Chapter 59

Light poured in like a flood, following the arc of the wings. Everyone had to squint or turn their heads away.

Theo instinctively raised a hand to shield his eyes, staring more at the ground to spare his vision. From the shadows cast there, he pieced together what was happening. The wings folded toward the altar. Moments later, colored shapes appeared on the floor—probably from stained glass.

The fluttering stopped, the shadows froze, and as their eyes adjusted to the brightness, everyone slowly looked forward.

The wings were so large they had covered the entire set of windows, so naturally the being itself had to be massive. Sure enough, looming above the altar, backlit by the stained glass, was a towering presence.

It had no lower half—only an upper body plastered against the wall. Its face was human, but feathers grew densely along its hairline. Except for a chest wrapped in black leather, its wings and torso were completely covered in a blend of white and ivory feathers. Four arms sprouted from its shoulders and sides—the ones at its sides looked less like human arms and more like the legs of a bird.

Though it had no legs, the way its body was fused with everything except the chapel floor made it seem rooted there. This was the so-called Veer, a mini-boss.

“V-Veer…” someone muttered.

At the same time, two chains rattled down from the ceiling with a clatter, slamming into the chapel floor and embedding themselves deep with a deafening crash.

While everyone’s attention was on the chains, Aslan shouted,

“Grab onto something!”

His words had barely left his mouth before the floor gave way with a thunderous crack. The ground attached to the chains swung violently like a massive platform, sending everyone tumbling and rolling with the shock. By the time the chains stopped clanging and swaying, they raised their heads to check on each other—and realized the chapel had changed completely.

Everything except the chained platform had collapsed. It looked like they were on a giant swing. Below, molten lava churned and bubbled furiously, while the walls and ceiling throbbed like living flesh, pulsing with veins and muscle.

They scrambled to count heads and check if anyone had fallen. Thankfully, everyone seemed safe.

Above their panic, Veer slowly reached out and grasped the chains. Shadows loomed overhead, and the players looked up just in time to hear the monster trill like a bird.

The sweet sound quickly shifted into vibrations that shook the very space. The stained glass windows circling the chapel rattled loudly as if about to shatter.

Veer cut off its cry and lowered its head, spreading both arms and wings wide. The span stretched from the altar all the way to the entrance doors.

A single beat of those wings sent razor-edged feathers shooting toward the swing platform.

Aslan, Theo, and the other melee fighters slashed and blocked to shield the ranged players clustered at the center.

“Melees will cover! Ranged, focus everything on Veer!” Aslan shouted, deflecting another volley.

The ranged attackers, finally regaining their composure, turned their aim on Veer. The melee fighters dashed frantically around them, deflecting and intercepting what they could. But the storm of feathers was endless. Not all could be blocked. One by one, the ranged players were hit, and even the tireless melees began to wear down.

In the middle of this chaos, Blaine glanced around in desperation and spotted Theo fending off attacks nearby. He rushed over and asked urgently,

“Hyung, should I block too?”

Theo knocked aside another feather and glanced at Blaine, panting hard. Sweat soaked his face, and shallow cuts covered his body.

“No. The melees can’t join in the attack, so we’re short on damage. I can’t afford to pull you off for support.”

“Then how long do we keep this up…?”

“The stepping stones will rise soon. Just until then.”

“…Rise?”

Blaine repeated with a strange tone. Without waiting for Theo’s answer, he sprinted toward the edge of the swinging platform.

Startled, Theo shouted after his retreating back.

“What are you doing?! Get back to the center!”

Blaine reached the end and grabbed onto a chain, peering down. But all he saw was the boiling lava—no stepping stones in sight.

“Blaine!”

Theo caught up a beat too late, grabbing his shoulder irritably. But Blaine didn’t turn. Instead, he summoned an orb into the air.

“?”

Theo’s eyes followed the floating orb upward, confused. Then a heavy vibration rumbled beneath their feet. His eyes snapped back to Blaine, and he saw the tattoos on Blaine’s arms glowing bright blue.

Theo quickly looked down. A massive magic circle was inscribed across the entire underground floor beneath the lava.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“I’ll try pulling it up.”

“Huh? Pull what up?”

“The stepping stones!”

Blaine’s voice was firm as the tattoos flared even brighter. Whatever he was attempting, the resistance was fierce. Gritting his teeth, he poured his mana into it, cracks splitting the floor around him from the strain.

Theo instinctively reached out to grab him. If Blaine slipped now, he’d fall before anything could rise. Theo drew out a Chain Arrow, nocked it to his bowstring, and scanned the area. He fired into the floor near the center of the platform, then wrapped the chain tightly around Blaine’s waist.

A Veil would have been safer, but Theo wanted to conserve it until the stepping stones actually appeared.

The sudden change drew every eye—including Veer’s—to the two of them. The ground shook harder, and people clung to one another or jammed weapons into the floor for balance.

The lava beneath began to crash like a raging sea, waves threatening to surge up onto the platform itself. The swing shuddered violently, chains clanging against each other as it rocked from side to side.

The harder Blaine fought against the resistance, the rougher the lava surged, and the tremors only grew worse. It felt like standing on a raft riding monstrous waves. Moments later, stepping stones began to rise from the molten depths.

Theo, still clutching Blaine, involuntarily sucked in a breath. It was actually working. Murmurs rippled quickly through the others behind him. And it wasn’t just them who were shaken.

The chains rattled violently, and a shadow loomed overhead. When they looked up, Veer was clutching the swaying chains, glaring down at them with a feral expression before letting out a piercing screech. Then it began rocking the platform with brutal force.

Screams erupted everywhere. Theo staggered at the sudden tilt, nearly pitching over the edge, but Blaine grabbed him just in time.

Blaine cast him a quick glance to make sure he was safe, then immediately focused back on pulling up the stepping stones. He had no time for words. Thanks to him, Theo could breathe again. Clutching Blaine’s waist for balance, Theo turned to check on the others. Thankfully, they were hanging on as well.

Veer shaking the platform was a problem, but if Blaine succeeded in raising the stepping stones, Phase Two would begin soon anyway.

The tremors underfoot grew stronger. From the middle of the platform, the tops of the stepping stones finally came into view. Blaine’s decision had been reckless and unilateral, but instead of blaming him, everyone was in awe of what he had managed.

He had forced the phase to advance—no wonder they were impressed.

When the stepping stones fully emerged, Veer released the chains with a sharp cry and pulled back, bracing itself against the wall with its bird-like legs.

As the platform stilled, players rushed to cross over. Theo gave Blaine a few approving pats on the shoulder, then unwound the chain from his waist before heading toward the stepping stones.

But the two never made it across. The swing suddenly bucked sideways, flinging them both into a helpless tumble. They rolled uncontrollably across the platform, headed straight for the edge.

If they didn’t act, they’d plunge into the lava and end up incapacitated. Theo yanked an arrow from the thigh pouch on his belt, planning to drive it into the floor as an anchor—but before he could, his tumbling body jolted to a stop.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

Before Theo could even grasp what had happened, a familiar voice came from above. Looking up, he saw Blaine standing firm on the tilted platform, holding onto him.

“?”

Stunned, Theo blinked up at him. Then he noticed the blue glow searing along Blaine’s arms, and the orb hovering over his shoulder. Looking down, he saw a magic circle inscribed beneath his feet.

Blaine had used gravity magic to stabilize them and catch him mid-slide. His judgment, his speed, his control of skills—it was on another level.

Theo found himself staring at him in awe, almost dazed. Then Aslan’s voice rang out from behind.

“Hey, you alright?!”

That snapped Theo back to his senses. He turned and gave a quick nod. Aslan let out a relieved sigh and moved on across the stepping stones. Meanwhile, Theo looked down at the platform beneath them with a conflicted expression.

At this point, it wasn’t a swing anymore—it was more like a full-blown Viking ride.