The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse
Chapter 310: Ch 309: The Final Gate - Part 2

Chapter 310: Ch 309: The Final Gate - Part 2

Luke watched her—watched it—step forward.

The being that wore Selene’s face, that moved with her grace but none of her heart, paused at the edge of the platform.

Energy pulsed beneath her feet, threads of light spider-webbing across the cracked earth.

The sky above them groaned, clouds shifting unnaturally as if the world itself was bracing for what came next.

He should have stopped her.

He wanted to stop her.

But when she spoke, her voice wasn’t hers. It was deeper, colder. Timeless.

"There is nothing left to save, Luke."

He stiffened, throat dry.

"Selene—"

"I am not her. But you already knew that."

The entity said.

The words struck him harder than any physical blow.

He wanted to scream, to deny it—but what was the point? He wasn’t the hero of this story. He never had been.

And this... this was no longer Selene’s story either.

It was something else entirely.

"I will go now. The dungeon must be completed. The system must reset. This world will be reborn."

The entity said, turning toward the entrance of the massive structure behind them.

Luke’s fists trembled at his sides.

"For your loyalty, you will receive a fraction of my power. Enough to fulfill your duty as the gatekeeper."

The entity continued.

Before he could protest, a rush of energy surged through him.

Luke stumbled back, gasping. It was overwhelming—searing through every nerve like wildfire.

He dropped to one knee, bracing himself against the weight of it. Power. Command. Insight.

It was too much.

And yet, he couldn’t refuse it.

Not when he had helped bring them all to this point.

Not when he had failed to save her.

"I understand. I’ll guard the dungeon. No one gets through."

Luke said hoarsely, rising slowly to his feet.

The entity gave no further acknowledgment, disappearing into the tower without another word.

The doors sealed behind her—behind it—with a deep, resounding hum. Luke stood alone before the gate, his silhouette outlined by the storm forming above.

Elsewhere, Ethan ran.

Zara followed at his side, both of them tearing through the battlefield with practiced precision.

The air stank of blood and sulfur, and the ground shook with each step of the rampaging monsters.

But Ethan’s eyes were fixed forward, the location of the final dungeon glowing faintly in the distance like a beacon.

"We don’t have enough points. We need a few more—"

Zara warned as she kicked a snarling beast away.

"We’ll get them on the way. But no one else can reach that gate before we do."

Ethan said.

They carved their way through the chaos, slaying beasts and harvesting every last point they could.

By the time the dungeon loomed large before them, their systems were flashing updates—nine hundred eighty-seven.

Nine hundred.

Almost there.

But before they could reach the steps of the tower, two familiar figures stepped into their path.

Noah and Nora.

Both stood still as stone, facing the tower. Their clothes were scorched, their faces drawn. Nora said nothing, only watching with tired eyes.

Noah turned when he heard Ethan approach.

His expression was blank—until he saw who it was. Then his face twisted with something more complicated. Guilt. Pain. Anger.

Maybe all three.

Ethan slowed.

"Noah..."

"I’ll make this quick. Nora and I—we’ll give you our points."

Ethan blinked. "What?"

Noah said, his voice low. He avoided Ethan’s eyes.

"All of them. Enough to push you over."

Noah said.

Zara looked at the twins in disbelief, but kept quiet.

"There’s a condition. Bring Selene back."

Noah added, finally meeting Ethan’s eyes.

Ethan opened his mouth, but Noah raised a hand.

"This isn’t charity. This isn’t trust. It’s a loan. You owe us. Don’t screw it up."

Ethan nodded slowly.

"I won’t."

Nora finally spoke, her voice softer than expected.

"Go."

Their systems pinged—points transferred. The number on Ethan’s interface blinked. 1000.

Ding!

[System Notice: A participant has reached 1000 points. The right to challenge the Final Dungeon has been granted.]

The announcement rang across the battlefield like a bell tolling the end of a war.

Every hunter still standing looked up as their interfaces flashed the message in unison.

Some froze mid-attack. Others instinctively dove out of the way of lunging monsters, stunned by the news.

The realization hit them hard—one second too slow, one kill too short. Their wish, their reason for enduring this brutal nightmare... had just slipped out of reach.

And then, the monsters began to vanish.

Not all at once, but in flickers—like candle flames snuffed out by an invisible wind.

All across the city, the beasts dissolved into ash or retreated into the shadows, leaving chaos and silence in their wake.

"Damn it! We were so close!"

Someone shouted in the distance.

Cries of frustration echoed through the ruins. Others sank to their knees, still gripping weapons that no longer had a purpose.

Grief, rage, disbelief—they washed over the remaining players like a tidal wave. For most, this was the end.

But for Ethan... it was only the beginning.

Ethan stood near the entrance of the final dungeon, flanked by Noah and Nora.

The twins looked calm, their expressions unreadable beneath the red and blue glows of their respective auras.

"You’re lucky. Getting to walk into the end like that."

Noah said with a faint smirk.

"Kind of wish we could come with you."

Nora added, her tone light, though her eyes betrayed something heavier.

"I could use the help."

Ethan said honestly.

Noah shook his head.

"Nah. This part’s on you. But we’re not just going to sit here either."

Before Ethan could ask what he meant, the gates behind him pulsed. A new wave of monsters poured out—these ones different.

Heavier. More twisted. Their skin pulsed with unstable energy, their eyes burning with the kind of malice only artificial life could possess.

Nora’s smile sharpened.

"Looks like the final boss doesn’t want you getting in so easily."

Noah cracked his knuckles and turned to face the oncoming horde.

"We’ll handle the cleanup."

"We’ll clear you a path. So don’t waste it."

Nora agreed.

Ethan looked at them both, heart clenching.

"I’ll bring her back. No matter what it takes."

He said quietly.

The twins nodded as one.

"Then go. And don’t look back."

Noah said, stepping forward with a wave of ice that froze the ground beneath the monsters’ feet.

Ethan hesitated for only a moment before turning and stepping through the dungeon gate.

The final dungeon was nothing like the others.

There was no clear structure, no glowing path to follow. Just a vast, ruined cityscape that stretched endlessly into the void, floating in fragments of what used to be a world.

Skyscrapers twisted in the air like broken teeth. Roads spiraled upward like veins. The air smelled burnt—like a memory of something long dead.

Ethan stopped in the middle of a shattered plaza. This place... it reminded him of home. Of the world he’d lost.

He clenched his fists.

’Not again.’

He wouldn’t let it end like that.

"Funny. The last dungeon feels more like a graveyard."

He muttered to himself.

A faint sound behind him made him pause.

Footsteps.

Ethan turned, eyes narrowing.

"I know you’re there. Come out."

A figure emerged from the shadows between two leaning towers.

His silhouette was familiar—but wrong. Off. One side of his body glimmered with a faint blue pulse, almost crystalline. His arm looked half-melted, his skin stretched unnaturally over something not quite human.

"Luke, what the hell happened to you?"

Ethan said.

Luke stepped forward, the half-mutated side of his face unreadable.

"I made a choice."

"Doesn’t look like a good one."

Luke didn’t argue.

"Probably wasn’t. But it’s done."

Ethan looked at him, jaw tight.

"You’re really going to stand in my way?"

Luke didn’t answer at first. He looked up at the ruined sky, then back at Ethan.

"She told me to guard the dungeon. That no one should disturb her while she prepares."

"She? That’s not Selene anymore."

Ethan snapped.

Luke’s silence was confirmation enough.

"I don’t care what she told you. I’m going to save her. Even if I have to go through you to do it."

Ethan said, stepping forward.

Luke tilted his head slightly.

"Then I guess we’re out of time for talking."

His arm shifted, the mutated energy crystallizing into jagged blades.

Ethan summoned his weapon, flames sparking to life in his palms.

Above them, the dungeon trembled—its final test beginning.

Luke lunged forward without warning, his mutated arm slicing through the air with a shrill hum.

Ethan met the blow with a fiery shield, sparks and frost clashing in a storm of light. Their powers collided violently, the force of the impact cracking the broken ground beneath them.

"You’re not thinking clearly. This isn’t what Selene would want."

Ethan growled.

Luke’s eyes flickered. For a split second, there was doubt—but then the foreign energy surged through him again, and he pushed Ethan back with brutal force.

"No. This is exactly what she wants. And I won’t fail her again."

Luke said, voice hollow.

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