We descended to the ninth floor with silence accompanying us.
The corridor ended at a stone door different from the previous ones. There were no ornamental inscriptions or exaggerated symbols. Just a smooth, wide surface with a single vertical slit in the center. The mana concentrated behind it was stable, but deep.
It was not like the previous floors, where multiple presences moved around. It was a single signature.
But it was vast.
Liriel breathed slowly. Rai'kanna adjusted her posture. Lyannis let the energy flow through her arms in preparation. Elara checked the tension of the bowstring. Vespera kept her eyes closed for a few seconds, mapping the environment beyond the door.
I pushed.
The stone moved without resistance.
The hall was immense. Circular, with a high ceiling and thick columns arranged in a ring around the central arena. The floor had no signs of recent battle. It was intact.
At the center, a motionless figure waited.
The Guardian.
It was colossal, but not grotesque. The structure resembled living armor, formed by dense plates interconnected by luminous veins. The body had enlarged human proportions, yet every minimal movement indicated real weight. In its hands, a wide blade and a shield integrated into the forearm.
It opened its eyes when we entered.
There was no hurry.
The air grew heavier.
"Standard formation," I said.
Liriel advanced through the front left. Rai'kanna through the right. Lyannis maintained intermediate support. Vespera stepped back a few paces for field control. Elara sought a higher angle near one of the columns.
The Guardian took the first step.
The ground vibrated.
The initial strike came directly at Liriel, a clean and direct descending cut. She blocked with technical precision, deflecting the trajectory without absorbing the full impact. Rai'kanna took advantage of the lateral opening and struck the creature's leg.
The metallic sound echoed.
No significant effect.
Lyannis launched a concentrated discharge at the knee joint. This time there was a reaction. The outer plate cracked slightly.
"Focus on the connections," said Vespera.
I advanced through the center.
The Guardian spun the shield with surprising speed for its size, attempting to sweep the area. I stepped back half a step and attacked the junction between the shield and the arm.
The impact was solid.
It responded with a direct shove.
I used its own force to shift the axis and open space for Elara.
The arrow struck the slit in the left shoulder.
It did not fully pierce, but deepened the crack created by Lyannis.
The creature adjusted its posture.
It was not slow.
It was economical.
Each movement had a clear objective.
It concentrated energy in the luminous veins of its torso. A pulse expanded through the ground, forcing all of us to retreat a few meters.
"It's redistributing defense," warned Vespera.
The cracked plates began to reorganize.
We could not allow complete adaptation.
"Liriel, controlled frontal pressure. Rai'kanna, alternating attack. Lyannis, amplify on the second impact. Elara, keep aiming at the fissures."
They responded without hesitation.
Liriel advanced again, sword in technical sequence, forcing the Guardian to raise the shield. Rai'kanna struck the opposite leg in an irregular rhythm, breaking stability.
Lyannis channeled energy not in a wide explosion, but at a single point, concentrated on the crack in the shoulder.
I entered the interval.
A horizontal strike at the base of the neck.
The plate did not give completely, but it deepened the fissure.
The Guardian spun with force, pushing Liriel backward. I intercepted the next movement before it reached Rai'kanna.
The shock reverberated through my arm.
It raised the blade for a full vertical strike.
Elara fired.
The arrow entered exactly into the fissure of the left shoulder.
The internal energy fluctuated.
Lyannis took advantage and launched a direct pulse into the same area.
The plate broke.
The left arm lost stability.
"Now," said Vespera.
Rai'kanna concentrated force on the already damaged knee. Liriel attacked in a short sequence, preventing recovery. I advanced through the open center.
The Guardian tried to raise the shield, but the joint failed.
I entered the guard.
A vertical strike crossing the exposed core in the torso.
There was initial resistance.
The internal energy pulsed with maximum intensity.
But I did not retreat.
The blade advanced a few more centimeters.
Lyannis reinforced with a direct discharge at the point of contact.
The internal structure shattered.
The Guardian remained motionless for a second.
The lights in the veins began to fade gradually.
The blade fell from its hand.
The colossal body slowly knelt before disintegrating into fragments of stone and dispersed energy.
Silence.
The arena remained intact.
I took a deep breath.
Liriel approached first. Rai'kanna maintained lateral vigilance. Lyannis observed the dissipation of mana. Elara descended from the column with controlled steps. Vespera kept her perception active for a few more seconds before relaxing.
"No regeneration," she confirmed.
I looked around.
There was no exaggerated celebration.
But there was understanding.
It was a real collective combat.
No isolated hero.
No desperate improvisation.
Each function was executed with clarity.
"Perfect synchronicity," Liriel said in a low tone.
"Not perfect," I replied. "But sufficient."
At the back of the hall, a staircase slowly appeared, illuminated by constant white light.
The final level.
The Legendary Rank S Dungeon was almost completed.
As we walked toward the stairs, I felt something different.
It was not only confidence.
It was stability.
None of us needed to prove anything individually anymore.
We were functioning as a complete unit.
The Final Guardian had been defeated.
And the dungeon recognized that.
We climbed.
The next step would not be a test.
It would be the conclusion.
And we were ready.