The grinding of stone grew into a thunderous roar, so deep that it rattled Noah's ribs.
Dust fell from the ceiling in fine curtains, coating the ground with a faint gray sheen.
He could hear it more clearly now, not just one or two sets of footsteps, but dozens, marching in sync, echoing through the tunnels.
Beside him, Cecilia's expression hardened. The soft glow of her fire magic wreathing her hands flared brighter, bathing the tunnel in amber light.
"B-ranked," she muttered. "They're smaller, but faster. And they come in packs."
The first one burst into view before she'd even finished speaking.
It was smaller than the C-rank golem they'd faced before, at barely six feet tall, but its body was slimmer, like the suit of a super soldier.
Its eyes glowed an electric blue, burning with mechanical awareness.
Behind it came three more.
Cecilia raised a hand, her fingers flicking through the air as she cast her spell.
