C11 Don't Come down

"You bastard!" Martina hissed through clenched teeth, her gaze fixed on Mark with venomous fury. But before she knew it, Mark had already charged right up to her!

"Bastard?" Mark threw a punch at Martina's delicate face, showing no mercy. "Not begging for mercy now, are you?"

With no other choice, Martina shoved Quintana aside and rolled backward to evade the attack. Quintana hit the water hard, bubbles rising around her. Unconscious, she was in danger of drowning if she stayed submerged!

Martina darted toward Quintana, but Mark pointed a finger at her.

"Damn it!" In a swift motion, Martina ripped her coat to shreds and tossed it away. The earpiece she was wearing was yanked out by the communicator's wire.

Boom! Boom! Boom! As expected, the pen, communicator, and earpiece exploded in unison!

Martina had narrowly avoided another of Mark's psionic attacks, but the distraction allowed Mark to get ahead of her, blocking her path to Quintana.

"Hahaha, feeling flustered? Fell right into my trap, didn't you? Willoughby University, Vrimen's think tank? I gave you a chance, and you took the bait immediately! Did you really think I couldn't see through your plan? I've known how to open the relic for ages; I was just biding my time. How does it feel, to be given the chance to take me down, only to walk right into my snare? You obediently opened the door for me. Hahaha." Mark finished, casting a glance toward the stone door.

The green leaves shimmered invitingly, as if beckoning someone to come forward and push them aside.

"Bastard!" Martina raged, her twin ponytails whipping wildly, causing the entire seaside cliff to tremble.

"Haha, embarrassed into a rage, are we?" Mark taunted, stepping down hard on Quintana's back and pushing her further into the sea.

"Let her go!" Martina screamed, her twin ponytails ceasing their dance, the cliffside stilling its vibrations.

"Hahahaha, clever girl," Mark sneered, his use of 'clever' grating on the ears. He lifted his foot off Quintana, hooked her waist with a flick, and sent her flying into the air. Then, he grabbed her hair, holding her limp body aloft like a doll in a laboratory.

"Now listen to me," Mark gloated. "You're going to surrender, push that door open, and scout the path for me!"

Egil's hands were drenched in blood, yet his wounds were superficial. He had deliberately lain down in the sea, knowing full well that he stood no chance against Mark, who had revealed his third-level psionic power.

Submerged in the sea, the roaring of the water filled his ears, drowning out the negotiation between Mark and Martina.

It wasn't until Martina grabbed Egil's collar and hauled him out of the water that the silence was broken.

Pretending to be unconscious, Egil peeked through his eyelids to see Quintana leaning against the rock wall next to the stone door. A chill spread across his back as Martina propped him up against the wall, side by side with Quintana.

Martina's twin ponytails brushed against his cheek as she whispered, "I know you're not seriously hurt! Whatever you hear, do not follow us down!"

After her hushed words, Martina retrieved a submachine gun from the sea. Of the three gunmen Egil had taken out, two guns were destroyed, but Martina had salvaged the last one, slinging it across her back.

Mark nodded, pleased. Now, if Martina made any sudden moves, he could detonate the explosives strapped to her back in an instant.

Egil, positioned near the door, couldn't see it open but heard the mechanisms whirring, followed by the thunderous opening and a gust of cold air. The footsteps then faded away.

Mark and Martina had gone through the stone door. Egil remained seated by the sea, his back against the rock wall.

Had he forgotten something? A nagging sensation tugged at Egil's mind. Now he could look openly. Gazing out at the sea, he saw the bodies of the three gunmen he had killed and suddenly remembered what he had overlooked.

They were dressed identically to the half-corpse in the photo.

He had assumed the danger lay within the stone door, not anticipating the threat from Mark. With the door now open and no deadly traps in sight, it became clear that Martina had been the one to eliminate the half-corpse. Indeed, the greatest peril was not the traps, but the treachery of the human heart.

Suddenly, gunshots and a cacophony of noises erupted from the stone door veiled by tree leaves! Egil sprang to his feet. Things had escalated quickly—had Mark and Martina already turned on each other?

"Don't come down no matter what you hear later!" Was that what Martina was trying to tell me? Should I heed her advice?

Imagine the outcome!

Martina's counterattack is successful; she has dealt with Mark. By not following him, she's waiting for him to come up... Once she's taken out Mark, would she and I become allies?

That doesn't make sense. Without Mark, it would be time for Martina to deal with me!

The noise from inside the door grew louder and more intense!

Egil ripped open Quintana's white coat and swiftly bandaged her chest before carrying her back up the cliff platform with ease.

From this vantage point, Mark could use Quintana as leverage against Martina, and so could Egil.

But that's not right either! What if Martina lost?

Judging by the sounds, Mark would surely be injured, his strength significantly diminished. Egil wondered if he should hide by the stone door, ready to finish Mark off when the opportunity arose.

Which option to choose?

Actually, there was no need to choose. By hiding next to the stone door, even if Martina emerged victorious, he could still take her down.

A gust of sea breeze sent a chill through him, startling Egil with the grimness of his own thoughts!

"If there's any change at the door, get away from Mark immediately!"

Martina's earlier warning echoed in Egil's mind.

With reddened eyes, Egil gently laid Quintana down on the platform, ensuring she was lying flat. The pulley system creaked as he descended back to the stone door. Wasting no time, he strode directly into the stone door.

The stone door had transformed into a leaf pattern. The path inside resembled the vascular tissue of a plant, with a sealed, spiraling slide descending downwards.

Egil, without a moment's hesitation, sat and slid down. The slope was gentle, so his descent was slow.

The darkness was overwhelming, and the fear of sliding into the unknown surpassed anything Egil had ever imagined.

His feet hit solid ground, indicating he had reached the bottom, yet it was still pitch black. But the sensation of an open breeze suggested a vast space ahead.

Had the battle noises ceased? As this thought crossed Egil's mind, a thunderous noise erupted!

Boom! To the right! Egil turned his head!

His 'Enhanced Perception' psionic power kicked in!

The explosion unfurled slowly, its fiery light revealing a massive mouth bristling with countless fangs from the shadows!

The blast was so immense, yet it only served to light up a single mouth! This hinted at the staggering size of the creature it belonged to!

The gargantuan mouth showed no fear of the explosion! On the contrary, it widened even further, striking like a viper!

It devoured the fiery blast and the person caught in its glow! Mark, known as the Rapper, was consumed by the enormous maw!

In the final moments, Egil caught a glimpse of Mark's face—streaked with blood, twisted in fear, madness, and utter despair—the very essence of the battlefield.