Sword Art Online: Moonlight Swordman.

The pile of gold surrounding the stone pedestal suddenly began to boil, as if an invisible flame was burning it from within. A deep roar echoed, blending with the piercing sound of clashing metal, shattering the atmosphere into fragments.

From within the chaos, a massive arm covered in golden scales slammed down, sending Tarek flying like a ragdoll.

His legs felt numb, frozen like stone before the terrifying sight.

Tarek was thrown out of the gold heap. He crashed hard onto the floor, tumbling across the ground.

The impact was so violent that the thug was left dizzy, barely able to stand.

"Copper... Eylis... You traitors...!" Tarek screamed, his voice hoarse with anger and pain. His hands trembled as they gripped the cracked tiles, struggling to stand amidst the deafening roars.

Tarek's shout seemed to draw all attention.

But before he could react, a figure flashed by like the wind. Eylis... moving at a speed she had never shown before, appeared right in front of him.

"Sorry, Tarek," Eylis whispered, her voice cold as ice.

Her hand darted out, swift as lightning, snatching the necklace from his grip. Tarek's eyes widened as his hands reached out in vain, grasping only at empty air.

Eylis turned, her icy gaze landing on Copper, who was standing near the treasure room's door, which was slowly closing.

The mysterious smile on Copper's lips was a silent reminder that everything had been part of his plan.

His eyes sparkled like someone savoring a play he had masterfully orchestrated. That enigmatic smile lingered, a constant reminder that everything was under his control.

Eylis brushed past Ren, a fleeting shadow before his eyes.

She stood by the door, but this time, her look wasn't merely curious. "Thanks, Ren," she said softly, her voice light but tinged with triumph.

"You've finally become useful..." Her words pierced his mind like a dagger.

Eylis's slender hand rested on Ren's shoulder, but it felt as cold as a monster's touch, not a human's. The chill from her fingers seeped through his body like a curse, making Ren's heart nearly stop.

His breathing grew heavy. The world spun around him, and Ren was falling.

Clinging to the last shred of consciousness, Ren's eyes fixated on the door, now narrowed to a gap just wide enough for one person.

Eylis was the one who had thrown him back.

"Good luck," Eylis sneered, her laughter cutting through the air like a blade.

Her eyes were full of mockery, devoid of guilt or sympathy.

Before Ren could react, she dashed out the door, her figure fading away, leaving him alone in the darkness, surrounded by despair.

Ren stood there, gasping for breath. In that moment, he realized he was nothing more than a discarded pawn. The closing door felt like the door of fate itself.

It felt as if everything around him was crumbling. The air grew heavy, suffocating, as though he was sinking into an abyss.

A paralyzing numbness spread through his body, not from pain but from the cruelty of betrayal.

His eyes couldn't tear away from the closed door where Eylis had vanished like a phantom.

To her, he was nothing more than a disposable tool. Nothing remained but darkness and a deep, consuming fear, as though he would never escape.

"You bastards! What did you do?" Tarek's subordinates charged forward like wild beasts, eyes bloodshot, growling in fury.

But Copper moved with a slight shift, his figure gliding past them like a phantom, dodging every attack effortlessly.

Each slash of their swords cut through empty air, slicing the wind with a whoosh, but failing to touch him.

Copper didn't counterattack right away. Instead, he rested his hand on his sword hilt, the blade gleaming as if it absorbed all the surrounding light.

The shimmering light shattered in the air as he dashed forward, moving so fast it was impossible to follow, like an arrow leaving its bow—no trace left behind, only faint trails of light.

And instead of confronting the attackers, Copper dashed straight toward Scholar.

Scholar was holding a peculiar crystal... a stone glowing more brilliantly than any gem Ren had ever seen.

The light from the crystal not only illuminated the surroundings but seemed to contain an invisible power, as if each ray could crush anything in its path.

"Don't touch it!" Scholar gasped, his voice cracking in panic, his eyes filled with unmistakable desperation as he looked at Copper.

The blade flashed through the air, too fast for the naked eye to follow. In an instant, Scholar's wrist was severed, and the crystal fell from his grasp. Blood didn't gush out; instead, thousands of pixels burst like rain, scattering to the ground like fragments of a shattered world.

With inhuman reflexes, Copper caught the crystal before it hit the floor, without hesitation.

"No... no, no, no! Give it back, give it back to me!" Scholar screamed, his eyes wild with loss. His former confidence and composure had vanished entirely. Every word was laced with desperation, as if afraid Copper wouldn't listen.

"We had a deal... I helped you get the Life Talisman..." Scholar shouted, his voice trembling as if trying to clarify everything, fearing Copper would forget.

Copper didn't reply immediately. He simply took two long steps back, a pale, chilling smile lingering on his lips.

"The fewer people who know about this, the better," he said, his voice calm as if nothing mattered more than that statement.

Then, in a swift motion, Copper crushed the crystal in his hand. The blue light exploded with intense brilliance, engulfing his body like a vortex of light.

Ren stood frozen, a familiar sensation flooding his mind. That light... it was the effect of teleportation. A sudden, ruthless shift, utterly unavoidable. It marked the end of all hope and the beginning of the end.

"Thanks for your help, Tarek. You were truly a great friend." Copper's voice echoed like a distant whisper as his figure gradually faded, blending into the cold, blue light.

Scholar's helpless attacks sliced through the air, his slashes cutting through the light but never reaching Copper. The world seemed to freeze, leaving only the faint silhouette of the traitor, vanishing in solitude.

"Sorry, Scholar. But everyone must pay for their greed." Copper's final words echoed in Scholar's mind, cold and sharp, a betrayal that was undeniable.

"You bastard...!" Scholar screamed, his voice shattering from the depths of despair. The world around him crumbled, rage and pain boiling within him.

The silence was heavy, suffocating, every breath thickening the air.

But it didn't last long...

The gold surrounding the pedestal not only boiled but seemed to be torn apart, shards of glittering metal scattering like the debris of a collapsing world.

The roar of the mighty creature mixed with the screeching metal, shattering the atmosphere into pieces...

"W-What... what is that...?" 

A colossal shadow suddenly burst through the floor, like a nightmare waiting to awaken. 

It shot upwards with brutal force, soaring into the air before crashing down with an impact powerful enough to crush everything beneath it. 

The shockwave from its terrifying landing slammed through the air, sending the group staggering backward in panic. 

The ground trembled as debris and dust flew up, the space around them seemingly collapsing, while the shadow stood firm, ready to unleash its destruction. 

Ren struggled to suppress the fear surging within him, forcing it down into the depths where it couldn't escape. His hands gripped the spear so tightly his fingers turned white, fully aware that if fear took over, death wouldn't just be a distant possibility—it would be a certainty. 

He took a deep breath, his gaze flicking towards Scholar. A flicker of surprise crossed the man's face, but it was quickly replaced by a cold, calculating calmness. 

Scholar was no longer crumbling in despair. He gripped his spear with one hand, raising it as if declaring war against the colossal creature before them. 

"I understand how to fight this boss," Scholar's voice was low and steady, filled with resolve. 

Ren nodded, fighting to steady his mind amid the shockwave. "There's no room for failure," he said, trying to mask the anxiety in his tone. "If we want to survive, we have to stand and fight." 

Scholar looked at him, his eyes sharp as steel. "I'll command the formation. You... don't let yourself fall into fear. Right now, fighting is our only way out." 

Tarek and his subordinates quickly moved into formation. 

The first thing that greeted them was the monstrous roar of the creature. 

It was charging straight at them...