The tunnel was now round like a sewer, made of red brick with iron-barred portholes every ten feet. For the most part, we traveled in silence, all of us trying hard not to let our auras leak or alert any monsters of our presence. While I highly doubted anything could harm us, it was better to move without attracting any attention. After all, the whole purpose of using the Labyrinth was to stay out of sight from Olympus.
The Labyrinth was completely dark with no sources of light entering. Since all of us basically had night vision, we were completely fine navigating our way in the tunnel. Every now and then we stopped to recalibrate our senses. There was a consciousness constantly attempting to thwart our sense of direction. After flexing my aura, it retreated but I could still feel its gaze on our backs. There was malicious intent mixed in its gaze, but I ignored it as the aura was far weaker than my own.
I could tell that time was moving strangely, though I wasn't sure why. I had confirmation of this after asking Mammon. My senses told me it had been a week since our entrance, but I had yet to receive a report from my demon lords. Confused, I contacted Mammon who seemed rather surprised to hear my voice. After comparing the time differences, we deduced that what passed for a week in the labyrinth only amounted to a single day in the Underworld/surface world.
At the middle of a circular chamber with several tunnels leading out, we decide to take a break. Turning to Kampe, I give her a questioning gaze.
"You mentioned that the Labyrinth connects virtually all the monster dens in the world. Where should we be heading to first."
"Two of the tunnels here can be followed to find monsters of my own caliber. The one on the far right leads to Typhon's lair and the one in the middle goes to a small island only a stone's throw from Scylla and Charybdis."
Asmodeus pipes up when she hears of the island.
"Oh master! I'd like to go to the island. I read a few of the maps in the castle's library and there are several islands nearby that have materials which would be really helpful for my curse magic!" (A.N. i'm just gonna say that the islands are pretty close to each other no clue if its true or not)
I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious how potent Asmodeus's curses could get.
We begin making our way down the tunnel in the center. It narrows quickly and the walls turn to gray cement. We have to walk in single file as the ceiling continues to lower until we're virtually hunched over. As we keep shuffling forward, just before the tunnel becomes uncomfortably narrow, it opens up into a large room.
The room is covered in mosaics. The art is dirty and old, but the colors still remain vibrant. Several depictions of beings laughing and drinking at a feast are shown. In the middle of the room is a three-tiered fountain that is completely dry. At the edge of the room is a large archway supported by two gorgeous marble pillars. Compared to the age of the room, this archway looks infinitely more glamorous and new. Several runes are inscribed over the top and a stone seal lies in the wall in between the pillars. Putting my hand up to it, I sense a mana-driven system on the other side of the wall.
It's basically a mana lock. If the mana doesn't match with the owner's I'm guessing the room would turn into a death trap. Not like it matters. By infusing a godly amount of mana, I completely override the system. Basically breaking in, the wall crumbles at the overwhelming power and I peer through into a dimly lit passageway. This is the first sign of light we've seen and it's definitely a welcome sight. The air also changes. Before, it smelled of death and decay but now there's a rather salty aroma. Reminds me of...an ocean breeze. We're definitely close now.
As we step around the debris at our feet, we begin ascending the passage until we reach a small wooden door. It's very flimsy but still intact with a rusted lock on the inside. Removing the bolt, I open the door with a creak and feel the sun on my face. Hearing the cries of a seagull, I adjust to the brightness and see we've appeared on a sandy beach. Palm trees dot the background and the waves are roughly smacking against the shoreline. The others file in around me and they're all smiles.
For Satan and Asmodeus, this is their first time at a beach and they marvel at the feeling of the sand as they take off their boots. Kampe wades in the water up to her knees, lifting the hems of her dress. Turning my eyes from the view, I begin to extend my senses. From what Asmodeus had said, this island shouldn't be far from the den of the two sea monsters. Just as I thought, I pick up two distinct presences only a few minutes away.
Interrupting the girls from their fun, I receive several hateful gazes in return. Sighing, they stretch out their wings and take to the skies. I join them as we head in the direction of the two cliffs that can barely be seen in the distance. The girls are laughing as they play around in the air. The beautiful blue sea stretches as far as our eyes can see and the breeze gently slaps against our faces. Compared to the dreary and smoky atmosphere of the Underworld, this certainly is a welcome feeling.
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Eventually, we find ourselves at the top of one of the many rocks jutting out from the surface. The waters here are infinitely more violent than they were at the beach as they smash against our rock with a furious roar. The air has become more pressurized and a dense fog covers the area, contrasting the clear blue skies we had just been in.
Sensing our presence, a hideous voice lets out a guttural roar. I instinctively think back to my time in Tartarus. The presence I feel is very similar to my first meeting with Kampe. Before me is an ancient monster, capable of defying the heavens. (A.N. heavens as in minor gods. mc and co are stronger than that and power gaps are similar to those cultivation novels. i.e. one level higher difference is that of heaven and earth type thing) As if she's reading my thoughts, Kampe turns to me with a grin.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this but Scylla's basically a lesser imitation of me. Apparently, a human witch transformed a maiden into a monster after getting inspiration from a sculpture depicting my fight with Zeus."
Confirming my words, a monster peers out from the cliff. It definitely resembles Kampe's monster form enough to be considered sisters. A long serpentine body covered in scales coils itself around the cliff. The tail starts twitching and splits apart into six thinner offshoots. Looking closely, the tails resemble snakes with long spikes protruding down the necks. From the waist up, there's a humanoid form of what used to be a beautiful woman. Her hair has grown wildly, resembling tentacles, and she flexes her claws while sneering at us. With a shriek, she begins to move swiftly. We're still in the sky so she unravels her long body from the cliff, as if she's using it as an anchor. The second she gets close enough, her tails stretch out from behind her and begin to snap and bite at our afterimages as we dodge the attacks.
Licking my lips, I take out my katana and begin to slice at her tails. She'll be a good meal for my [Gluttony] skill. The last time I used it was with Hades and I hadn't found any chances to use it since. Though she's weak enough for Asmodeus to fight one on one, she can still be considered one of the strongest monsters on the surface. While I likely won't get a massive power boost, it'll still help.
The heads of the serpents on her tail are tough but my katana easily cuts through. One of the heads lags a little behind after it stumbles from missing my neck yet again. As it recovers from its attack, I move and cut it with one stroke. Satan has her large axe-spear swinging around while laughing. Two heads reach towards her but she effortlessly swings the weapon in a circle bisecting them both. Asmodeus flies out of reach of the heads and begins activating several magic circles that inflict a pain curse. Scylla writhes and tries to retreat but is shoved to the ground forcefully by Kampe. Revealing one of the monsters around her waist, Kampe coldly grins as it severs each of the tails from Scylla's body with its bloody fangs dripping as it roars in triumph. With a painful shriek, Scylla keeps trying to crawl away but it's too late. I fly close to her and activate my skill.
[Gluttony] awakens and the familiar vortex appears before consuming the very essence of this mythological monster. I hear the system in my head as it notifies me of an increase in five levels. Level 70! I am now only thirty levels away from my next evolution.
Grinning, I turn my head at the sound of a bitter wail. From the opposite of Scylla's cliff is an anomaly in the water. The ocean churns and seems to be sucked down it, as it pulls everything within its radius into a gaping maw covered in enormous teeth. Around the water, lies a ring of extremely sharp rocks. Once they start to move, I realize that those aren't actually rocks. They're teeth!
As if mourning Scylla's death, the waters around her shake and begin to move towards the very center of its wide mouth. Watching in fascination, I look on as a multitude of unfortunate creatures in her path of destruction are pulled into her mouth. The jagged teeth disappear and the ocean comes to a still after the mouth closes itself. Then, without warning, a large grotesque mass bursts out of the ocean. It resembles a tube slightly and its circular mouth stretches open. Its many eyes glare at me and it roars, causing numerous tentacles spring out from its body. The tentacles race towards me and Satan moves instantly in response.
Unleashing her Berseker state, she glows red and bursts into flames. Her weapon also morphs into a new form. Brandishing a massive flame-tipped spear, she charges in at supersonic speeds. Satan's Berserker form gives her a nearly 200% increase in speed and strength as well as increasing pain resistance and defense by 100%. To my surprise, I see her dive straight into the mouth of the monster. While I can't help but worry about her, it's rather pointless. Before I know it, the tentacles stop their attack and begin to shake. The monster itself has stopped moving and it contorts its massive body in what appears to be pain. It lets out a cry and the top of its back explodes in blood and chunks of flesh. Satan emerges from the hole she created, covered in slime and blood. Grinning maniacally, she thrusts her spear in a victory pose as the monster begins to sink under the surface.
It's heavily wounded and trying to escape but I activate [Gluttony] again before it can. Once more, the vortex materializes and begins to stretch to encompass the monster. Like all the other monsters previously, it too dissipates and becomes food for my skill. The system notifies me of another increase in levels. Level 75. As I bask in the feeling of the new power boosts that came with the ten-level increase, Satan dives into the ocean to clean herself from the guts of Charybdis. Asmodeus and Kampe also clean off while I sit on the top of Scylla's cliff with my legs dangling over the side. Now that the monsters have been killed, the fog has disappeared. I watch as the sun sets in the distance and the once chaotic ocean has calmed down once more, this time for good.
With that, in less than a day, two of the greatest monsters in this world were subjugated by my demon lords and I.