Chapter 212: Plain and Unadorned

Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Plain and Unadorned

Seraphina Sinclair glanced at the time. Less than five minutes remained until the next wave of attacks. Dealing with the "door" in such a short window would be no small feat.

But Seraphina Sinclair loved a difficult challenge.

She stood in place and prepared for a moment, then casually pulled out the Imprisonment Scroll and used it, as if she were just tossing out the trash.

The Imprisonment Scroll transformed into a stream of light in her hand and unfurled. Invisible chains of pure will shot out like vipers toward the silent "door" in the dense fog.

At almost the exact same moment, she tore several Purifying Flame Runes. Pure, scorching flames roared to life, following close behind the chains and lunging straight for the target!

"HUMMM!"

A low, deep hum suddenly echoed.

The door, previously as silent as a piece of scenery, suddenly shuddered. The inky mist flowing across its surface churned violently. As the flames from the Purifying Flame Runes slammed into the door, they made a TSSSSSS hissing sound. A small patch of the dark mist was briefly driven away, revealing the door’s physical form beneath—a structure that seemed to be built from countless twisted shadows. Faint scorch marks had even appeared on its surface.

’Good!’

Seraphina Sinclair’s spirits lifted. ’As long as this thing is solid, I can rest easy.’

’If it’s a real door, it can be broken down.’ 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

She didn’t try attacking again. Instead, she produced two sledgehammers, handing one to Victor Warner and the other to Selene Lawson.

Once they had the hammers in hand, Seraphina Sinclair, pinching a Fire Drawing Rune between her fingers, spoke calmly. "Go smash the door. I’ll use my flames to control this monstrous surface layer."

"Smash... smash the door?"

Victor Warner’s expression was one of pure shock, as if he’d just been told a fairy tale.

He glanced down at the heavy sledgehammer in his hand, then back up at the indescribable door. His Adam’s apple bobbed.

"Haha... haha, smash the door? Smash the door?! I didn’t mishear you, did I, Master Blacktiger? This thing is pretty much the final boss of this instance, right? Are we really going to deal with it in such a... simple way?"

Selene Lawson, standing beside him, said nothing, but her tightly pressed lips and knuckles, which had turned white, betrayed her anxiety.

But Seraphina Sinclair only had so much patience, and she’d already asked nicely once. This time, she let her true colors show. "What else?"

Those two words shocked them so much they snapped to attention.

But Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t finished. "Why do you think I’ve kept you around? Didn’t the True Knowledge Stone Plate make it perfectly clear? Destroy the door, and reinforcements will arrive. The instance will end."

"I tell you to smash the door, and you still hesitate. How can you not get it?" Seraphina Sinclair sighed softly.

Selene Lawson’s face turned deathly pale. She tightened her grip on the sledgehammer. "To you, we’re just... cannon fodder to test the path. If we manage to break down the door and the instance ends, we get to live. But if we die while scouting ahead..."

Seraphina Sinclair finished with a grin. "Then you’ll just have to blame your own bad luck."

She glanced at the time and reminded them, "Three minutes. The next wave is coming. The door will get stronger, too. Do you really want to waste more time?"

Victor Warner glanced at Selene Lawson. Seeing the look on her face, he finally seemed to resign himself to his fate, hefting the sledgehammer and starting forward.

Selene Lawson shot a look at Seraphina Sinclair before reluctantly moving forward as well.

Had it been any other two people, they would have tried to fight Seraphina to the death by now.

But it just had to be these two.

Their desire to live was so strong that they had started out hiding their true abilities, wary of their own teammates, always keeping an escape route for themselves.

Upon realizing their teammate was unbeatable, they had switched tactics, coming clean and handing everything over, all to beg for a chance to live. Even now, they were still gambling on that sliver of hope Seraphina had offered.

’Do they seem pathetic?’

Seraphina Sinclair stared at their retreating backs.

’This is how the world works. The weak are meat for the strong; power reigns supreme.’

’The weak should know their place.’

’If I were ever pushed into a corner like this,’ Seraphina thought, ’I’d do the same as them—gamble on the long shot for survival.’

But at the end of the day, Seraphina Sinclair wasn’t some depraved monster. They were scouting for her, yes, but if their lives were in danger, she would save them if she could.

Sledgehammers in hand, Victor Warner and Selene Lawson walked step-by-step toward the door, which radiated an ominous aura.

The dense fog swirled around them, as if countless pairs of eyes were spying on them from the shadows.

The closer they got, the more intense the bone-chilling cold became. A thin layer of white frost even began to form on Victor Warner’s arm.

"Go!" Selene Lawson hissed, taking the lead and swinging her sledgehammer at the door.

CLANG—

The sledgehammer collided with the door, letting out a heavy, dull thud that echoed through the dense fog.

The inky mist on the door fluctuated wildly, vaguely revealing the twisted, shadowy structure beneath.

Seeing this, Victor Warner also gritted his teeth, raised his sledgehammer, and brought it down with all his might.

Once, twice... the sound of the sledgehammers striking the door was piercing in the silence.

The mist on the door rippled with every impact, but the door itself didn’t budge an inch, as if their efforts were futile.

Seraphina Sinclair stood a short distance behind them, periodically using her flames to beat back the encroaching inky mist.

The seconds ticked by. Only two minutes remained until the next attack wave.

Victor Warner and Selene Lawson were already gasping for breath. A mixture of sweat and condensation from the fog dripped from their foreheads.

But the hammering was working. The wooden door began to crack. As if seeing a glimmer of hope, they both put more force into their swings.

Just then, the Imprisonment effect wore off. The inky mist on the door suddenly roiled, and a pitch-black tentacle shot out from within, aiming straight for Victor Warner’s face!

"Watch out!"

Seraphina Sinclair’s reaction was lightning-fast. A barrier of fire instantly erupted in front of Victor Warner. The tentacle slammed into the flames with a piercing SIZZLE and rapidly withdrew.

Terrified, Victor Warner scrambled backward and fell, landing hard on the ground with a deathly pale face.

"Get up!" Seraphina Sinclair barked. "There’s no time for fear!"

Selene Lawson hauled Victor Warner to his feet. They resumed smashing the door, but their movements were now tinged with obvious fear—and a secret hint of hope.

More and more black tentacles emerged, furiously attacking the pair and even beginning to launch assaults on Seraphina Sinclair.

Seraphina Sinclair put away her runes and drew her long blade.

If you had to name Seraphina Sinclair’s favorite game from her past life, it would have to be Fruit Ninja.

’What’s the difference between slicing these tentacles and slicing fruit?’

The moment the long blade left its sheath, a cold light glinted.

Seraphina Sinclair flicked her wrist. The Blade traced a sharp arc, precisely severing two tentacles striking at Victor Warner’s back.

"Focus on the door!" Her voice was calm, without a ripple of emotion. "Leave these things to me."

More tentacles swarmed out from within the door, like a frenzy of vipers, striking from all directions.

Seraphina Sinclair’s eyes narrowed. She lowered her stance slightly, then shot forward like an arrow from a bow, taking the fight to them!