BOOM!
The thunderous explosion echoed in Gregor’s ears as the world around him spiraled into a chaotic blur of darkness and disorienting motion.
The sharp metallic scent of blood flooded his nose, mingling with an oddly pleasant scent.
When he came back to his senses, he found himself sprawled on the cool white marble floor.
Valeria’s firm grip on his shoulder anchored him. Her presence was steady and unyielding as she helped him regain his footing; her crimson hair caught the ambient glow of bioluminescent runes like threads of living flame.
Gregor’s face had drained of color, pale as a ghost—as fresh air rushed into his lungs. His green eyes widened with the lingering echo of near-death.
"Thanks," he managed to rasp, his voice hoarse but filled with genuine gratitude for the woman who had just pulled him back from the brink.
Valeria simply shook her head, her crimson locks fluttering lightly in the subtle currents stirred by the hall’s unnatural stillness. "No problem," she replied calmly.
Before they could fully settle into this moment, Lyana rushed forward from their group. Her green hair bounced with each hurried step, and her emerald eyes mirrored Gregor’s intensity, brimming with worry and fear.
"Big brother, are you okay?" she called out, her voice trembling slightly as she scanned him for injuries.
Gregor took a deep breath to steady himself and forced a nod as he straightened within his silver armor.
"I’m okay, Lyana. Just... a close one," he assured her. Yet even he could hear the slight tremor in his voice that betrayed how shaken he truly felt.
Boren couldn’t resist adding some dramatic flair; he swallowed hard and patted his chest, the flesh beneath jiggling slightly, as he muttered under his breath, "Damn! You were almost turned into meat paste! One second you’re flying like some mana-charged arrow; next thing you know, you’re kissing the floor thanks to whatever that shadow was."
Sage’s expression hardened into serious calculation as he assessed Gregor for lingering damage.
A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, a familiar blend of leadership and teasing camaraderie that defined him as guild master.
"Now do you understand how greed can kill you? You almost died today, and I nearly lost my first true adventurer!" His tone held a light scolding edge softened by evident relief in his posture.
The words hung in the air, prompting Mina, who stood close beside Sage, her small frame practically vibrating with excitement.
Her big golden eyes sparkled with mischief as she looked at Gregor and chimed in with a playful yet sharp tongue, "Green bush, you’re really lucky. If it weren’t for big sister Valeria, you’d be dead by now... splat, like an overripe fruit dropped from one of those bubbles up there."
Her analogy drew a few reluctant chuckles from the group, momentarily breaking the tension with her innocent yet incisive humor.
The other adventurers exchanged glances, shaking their heads at the trio.
"These three are simply too much," one murmured as he rubbed his nose in exasperation.
Gregor gritted his teeth and glared at the instigators with a mix of embarrassment and lingering adrenaline; his green eyes flashed mock indignation that barely masked his gratitude beneath.
"You lot have nerves of steel, joking while we’re standing in a death trap disguised as paradise," he shot back but didn’t press further. Instead, he turned to face the entity that had nearly ended him.
As his gaze landed on the abomination, fresh beads of sweat broke out across his pale face, deepening its ghostly pallor while his broadsword felt suddenly heavier in his grip.
Towering nearly six meters tall, the guardian was a masterpiece of ancient golden craftsmanship fused with relentless mechanical menace, a colossal golem forged from solid auric alloy. Its bulky humanoid frame radiated an aura of unyielding durability that made the very air shimmer around it.
Its surface gleamed with intricate engravings of swirling runes that pulsed like veins of liquid sunlight; each panel of its armored plating was segmented yet seamless, etched with patterns reminiscent of giant tribal markings hinting at the treasury’s primordial origins.
Massive piston-like limbs ended in hands capable of crushing boulders, one clutched a gigantic golden axe whose blade alone spanned wider than a man’s torso and hummed with latent energy that suggested it could cleave through mana barriers as easily as flesh.
The golem’s head was constructed from angular plates crowned with crystalline spikes that caught and refracted light into dazzling bursts while its eyes burned like twin orbs of molten fire, glowing with an intelligence both primal and calculating, as if ancient giant warriors’ essences were imprisoned within this sentinel to guard their legacy for eternity.
It exuded an oppressive presence; its joints whispered softly under perfectly calibrated mechanisms. The pleasant metallic scent mingling with blood earlier now resolved into an ozone-like tang from its activated mana core.
Everyone turned to follow Gregor’s horrified gaze, their throats tightening as they swallowed hard against the creeping dread. The aura radiating from the golem sent chills racing down their spines, a heavy pressure that made the hall feel suddenly claustrophobic despite its vastness.
Before they could fully shake off their shock, the entire treasury began to tremble violently. The seamless white marble floors vibrated beneath their boots as hidden mechanisms groaned into action.
Massive doors, elaborate portals framed in the same golden alloy as the pillars, slid open with thunderous booms along both sides of the cathedral-like expanse. A phalanx of identical gigantic golden golems marched forth in perfect synchronization, each matching the first in size, bulk, and lethal armament.
The rhythmic stomp of heavy footfalls echoed like the heartbeat of a waking giant, filling the air with an overwhelming sense of inevitability that tested even the most seasoned adventurers.
"Petty uncle Sage, are those golems?" Mina leaned against Sage, her small hands gripping his sleeves tightly as her body trembled with a mix of fear and awe.
Her golden eyes darted nervously between the advancing threats and the shimmering treasures floating above, highlighting the precarious situation they faced.
Sage swallowed hard, cursing under his breath. "Damn, I didn’t expect there to be guardians for the treasures. This is going to get really complicated."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, racing through strategies while the golems continued their relentless advance, their fiery eyes locked onto the intruders with predatory intent.
"Well, I suppose this was bound to happen. No one leaves a mountain of treasure unprotected. These must be the last line of defense tied to ancient wards."
This realization grounded him, transforming his initial panic into focused determination as he weighed their options amid rising chaos.
Just as Sage opened his mouth to give detailed instructions on forming a defensive perimeter while prioritizing loot collection, Valeria suddenly appeared infront of them, leaning on her massive blood-red sword; its crimson blade caught the light in ominous waves.
Her hair fluttered dramatically in the mana-charged winds stirred by the golems’ movements, framing a face set in resolute lines.
She turned her gaze toward Sage and the others. "You all should grab those treasures quickly. I’ll handle these golems."
Her declaration left no room for argument.
Before anyone could react or protest this risky division of forces, she vanished in a blur of motion. A resounding boom shook the hall to its foundations as one of the lead golems was blasted backward in a spectacular explosion of golden fragments and sparks. Its massive form crumpled under Valeria’s opening strike as she engaged head-on with their guardians, buying time for everyone else.
For a moment, everyone stood frozen in shock at her decisive action until Sage’s voice sliced through their daze like a whip crack, sharp and authoritative.
"You heard her! Everyone hurry up and grab those bubbles! Take everything you can down from up there! Those who can reach them, help each other out!"
Turning specifically to Lyana, he added with an encouraging nod, "Lyana, use your vines to wrap up some bubbles and pull them down."
Lyana nodded firmly; her green hair swayed as she replied confidently, "Yes, Guildmaster," already channeling her mana to summon verdant tendrils that were her specialty.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The hall burst into a chaotic symphony of clashes as Gregor, Brutus, Caelis, and the others transformed into streaks of light and mana, racing toward the floating bubbles with a sense of urgency.
Valeria was at the forefront, drawing most of the golems’ attention with her whirlwind of crimson steel and unwavering determination. This momentarily cleared a path for the adventurers to ascend smoothly into the shimmering spheres above.
However, it felt precarious; the dozens of meters of empty air below made each bubble seem like a delicate soap sphere that could burst under their combined weight and greed at any moment.
The treasures inside were tantalizingly close, even as the fierce battle raged below them.
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