. Dust and debris filled the air, and when it finally settled, nothing remained but a pile of rubble.
“Well done,” Damien said, nodding to both Cerbe and Fenrir. “Your work here is finished.”
With a flick of his wrist, he dismissed both summons, their forms dissolving into light. In their place, he summoned Aquila.
The Griffin appeared with a sharp cry, flapping its wings as it landed gracefully before him.
To Damien’s surprise, Aquila began crying out nonstop, its behavior frantic. Though the Griffin couldn’t speak, its body language and incessant cries clearly conveyed urgency.
“Calm down,” Damien said, placing a hand on the beast’s side. “What happened?”
Aquila settled slightly but continued its soft cries, attempting to communicate. Damien frowned, realizing it must be trying to report what had happened in Westmont.
He mounted the Griffin, gripping its reins tightly. “Take me to Westmont,” he commanded. “Let’s find out what’s going on.”
With a powerful flap of its wings, Aquila took to the sky, carrying Damien toward the town and the answers he sought.