[Chapter 150. Under the roaring Tide]

Iris stood at the precipice, her gaze sweeping across the chasm that separated her from the dungeon's lowest tier. The mist rose from the central lake in thick, billowing clouds that obscured most of what lay within. The humidity clung to her fur like a second skin, weighing down her limbs with an invisible dampness. Through the shifting vapors, she could just make out the faint outline of a landmass at the water's center, appearing and disappearing as the mist swirled around it like a ghostly island that refused to fully materialize.

Her eyes scanned the sheer stone walls that descended from her position, searching for any path that might allow passage to the level below. There was none—only vertical drops slick with moisture and covered in patches of bioluminescent fungi that cast an eerie glow in the dimness, their green-yellow light pulsing softly like dying embers. A drop from this height would likely prove fatal, even with her enhanced physiology, the impact shattering bones despite her reinforced constitution. With a soft click of her tongue, Iris prepared to use Blade Step, though the thought of expending precious mana grated on her after the battles she had just survived, each expenditure feeling like a small death in this unforgiving environment.

One teleport later, she stood on the third layer, the mist immediately enveloping her in its damp embrace. Visibility dropped to less than ten meters, the air thick enough to taste on her tongue—salty and heavy with the scent of brine and wet stone, so dense that it felt like breathing water rather than air. The walkways beneath her boots felt slicker than those above, the stone worn smooth by centuries of constant moisture, their surfaces treacherous enough that even her enhanced balance required full concentration to maintain her footing.

She advanced with deliberate caution, each step measured and controlled as she moved through the eerie silence that contrasted sharply with the roaring waterfalls above. The absence of attacks was unnerving—no Scuttlers scuttled from the pools, no Gill-folk emerged from the depths, not even the smallest creature moved in the periphery of her vision. This complete lack of resistance was more unsettling than any ambush she had faced on the upper levels, the quiet itself feeling like a weapon aimed at her nerves.

"I don't like this," she muttered softly, her words barely audible above the distant thunder of waterfalls as her silver eyes narrowed to slits, trying to pierce through the mist that surrounded her, each sound magnified in the unnatural stillness.

As she drew closer to the lake where all five waterfalls converged, the sound intensified until it became a physical presence that vibrated through the stone beneath her feet and into her bones, a constant rumble that threatened to overwhelm her senses. The light down here was dim, the beams casting an eerie glow just sufficient to illuminate the stone walkways between the pools and ponds that dotted this level, their surfaces dark and seemingly bottomless.

Then she saw it—a form within the mist of the nearest waterfall, its movements eerily familiar from her encounters above, the same flowing grace that had characterized the Tidal Revenant she had battled earlier. The moment it noticed her presence, it slowly floated out from behind the cascading water and into the mist toward her, its movement smooth and unhurried, confident in its domain. With each meter it advanced, its form became clearer, resolving into a vaguely humanoid shape made of swirling, translucent water that glowed with a faint, ghostly light, unlike the brackish water of its lesser kin. When it was only several meters away, a system notification materialized before her eyes, its blue text stark against the backdrop of spectral mist.

The Greater Revenant dwarfed the lesser variant she had faced before—its form more defined, nearly twice as tall, with proportions that mimicked a warrior's physique. A deeper, indigo light emanated from its translucent body, pulsing with a steady rhythm like a dying star. Within its shifting depths, she could see not just skeletal remains but armor plating that mimicked ancient designs, their surfaces etched with weathered markings that suggested long service. The most distinguished difference was the old Roman-style legionary armor it wore—segmented plates overlapping across its chest and shoulders—and the clear sword made from water that it wielded. The weapon and armor was formed entirely of crystalline water, yet it maintained a solid shape that defied natural laws, its edges sharp enough to gleam even in this dim light.

In one fluid motion, it lunged forward, its spectral sword closing the distance between them with astonishing speed that betrayed its liquid nature. Iris chose evasion over blocking, uncertain how her blade would fare against this ethereal weapon. She twisted aside with inhuman agility just as the sword slashed the air where she had stood moments before, its passage leaving ripples in the mist that danced like disturbed water. Her Zweihänder followed in a deadly arc, descending toward the Revenant's watery form with the full force of her enhanced strength behind it, turquoise energy crackling along its length as she channeled her power through the weapon.

Her blade struck the Revenant's chest with a sound more like hitting water than metal—the resistance immediate but yielding, as if she had struck an unbreakable liquid barrier. The spectral warrior's form rippled, indigo light fluctuating wildly as her weapon was blocked by the armor; the ancient Roman design absorbed her strike without yielding.

The Revenant's sword swept toward her side in a retaliatory strike faster than expected, its movements eerily silent as it cut through the mist. Iris moved to parry, her Zweihänder positioned to deflect, but the water weapon passed through her enchanted steel as if it were insubstantial mist, producing no sound or impact. The blade continued its trajectory unimpeded, striking her torso with a force that sent her stumbling backward despite her enhanced constitution. No wound appeared on her armor, yet that familiar bone-deep cold seeped into her flesh, spreading rapidly through her body with an intensity that made her breath catch in her throat.

She retreated several steps, her gloved fingers tracing across her armored torso—no breach, no indentation—yet the chilling effect persisted even after breaking contact, crawling through her veins like ice that refused to melt. This damage was different from a physical wound, insidious and persistent, attacking not her body but her very essence, which felt compromised by the unnatural cold that sapped her strength with each passing second.

She swung her sword again, its dark edge glowing intensely as she channeled Arcane Strike through the weapon, the turquoise light nearly blinding in the mists dimness. The moment her blade struck the Revenant's watery form, the ripple that appeared was stronger than before—indigo light flaring violently as the construct struggled to maintain cohesion, its form distorting like water struck by immense force. After what felt like an eternity but was merely the blink of an eye, its spectral armor burst into a spray of water, droplets falling to the stone walkway in a shimmering cascade.

Her enchanted blade continued its path, cleaving through the exposed form within with minimal resistance, the turquoise energy tearing through the water as the Revenant's indigo light flickered and dimmed.

Her Zweihänder descended toward the skull suspended within the Revenant's swirling form. Just before impact, it sucked in the air around it with an audible whoosh, drawing in the surrounding mist and vapor with hungry urgency. The air thickened around its form, the Zweihänder's movement slowing dramatically as a literal whirlwind of water vapor formed around the weapon, pulling moisture from the air and nearby pools.

The vapor condensed rapidly, coalescing into another layer of spectral armor over the Revenant's body, the Roman design reforming with eerie precision, each segment appearing as if summoned from memory rather than water. Her blade became momentarily lodged within the newly formed barrier, its progress arrested by the unexpected regeneration as it struggled against the strengthening magical defense.

With a final, violent expulsion of force, her weapon was thrown back, the momentum carrying her with it, her balance compromised for a critical instant as she fought to maintain her footing on the treacherous stone walkway, slicker from the expelled water.

The Greater Revenant seized the opportunity without hesitation. Its ethereal sword swept through the mist, closing the distance with impossible speed that defied its liquid nature.

"Mystic Ward!" Iris shouted, the words barely audible above the roaring falls that created a constant backdrop to their deadly exchange.

An Arcane Barrier shimmered into existence before her, its turquoise light casting stark shadows across the walkway that elongated and warped in the swirling mist. The Revenant's water blade struck the barrier with a dull thud, ripples spreading across its surface not unlike those on its armor moments before, the force of the impact causing the barrier to waver precariously.

The impact bought her precious seconds to regain her footing. Iris pivoted, her boots finding purchase on the wet stone as she shifted her weight, her Zweihänder already in motion as she channeled another Arcane Strike through the weapon. The dark metal glowed intensely, its turquoise light pulsing as it descended toward the spectral warrior.

The newly formed armor burst apart in a spray of water that caught the dim light in brilliant sparkles before falling to the stone walkway, the individual droplets shimmering as they struck the wet surface. Her enchanted blade continued its path, cleaving through the crystalline water that made up the Revenant's body with minimal resistance, the turquoise energy tearing through its essence.

This time, her aim was true—the tip of her weapon sliced directly into the skull suspended within its shifting depths, the sound of cracking bone echoing faintly through the mist. The moment the blade cracked the skull's surface, the Revenant's entire form convulsed violently. Indigo light flared wildly as the construct struggled to maintain cohesion, its watery form distorting and rippling like water struck by immense force.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the violent motion ceased. The spectral warrior collapsed in one massive splash, its watery body dissolving into the shallow water of the walkway, the sound almost lost beneath the constant roar of the waterfalls. Only bones remained—a skeletal form covered in tattered, waterlogged flesh and pieces of armor, the design now clearly visible on the scattered segments lying amid the shallow water.

Iris waited, her silver eyes scanning for the system window that would signal the dungeon's completion, the silence of anticipation broken only by the distant roar of waterfalls. Each breath she took felt heavy with mist, the air thick and damp against her fur as she strained to perceive any notification from the system, any indication that this relentless battle had reached its conclusion.

None came.

She glanced at the scattered bones on the stone walkway, then back toward the shore of the central lake where mist swirled like ghostly dancers in the dim light. A slow dread crept up her spine as she approached the water's edge between two cascading waterfalls, the spray from their descent cool against her heated skin. Her suspicion proved correct even before it fully formed, her mind connecting the scattered clues—the five waterfalls, the central island, the endless mist.

Another Greater Tidal Revenant emerged from the waterfall opposite her, its form coalescing from the cascading water with eerie fluidity, the same Roman armor materializing as it drew closer. Her gaze shifted from the advancing spectral warrior to the three waterfalls across the lake, then to the small island at the center where all five streams converged in a thunderous symphony of water, and back to the Revenant, its spectral sword already forming in its hands.

A low growl rumbled in her chest, the sound swallowed by the thundering falls as realization dawned—this was not the final guardian, merely one of several she would need to defeat.