Chapter 1 - Protect the Relic

As Exe and I entered the dungeon, he was already making friends with the weaker monsters inside and using them as recon units.

We walked down corridors that felt like they were leading somewhere deeper.

A demon rabbit jumped into Exe's hands and whispered into his ear. Exe looked at me while the rabbit hopped out of his hands and disappeared into a crack in the wall.

"There's a room coming up," Exe said. "It has a relic inside."

I looked at him.

"What do we have to do?"

Exe looked down the hall as we entered.

"We need to protect it, like a defense mission."

Then he continued.

"The rabbit said someone made this dungeon."

He looked at me.

"Do you really wanna do this?"

I gave him a look and moved past him, already getting impatient.

"Let's just get this over with."

I touched the relic as Exe entered the room with me.

The lights shone, making the room brighter.

Exe looked around for an exit, but so far, there was nothing.

"Why are you so impatient?" he asked.

I stood behind him, the same way we practiced when fighting together.

Then four doors burst open on each side of the room, boxing us in.

Exe slammed his hands to the ground.

"Come to me!"

His eyes turned gold.

From the cracks in the room, about twenty demon feral rabbits and other small creatures appeared and circled us.

I raised my right hand and manifested one of my moon blades.

Exe looked toward the doors.

"Here they come!"

Monsters poured out from all four directions.

A timer appeared above the relic.

Five minutes.

"What is that?!" I yelled.

"That's the relic!" Exe shouted. "We need to protect it!"

He pointed, and his demon feral rabbits rushed forward, holding off one section.

Then Exe reached behind his back and used his Ichor to manifest his demon tamer weapon.

The Blood Scythe.

While the rabbits held one doorway, Exe handled another on his own.

He sighed.

His demon farmer jumper started moving on its own, as if something was crawling inside it.

SLICE. SLICE.

Exe pushed back the horde at his doorway.

But he wasn't really by himself.

SLICE.

He took one monster down, fixed his position, and brought the scythe down onto another creature's head.

SLICE.

Two goblins appeared with long swords and charged at him.

Before they could reach him, Exe pointed with his scythe.

A female rabbit with purple eyes came running from his demon farmer jumper into his arm. Another rabbit with green eyes followed.

"Ren. Fubuki. Kill them."

They grew in size and lunged forward, biting into the goblins' faces.

Another rabbit with blue eyes crawled out and wrapped itself around Exe's neck.

Exe petted it with his finger.

"Don't worry. We'll make it home."

He put both hands on his scythe and charged in while the blue-eyed rabbit watched his back.

I had my own problems.

I was holding two doors.

Stab. Stab. Stab.

Slice. Slice.

It wasn't a problem.

I moved to a rhythm in my head.

As I listened to the beat, I dashed, stabbed, and slashed the monsters' heads off. I had practiced this dance enough that I wouldn't miss a beat with my strikes.

I called it—

Crescent Moon Waltz.

I continued to dance with my eyes closed, following the rhythm.

Anything in my path was culled while I protected the relic in the middle of the room.

I kept my spacing with each step, listening as Exe called out my next position.

Exe took a moment to look around the room.

Then he shouted, "Forward!"

I moved.

"Turn ninety degrees!"

I followed his calls as I cut through the monsters with both moon blades.

During my performance, the timer above the relic dropped to 1 minute.

Finally, I stopped to catch my breath and noticed the monsters on my side had stopped spawning.

I turned toward Exe.

He was already looking for the next problem.

Ren jumped out of his jumper and pointed toward a door that changed from pitch-black to purple.

A few heavy stomps sounded from behind it.

Exe looked at the timer above the relic while holding his scythe.

"We got thirty seconds!"

I moved next to him, holding both of my blood moon blades at the ready.

BOOM.

A golem came crashing through the door and started throwing stones at us.

Exe and I separated, running around the room and dodging the rocks it tossed.

I glanced at the relic.

Ten seconds remained.

"We got ten seconds!" I shouted.

Exe parried a rock with his scythe.

"We just need to hold it off! Ren said!"

I jumped over a stone, then started breaking apart the rocks as the timer counted down.

The timer counted down.

5… 4… 3… 2… 1… 0.

The golem collapsed into rubble.

The relic sank into the floor.

Exe and I looked at each other.

"This is not a regular dungeon," he said.

I didn't second-guess him.

I looked toward a black door as it changed, bright light shining through it.

On the side, it read:

2nd Floor.

I snapped my eyes back to Exe.

"I never trusted Drago," he said.

I didn't say anything.

I just marched through the door and climbed toward the next floor.

As I continued up the stairs, Exe grabbed my hand.

"Uh… hello? Are you okay?"

I looked at him.

"We need to finish this now."

Exe didn't let go.

"So you believe me now?"

I pulled my arm away and kept climbing.

"I don't know. But right now… I feel a chill down my spine."

As I marched up the stairs, I looked back and noticed Exe wasn't behind me.

I paused.

I didn't want him to say I told you so.

So I snapped first.

"LET'S GO!"

My sharp voice shook him.

Ren, Fubuki, and Tenka flinched inside his demon farmer suit.

Exe started running up the stairs.

"Just slow down already! I'm coming!"

Back home at the castle, a war had already broken out between my brother and my fiancé, alongside the Hero worthy enough to kill my father.

My father had a stab wound on his shoulder.

"Why, Drago…? You were going to own the throne in a few years."

He coughed up blood.

Drago stood before him while the Hero smiled behind him with an evil grin. A few adventurers stood behind the Hero as well.

"Father, don't hate me just because you wouldn't let go of the throne," Drago said. "I am just claiming what belongs to me, right here and right now."

My father raised a barrier between himself and Drago.

Then my mother came from the side of the house and blew Drago, the Hero, and the adventurers into the wall.

She walked through the rubble.

"Where are Luna and Exe?"

Drago got up and dusted off his clothes. Then he helped the Hero stand.

"I sent them to a demon-made dungeon, Mother. Now, please step to the side."

The queen looked at her wounded husband.

Fury crossed her face.

Black flame wrapped around her body as she walked toward Drago and the Hero.

"I should've killed you when you were a child."

My father broke open a vial of Umbral Grace and healed himself.

Then he lowered his shield and changed forms, becoming pure flame from Hell.

He walked toward Drago and the Hero.

Drago changed into his True Prince form, his body burning with white flame.

"Don't make me do this, Mother."

Our mother dashed forward and shoved Drago into the house.

At the same time, my father clashed with the Hero.

Demon claymore against holy sword.

Exe and I made it to the second floor.

In the middle of the room sat a carriage.

A doll was sitting in the front seat.

Exe froze.

"No way…"

Fubuki whispered in his ear.

Exe listened, then looked at me.

"Luna… I know this game mode. It's to escort the payload."

I stomped my foot and glared at the carriage.

The ghost horses started stomping too, as if they were waiting for me to get closer so they could start moving.

Then I yelled:

"I'm going to kill you, Drago!"