The Demon Queen's Royal Consort-Chapter 101 - Dungeon - IX

Fragments of memory flashed like lightning—a fall, a monstrous creature, muffled screams...

Then, the pain intensified.

Dália curled in on herself, pressing her hands to her head as if she could somehow keep her skull from exploding. Her teeth clenched so hard she felt the pressure in her jaw. Involuntary tears streamed down her face, burning like acid on her open wounds.

When she finally managed to open her eyes again, her vision was still blurry, but slightly steadier. The light no longer stabbed at her—now it was just an uncomfortable pressure against her eyeballs.

She took a deep breath.

In.

Out.

Then, slowly, she began crawling toward the nearest source of light.

Her prana stirred, exuding a soft aura of healing that gradually fought the concussion's symptoms. Bit by bit, her vision stabilized, revealing their surroundings—a dark stone corridor, with an exit a few meters ahead, from which a sharp, cold wind blew. The light was the same dull red glow that bathed the dungeon's sky.

Beside her, Aeloria and Seraphine were still unconscious. Aeloria remained pale as a corpse, while Seraphine, despite the dried blood on her forehead, already had healthier skin tone.

Dália managed to stand, her body responding sluggishly to her healing magic. Then her eyes landed on the sight that made her heart stop for an instant.

Sitting at the edge of the cavern exit, covered in blood from head to toe, was Glenn. His bare torso bore dozens of open wounds, some still bleeding faintly. Beside him, six large green-hilted blades were embedded in the ground like macabre trophies.

"Glenn?" she whispered, her voice trembling as she rushed toward him.

He was asleep, his breathing heavy and uneven. In his right hand, he clutched something that made Dália's stomach churn—Dorian's legs. The warrior himself lay beside Glenn in even worse condition. A horrific wound crossed his torso, filled with green pus and necrotic flesh.

Dália dropped to her knees beside them, her prana surging furiously. Her heart raced as she confirmed they were both still alive, but the situation was far from good.

A golden cloud of healing energy enveloped Glenn, sealing his wounds one by one. But soon, she faced a difficult choice, Dorian was critical.

While Glenn was injured, none of his wounds were poisoned. His body, though weak, already showed signs of natural regeneration.

But Dorian...

The venom had already reached his heart. It was a miracle he was still breathing.

Dália felt a lump in her throat.

Every fiber of her being wanted to drop everything and focus solely on Glenn, but duty spoke louder. After stabilizing him as much as possible, she turned her full attention to Dorian.

"What the hell happened? What are these blades?" she muttered, her eyes scanning the strange weapons. "And where's the centipede?"

But there was no time for speculation. With a heavy sigh, she focused entirely on healing, her hands trembling slightly over Dorian's ravaged torso.

**

Three hours later, Seraphine woke up.

Her initial symptoms were nearly identical to Dália's, the unbearable headache, the blurred vision, the nausea. But slowly, her mind cleared, and the lingering venom in her body was purged completely. The only thing that remained was a faint throbbing in her temples.

Her hair stood on end when she saw Glenn and Dorian's condition. A lump formed in her throat. Amid all that chaos, she had been the least helpful.

In truth, she had only been a burden.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice still shaky.

"I don't know. I woke up three hours ago, and we were already here," Dália replied without looking up from Dorian.

A black, viscous liquid oozed across the ground, emitting a rotten stench that made Seraphine wrinkle her nose.

"Was he poisoned too?"

"Yes, and his case was much worse than yours. I'm still trying to purge the venom from his heart."

"Where is 'here,' exactly?"

"I don't know. I haven't had time to explore since waking up," Dália admitted, pointing toward the cavern exit. "But I think we're at the end of one of the ruin's corridors."

Seraphine walked slowly toward the exit. The cold air hit her like a blade, making her shiver. The ground was still rocky and firm, and even under the dim red light, it wasn't hard to figure out where they were.

"We're on top of a mountain!"

She took a few steps to the edge, and through the mist below, she could make out the swamp where they had first entered the dungeon.

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"The ruins led us to a mountaintop?"

Disbelieving, she returned to the tunnel and explained the situation to Dália.

"How far did they carry us?"

"Not 'they.' From what I gathered when I woke up, it was Glenn alone who dragged us here," Dália said, her voice laced with admiration and worry.

Seraphine swallowed hard, approaching Glenn, who now lay beside Dália.

"He's badly hurt," she murmured, lightly tracing her fingers over his abdomen, marred by fresh scars. "What caused this? I don't remember anything after we jumped to escape that dome."

"I only remember crashing into the centipede's body. I don't know what happened after that," Dália answered, frowning. "Once I'm done with Dorian, I'll heal him."

"How much longer?"

"If all goes well, about six hours."

Seraphine nodded, deciding to stand guard while Dália worked. After all, they were still inside a dungeon, and there was no guarantee they were alone.

Hours passed, and Aeloria woke up too.

Like the others, his head pounded violently at first, but gradually, the pain subsided. He and Seraphine exchanged fragments of what they remembered before losing consciousness, and Aeloria added one crucial detail something else had fallen with the centipede in that room.

Likely, it was what had left Dorian and Glenn in this state.

**

"It's done," Dália announced, drenched in sweat, finally turning to tend to Glenn's wounds.

"I'm really curious. We've been here for hours, and there's no sign of those monsters," Aeloria remarked, his eyes scanning the dark tunnel. "Not to mention, we're now on a mountaintop. None of this makes sense."

"And these blades? Where did they come from?" Seraphine added, cautiously touching one.

"I'm going back to the dome," Aeloria declared.

"Are you sure? Shouldn't we wait for everyone to wake up?" Seraphine questioned.

"It'll take too long," Dália interjected. "Dorian won't wake up for at least twenty-four hours, and Glenn... well, I have no idea."

"I'll be careful. It shouldn't take long," Aeloria said, lighting an illumination stone before venturing into the tunnel.

They discussed a few more things, how long Aeloria might take, and then he left.

He walked for nearly an hour, following the blood trail leading back to the dome. When he finally arrived, the sight before him made his blood run cold.

The chamber was unrecognizable.

A colossal crater dominated the center, surrounded by wreckage and battle scars. The centipede lay split into three pieces, its head sliced into six equal segments. Amid the destruction, a pair of green humanoid legs still stood upright, like a macabre monument. Judging by their size, the creature must have been around four meters tall.

Blood coated the floor. The walls were scarred by deep gashes and brutal impacts. It looked as if a hurricane of blades and raw power had swept through the place.

"What the hell happened here?" Aeloria murmured, his eyes wide at the carnage.