My vision begins to fill with the familiar white light of transfer magic bringing me to the next floor.

So many questions fill my mind as a black hallway comes into view and my feet fall onto the hard rocky ground.

I defeated that Knight with ease, but it's only because my mana control is on par with monsters much higher than my own level. With my armor buffs and an array of skills, that level gap can be raised even more.

It was using Demonic Energy, not magic... It's odd attacks were able to destroy mine completely despite the overwhelming strength difference. If it had even a moment to think and dodge, my strikes were somewhat useless.

It's time to get some answers.

"Item Storage."

The white spinning portal of my spatial magic lets Ember walk out. It's a tight fit in this narrow cave, but heading straight into the final Boss room without a plan would be far too reckless.

He takes a step forward and immediately opens our link.

"You've gained a lot of mana control. I take it those stones were all absorbed...? Our levels have risen as well. Just one more before the rank up."

Ember pauses, then looks me up and down warily.

"What trouble have you gotten yourself into now?"

He stares straight at me not moving a muscle. It seems like he's looking right through. I respond.

"What do you mean? I already told you we were headed for a labyrinth. The trouble hasn't even started yet."

I turn and point toward the end of the hallway at the swirling black portal. It's oversaturated with energy, but not nearly as bad as some of the violent eruptions of mana I've seen from some Boss Rooms.

This one is calm, and waiting patiently for the floors below to collapse before releasing its magic on the world. In the meantime, it's inviting anyone in who wants to try their hand at battle.

Ember nods slowly, looking at the portal, then back to me.

"I don't mean the Labyrinth, I mean the Demonic Energy around you... I haven't felt an aura like this in ages."

The black-scaled dragon tightens its gaze and gives me a curious glance, but I can see genuine concern in his eyes.

I reply.

"Demonic Energy? Is it that dangerous? I haven't even used that skill yet. How can you even tell It's around me? I can't sense a thing."

I stomp my foot on the ground.

"I only got it moments ago on the 25th Floor. There were huge black Knights covered in it."

A toothy grin comes my way, this time with much more excitement.

"The guardians.... So it's a skill? You're not channeling it through your core?"

A sigh of relief follows as I nod. Ember continues.

"That makes much more sense. A Demonic Energy manipulation skill. Interesting. I thought we'd at least rank up before having to deal with power like this."

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I tighten my gaze too.

"Well, we are and we don't have much time to spare either. Tell me what I need to know before facing the Arch Demon. Will I be able to use this ability against it? It seems like I'm going to need to use every dirty trick I can get my hands on."

Ember pulses red, activating his plunderer skill momentarily then responds.

"You should know, Demonic Energy is the opposite of mana. If one essence touches the other in a fully active state, the two energies with cancel each other out. Demonic Energy destroys Magic at the cost of its own mass. Magic attracts Demonic Energy. The two are always bound to meet, but chaos is unleashed when they collide. Both destroy each other entirely."

I nod, thinking about every attack the Black Knight sent out. They all disappeared after a ball of sparks ate up any mana in its path.

Ember carries on.

"Most monsters are incapable of using this power, it is undetectable to them. Arch Demons and other ranked-up demonic monsters that serve directly under the King are the only beings capable of wielding it. Even so, with an advanced manipulation skill, using it incorrectly can still easily be fatal."

He stares into the portal, then turns to me. I raise an eyebrow at his mention of a King. Ember continues as I listen curiously.

"Even with your greater demon's core, it's not a safe power to use. If you have any active magic skills present while manipulating demonic energy, an unstoppable chain reaction could occur within you. Extensive training is necessary to use both in unison. I advise against trying out that skill until you comprehend what you're dealing with."

I think to myself for a moment before responding.

This is both an amazing power beyond belief and also very disappointing.

It all adds up... mostly...

There's just one thing I don't want to gloss over. Ember said it in such a nonchalant manner, but it may be even more important than this new skill.

"The King? Who's the King? Like.. a Demon King? No one at the Association has ever talked about a King. Wouldn't that be the number one priority to take this monster out?"

I stare at Ember wide-eyed, then let out a sigh after a moment of pause.

"Then again... They hardly ever leak information to the public anyway. I wouldn't be surprised if they were hiding this too."

Ember nods.

"I'm not sure what humans plan to do this time around. It's been over 50 years since I last got word of a plan. Usually, the King stays out of worldly matters. An Arch Demon serves directly under them, so if you want to find out any more information you'll have to find out from the source. A labyrinth of this size is definitely farming a considerable amount of mana resources. It being destroyed moments before a full collapse will most likely raise some questions."

He hesitates, then stares at me.

"Collapses like these are never randomly-"

Mid-sentence, the black swirling portal at the back of the room pulses with a wave of mana. It feels similar to the wave of energy I felt outside when one of the floors collapsed before we entered.

I grit my teeth and turn toward the mass of spinning darkness.

"This is it. If I want to learn more, we'll have to jump through."

With a grin, I step forward and motion for Ember to follow.

He finishes his sentence.

"Collapses like these aren't random. A Labyrinth Master of this magnitude won't go down easily, and I can tell this one is not a young one. There's no time for fun, do not let your guard down for a second."

I nod.

"You're right. There's no turning back now. We both go all out from the start, got it? No holding back. This isn't a training session, it's a mission that needs to be completed."

There are many lives on the line outside, it's all up to me.

I come face to face with the final entrance, then speak again.

"I just need the final strike, that's the only rule. It's time to rank up, and obtain another core."

We both jump through.

The swirling black portal fades to white. The further I step through, the faster the darkness fades away bringing us to the Final Boss Room.

However, once through the whiteness doesn't fade.

My lungs fill with cold air while I take my first deep breath. I activate my fire magic and feel Ember do the same as he transports in behind me.

The flames around my body melt white snow away as I take in the view.

The sky is crystal clear and bright blue without a cloud in sight.

There's a range of tall mountains off in the distance that all line up in the outer edge of a semi-circle. They're all almost entirely covered in snow and the open half of the circle faces me.

Leading up to this inviting mountain-covered landscape, there's a kilometer-long stretch of powered white snow.

The air is still, not blowing any frozen precipitation around. Ember and I release clouds of steam that slowly float high into the sky as the cold reacts with our fire magic residue.

It's completely silent...