My Overpowered Bunny Girls

Chapter 40: 40. The Veiled Colosseum: Floors 2–5

The portal dropped them into a hallway of mirrors.

Nathan recognized the trick—the Gallery of Echoes had used mirrors too. But the Colosseum was High Class, and it improved on old ideas.

Mirrors covered both walls, their surfaces rippling like water. The veil moved through the hall in silver threads. When Nathan looked at his reflection, its eyes were colder, more calculating. It just watched.

The others had worse luck.

"This is creepy," Dillon muttered. His reflection grinned with too many teeth. "Mine’s making faces I’ve never made."

"Mine’s just staring at me," Garrett said. His reflection glared with open contempt. Red’s reflection snarled back. "Yeah. Don’t like that."

The Mirror Shades emerged from the glass—one for each party member and summon. Garrett’s copy held a mace of dark light. Dillon’s copy had a katana dripping silver fog. Elise’s copy raised a staff with pale flame.

Mirko’s copy was the worst.

It looked exactly like her—same green hair, same pink eyes. But it used her voice to cut deep.

"You’re afraid of being replaced. The new summon. Her potential rivals yours. What happens when Master no longer needs a shield?"

Mirko struck before the copy finished. Her blade shattered the mirror, and the copy dissolved with a scream. "I am not replaceable," she said tightly. "And you’re not real."

"No," Nathan said, drawing an arrow. "But they know where to aim."

He activated [Hunter’s Insight]. Some mirrors were active, pulsing with veil energy. Others were harmless. He marked the active ones and shared them through the link. Kuro confirmed with [Weak Point Sense].

"Elise—third mirror left. Dillon—the one at the end. Mirko—"

"I see them."

[Focus Shot] shattered the first active mirror. Elise’s [Mana Bolt] took the second. Mirko drove her sword through the third. The copies flickered and weakened as their anchors broke.

Nathan’s copy was last. It didn’t attack—just watched with cold eyes until Nathan shattered its mirror with a [Mana Arrow]. The copy dissolved silently.

Garrett exhaled. "Worse than the Crawlers."

"Mirko." Nathan’s voice softened. "Are you—"

"I’m fine." She sheathed her sword too hard. "The veil lies. I know that. Let’s move."

Nathan studied her, then nodded.

[Ding! Floor 2 Cleared!]

[Progress: Slightly ahead of opposing party.]

---

Floor 3 was flooded.

The arena stretched out in knee-deep water, reflecting the silver veil in dizzying patterns. Broken aqueducts rose from the flood like ribs of a dead beast. Distant waterfalls roared from nowhere.

The first Aquatic Stalker struck before Nathan finished scanning.

It burst from the water at Garrett’s feet—a serpent with grey-green scales and a circular mouth full of grinding teeth. Garrett stumbled back, swinging his mace. Red charged horns-first, but the water slowed them both. Red’s wool soaked through, dragging him down.

"They’re fast in water," Nathan shouted. "Garrett, high ground—that platform left. Mirko, center. Elise—"

"I know." Elise raised her staff. The Frost Golem slammed its fists into the water, and ice spread outward. The flood froze in a ten-meter radius, trapping two Stalkers mid-lunge. "[Mana Bolt]. [Mana Bolt]." Two shots. Two kills.

"Show-off," Dillon muttered, but he was already moving, intercepting a Stalker trying to flank Elise.

Nathan’s [Hunter’s Insight] tracked the creatures underwater. Their mana signatures were faint but readable. Kuro marked weak points through the link.

’Left flank. Thirty degrees.’

Nathan fired. The [Mana Arrow] pierced the water and struck a Stalker behind the skull. It convulsed and dissolved.

Midway through, Derek’s party appeared on the far side.

Reid’s Sky Fairy hovered above, casting pale blue light and marking Stalkers—not as precisely as Kuro, but well enough. Tyler’s Rock Hound struggled, its stone plates sinking with every step. Tyler shouted commands it couldn’t follow.

Marcus Kade moved through the chaos like a man in light rain. His greatsword swept wide arcs, each swing cutting a Stalker in half. He wasn’t fast or elegant. He was just inevitable.

Derek’s Salamander hissed steam where heat met water, creating fog that thickened the veil. Derek shouted at Tyler, at Reid, at everything.

"Left! No, LEFT! How is that confusing?!"

"We’re ahead," Elise observed quietly. "They’re disorganized."

"Kade isn’t," Nathan said. "But he’s not leading. He’s just following."

"Berserkers don’t lead. They destroy. Leading takes patience."

Nathan filed that away.

[Ding! Floor 3 Cleared!]

[Progress: Neck and neck.]

---

Floor 4 was a bridge over an abyss.

The stone span was only three meters wide, edges crumbling into silver mist. No railings. The veil was so thick Nathan could barely see five meters. Sounds echoed from the wrong direction.

Void Bats materialized from the mist in silence. Their wings made no sound. Their bodies were shadow and silver, barely solid.

The first attack nearly knocked Garrett off.

Three bats hit him at once—one to the chest, two to the shoulders. He stumbled. Red bleated. Garrett’s foot found empty air—

Dillon grabbed his arm.

"Got you, sheep guy."

"Thanks."

"Don’t mention it. Ever. I have a reputation."

"You just saved my life."

"And it was cool. Still don’t mention it."

Elise dismissed her Frost Golem—too heavy for the bridge—and fought with [Mana Bolt] alone. Her aim was perfect despite the veil. But without her summon, she was exposed. Mirko stayed close, [Impenetrable Fortress] flaring to block bats.

"Behind you," Mirko said.

Elise fired over her shoulder without looking. The bat dissolved.

"I had it."

"I know. Just thorough."

Nathan anchored himself at the bridge’s center, tracking bat paths through the mist. Their movements were erratic but followed the veil’s currents. He called targets.

"Dillon, left. Garrett, duck. Elise, three high."

Kuro used [Shadow Meld] to anchor in the bridge’s shadows, marking bats before they appeared.

’The exit portal is thirty meters ahead.’

"Can you reach it?"

’Yes.’

"Go. We’ll cover."

She vanished.

On the far side, Derek’s party struggled. Tyler’s Rock Hound had planted itself flat, refusing to move. Tyler shouted. The Rock Hound ignored him.

"MOVE! It’s just a bridge! It won’t—"

A Void Bat hit Tyler in the face. He stumbled. Reid’s Sky Fairy dove to intercept, but they lost time.

Marcus Kade simply walked forward. The bridge groaned. Bats struck him. He ignored them. One cut his cheek. He didn’t blink. His greatsword swept arcs of shadow, and he reached the far side without looking down.

Nathan’s party cleared seconds later—Mirko guiding Elise, Dillon hauling Garrett by the collar. Nathan walked backward, firing [Mana Arrows] until the last bat dissolved.

[Ding! Floor 4 Cleared!]

[Progress: Ahead.]

Nathan glanced back. Tyler was still shouting at his Rock Hound in the fog.

"Four floors done," Garrett panted. "They’re still on the bridge. We’re actually winning."

"The lead is small," Elise said. "And Kade isn’t trying yet."

Nathan nodded. "He’s saving himself. The Berserker passive builds with damage taken. Every floor we clear without hurting him keeps him weak."

"Then we hurt him hard on Floor 10," Dillon said.

---

Floor 5 was a crucible.

The chamber was a massive circle with a domed ceiling lost in fog. The floor was made of rising and falling platforms. The exit portal pulsed at the center, locked behind a silver barrier.

The Veilborn Knights emerged from the fog in formation—humanoid constructs of solid silver light, each with shield and sword. They moved in perfect sync.

Behind them stood the Veilborn Captain. Its two-handed blade burned with pale fire. It flickered, teleporting through the veil in flashes of silver.

"Full engagement," Nathan called. "Mirko, take the Knights. Elise, support. Garrett, hold the left platform. Dillon—"

"Hit and run. Got it."

The battle exploded into chaos.

Mirko met the Knights head-on, [Impenetrable Fortress] catching a shield bash. [Unstoppable Force] ignited—strike after strike carving through silver light. The Frost Golem swept the back line, crushing shields.

Dillon overextended. A rising platform carried him up, isolating him with two Knights. His [Quick Draw] flashed, but their shields absorbed the hits.

"Little Shadow! Help?"

Kuro appeared from the shadow beneath his platform. [Shadow Meld] carried her silently across. She marked weak points—joint gaps, thin neck armor—and Dillon’s strikes found every mark.

"Okay," he breathed. "You’re terrifying." freewebnoveℓ.com

’Focus, noisy one.’

"Both can be true."

The Captain teleported.

Nathan’s [Hunter’s Insight] screamed—silver light forming behind him, a blade already falling. He twisted. The sword missed by centimeters and shattered the platform where he’d stood.

Mirko was there before the Captain could strike again. [Impenetrable Fortress] caught the second swing. Sparks erupted from her boots as she slid backward, but she held.

"Nathan! Now!"

Kuro marked the Captain’s core—a pulsing silver node in its chest, brighter than the Knights’. Nathan drew and charged [Focus Shot]. Ten seconds. The Captain teleported. Kuro’s mark followed it. Twenty seconds. The Captain raised its blade.

Thirty seconds. He released.

The shot punched through the Captain’s core like a spear through glass. The construct froze, silver light bleeding from the wound. Then it exploded in pale fire.

The remaining Knights crumbled.

[Ding! Floor 5 Cleared!]

[Progress: Ahead — Nathan Party: 5 floors. Derek Party: 4 floors.] freēwebnovel.com

Nathan lowered his bow. His arms trembled... the full charge had drained his mana more than expected. The Leyline Ring hummed, restoring him, but fatigue from five floors settled into his bones.

He checked Kuro’s status.

[Kuro: Level 9]

Close. The Colosseum’s High Class designation meant denser enemies and higher XP. If this pace held, she’d hit Level 9 on Floor 6 or 7 and Level 10 on the boss floor.

’I feel it,’ Kuro sent through the link. Calm, but with hunger beneath. ’The door is closer. Every fight pushes me toward it. When it opens...’

"You’ll be ready."

’Yes. I will.’

In the distance, Derek’s party fought the Veilborn Knights. Tyler’s Rock Hound roared. Reid’s Sky Fairy chimed. Derek shouted.

And beneath it all, the steady crash of Kade’s greatsword.

Nathan turned toward the Floor 6 portal. "Halfway. Five down, five to go."

"We’re ahead," Garrett said. "A full floor."

"Don’t get comfortable." Nathan’s voice stayed steady. "The hard part hasn’t started."

He stepped through the portal. His party followed.