Having finally dealt with the two monstrous beasts that had been blocking the portal, the group believed they had pulled off the perfect plan. With the path cleared, everyone could now pass through the portal without the risk of being blindsided by an attack.

Even better, they had managed to retrieve two powerful Power Stones in the process. Though Raze didn't need them himself, they would still be incredibly useful for the growth and development of the others. Everything seemed to be going well.

But none of them were prepared for what came next.

Out of nowhere, the entire group was surrounded, by what looked like hundreds of small dinosaur-like creatures. They were no taller than a child's knee, but their speed, numbers, and ferocity made up for their size. It wasn't a trickle, it was a stampede. They came leaping, crawling, and screeching, converging from all directions.

Reacting quickly, Raze dropped his hand to the ground and released a strong electric pulse from his palms. Blue-white sparks crackled out in every direction, and the burst of lightning spread like a web. Several of the creatures were instantly struck, paralyzed mid-leap, their tiny limbs twitching.

But it wasn't enough.

More were coming, dozens, no, hundreds more. Not all of them had been caught in the spell, and even those that had seemed to recover frighteningly fast.

"If it were just a few strong beasts, I could handle it," Raze muttered under his breath, teeth clenched. "But this many... it's too much."

And that wasn't the only problem.

Damn it. Damn it! Raze thought. What happened here? Did someone provoke one of the beasts following us? Is that what triggered this swarm? Or... is this a response to someone else defeating the guardian?

The students were scattered and panicking. Fear had gripped them tightly. Wild spells flew in every direction, fireballs, ice shards, wind blades. They struck the small beasts, but the creatures weren't going down easily. Some of them leapt onto the students, their tiny claws digging into exposed skin, leaving bloody streaks wherever they latched on.

If a student was lucky enough to get off a good spell, they could kill one, maybe two of the beasts at a time. But that didn't matter, the real threat was the sheer volume of them. They just kept coming.

Safa and the others, hearing the chaos erupting behind them, immediately turned back.

"Don't worry, Raze! We're coming! We'll protect you guys!" Liam shouted as he sprinted toward the fray.

"Wait, don't!" Raze shouted back urgently, launching more lightning from his hands. He was casting spell after spell, his lightning chaining through clusters of the creatures, shocking and paralyzing twenty or thirty at a time.

But those observing him, especially Safa, noticed something troubling, Raze's spells were unusually slow. Not only that, but their impact felt weak compared to what they'd seen him do before.

"Don't kill them!" Raze called out. "Subdue them if you can, but don't kill them!"

And just like that, Safa understood.

He was holding back.

Raze was deliberately weakening his magic. He wasn't going all-out on purpose. He was reducing the power of his spells, which explained the slower casting and weaker effect. He was carefully adjusting every attack, still trying to immobilize them, but avoiding fatal blows.

Why?

Because of the numbers.

If they killed too many, if they exterminated this horde completely, it would undoubtedly trigger the appearance of the dimension boss. A final guardian of the portal. Something far stronger than what they had already faced.

Crap, crap, crap! Bronto cursed internally, hiding behind one of the stone pillars. If what that kid said is true, then this is all because of me?

Deep down, Bronto already knew. The creatures had been showing up in greater numbers ever since he arrived. Something had triggered their aggression, and he feared it was his presence.

But this didn't happen last time we came through here... he thought, his mind racing. Regardless, he chose to stay quiet and low. Drawing attention now could only make things worse.

As Liam and the others engaged, it became increasingly clear just how dire things were. He estimated there were around five hundred of these creatures, and more might still be on the way. Unlike Raze, none of them had spells that could paralyze. Their magic was primarily destructive. And if they wanted to survive, they had no choice but to kill.

The worst part?

The students.

They were too panicked to think clearly. Many of them had abandoned any strategy, flinging spells wildly, killing anything that moved. They couldn't be reasoned with, not in this state. They just wanted to survive.

Eventually, more than three hundred of the small creatures had been killed. Their broken bodies littered the battlefield, some stacked on top of one another, others half-charred or frozen in place.

The students were bruised, bleeding, and panting for breath. Nearly everyone had at least one claw mark somewhere on their body. But the wave seemed to be slowing.

Or so they thought.

Liam scanned the area. "I'm not gonna lie... I don't like that they've stopped."

"Isn't it just because we've killed so many?" one student asked. "Some beasts are smart, they know when to retreat."

That's when the rumbling started.

A deep, earth-shaking vibration spread beneath their feet. It was so strong that everyone could feel it, like the very ground was warning them of something far worse.

"This is exactly what I was worried about," Raze said grimly, turning his head slowly toward the source of the sound.

All at once, the creatures scattered. The surviving beasts that were nearby stopped attacking and bolted, racing in the opposite direction of the portal, fleeing with instinctual terror.

And then they saw it.

At the top of the waterfall that towered before them, a massive geyser of water exploded into the air, a violent burst that eclipsed the sound of the students' gasps. The waterfall itself began to slow, as though something immense was blocking its flow.

The rumble became a roar.

And Raze's voice came, flat and certain.

"This... This is what I feared from the very beginning. Killing that many beasts, it's summoned it. The dimension boss."

Whatever was coming wasn't just another monster. In a portal already filled with dangerous, high-level beasts, this one would be in a league of its own.

And it was here now.

****

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