Chapter 107: Inside the Tower Part 3

Chapter 107: Inside the Tower Part 3The air grew hotter with every step they took. Beyond the corpse of the armored demon, the corridor twisted into a descending spiral. The walls here bled. Not metaphorically—rivulets of thick, steaming ichor oozed from the living stone, dripping into shallow channels along the floor. The light dimmed to a bloody hue, pulsing in time with the unnatural heartbeat of the tower itself. "I don’t like this," Lyra muttered. "It’s like we’re walking into a throat." "Then let’s hope it doesn’t close on us," Korrik grunted, gripping his greatsword tighter. Inigo moved point, rifle raised, eyes locked through the scope. His pulse hadn’t settled since the last fight. The Vulcan had done its job—but the fact that something so powerful was just the gatekeeper? This place was more than a stronghold. It was a factory. A forge of nightmares. "We’re deep into their territory now," Arienne said. Her voice was low, her hands glowing faintly with residual energy. "I can feel the concentration of magic. It’s not just ambient. It’s directed. Focused." "Toward what?" Inigo asked without looking back. "A source. A nexus." She hesitated. "Something is generating the rift from this side. Feeding it." The tunnel widened abruptly, opening into a vast chamber. It was circular, with walls ribbed like the inside of a cavernous shell. Hanging from the ceiling were dozens of fleshy pods—some twitching, others still. Below them, pools of black liquid steamed, filling the chamber with a sulfuric fog. Then the first creature dropped. It hit the ground with a sickening splat—a quadruped demon with a chitinous body, long bladed limbs, and a head that split open sideways to reveal rows of serrated fangs. Three more fell behind it. Then five. Then dozens. "Get ready!" Inigo shouted, taking a firing stance. "Arienne, light it up!" She didn’t need further instruction. With a cry, she flung out both arms and unleashed a wave of radiant heat. The fog ignited instantly, flames spreading across the pools and catching several of the creatures mid-leap. The beasts shrieked in pain, but more came. Korrik roared and met the charge with brutal precision, cleaving through the lead beast and spinning to catch another as it leapt from his side. Lyra moved higher, climbing a warped ledge along the wall and unleashing a hail of arrows tipped with explosive glyphs. Inigo’s M4 cracked with controlled bursts. The 5.56 rounds tore through the thinner-skinned ones, but others—bulkier, armored with bone-like plates—shrugged off the impacts. "Armor’s getting tougher!" he called out. "We need to push through," Arienne said. "This is a spawning chamber. They’re just going to keep coming." Inigo gritted his teeth. "Give me thirty seconds!" He fell back, slamming behind a warped outcropping of stone. He flicked open the system interface again. [Freedom Shop – Accessing Arsenal...] His fingers flew through the holographic menu. [Item: XM214 Microgun – 5,000 Tokens] Too small. [Item: AT4 Anti-Tank Rocket – 3,000 Tokens] Tempting, but too slow. Then he saw it. [Item: MGL-32 Multiple Grenade Launcher – 4,500 Tokens] He tapped confirm. [Purchase Confirmed. Balance: 247,842 Tokens] A pulse of light surged into his hands—and there it was. Compact. Deadly. Loaded with six high-explosive 40mm grenades. "Let’s make a hole." Inigo returned to the fray, kneeling atop a stone ridge. He aimed at the thickest concentration of beasts and pulled the trigger. THUMP—THUMP—THUMP—THUMP—THUMP—THUMP. Each explosion rocked the chamber, fire and gore flying in every direction. Limbs scattered. A chunk of ceiling collapsed, crushing several more. "There!" Arienne pointed to a tunnel beyond the pit. "We push through that!" Korrik led the charge, bloodied and unrelenting. Lyra leapt down and flanked left, her daggers flashing as she cut through the weakened survivors. Inigo kept pace, launching another six grenades into their rear to prevent pursuit. By the time they reached the exit tunnel, only smoke and the stench of charred flesh remained behind them. They didn’t stop. The corridor sloped downward, eventually leading to a strange set of steps. Each stair seemed to warp under their feet—bending, elongating, compressing—like the geometry of the tower was breaking the laws of physics. They reached a wide balcony overlooking a vast chamber far below. What they saw froze them. An army. Not metaphorical. Not an exaggeration. Thousands of demons milled in a vast arena-sized cavern. Varied in shape and size—some small, others titanic—some winged, others slithering. They moved in ranks, as if organized. At the far end stood a black throne on a spire of bone. Empty. But the message was clear. "This... this is a staging ground," Lyra whispered. Inigo clenched his fists. "They’re preparing to invade." "No," Arienne said slowly, "They’re waiting. For a signal. Or someone’s return." "The summoner," Inigo said grimly. As if on cue, the shadows behind them stirred. From a crack in the wall, another creature emerged—something less brute, more sleek. Humanoid in shape, but skinless, nerves exposed, muscles twitching. It screeched in a sound like metal screaming underwater. And it was fast. It darted at them in a blink. Inigo sidestepped and fired—the rounds grazed its shoulder but it barely noticed. Korrik moved to intercept, but it rolled low and kicked him aside. "Focus fire!" Inigo shouted, bringing up his MGL again and firing point-blank at its retreating back. The explosion sent it flying—but it recovered midair, landing in a crouch. Arienne muttered a quick incantation and cast a hex of binding. Black chains erupted from the floor and wrapped around the creature’s limbs—but only held it for a second before it tore free with a snarl. Then it vanished. "No—above!" Lyra shouted. The creature had leapt, clinging to the ceiling like a spider. Inigo swapped to rifle and fired upward. The rounds chipped the stone but missed. Lyra loosed an arrow—a blinding one. It struck true, flashing bright white and stunning the beast mid-cling. It fell. Korrik was already waiting. With a grunt, he caught the thing mid-fall with an uppercut swing that severed its midsection clean. The body hit the ground and writhed. It wasn’t dead yet. Inigo approached, switched to single shot, and put three enchanted rounds through its skull. It stopped twitching. "Whatever that was," Korrik growled, "It was a scout. Testing our reflexes." "They’re getting smarter," Lyra added. "No," Arienne corrected. "They’re watching. Again." Inigo looked toward the arena again. Nothing moved below. But he felt it. Eyes. Hundreds of them. And above, in the shadows of the spire, a soft violet glow began to pulse. "They know we’re here now," he said quietly. "The final layer’s waiting." "We rest here," Arienne said. "Only a few minutes. Then we go." Inigo nodded and set down his weapons. His hands trembled—but not from fear. From adrenaline. The war hadn’t even begun yet. And this tower wasn’t the end. It was just the door.