Chapter 27

I was crouching slowly in the premises of the abandoned hospital lab, its silence thick and oppressive. The air carries the faint ghost of antiseptic, tainted by something darker—a sharp, acrid scent that lingers like a whisper of suffering.

I move swiftly, my footsteps soundless against the crumbling concrete. The rooftop hatch is rusted with age, groaning as I pry it open. A sliver of moonlight cuts through the dust-choked air, illuminating the narrow passage below.

The ventilation ducts are tight, suffocating. A metal artery winding through the building's decayed body. I crawl forward, each movement careful, the cold steel pressing against my palms. The air inside is stale, tinged with rust and an unsettling chemical tang.

I reach a junction—wider, more stable. Pressing close to the grated opening, I peer down.

My breath catches.

Below, in the cavernous depths of a dimly lit chamber, rows of cylindrical capsules stand like silent sentinels. Their glass exteriors pulse faintly with an eerie luminescence, casting twisted shadows across the floor. Within them, figures float—suspended in thick, viscous fluid.

Humans. Or at least… what used to be.

Horror coils in my stomach as my eyes trace the grotesque forms trapped inside. Some have delicate, feathered wings—a cruel imitation of an angel. Others are marred by monstrosity, their spines sprouting jagged, chitinous tails like scorpions poised to strike. Their faces—twisted in frozen agony—bear the evidence of merciless violations.

A sickening realization grips me.

This isn't just an abandoned hospital.

It's a laboratory. A breeding ground for nightmares. A graveyard where science has betrayed humanity.

And somewhere among them…

Su Ah is here.

I can feel it.

----

Dylan's body crashes into the ground, the impact splitting the concrete beneath him. Blood trickles from the corner of his lips as he struggles to push himself up, but his limbs feel heavy—weighed down by exhaustion and pain.

Overseer looms above him, his presence suffocating, his expression a twisted mask of amusement. "Is this all the mighty Dragon King can muster?" His voice drips with mockery. "Pathetic. Without your essence, you are nothing but a hollow fragment."

Dylan clenches his fists, his dragon-scaled arm trembling as he tries to stand, but his vision wavers. His strength is failing.

Overseer lifts a clawed hand, void energy coiling around his fingers like living shadows. "Let's end this charade, shall we?"

A blinding light erupts.

The oppressive void shatters like fragile glass, a force unseen yet immeasurably powerful ripping through the battlefield. Overseer steps back, his eyes narrowing as golden energy weaves through the air like threads of fate itself.

A figure emerges—a woman draped in flowing white robes, a delicate veil covering her face. Her very presence is an enigma, serene yet commanding.

Angela.

The Prophetess stands between Dylan and Overseer, her voice calm but unwavering. "This fight is over."

Overseer's lips curl into a smirk. "It has been a long time, Angela." His gaze flickers toward Dylan, then back to her. "You and the betrayer Kaelen have spent years interfering with my plans, and yet… do you truly believe you can stop me?"

The air hums with an unspoken tension.

Angela does not answer immediately. Instead, she raises a hand

Angela lifts her hand, her voice a whisper yet echoing with undeniable power.

"lux deam potestatem release."

The very fabric of the battlefield shifts. The suffocating darkness of the Void Field fractures, shards of shadow dissolving into nothingness. Light floods the space, pure and unwavering, severing Overseer's hold on the domain.

The Overseer clicks his tongue in annoyance, his form flickering as the void energy recoils. His expression, once smug, now carries the faintest trace of irritation.

Angela does not stop.

"Lux Medendi."

A gentle radiance descends upon Dylan, golden light weaving through his wounds like threads stitching together torn fabric. His labored breath steadies. The deep gashes on his body knit themselves closed, and the weight that had shackled him lifts. Strength floods back into his limbs.

Dylan's fingers curl, feeling the renewed power coursing through him. His dragon-scaled arm glows faintly, responding to the surge of energy. He exhales, rising to his feet.

Angela lowers her hand, her gaze never leaving Overseer. "You will not claim him today."

Overseer chuckles darkly, brushing off the lingering remnants of light from his cloak. "How amusing," he muses. "But tell me, Prophetess—how long do you think you can keep delaying the inevitable?"

The shadows writhe and lunge as Overseer invokes his next technique—

**"Dance of the Void: Death Grasp."**

The darkness surges forth, twisting into clawed tendrils that stretch hungrily toward Dylan and Angela. The air trembles under their weight, the very space around them distorting as if reality itself recoils from the void's touch. The suffocating pressure bears down, a force that seeks to crush and consume.

But Angela stands firm.

Her voice rings out, unwavering. "Lux Sancta Obice!"

A radiant barrier erupts around them, golden light clashing against the encroaching void. The moment the shadows make contact, they shriek and recoil, seared away by the sanctified brilliance. The barrier pulses like a living entity, expanding outward, forcing back the darkness that dares to invade its domain.

Dylan steadies himself, feeling the warmth of Angela's magic fortifying him. His dragon-forged body hums with renewed vigor.

The Overseer's lips curl into a smirk, but his eyes glint with something colder—calculating. "Light may push back the void, Prophetess, but tell me—how long can you hold out?"

Angela raises her hand, her voice steady as she chants, "Lucem Teleportation."

A brilliant sigil flares beneath her and Dylan's feet, golden light engulfing them as reality bends around their forms. In an instant, they vanish—whisked away by Angela's divine magic.

Left alone, Overseer's expression twists in fury. His fingers curl into fists, his teeth grinding together. The air around him distorts, pulsing with the remnants of his void energy.

"Damn you, Angela!" he roars, his voice reverberating through the hollow chamber.

In a fit of rage, he pivots and drives his foot into one of the massive support pillars of the warehouse. The impact shatters the concrete, deep cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. The entire structure groans, dust and debris raining from above as the building quakes beneath his wrath.

His crimson eyes burn with malice. "Run while you can,"he mutters, voice low and venomous. "No matter where you hide, I will find you."

---

I steady my breath as I step closer to the capsules, my fingers hovering over the glass. The woman inside—her delicate wings crumpled against the confines of the fluid—raises a trembling hand, pressing it against the glass. Her eyes, wide with desperation, plead for release.

A sharp pang grips my chest. How long has she been trapped here? How much suffering has she endured?

I scan the room, searching for a control panel, a release switch—anything that might free them. My fingers brush against a rusted console when—

A sudden force slams into my side.

Pain explodes through my ribs as I'm sent hurtling through the air, my back crashing against the cold, unforgiving floor. Dust and debris scatter around me as I roll, gasping for breath. My vision swims, but I force myself to push up on shaking arms.

A shadow looms over me.

"You shouldn't be here, Trespasser," a voice sneers, dripping with amusement.

I lift my gaze, locking eyes with the figure standing before me. My jaw tightens. Another of Overseer's creations.

I wipe the blood from my lips and slowly rise to my feet.

The figure standing before me is a grotesque fusion of man and beast. He stands upright, his muscular frame covered in sleek black fur. His hands and feet are those of a panther, tipped with razor-sharp claws that gleam under the dim light. A long tail flicks behind him

Golden eyes lock onto mine, filled with something between amusement and malice. His lips curl into a smirk, revealing sharp fangs.

I push myself up, ignoring the sting in my ribs from the blow he landed earlier. Behind him, the woman with wings in the capsule presses her hand against the glass, her lips forming silent pleas. She's terrified.

The panther-like man takes a slow, deliberate step toward me, his claws clicking lightly against the cold floor. His golden eyes gleam with something predatory—something entertained.

"Do you even realize where you are?" he asks, his voice a low, silken growl. "A woman, all alone, wandering so bravely into a place no one dares to tread."

His tail flicks behind him, a slow, rhythmic movement, like a hunter savoring the moment before the kill.

I steady my breathing, planting my feet firmly on the ground. "I know exactly where I am," I say, keeping my voice calm, unwavering. "And I know exactly what kind of monsters lurk here."

His smirk widens, fangs flashing in the dim light. "Monsters?" He chuckles, a deep, velvety sound that makes my skin crawl. "Oh, little dove, you don't even know the half of it."

Then, without warning—he lunges.

I sidestep his lunge, his claws slicing through the air where I stood just moments before. In one swift motion, I grab his tail, feeling the tense muscles coil beneath my grip.

With a sharp exhale, I spin him around like a rag doll, his massive frame twisting helplessly in the air before I release him. He hurtles across the room, slamming into the concrete wall with a thunderous crack. Dust and debris rain down as the impact leaves a deep indentation in the stone.

He groans, pushing himself up, shaking his head as if trying to process what just happened. His golden eyes widen in disbelief, his feline pupils narrowing as he stares at me.

I smirk, tilting my head slightly. "How does it feel?" I ask, my voice laced with challenge.