Through the gap, we could see a larger chamber carved from the same stone as the maze. Renna stood there, her silver armor gleaming with an inner light that seemed to push against the darkness without dispelling it. Two Silver Wolf archers flanked her, their bows drawn with arrows that seemed to be made of condensed moonlight.

Facing them were three figures in black robes, their faces hidden behind masks. The one in the center - his mask more ornate than the others - stood with a familiar confidence that made my blood run cold. It was him. The same masked figure from the sewers, the one who'd cursed us with the rat swarm.

"The Veiled Crown has no authority here," Renna's voice was firm, her silver hair gleaming in the darkness like captured moonlight. "Just what are you monsters doing here.”

“How rude,” the masked man replied. "You should learn some manners if you want others to answer your questions. After all, we're all seekers of knowledge here."

The two cloaked figures behind him remained motionless, their own masks partially hiding their twisted smile. The air around them swirled with necromantic energy.

"Do not mock me," Renna barked, her voice carrying echoes of a wolf's growl. She swung her massive axe forward, its edge gleaming with stored moonlight as she aimed it at the masked men. "A group of necromancers in the place where the First King was buried. There's no need to guess what your vile intentions are."

The lead masked man tilted his head, dodging the axe with casual ease. "A tomb which was supposedly lost to history. Now that it has been rediscovered, it is only right that we pay our respects to the founder of the Undercity. After all, who better to understand the secrets of death than those who walk its paths?"

"That's bullshit!" Renna's axe whistled through the air as she launched herself at the masked man. The weapon's arc left trails of silver light, but the necromancer dodged with an unnatural fluidity, as if his body was smoke rather than flesh. "Nothing good ever comes from you creatures. You corrupt everything you touch!"

With that, Renna charged forward. Her massive axe carved through the air with impossible speed. Silver light trailed behind it like a comet's tail, illuminating the chamber in strobing flashes. The masked figure weaved between the strikes with unnatural grace, each dodge seemingly performed with milliseconds to spare.

The Silver Wolf archers didn't waste the opening. Their arrows flew true, streams of moonlight that should have been impossible to avoid in the confined space. But the masked figure's companions raised their hands, dark sigils appearing in the air. The arrows struck invisible barriers, their light dispersing into harmless sparkles.

"Is that all?" The masked man taunted, still dodging Renna's relentless assault. "The vaunted Silver Wolves, reduced to such predictable tactics?"

Renna's response was a complex combination of slashes. The axe spun in patterns that seemed to defy physics, each strike flowing into the next. Silver light filled the chamber, creating a cage of moonlight around her opponent. It was a perfect execution of what had to be an ultimate skill.

Moonlight cage Area Denial Effect Active Target: Locked

For a moment, it seemed to work. The masked figure's movements became more constrained, the silver light clearly causing him discomfort. One of his companions stepped forward to help, but Renna's archers were ready. A barrage of arrows forced them back, the moonlight projectiles creating a deadly crossfire.

But then the masked man laughed. It was an ugly sound, echoing with unnatural harmonics. "Impressive. Your control of moonlight is commendable." His hand moved in a complex gesture. "But you've forgotten the most important lesson – light, no matter how beautiful, is still just a pale reflection of true darkness."

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Dark energy crackled around his fingers. With a casual flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of pure darkness through Renna's light cage. The silver barriers shattered like glass, moonlight dispersing into nothing. Renna barely had time to bring her axe up in a defensive position before the dark wave hit her.

She held her ground, boots scraping against stone as the darkness tried to push her back. Her armor's glow intensified, fighting against the darkness. But I could see the strain in her stance, the slight tremor in her arms that spoke of the immense effort it was taking.

That's when the masked man reached for a vial filled with what looked like liquid darkness from his robes.

"Perhaps a demonstration of our art will help you understand," he said softly, before dropping the vial to the ground. It shattered with a sound like breaking dreams, releasing a black mist that spread across the chamber with unnatural speed. His companions immediately covered their faces with cloths and backed away.

The effect on the Silver Wolves was immediate and horrifying. The black mist coiled around them like hungry serpents. The proud warriors began to cough and choke, their silver auras flickering as they fought against whatever vile substance the mist contained.

Renna struggled to maintain her stance, her axe's glow dimming as the mist worked its evil. Each breath seemed to draw the darkness deeper into her lungs. "You dare... bring death... to this sacred place?" she managed between coughs as she did her best to fight the corruption.

"Death?" The masked man's voice carried genuine amusement. "You think this is death?" He spread his arms wide and took a deep breath, inhaling the black mist like it was the sweetest perfume. The darkness flowed into him, yet he displayed not the slightest sign of discomfort. "How far has the Undercity fallen that its own denizens would fail to recognize the dark element. This... this is what you've forgotten. Raw darkness in its purest form."

He walked deliberately to one of the fallen archers. The wolf warrior lay gasping, silver fur dulled by the corrupting mist. With contemptuous ease, he kicked the proud warrior's body. "Weak. An embarrassment. In days gone past, the Undercity struggled with all her might against the Church of Light. Our ancestors would weep to see what their descendants have become - soft, complacent, content to waste their lives away in meaningless festivals while the real war continues above."

"Don't you dare..." Renna's voice cracked as she watched her companion being treated so callously. Her muscles strained against the corrupting mist, silver light flickering from her armour. She pushed herself up on one arm, then the other, her armor scraping against the stone floor. For a moment, she rose to her knees, her axe serving as a makeshift crutch.

The black mist coiled tighter around her, as if responding to her defiance. Dark tendrils wrapped around her limbs, each breath drawing more of the corrupting element into her lungs.

She made it halfway up, her legs shaking with the effort, before her strength finally gave out. The proud warrior collapsed back to the ground, one hand still reaching for her fallen companion. The sound of her armor hitting the stone echoed through the chamber like a death knell.

"Such noble spirit," the masked man mocked, circling her fallen form like a vulture. "How unfortunate that pride alone isn't enough to change the course of history." Kneeling down, he grabbed Renna's chin, forcing her to look into the bottomless depths of his mask's eye holes. "But fear not, dear wolf. The Demon King will guide the way. The Undercity will rise again - not as this pale shadow of its former glory, but as the true bastion of darkness it was meant to be."

His mask moved closer to her face, his whispered words carrying the weight of dark prophecy. "And those who lack the strength to embrace the night... will be swept aside."

With the last of her strength, Renna gathered what little moisture remained in her parched throat and spat at him. But he dodged even that. “You won’t get away with this.” She hissed, her voice carrying the feral undertones of an animal at its death throes.

"Hmph..." The masked man stood up and began pacing the chamber. "You know, as much as I detest the God of Light, I must admit a certain... professional admiration for his masterpiece: the Light Zombies."

He paused to examine one of the fallen wolves, who had stopped struggling and lay ominously still. "Stuff enough Light element into the human body and you can create such delightful monstrosities. The way the flesh crystallizes, how the mind shatters but the body continues its sacred duty..." His mask tilted thoughtfully. "It's artistic, in its own way."

The remaining conscious wolves growled weakly at the comparison, but the sound only seemed to encourage him.

"So," he spread his arms wide, the black mist swirling around him, "I've found myself wondering - what happens when you infuse the human body with pure, undiluted darkness?

Shall we find out?" He smiled an eerie smile that showed even though his mask.