NOVPUB
Chapter 70: The Inverted Temple (II)
The moment Tobias shouted, everyone sprang into action.
The skeletal dragon’s massive hand, wreathed in crackling violet energy, lunged toward them with terrifying speed.
The adventurers urged their griffins to move, wings beating frantically against the warped air of the dungeon.
Zayn’s heart pounded as he clutched the saddle, his golden aura flickering wildly in response to the overwhelming force.
His griffin veered sharply, barely dodging the massive clawed hand that threatened to crush them.
But before he could catch his breath, the glowing energy around the dragon’s limb exploded.
The detonation wasn’t just forceful — it was reality-warping.
A shockwave blasted outward, the pressure striking them like a physical wall.
Zayn felt the impact tear through his body, knocking the air from his lungs as he was flung backward with violent force.
His grip on the saddle was ripped away in an instant.
His world spun chaotically.
He barely registered the others’ screams.
His griffin, caught in the blast, tumbled through the air, screeching in pain before it was lost to the swirling abyss below.
Zayn’s vision blurred. The force of the explosion had sent him hurtling far from the others.
Wind roared in his ears as he spiraled downward into the vast, surreal expanse of the dungeon.
Is this it?
He tried to move his limbs, but the disorienting force made it impossible.
His body twisted uncontrollably, plummeting through the dark void, the eerie floating platforms passing by in distorted shapes.
The others’ voices grew fainter.
And then, darkness.
... 𝒏𝙤𝙫𝒑𝙪𝙗.𝙘𝒐𝙢
His eyes gradually opened again...
Zayn groaned as he struggled to move.
His entire body ached from the impact.
He could still hear the chaos raging above — lightning cracking, fire roaring, chunks of rock being shattered midair.
Yet, for the moment, he was stuck.
The heavy body of his griffin was sprawled across him, its weight making it nearly impossible to breathe.
He clenched his teeth, forcing his arms to move. Slowly, painfully, he pushed against the beast’s thick hide, shifting its massive form just enough to free himself.
The griffin stirred moments later, letting out a low, pained groan before blinking its glowing eyes open.
"Yeah, I feel the same way," Zayn muttered, rolling onto his side and sitting up.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his muscles screaming in protest.
He glanced around.
The platform he had crashed onto was floating at the very bottom of the dungeon, far below the rest of the battle.
From here, the fight above looked like a war between gods — spells clashing in violent bursts of energy, adventurers darting through the sky, monsters screeching as they were torn apart.
And at the center of it all was that thing.
The dungeon boss loomed above, an abomination of bone and darkness, its skeletal wings stretching across the entire battlefield like a demonic specter.
It wasn’t just large — it radiated power, a deep, suffocating presence that made Zayn’s soul energy churn in response.
Further away from the thick of battle, Elisse stood on another floating rock, weaving complex sigils in the air.
Her magic shimmered faintly, reinforcing their allies, but it was clear they needed more than just reinforcements to take that thing down.
Zayn exhaled.
He had to get back up there.
With shaky hands, he reached for the griffin’s reins and pulled himself into the saddle.
The beast let out a low, rumbling breath as if trying to steady itself, its muscles still tense from the crash.
"We’re not done yet," Zayn murmured, gripping the reins tighter.
But before taking off, he needed more power.
Reaching deep into himself, he called upon the forge of souls.
His body reacted instantly.
His golden aura flickered to life as the familiar sensation of raw energy surged through his veins.
This time, he didn’t stop at one — he absorbed two souls.
The effect was immediate.
A powerful, thrumming energy coursed through him, his senses sharpening, his body feeling lighter — stronger.
His vision became clearer, his thoughts sharper, his muscles no longer aching but buzzing with newfound strength.
Then his gaze shifted downward to the griffin.
A thought struck him.
’What if I could infuse it into the griffin?’
It wasn’t hard to inject soul energy into his own body — but into another being? He had never attempted it before.
But he could see the pathways — the soul circuits running through the griffin’s body like invisible veins of energy.
Trusting his instincts, he reached out.
Channeling his golden aura, he carefully traced those circuits, pouring his soul energy into them.
The reaction was instantaneous.
The griffin let out a powerful, piercing roar.
Its entire body pulsed with golden energy, veins of soul energy igniting beneath its skin, its wings flaring wide as power surged through it.
Zayn barely had time to adjust before the beast launched upward.
The force nearly threw him from the saddle.
The griffin shot through the air like a golden comet.
The speed was staggering.
The battlefield above rushed toward him in an instant. He could feel the wind tearing at his skin, the sheer force of their ascent unlike anything he had ever experienced.
The griffin’s muscles coiled and flexed with explosive power, each flap of its wings sending shockwaves through the dungeon’s air.
As they neared the battle, Zayn’s enhanced senses picked up everything.
Bran was locked in a deadly exchange with one of the boss’s skeletal bats, his blade flashing with precise, brutal strikes.
Tobias and Kara were working together, hurling magic at the monstrosity while dodging its counterattacks.
And Elisse — she had finally finished casting her reinforcements, her hands glowing as waves of supportive magic washed over their allies.
Zayn narrowed his eyes.
A voice rang out through the battlefield.
"ZAYN — ?" Bran barely had time to react as the golden blur of Zayn’s griffin rocketed past him, shooting straight toward the dungeon boss.
Zayn kept one palm on his sword as some bone projectiles shot through the air toward him, each of them covered in purple energy like earlier.
