Brask emerged from the shadows with his men, their weapons glinting in the faint light of the dungeon’s collapsing corridors.

The Apex Fangbeast let out a bone-rattling roar, its molten eyes sweeping over the newcomers with an air of predatory disdain.

Brask froze, his face twisting in shock.

“What in the bloody hell is that doing here?” he hissed, his voice barely audible over the cacophony.

His men exchanged uneasy glances, some gripping their weapons tighter while others took cautious steps back.

“That’s an Apex Fangbeast,” muttered one of them, his voice trembling.

“It shouldn’t be anywhere near here.”

Brask’s mind raced as he watched the Apex Fangbeast unleash its fury.

Its presence shouldn’t have been possible—not here, not within the shadow of the Ravenspire Ridge.

The territory was supposed to belong to the Apex Razorback, a slumbering beast so fearsome that its very existence acted as a natural deterrent for creatures of similar strength.

No beast dared encroach on its domain, knowing a clash with the Razorback would mean certain death.

But here was an Apex Fangbeast, rampaging through the dungeon with unrestrained ferocity.

Brask’s lips tightened into a grim line as the realization struck him.

"If the Fangbeast is here..." he muttered under his breath, his mind piecing together the implications.

It could only mean one thing.

The Razorback wasn’t here.

Worse yet, it might be dead.

A gleam of dark excitement flickered in Brask’s eyes.

If the Razorback was gone, the region’s balance of power had shifted.

The vacuum left behind by such an absence would upend everything, creating opportunities ripe for exploitation.

Valuable information—information that could turn the tides of power—lay before him, all but confirmed by the Fangbeast’s audacious presence.

But any thrill of discovery was drowned by the sound of another deafening roar, pulling him back to the immediate chaos at hand.

The Apex Fangbeast lunged forward, its massive claws tearing through the stone floor with ease.

Brask barely had time to shout an order before the beast tore into his front line, swiping two of his men aside like ragdolls.

Their screams echoed briefly before being silenced in sickening crunches.

Chaos erupted.

The men fired crossbows and hurled spears, the weapons ricocheting off the Fangbeast’s shimmering, obsidian-like hide.

It moved like a force of nature, its hulking body crashing through the dungeon’s narrow corridors, crushing stone and flesh alike.

A massive tail, spiked and serrated, swept through the ranks, sending men flying into the walls with bone-shattering force.

Kieran and Selene pressed themselves against the shadows of the far wall.

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The chaos provided the perfect cover, but the sheer carnage left little room to maneuver.

Selene’s golden eyes darted to Kieran, her voice a sharp whisper.

“We have to move, now.”

Kieran nodded, gritting his teeth as he gathered his strength to burst out of his positiobln.

The Celestial Crest throbbed faintly in his palm, a cruel reminder of its dwindling strength.

Across the chamber, Brask shouted orders, his voice ragged with desperation.

“Draw it toward the eastern tunnel! Pin it—buy us time!”

But the Apex Fangbeast wasn’t a creature to be corralled.

It snapped its jaws shut around another unfortunate soul, lifting him effortlessly before tossing him aside like discarded prey.

Brask’s men broke ranks, scattering in a blind panic as the beast advanced.

Its molten eyes burned with unrelenting fury, locking onto anything that moved.

It slammed its massive forelimbs into the ground, the sheer impact cracking the stone beneath it and sending shockwaves through the dungeon.

A section of the ceiling collapsed, crushing several fleeing men under tons of debris.

Selene's golden eyes narrowed as she spotted an opening amid the carnage.

“This way,” she hissed, nodding toward a shadowed alcove leading to a narrow passage.

Kieran followed, his heart pounding as they slipped through the chaos.

Brask, too preoccupied with the Fangbeast’s rampage, didn’t notice their escape.

The beast let out another deafening roar, shaking the air itself as it crushed the last of Brask’s men underfoot.

Blood slicked the ground, mingling with the shattered remains of stone and steel.

Brask cursed under his breath, retreating further into the shadows.

But the Apex Fangbeast wasn’t finished.

Its molten eyes snapped toward Kieran and Selene as they reached the edge of the chamber.

The faint glow of the Crest must have drawn its attention, for its snarl deepened, and it began to lumber after them.

“Of course it would follow us,” Kieran muttered bitterly, his muscles screaming in protest as he forced himself to move faster.

Selene shot him a sharp look.

“Save the complaints for when we’re not being hunted.”

The beast’s thunderous steps shook the passage behind them, its claws tearing into the stone as it forced its massive frame through the narrow corridor.

Kieran could feel the heat of its breath on his back, the oppressive weight of its presence pressing down on him.

“Keep going!” Selene shouted, her voice cutting through the rising panic.

The tunnel twisted and turned, its walls narrowing as they plunged deeper into the dungeon’s labyrinthine depths.

Kieran pushed forward, his wrath burning like a fire in his chest.

He wouldn’t die here—not like this.

Behind them, the Apex Fangbeast roared again, the sound reverberating through the stone like a death knell.

The corridor shook as it barreled after them, its sheer size and power making escape seem like a fleeting dream.

But Kieran didn’t stop.

The Crest flickered faintly in his palm, and though its light was weak, it was enough to fuel his resolve.

He wasn’t going to let this beast end him—not when he had so much left to do.

Not when vengeance still burned in his heart.

As they reached a fork in the tunnel, Selene glanced back, her golden eyes meeting Kieran’s.

“This way,” Selene said, her voice taut as she darted into the narrower path.

The jagged walls of the tunnel closed in, forcing Kieran to stoop slightly as they ran.

Behind them, the Apex Fangbeast slowed, its massive frame scraping against the enclosing stone.

For a fleeting moment, Kieran dared to hope that the beast might be stopped by the tunnel’s confines.

But that hope shattered as the walls behind them erupted in a cascade of shattered stone.

The Fangbeast surged forward, its massive claws tearing through the rock like wet parchment.

Chunks of debris rained down, the tunnel trembling under the sheer force of the creature’s rampage.

Kieran’s breath came hard and fast, his mind racing with questions that twisted his gut.

Where did the beast come from?

Where in the nine hells were they at that moment?

"Where the hell are we going?" Kieran yelled at Selene.

Selene glanced back, her golden eyes wide with the reflection of the beast’s molten gaze.

“Something’s wrong,” she said, her tone sharp with urgency.

“Apex creatures don’t behave like this. They—”

Another roar cut her off as the Fangbeast obliterated another section of the tunnel, the shockwave nearly sending them to their knees.

Kieran’s jaw clenched, his fury and desperation mingling as they pushed forward into the narrowing darkness, the relentless pursuit of the beast growing louder with every step.