Chapter : 617

"Let us move forward," Princess Iris commanded smoothly. "We must secure the prize. We are very close. Stay alert."

The giant magical bubble began to roll forward again. It moved slowly across the wet stone floor. The bubble entered a dark, narrow corridor.

Ken dragged his cheap shoes on the dry ground inside the bubble. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He followed the elite girls deeper into the dark ruins. He let out another loud yawn. He complained about the damp air. He complained about his itchy suit. He complained about the lack of comfortable seating. He played his lazy role perfectly.

He was completely content to let his friends take the lead. The aquatic monsters were defeated. The path was open. The 13th Unit was totally ready to find the ancient magical relic and claim their ultimate victory. Ken just hoped the next room had a nice place to sit down. He planned to take a very long nap the absolute second they got back to the hotel.

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The giant magical bubble rolled slowly forward. It pushed through the dark, cold water. The 13th Unit stood safely inside. The air was completely dry. Ira kept her pale hands raised. She maintained the breathing shield flawlessly.

They passed under a massive, broken stone archway. They finally entered the absolute deepest chamber of the Sunken Labyrinth.

The room was incredibly huge. Tall stone pillars lined the walls. The pillars were covered in green moss. The floor was made of smooth, white marble. The room looked like an ancient temple. It was very beautiful.

In the exact center of the room sat a carved stone pedestal.

A beautiful object rested on top of the pedestal. It was the Core of Luminus. The ancient weather relic glowed with a brilliant, blinding white light. The light illuminated the dark water. The relic looked like a perfect, flawless crystal star.

Princess Iris smiled a very warm, hopeful smile. Her violet eyes sparkled in the glowing light. She held her silver rapier at her side.

"There it is," Princess Iris announced softly. "We found the relic. It is completely beautiful."

Sayma pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She pulled a small blue crystal from her pocket. She checked the magical readings. She looked at her neat notebook.

"The magical signature is an exact match," Sayma reported politely. "The ambient radiation levels confirm it is the genuine Core. The area appears completely clear of immediate threats."

Ken Eliot stood at the very back of the group. He slouched his shoulders as far as they could possibly go. He wore his wrinkled navy blue suit pants. His white dress shirt hung entirely untucked over his belt. He did not wear a tie. His black hair stuck up in wild, messy spikes. He shoved his left hand deep into his pocket.

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He held a large bag of barbecue potato chips in his right hand. He pulled out a crispy chip. He tossed it into the air. He opened his mouth. He caught the chip perfectly on his tongue.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

He chewed his food lazily. He let out a loud, dramatic sigh. He pointed a lazy finger at the glowing crystal.

"This is a massive trap," Ken complained casually. "The shiny item is just sitting completely alone in the middle of a big empty room. That is classic video game bait. It is a major boss room design flaw."

Naomi turned her head. She walked over to him. She did not yell. She smiled a very bright, friendly smile.

"Stop worrying, Ken," Naomi teased softly. Her green eyes showed genuine affection. "Sayma already checked the room. There are no monsters here. We won the race."

"Scanners lie," Ken argued lazily. He popped another chip into his mouth. "Scanners do not account for hidden cutscenes. The developers always put a giant monster right next to the loot. We should definitely poke it with a very long stick first. I am going to stand right here. I am staying right next to the exit. It is a very tactical position."

Ira stared blankly at the pedestal. Her pale face showed zero emotion. "Statistically speaking, the scanner shows zero hostile signatures. The probability of a sudden attack is currently zero percent."

"I totally disagree with the robot," Ken mumbled. He chewed loudly. "I trust my video game logic more than a fancy thermometer."

Princess Iris walked toward the pedestal. She moved gracefully across the dry floor inside the bubble. She reached her hands out. She gently picked up the Core of Luminus.

The glowing white light washed over her dark blue uniform. The relic pulsed warmly. She carefully placed the crystal inside a secure leather pouch on her belt. She tied the strings tightly.

"We have the artifact," Princess Iris declared proudly. She turned back to her team. "Our mission is a complete success. Let us return to the surface immediately."

Laxmi crossed her arms over her bright orange dress. The fire user pouted. She tossed a tiny orange spark between her fingers.

"That was entirely too easy," Laxmi whined. "I did not even get to punch anything today. We just walked underwater for thirty minutes. I am very disappointed. I brought all this fire for absolutely nothing."

Zinia cracked her knuckles. The strong earth mage laughed a deep, booming laugh. "Save your energy, Laxmi. We can spar in the courtyard when we get back to the estate. You can burn some training dummies."

Luna rubbed her sleepy eyes. The lightning user shuffled her feet. A soft knitted blanket covered her shoulders. She let out a massive yawn. "I just want to go to sleep. My bed is calling my name. Please let us go home right now."

Risa hugged her stuffed teddy bear. The sweet pink-haired healer smiled. "I am very glad nobody got hurt. We did a great job."

The 13th Unit turned around. They prepared to walk back through the dark water. They took two steps toward the large stone archway.

Suddenly, a loud, incredibly arrogant voice echoed from the dark tunnel ahead.

"Going somewhere, Princess?"

The 13th Unit stopped walking immediately. The peaceful, victorious atmosphere shattered in a single second.

Princess Iris drew her silver rapier. The blade gleamed brightly. Naomi spun her twin silver daggers. The metal clicked sharply. Laxmi slammed her fists together. Bright orange flames roared to life around her hands. Zinia planted her heavy boots firmly on the stone floor. Sayma readied her defensive magic.

A large group of people stepped out of the dark tunnel. They marched right through the water. They completely blocked the only exit. They stepped right into the edge of Ira's glowing magical bubble.

They wore dark red and black combat uniforms. They carried massive weapons. They looked incredibly fierce. They radiated an aura of pure, unfiltered aggression. They did not look like polite nobles. They looked like brutal, battle-hungry fighters.

They were the elite vanguard of the 4th Prince, Ares Belmontia.