"A giant fireball intercepted the Djinn, slamming into his arm. As it roared in anger at the sizzling heat, minions appeared around him in the shapes of lanterns, candles, and pots. The ethereal creatures then rushed toward the group, seeking to kill Nixie.
Before a lantern opened its teeth-lined maw for Nixie, Arthur pulled her back and managed to get her away from harm. The archer snapped out of her trance only to find herself targeted by the demons.
"What… where was I?" asked Nixie as she shivered, surrounded by demons all eyeing her. Fae pulled her aside as she shielded her from the enemies, worried about her sister.
"You were fooled into wishing to be released from the tower, and now the demons want to kill you," said Arthur with interest as he stared at a pot floating beside him, but not attacking him. Instead, it hurled itself toward Nixie and Fae."
"Eeeeei!" screeched the scared archer as she tried to retreat from the pot, but Joey intercepted and slamd it with his knuckle dusters. The pot was sent flying, slamming into the wall, and exploding into a mist of eroding demonic energy.
"There is no way out, little girl," said the Djinn as smoke rose from his arm. "And for the bastard who injured … you get a different present. Since you like flas so much, how about you fight a fiery demon?"
As the Djinn waved his hand, a giant lava golem rose from the ground. Koby was minuscule in comparison to the lava giant, which hurled its fist at him as soon as he appeared. Even though the mage had the courage to fire a spell at the demon, it did very little harm to it.
"You should leave this one to , Koby," said Arthur while appearing beside the terrified mage. "This enemy is quite strong, unlike the mindless beasts we had to fight before. The Djinn actually has a brain and knows our weaknesses. Unluckily for it, I don't have any."
"Is that so?" muttered the Djinn with a grin as he glared at Arthur with its spinning orange eyes. "I can see everything you desire: revenge, wistfulness, and love. Can you defeat my lava monster if it turns into this form?"
After it gave another twist of his hand, the lava monster started reshaping itself into sothing smaller. Arthur frowned as the monster took the form of the girl he once loved, becoming an exact replica of her. The unparalleled beauty left the group dumbfounded, unable to say anything, leaving the Djinn's laughter the only sound echoing through the room.
"Can you kill the person you love the most? Can you?"
Arthur did not reply as he stared at her with the sa multicolored eyes. The blue mixed with the red as she stared at him with longing while carrying a lava sword in her hand. She began approaching him with a soft smile, which made Joey attempt to step in.
"I will fight this battle, Alexie," said Joey, knowing that it might be too hard for Arthur to kill the person he loved, or whatever took her form. However, Arthur raised his hand to stop the fist-fighter from moving forward. "Are you sure?"
"Don't touch her," said Arthur as his eyes began to turn red. "I cannot forgive whoever sullies her image for their selfish gains."
Black lightning began to crackle around his arm, forcing the others to step back. Joey frowned as he witnessed the familiar lightning which he has seen sowhere. However, Arthur did not care to hide it anymore.
Fury was all he could feel.
"Are you going to kill her?" asked the Djinn with a grin. "You are very cruel, young man. How are you going to face her next ti you two…"
"Shut your mouth," said Arthur as he stomped forward, sending a shockwave through the room. "I will finish this in one strike."
Arthur grabbed the bolt of black lightning, turning it into a spear. Black electricity coursed through his body before he dashed forward, as fast as lightning. He turned into a bolt of lightning that tore through the beautiful woman and then through the Djinn, leaving him screaming in pain.
"How can I… be injured…?!" shouted the demon in pain as he howled, but he began to disintegrate alongside the rest of his minions. All of them turned back to ether without a form, leaving only Arthur standing in the middle. His entire body was covered with crackling black lightning, exposing his identity.
"You are…" muttered Joey with recognition as he squinted his eyes, "the man who fought against the Ballistae yesterday. You look a little different, but no one got a good look at your appearance. I saw your fight against the Xelorian Army."
"The Ballistae Destroyer?" muttered Koby with surprise. "I heard that he beca the most wanted man by Xeloria. How co he joined the army?"
Although no one voiced it out, all of them suspected him to be the sa thing: a spy for the other cities. However, along with suspicion ca fear, because all of them witnessed how powerful he is. If he exposed himself because he could kill them now, no one could save them.
"You can fear as much as you desire, but I have no interest in your lives," said Arthur as he turned toward them with eyes of cold rage. "My anger is toward the man who entrapped us in this demonic hell. We can turn into enemies or allies with the sa enemy."
Although he spoke logically, none of them could think straight while staring at the wrath in his eyes. It was crippling, leaving their hearts shattered to pieces. As the black lightning died down, the group managed to think straight again.
"Even if we didn't need each other to survive, I don't think you are a bad person," said Koby with a bravery that astonished the rest. "We saw how you protected us and even helped all of us. If I start suspecting you now, I would be nothing but a fool."
" too," said Joey with a grin. "I don't even care if you were a spy. Xeloria is not my city, just another stepping stone on this ladder leading to the top."
"We would have died if not for you," said Fae, while Nixie just shivered in her embrace. "Our lives are already a debt we must repay."
Arthur stared at them, knowing that while they were truthful, that did not prevent them from feeling afraid of him. This was the fate of the strong and mysterious, either worshipped or feared. In the end, he could only sigh and walk to the next room.
The seventh room was different from the rest, as it had no monsters. The enemy on this floor was the hell they needed to cross in order to reach the next room. Fire covered the wasteland that appeared before their eyes, while poisonous air latched itself onto their lungs.
Like before, Arthur was the one to help them pass this floor. He created a bubble of golden mana that served to protect them from the extre weather and poison. Even after walking through the wasteland for an hour, the bubble remained as radiant as ever.
"His powers are too contradictory," said Nixie to her sister while staring at his back. "The lightning seems like it could end the world, while the golden mana makes feel safe and well."
"He is a strange man, but he does not seem to be unreasonable," said Fae while looking at his back with mixed emotions. "It is best that we do not antagonize him. Make sure you don't offend him, Nixie."
The twin sisters seed to mistake their conversation for being quiet enough for no one to hear, but Arthur heard all of it. Once again, he realized that this was the natural reaction to strength.
Their trip on this floor was easier and less eventful, as they reached the eighth room within an hour. It had been ten hours since the group entered the demonic palace, leaving them with fourteen hours for the last three rooms.
Once the group entered the eighth room, the atmosphere changed. The light dimd as cold wind brushed past them. The room was wide and big, with a fortress in its center. Undead monsters lined the walls while countless of them surrounded the fortress.
As the group stared at the scene, they saw a figure standing atop the highest tower in the forest. The dim lights revealed his bizarre figure, which unsettled the group. Arthur gave him one glance and turned toward the head that Joey carried.
"This has been your objective all along, huh?" asked Arthur, the head strapped to Joey. "You wanted us to reunite with the rest of your body, but never ntioned that it has turned into the Headless Horseman, Dullahan."
"Is this true, Dal?" asked Joey as he untied the head, who looked at them with an unimpressive face. "Have you been using us?"
"Rather than using, he simply hid the truth about what happened, even if it ant we would be killed," said Arthur with a smile. "This is the reason this dungeon did not count you in the fifth floor. You are a part of the monsters inhabiting it."
"Does that an…." muttered Koby while looking aghast, "if we want to finish this dungeon… we have to…"
"Defeat all the enemies inside it," continued Arthur as he stared at the headless figure atop the fortress. It raised its arm toward the sky as demonic energy whirled around it. "Release the head, Joey. Its body is trying to summon it back."
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