The air was thick with the sound of crag ice as the t i slowly lumbered forward, its vague humanoid features casting an imposing silhouette against the dungeon walls.

  Vasiliki, her face etched with exhaustion, focused her weary gaze owo crystal marapped within an icy prison before her.

  With a flick of her staff, the golem surged forward, its massive fists raised in preparation for the impending csh.

  The crystal maheir razor-sharp carapaces glinting in the dim light, strained against the ice that held them captive, their struggles being more frantic with each passing moment.

  Being a bit sensitive to magic, they had immediately perceived the i to be a bigger threat than Vasiliki.

  As the golem closed the distance, one of the mantises mao break free, its chitinous limbs slig through the ice after a det struggle.

  It lunged forward, its mandibles g menagly as it immediately aimed for the golem's vulnerable joints.

  But Vasiliki was quick to react, guiding the golem's movements with fluid grace, direg it to raise its arm and block the mantis's assault.

  The impact of the collisio shards of ice flying in all dires, the sound of their collision eg through the area.

  The golem responded by swinging its massive fist, attempting to crush the nimble creature, but the mantis darted to the side, its reflexes lightning-fast.

  The seantis, having finally broken free of its icy prison, joihe fray, its crystalline wings buzzing as it immediately dashed towards the i.

  It tinued moving around until it settled on attag from behind, its serrated cws outstretched, aiming to tear into the golem's torso.

  Vasiliki, her brow furrowed in tration, guided the golem to pivot and catch the mantis mid-dash, its rge hands closing around the creature's body.

  The seantis, sensing its impending doom, shed out with its razor-sharp cws, the crystal appendages ringing against the golem's frozen form.

  Uerred, the golem gripped the mantis, its icy fingers closing around the creature, its carapace crag with the strain.

  The mantis screeched, its high-pitched cry eg across the area, as the golem began to squeeze.

  Seeing its panion’s state, the first mantis took a more offensive approad began shing out at the i.

  Whirling, the golem swung its other hand, attempting to catch the nimble i.

  But the mantis was too fast, darting and weaving around it, its crystal cws slig the golem's frozen limb with each pass.

  Sparks of energy crackled as the mantis's attacks began to weaken the golem's structure.

  Vasiliki gritted her teeth, p more of her almost empty reserves into the struct, reinf its rapidly deteriorating form.

  While trying to catch the first mantis, Vasiliki noticed that the first mantis respoo its panions screeches.

  ‘I use this’ she thought.

  Direg the golem, it’s icy grip tightened around the seantis, causing it to let out an agonizing screech.

  The creature's carapace also cracked and splintered further.

  The first mantis, responding to its panion's peril went into a frenzy, redoubling its assault, its cws raking across the golem's arm that held its panion.

  Vasiliki felt the strain of maintaining the struct, her vision blurring as she struggled to keep the golem's movements coordinated.

  She could currently only maintain the spell for around 2 minutes, and the deadline was fast approag.

  But she refused to give in now, eling her remaining strength into a fierce terattack.

  The golem's free hand shed out, its icy fingers finally managing to cmp around the first mantis's thorax as it’s movements had bee a bit more predictable.

  The creature thrashed and struggled, but the golem's grip was uing.

  Vasiliki then ahe golem to tighten its hold on it, and with a siing ch, the mantis's exoskeleton shattered, its body going limp within the golem's clutches.

  The remaining mantis, witnessing the brutal demise of its panio out a shrill, pierg cry.

  Vasiliki didn’t care and ehe golem to toss the lifeless creature aside.

  She then turned her attention back to the seantis, which was still trapped in the golem icy grasp.

  “Fufufufu” Vasiliki let out a low chuckle as she stared at the mantis.

  “I am going to make you pay for this” Vasiliki said, pointing at the wound across her chest.

  She hadn’t fotten the crystal mantis who injured her, ae her current state, she was going to make it pay.

  Slowly, inexorably, she trolled the golems icy digits and began to peel away the mantis crystalline carapace, yer by yer.

  The mantis cries of pain and fury echoed across the room, and Vasiliki allowed herself a grim smile of satisfa.

  Her revenge was very effective – the golem was stripping the mantis of it protective shells, rendering it vulnerable to a more brutal killing blow.

  Summoning the st of her strength, Vasiliki willed the golem to pull out each segment of mantis, its icy fingers closing around the creature's vulnerable form.

  The mantis thrashed and writhed, but the golem's grip was firm, and with a siing ch, the creature's body was being ripped apart, part by part.

  Being a dungeon monster was the creatures saving grace, because after Vasiliki dealt a certain amount of damage to it, it’s body quickly disied, leaving behind its magic stone and a drop item.

  Immediately after, Vasiliki sagged, her legs trembling as the golem's form began to crumble, its icy structure losing cohesion.

  She had do – the crystal mantises were no more, and she had emerged victorious.

  But the cost had been high, and as the golem's icy fragments scattered in the wind, Vasiliki felt her sciousness slipping away.

  With a final, weary sigh, she crumpled to the ground, her mind surrendering to the darkness as she succumbed to the exhaustion and the strain of her ordeal.

  The battle had been won, but at a price, and Vasiliki khat when she awoke, she would have to face the sequences of her as.

  ………………………………………………………………………………………..

  "Draii," Michalis called out, his voice tinged with a hint of uainty.

  "Yes," Draco replied, his tone measured and calm, despite the peculiar events that had just unfolded before them.

  Michalis furrowed his brow, his mind still grappling with the iy of the ret battle.

  "What the hell did we just witness?" he asked, his words ced with a mixture of bewilderment and .

  Draco paused, carefully sidering his response.

  "I... I must fess, I am irely sure how to adequately describe what we have just seen," he admitted, his voice betraying a rare moment of uainty.

  Michalis nodded, his own unease evident. "That's not normal, is it?" he probed, seeking reassurance from his elder brother.

  "No, my dear brother, that was most assuredly not a normal occurrence," he ceded, his words tinged with a hint of worry.

  Vasiliki fight had been a rollercoaster of emotions for the onlookers, especially during the tter half.

  'Ugh, where did I go s in raising her?' he pondered, a heavy sigh esg his lips.

  What Vasiliki had doo the monster was a rather dark and uling act, even for one as vile as her oppo.

  To make matters worse, she had thought to do so while severely injured and under immerain.

  Draco could sehat the others shared his se, the looks on their faces mirr his own u witnessing her as.

  But for now, her wellbeing took prece.

  Reag Vasiliki's unscious form, Draco carefully flipped her over, his experienced hands swiftly removing her armor.

  As the leather straps were peeled away, a deep gash came into view, stretg from her shoulder, between her breasts, and down to her stomach.

  The others, being family, were unfazed by her exposed state, but Nikoos, Michalis, and Vasileios maintained a respectful distance, mindful of her privacy.

  "This is bad," Draurmured, his brow creasing in as he immediately began tending to the wound.

  'Sigh, why was she so stubborn, even with su injury? It must have been agonizing,' he thought, shaking his head.

  Draco had desperately wao intervene when he saw her take the hit from the crystal mantis, but the fierce determination in her eyes had stayed his hand.

  The same had been true during Michalis and Nikoos' battles against their respective oppos.

  He khat Cir, Eleni, Dimitra, and Vasileios would likely dispy a simir level of tenacity, preferring to fight until they were unscious rather than cede defeat.

  'Where did they get such a level of stubbornness?' he mused, a tinge of pride and iwined in his thoughts.

  Draco wanted nothing more than to shield his family from both physical aal threats, but to facilitate their growth, he had to stantly push them to the brink of death.

  It was a delicate bance, and ohat weighed heavily on his heart as he has to withem all e dangerously close to the precipice.

  To make him feel worse, the sario’s were all structed by him.

  "Mmmh," a pained groan from Vasiliki's lips as Draco's hand pressed a bit toainst her wound.

  This pulled Draco from his thoughts, and he refocused his attention oask at hand.

  "E wouldn't be nice if there is a scar," Draurmured, his touch gentle as he focused his energy on healing her.

  A few mier, Draco leaned back, a satisfied expression on his fabsp;

  "Phew, that should do it," he thought, marvelling at the seamless healing of her flesh.

  It had required more effort and mind than expected, but he had mao heal Vasiliki's injuries without leaving any scars.

  Gng at the others, he he scars ad Michalis and Nikoos' wounds, a testament to their battles – badges of honour, as they had requested.

  The girls, however, were more sensitive to such reminders, and Draco had been careful to spare them from such visible scars.

  " you get me a mind potion?" Draco asked Eleni, who was standing closest to him.

  Scurrying through her dungeon bag, Elerieved a shimmering vial and ha to Drabsp;

  "Here you are," she said, her voice tinged with .

  “Thank you” Draco said, turning to Vasiliki.

  ‘Wait, an unscious person even drink?’ Draco pondered, stopping himself just before administering the potion.

  Draco had initially inteo give the mind potion to Vasiliki, who was currently experieng a dition known as "mind down.".

  However, he remembered reading somewhere that unscious individuals should not be fed liquids, as it could potentially flow into their lungs and cause them to choke.

  Gazing down at Vasiliki's prone form, Draco pondered his course of a.

  Vasiliki’s natural recovery was going to take time, but proceeding with the trials while she was incapacitated would be dangerous.

  He was also worried that postponing the trials might diminish the others' currehusiasm and drive, which had been bolstered by watg Michalis, Nikoos, and Vasiliki's previous successes.

  Draco sat in ptioly brushing the strands of silver hair from Vasiliki's fabsp;

  "You're really a handful," he muttered, her slow, steady breathing.

  Cir, who had been the se, let out a wistful sigh.

  "How unfair," she murmured, w if she should feign injury to receive simir attention from Draco.

  Pig up on Cir's quiet musings, Draternally groaned.

  ‘Ugh, I wish I hadn't heard that,’ he thought, casting a sidelong gn her dire.

  Cir, realizing Draight have overheard her, quickly tried to backtrabsp;

  "It's not what you thi-" she began, but Draco cut her off.

  " you help dress her up?" he asked, gesturing towards Vasiliki.

  "Oh, yes, of course!" Cir replied eagerly, quickly retrieving ara shirt from her dungeon bag.

  Leaving Vasiliki in Cir's care, Draco approached Michalis, Vasileios, and Nikoos, who were examining the crystal mantis wings - a drop item from Vasiliki's victory.

  "Hmm, Draii, is Vasiliki alright now?" Vasileios inquired, while Michalis and Nikoos tiheir study of the wings, seemingly uned.

  ‘Look at these boys, looking so carefree. While I appreciate their plete trust in me, I have to drill it into their heads that i am not some miracle worker’ Draco thought.

  Normally they should have been panig or something but due to their trust in him, they could remain so calm and indifferent.

  While it was a good thing that they trusted him and remained calm, their expectations were quite a burden for Drabsp;

  It was f an older brother who do anything image on him, which he also subsciously tried to fulfil.

  It roblem that he was aware about, but he currently cked the means to deal with it yet and they were still a bit young so he had to endure.

  Throwing these thoughts to the back of his mind, Draco quickly informed them of the current situation and ges to his pns.

  Michalis and Nikoos were to carry and guard Vasiliki as the other attempted their trials.

  It was a big risky but Draco wao maintain the hype from Michalis, Nikoos and Vasiliki’s victory irials.

  He didn’t want the light to die out and hoped that everyone would emerge from their trials, stronger and victorious.