Revelation and Final Assault

And yet... a heavy silence fell.

Not a word.

Tristan, freshly healed by Lys, struggled to his feet. He looked at the members of his group, all frozen, their eyes still fixed on Kyle.

No one argued.

The fire was lit. The tents were pitched. A simple meal was prepared.

A single word was on everyone's mind.

"Who is he really?"

Kyle had had enough.

"Well... I might as well get one thing straight. Actually... I'm a mage."

 Iris, who had mustered up some courage, shrugged with a weak smile.

"With what we just saw... it was easy enough to guess."

Anne, still flustered, frowned.

"If you're a mage... why use a sword to fight?"

Kyle calmly grabbed his weapon, raising it to eye level with a small, nostalgic smile.

"Just so... I've always admired those who fight with a blade."

But Elena, more pragmatic, spoke firmly.

"We're getting off topic. Kyle... who are you really?"

A heavy silence fell again.

Lys, more gentle, lowered her eyes, remembering their previous conversation.

 "You told me you were hiding a lot of things... but if you don't want to talk about it now, you don't have to..."

"No."

Tristan straightened this time. His gaze was serious.

"We're a team. And in a team, trust is essential. If we keep fighting together, we have to be able to count on each other."

Kyle sighed, a hint of weariness in his eyes.

"You're right. After all... what's the point of keeping it from you?"

He looked up at the ceiling, a smirk on his face.

"Here we are... the famous scene of the big reveal, right?"

A moment passed.

Then he bowed his head slightly, as if in contemplation, before dropping the bombshell.

"Actually, I'm not from this world."

The shock was immediate.

No one answered right away. 

"I'm one of those people... who suddenly appeared in Asterion's realm."

A murmur ran through the group. No one expected such a response.

Some looked at Kyle in amazement, others with suspicion.

But one thing was certain:

Nothing would ever be the same again.

The silence that followed the revelation was heavy, almost sacred.

But despite the surprise, no reproach came.

The glances exchanged were not those of anger or rejection, but of reflection, concern, and above all... understanding.

For they understood.

Kyle—carries an immense burden.

What he had just confessed... was the equivalent of a state secret, a truth that shouldn't be spoken lightly.

They would have liked to know more, to ask a thousand questions...

But deep down, they knew that some answers might be beyond them. And that, for now, the wisest thing was not to insist.

That's when Kyle spoke again, calmer, almost liberated:

"While we're at it... my real name is Kaito."

Tristan, still a little shaken, looked up at him.

"Why did you change your first name?"

Kyle gave a smile tinged with melancholy.

"In my world, I always liked the name Kyle. I used it all the time..."

His gaze wandered for a moment, as if caught in a memory.

 "Every time I embarked on an adventure into unknown territory, it was under that name."

He was, of course, referring to video games.

Anne gently asked the question everyone was wondering:

"So what now? Do we call you Kaito... or Kyle?"

He paused, looked at each of them, then replied:

"Kyle, that suits me just fine. Is that the name you've come to know?

And that's how I want you to continue to think of me."

Just as the mood seemed to lighten, Iris, a little disappointed, crossed her arms and sighed:

"Great. Now we have two mages in the party... except one is obviously much more powerful than the other."

A short, awkward silence followed.

Kyle, genuinely surprised, turned his head towards her.

"I haven't... done anything extraordinary, you know." I don't think I'm above you."

But Iris clenched her fists, her eyes shining with a mixture of anger and incomprehension.

"Stop being so modest," she fumed. "You know exactly what you're worth!"

Kyle, helpless, looked down.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

The sincere tone of his voice eased the tension a little.

Anne, watching the scene, understood the discomfort.

"Iris just feels overshadowed," she said softly. "Kyle, you're a mage... and you can wield a sword. That's no small feat."

Tristan, arms crossed, added with a wry smile:

"Honestly, I was actually thinking your swordplay was a bit rudimentary for a warrior." But if you're a mage... it becomes downright impressive."

Kyle blushed slightly. His discomfort was evident. He wasn't used to compliments—and even less so to this collective attention.

Then, suddenly, Lys seemed to realize something. Her expression changed, and she briskly approached him.

"Wait... During the fight... I saw you get hit by the monster's attacks several times!"

Elena nodded.

"I noticed it too. I thought it was strange, but with everything that happened, I forgot to mention it."

Kyle raised a hand, as if to calm their concerns.

"It's nothing."

"But," Lys began.

He interrupted her, his tone calm but firm.

"I wasn't afraid of its attacks because... I'm a dark elemental mage." »

"And that monster... used magic attacks of my element. So I'm naturally immune."

A stunned silence fell.

"That's why I was able to defeat it without too much difficulty," he continued.

Lys frowned.

"But... wait. An elemental mage can only use spells of their own element, right?

And yet... you used a light spell to finish it off!"

Iris, who had fallen silent for a moment, raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"And while you were fighting with a sword... you used lightning spells.

So what, now you've mastered three elements?"

All eyes turned to Kyle, this time with silent but heavy expectation.

They wanted answers.

 Kyle took a shallow breath, as if finally agreeing to reveal a simple but significant truth:

"I am an elemental mage... with a triple magical affinity: light, lightning... and darkness."

Another shocked silence fell over the group.

But this time, it was different. The element of surprise was there, but... they almost seemed to be getting used to this kind of revelation coming from him.

Tristan, rubbing the back of his neck, breathed out a bitter chuckle:

"Honestly, at this level... nothing surprises me anymore coming from you, Kyle."

Elena, more serious, narrowed her eyes.

"You don't realize what that implies," she said softly.

Iris continued, her tone almost professorial despite the emotion:

"Normally, an elemental mage controls only one element. Those who master two are extremely rare... almost legendary."

She paused, then added in a more serious tone:

"And those who possess three... that's beyond rare. There are only stories, tales, where this kind of prodigy is spoken of." 

Lys, who seemed troubled, continued softly:

"And when this kind of being appears... they are compared to the hero blessed by the gods."

At this, Kyle jumped slightly.

Then he raised his hands, looking nervous, almost panicked.

"No thanks!" he declared immediately. "I don't want such a title."

He looked away and added in a lower voice:

"This world already has a hero from elsewhere, doesn't it?"

Anne and Tristan exchanged a glance, then nodded.

"From what we've heard," said Anne, "among the travelers from another world... there's one with exceptional class. Someone like you."

"Yes," confirmed Tristan. "A certain Ryo, is that it?"

Hearing that name, Kyle's face darkened.

 "It's definitely him," he said, his tone suddenly more serious.

"Then... there's no point in discussing it further. The debate is closed."The silence fell for a moment, broken by Anne's voice.

"So... what do we do now?"

Lys, who still seemed shaken, replied without hesitation:

"I'd rather we go home. We've seen enough already."

Tristan nodded.

"I agree. Without Kyle, we would have definitely ended up in a bad way. We got lucky today."

But Iris frowned, visibly annoyed.

"Wait, you want to go home now?! We have an exceptional mage on our side, and you want to ruin this opportunity? I want to see what he's really capable of!"

Elena, in her usual role as mediator, turned to Kyle:

"And you, Kyle? Do you want to continue or not?" »

The man in question remained thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged with a determined smile:

"Now that I can let loose... I want to continue."

Elena crossed her arms.

"Here's what we're going to do. We're going back. We've already gathered a lot of information. And next time, we'll come back better prepared."

The group seemed convinced. Everyone nodded... except Kyle, who remained silent.

"Next time, huh...?" he breathed. "Too bad... I won't be here anymore."

Silence fell again. It was as if they had all just remembered that Kyle was only there temporarily.

Lys approached, her gaze worried.

"Why don't you stay longer?"

Anne, hesitant, added:

"You want to leave to... find a way home, is that it?"

Kyle shook his head. 

"No. I never thought I'd go back."

For a brief moment, he thought back to all the isekai works he'd read.

"The original world... so often we just forget about it? Well, it'll be the same for me."

Lys, puzzled, persisted softly, "So... why do you want to leave us?"

Kyle looked down. He took a deep breath.

"I just want to make the most of this world."

Iris, arms crossed, said, "You can do this with us, right? We can share this adventure."

But Kyle shook his head.

"No. You have your own dreams too, your own paths. It would be selfish of me to impose mine on you.

And besides..."

He looked away, thoughtful.

"...I want to be free. To enjoy it without having to look back. Without wondering if I'm slowing them down... or if it's the other way around." 

Everyone understood then that Kyle had no bad intentions. He just wanted to experience his adventure his way.

Tristan, with a smile, patted him on the shoulder.

"So, in the meantime... let's continue."

Lys immediately added energetically:

"If that's what you've decided, then I'm going to give it my all! I refuse to disappoint you."

Anne, curious, asked:

"How many levels do we have left before we finish this dungeon?"

Elena replied calmly:

"According to what Guild Master Edward said, this dungeon has between 20 and 50 levels."

Iris raised an eyebrow.

"So either... there's just one floor left, or 31? Great."

Anne sighed.

"With any luck, the next one will be the last..."

Kyle, for his part, gave a small, wry smile.

 "Knowing this kind of story, I wouldn't be surprised if we completed all 50 levels..."

Iris, intrigued, asked:

"And... what do you get for completing a dungeon?"

Tristan shrugged.

"No idea, I've never completed one."

Elena added in a calm voice:

"They say that at the end of dungeons lie unique artifacts. But above all... that those who complete them first receive incomparable rewards, far superior to those offered to those who follow."

Kyle raised his hands, mock-dramatic:

"Honestly, with the dungeon's theme centered around insects, I can't even imagine what we'll receive..."

The group burst into knowing laughter.

Despite the fatigue, the pressure... and the impending goodbyes, the adventure continued.

After their discussion, everyone went to rest to prepare for the upcoming battle.

The next morning, everyone was ready. Armor adjusted, weapons sharpened, gazes resolute. Tristan took one last look at his companions, then declared:

"Let's go."

He stepped forward and stood on the magic circle. A flash of light, and in an instant, they all found themselves on level 20.

This level was unlike any other. They were in a huge circular room, its walls and ceiling covered with ancient inscriptions and esoteric motifs. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere reigned, as if the air itself were frozen.

That's when Anne and Elena began to smile. They understood.

"This is the last level..." Elena breathed.

"We're finally here," Anne added.

They turned to Tristan. He smiled back, then rubbed the back of his head, a little embarrassed.

"If we had decided to go back yesterday... we would have given up so close to the end."

He turned to the rest of the group.

"Stay on your guard. This fight will undoubtedly be the hardest in the dungeon." 

At these words, Kyle felt his heart beat faster. 'Another twist worthy of a sadistic author,' he thought.

'Of course, this dungeon only has twenty levels. A final boss... right after a reveal scene and a discussion that further strengthens the group's bond. It's almost too perfect to be a coincidence.'

They fell into formation. What had been a two-line formation had become three distinct lines:

Tristan and Kyle in the front line.

Anne and Elena in support in the center.

Iris and Lys in the back, ready to intervene or heal.

Silence reigned. Nothing was happening. Not a sound.

Then... the room began to shake.

A shudder ran through the floor, the walls, and even to the hearts of the adventurers. Elena and Kyle felt a presence... a presence so overwhelming, so immense... that it seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"It's... strange..." Kyle murmured. "There's only one presence... but it's everywhere."

Suddenly, Anne looked up at the ceiling.

"Up there...! Look!"

They all looked up. And they saw it.

A gigantic creature was slowly crawling along the ceiling, its eyes glowing red. An endless body composed of armored segments and moving spines. Each movement produced an ominous clicking sound that echoed throughout the room.

Level 20 – Boss: Insectoid Dragon

Millephtalion, the Underground Thorn

A giant draconic centipede, as long as a train, with articulated segments glowing a menacing red. Its breath expels a wave of burning, paralyzing spores. Each beat of its body vibrates the stone itself. It is at once dragon, monster, and living calamity.

"A...dragon," Iris breathed, petrified.

"No...it's worse..." Lys murmured. "It's a living nightmare."

Kyle clenched his fists, excitement pulsing through his veins despite the fear. This is exactly what I wanted to experience...a real adventure.

And that's when the final fight in the dungeon began.

A metallic crash filled the room. The insectoid Titan was charging straight toward them, its countless legs kicking up plumes of dust with each contact with the ground. A lightning charge.

"Look out!" " shouted Tristan.

Kyle reacted immediately, erecting a force field in front of the group. The magical barrier wobbled under the impact, cracking dangerously.

"Too powerful...!" he growled through gritted teeth.

Before it could give way, Lys positioned herself at his side, palm outstretched.

"Holy barrier!"

A wall of light formed, merging with Kyle's field. With perfect alternation, they managed to slow and deflect the monster's charge, just in time.

"Well done," murmured Tristan. "Then he raised his sword."

"Since this is the last stand... we might as well give it our all."

The creature charged again, but this time Tristan drew his sword and swung his blade.

"Wall of flames!"

A fiery curtain rose between them and the monster. The heat was so high that a high-pitched roar echoed through the room. Millephtalion hesitated... and turned sharply, going around the obstacle.

"He got scared..." Kyle murmured, surprised.

Instinctively, he reached for his sword, then stopped.

"No... no need. This time, I'm fighting as a mage."

But the respite was short-lived. The creature slowly surrounded the group, its long form coiling around them. Then, it released a cloud of toxic spores.

"Back off!" Anne shouted.

Iris raised her hand.

A fireball erupted in the center of the cloud. At the same time, Elena unleashed a volley of wind arrows, which dispersed the residue in a swirling blast.

The danger was averted.

"Good play," Anne said, moving to the front. "My turn!"

She jumped and launched powerful waves of piercing energy from her spear. The luminous bolts struck the boss's shell... but bounced off without effect.

"Its defenses are too strong!" We need to get closer!"

Tristan nodded. He and Anne dashed forward, charging straight at the monster. Behind them, Kyle cast a series of lightning spells, his bolts streaking across the room, searching for a weakness.

Once they made contact, Anne plunged her spear into a gap in the shell.

"Fracture!"

There was an ominous crack.

Tristan, for his part, concentrated his mana, his sword vibrating with a red light.

"Draconic Shock!"

He struck.

The combined impact shook the entire room. The creature roared, recoiled... and violently threw Anne and Tristan against the wall.

"Tristan! Anne!" Lys yelled, running over to heal them.

Tristan struggled to his feet, a trickle of blood on his lip.

 "We hit him... There's a crack in his shell... on his left flank."

He looked up at the others.

"Focus your attacks on that! It's our only chance!"

Kyle reached forward.

"All right. Then take this... Black Lightning!"

A blazing beam of dark lightning split the air. Following it, Iris cast a fire spell, and Elena fired arrow after arrow: wind, ice, then fire, without pause.

Their attacks struck the crack opened by Anne and Tristan. Little by little, it widened. Shards of shell flew. The titan screamed.

"We're getting there!" Iris cried, panting but smiling.

But suddenly... everything changed.

The monster's body twitched, then a red light pulsed around it. A shudder ran through the walls. The temperature dropped. The air grew heavy.

Kyle took a step back.

An inhuman roar rang out, followed by a sinister growl.

The creature reared up, its body vibrating with malevolent energy. Then, with a snap of its mandibles, it opened its gaping maw. A breath of green acid began to form, giving off an unbearable corrosive odor.

"This… this isn't good," Iris murmured, her eyes wide.

"If we get hit by this, we're done for," Tristan said, pale.

The toxic wave surged forward, speeding toward the group.

Kyle made an immediate decision. He broke away from the others, positioned himself in front of the blast, and projected as wide a force field as possible.

"Force field!"

A barrier of energy stretched like a dome in front of her comrades. But it was already cracking under the pressure of the blast.

"Hold on...! Just a little...!"

But it wasn't enough.

Lys, still crouching, tried to heal Tristan and Anne, her face contorted.

"I can't move! Hold on...!"

Between despair, Iris screamed,

"I'll take care of this!"

She raised her arms, summoning all her remaining mana, her eyes glowing scarlet.

"Hellfire!"

A huge fireball, larger than ever before, rocketed straight toward the acid blast. The impact created an incandescent shockwave, pushing the acid back and dissipating it in an explosion of burning steam.

Silence followed.

 "She did it..." Elena breathed.

Taking advantage of the opening, Elena also leapt forward. She closed her eyes and concentrated her mana.

"Dance of a Thousand Shards."

Her bow shone with a white glow. Then, in an instant, hundreds, thousands of arrows materialized around her, floating in the air. With a single shot, they descended upon the monster like a celestial rain.

Each arrow struck the crack in the carapace, widening it visibly.

Hundreds of chitin flew. The creature let out a shrill scream. Its body trembled, curled up...

Then it collapsed heavily.

A moment of silence. The group held its breath.

"We... got it?" Anne asked, panting.

But then a sticky noise rose. The ground vibrated. 

Before their horrified eyes, the monster's shell cracked from the inside. The creature... molted.

Its skin was now black and shiny, its legs longer, its fangs sharp as sabers. A blood-red glow pulsed in its eyes.

"He... he's even more powerful..." Lys murmured.

Kyle took a step back. Then a nervous laugh escaped him.

"No, but seriously..."

He looked up at the cavern ceiling.

"The script... it really wants us to die, doesn't it?"

Tristan, his body still trembling, slowly straightened. He leaned on his sword planted on the ground, his eyes fixed on the now mutated creature, imposing and menacing.

"No time to get discouraged..." he growled. "It's not over until we're down." 

Kyle nodded. A slight smile played on his lips.

"You have a point... Come on, Tristan. It's time to give it your all."

Tristan turned to him, intrigued.

"How do you know I still have something left to show?"

Kyle shrugged.

"It's always like that. Guys like you... it's in critical moments that they unlock a power-up they've had all along, but we've never seen."

Tristan froze for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"I didn't catch everything, but... you have this knack for always being spot on."

Their exchange was brief, but enough to refocus them.

Kyle inhaled deeply. White arcs of electricity shot around him.

"White lightning."

His body was filled with pure energy. His battle-blackened hair suddenly turned white, and his eyes took on an opaline hue. His aura exploded.

And with the veil of nothingness, his perception accelerated abruptly. The world seemed to be in slow motion, every detail magnified.

"Try not to slow me down, Tristan."

For his part, Tristan closed his eyes. His sword vibrated, then lit up with a purple-tinged fire.

"Draconic sword... awakened."

An aura burst from his sword, briefly forming wings of energy on his back. Purple scales appeared on his arms, and his eyes took on a slitted, reptilian shape.

"Fine. Let's finish this."

The two men, unrecognizable, rushed forward.

The creature tried to intercept them, but Kyle activated the Dark Veil, distorting the space around them. The monster screamed, blinded, unable to follow their movements.

"Now!"

Elena, staying back, fired a volley of magical arrows, keeping the beast distracted. Iris, still weakened, drained a mana potion, regaining her strength, her blazing gaze beginning to shine again.

Lys, kneeling with clasped hands, murmured a prayer. But her mana was steady, focused. Something was happening.

'She's up to something,' Kyle thought. 'A miracle, perhaps...'

Tristan sliced through the air and landed on the creature's back, his blazing sword in hand, while Kyle appeared at its side, black lightning in hand, ready to strike at its heart.

The final battle had only just begun.

Kyle and Tristan's attacks struck their target head-on, slicing through the monstrous flesh. The momentum didn't stop there. The two warriors launched fierce, lightning-fast attacks. The monster, overwhelmed and disoriented by Elena's continuous arrows, was unable to keep up with their pace.

As Iris, regenerated by her mana potion, got back to her feet, Anne joined the front. The knight with the lance leaped into the heart of the fight, delivering blow after blow with impressive power. Iris, meanwhile, rained down a series of offensive spells on the creature, mixing fire and lightning, forming a devastating elemental ballet.

But...

Nothing worked.

The creature, cornered, writhed in a strange convulsion. Then, with a brutal movement, it pushed Tristan and Kyle back like straws. Growling with rage, it prepared a furious charge... straight towards Anne, who no longer had time to dodge.

"No!"

A flash of light tore through the sky.

 Golden chains, emerging from nothingness, wrapped themselves around the monster with divine force. Immobilized, it screamed, its body twisted by the sudden constraint.

In the distance, Lys stood up, her face bathed in sweat, her hands clasped in a gigantic magic circle.

"I won't be able to hold it back for long... I'm counting on you, friends!"

The message was clear. This was their last assault.

Anne gritted her teeth, gathered all her energy, and unleashed a formidable combination: "Puncture - Fracture." Her spear, surrounded by a sharp aura, struck with seismic violence.

Tristan, for his part, plunged his sword into the ground.

"Draconic Flame: Incandescent Wave!"

A sea of purple fire rose, engulfing the monster.

Kyle, silent, took a step back. He watched his hand tremble with energy.

"It's neither white... nor black..."

He combined White Lightning and Black Lightning, forming an unstable, electrified, crackling sphere, a pure concentration of opposite polarity. A terrifying attack he'd only used once before...

"It's the same one he used against Edward..." Lys breathed, her eyes wide.

"Yeah. He's really going to do it..." Tristan added.

Kyle lunged, his arm drawn back, the sphere pulsing like a heart about to burst.

"Void Eclipse...!"

He launched the attack.

The sphere slammed into the already restrained and injured creature. A silent blast crashed down on it, as if the world had been drained of its breath.

The beast howled one last time.

 Then... everything stopped.

The ground shook. Silence returned, heavy, deep.

The creature... collapsed, its body dislocated, consumed by the attack.

They had won.