The three large, furry creatures fix their red eyes on Cyrus and Henry while growling menacingly.
Despite their intese gaze Cyrus was completely focused on the very tall creature in the back. His eyes narrowed slightly as a strange sense of familiarity mixed in with the fear he was feeling.
"That creature we just barely managed to defeat was at least my equal!" That thought raced through Henry's mind, making him shake with fear. "Don't tell me that one is the real realm boss!"
The true boss of the door has a strong, muscular physique with toned muscles and faint scars.
He possesses a humanoid appearance with deep olive skin and striking white fur along his arms and shoulders, reminiscent of a wild creature. A long, monkey-like tail sways behind him, and his hair cascades down to the center of his back. His attire consists of puffy black pants, and a silver mask that conceals his eyes and forehead, setting him even more apart from the other monsters.
Cyrus takes measured breaths, his gaze moving over his wounded, lifeless, and terror-stricken companions. With his heart pounding in his chest, he squared his shoulders and locked eyes with the realm boss.
"I'll face you, but it has to be in one-on-one combat!" He shouted despite the overwhelming urge to flee, something deep inside kept him rooted to the spot. "Just let everyone else go first," he continued, his voice steady, "As they are in no condition to fight or flee."
The air was heavy with an eerie silence as the imposing realm boss kept his piercing gaze upon Cyrus. Time seemed to stand still as the tension in the room reached its peak, creating a palpable sense of unease. Suddenly, a thunderous clap from the realm boss shattered the stillness, jolting everyone out of their anxious reverie.
"Since no one has beaten my pet in a while, I'll allow it," he said with a smirk and a wave of his hand before one of the towering creatures walked over to the barrier and held it open.
"B-Bro, what are you doing? We have to leave," Jasmine's voice trembled as two bronze slayers took Henry out of the barrier.
"Believe me, I want to, but they would just hunt us down in seconds," Cyrus replied with a sigh as he handed his monster core over to her.
"Why are you giving me this?" She asked as the barrier reformed and sealed him in.
"To get Mom and Dad something nice," he replied with a small smile and laugh. "Make sure it's something Scott won't use to impress a casual hook-up."
"This isn't the time for jokes, Cyrus! I'm not leaving you alone here to die!" she shouted with tears flowing down while tightly clutching her gun.
She aimed at the barrier and put a finger on the trigger, but before she could squeeze, Sarah struck the back of her neck, knocking her out.
"We will ensure everyone gets out safely and return with reinforcements," Sarah declared with a serious look on her face, while Rick placed Jasmine over his shoulders. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
"Honestly, no. The chances of me surviving this are slim to none," Cyrus stated with a wry smile. As Rick gazed into his eyes, he detected the shared sense of terror among everyone present. However, amidst the prevailing fear, there was a faint glimmer of hope.
"Don't die, brat!" Rick yelled as he rushed off with everyone else, while the three monsters grabbed the dead previous champion and leaped out of the barrier.
"Now that the prey has fled, we can finally begin," exclaimed the realm boss with a wide grin as smaller monsters appeared around the temple, before starting a loud battle howl.
"Eat this to heal your wounds, I want to fight you at your best!" With a flick of his fingers, two radiant red pears landed at Cyrus's feet.
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He brought one up to his mouth and paused for a moment before sinking his teeth into the succulent fruit. As he chewed, a wave of restorative energy flowed through his body, mending his battered form.
"That boosted me to around ten percent at best. Time to play smart and counter whenever I can." Cyrus thought to himself as he licked the healing juices off his fingers.
He got into a fighting stance and kept his gaze on his opponent. The boss caught a spear one of the monsters tossed at him and suddenly vanished the second Cyrus blinked.
Just then the violent image of himself being stabbed through the chest flashed in his mind.
The realm boss couldn't help but smirk at the challenger's lightning-fast reflexes. As the tip of his weapon sailed over the challenger's shoulder, instead of finding its mark in his heart, Cyrus seized the opportunity to dart forward like a bullet.
In an instant, he swiftly moved his weapon into position, delivering a barrage of rapid slashes at the boss's exposed side. With precision and determination, he carefully observed the five deep cuts he had inflicted, strategizing his next move to add more to his advantage.
Another death flashed in his mind, causing Cyrus to halt his attack and instantly crouch down as low as possible to narrowly avoid being slashed across the face.
In that split second, he jammed his knife into the back of the boss's right knee with all his strength and only got a couple of inches deep.
As the boss observed Cyrus's skill, he decided to increase the pressure and swiftly launched a rapid left knee towards Cyrus's face.
Reacting with all the agility he could muster, Cyrus narrowly evaded the strike by leaping backward. However, the sudden evasion came at the cost of releasing his weapon.
The realm boss gave Cyrus no time to breathe or think as he sprinted after him with his spear already rushing towards his stomach.
The monsters watching couldn't help but bellow out a roar of approval at how skillfully he is evading the barrage of fatal strikes, only narrowly escaping with painful gashes instead.
Despite being unarmed, he quickly spotted an opportunity after narrowly dodging a thrust. With precision, he delivered a powerful right hook that landed squarely on the wide open jaw.
The realm boss twisted in response to the strike, a look of glee etched across his face. In a split second, he countered with a swift, powerful left kick aimed straight at Cyrus's stomach. The force of the blow was so intense that it nearly folded Cyrus in half before launching him through the air, sending him sprawling backward.
The monsters gleefully watched as the challenger rolled on the ground in pain while their leader removed the blade from his leg.
A clanking noise caught Cyrus's attention, drawing his gaze to the weapon in front of him. "I thought this was a fight to the death," he questioned, breathing deeply as he picked up his blade.
"Why would I end such a fun time so soon?" The realm boss replied with a wide grin as he leaned against his weapon.
Cyrus rose from the ground with deliberate slowness due to feeling many sharp twinges shoot through his organs and bones with every movement. As he positioned himself in a fighting stance, a meticulously calculated battle plan raced through his mind.
First, he aimed to target either wrist to disarm them and gain the upper hand due to their long reach. Next, he planned to slow his opponent down by shattering their left knee and right ankle as he puts more weight on the right leg. Finally, with a cold look in his eyes, he prepared to go for the kill without hesitation the second that golden opportunity showed itself.
"I refuse to let this silver door defeat me!" he snarled, fueling a surge of determination. His muscles bulged and tensed as he readied himself to evade and counterattack.
The onlooking monsters let out joyful howls as the fight continued.
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(Outside the silver door)
"Get me more gold members and a lot of healers now!" Rick ordered as people hurried off. He drank a large red potion before picking up a large spiked mace from a nearby crate.
"Damn, my body is still aching, but hopefully it's enough to rescue the brat at the cost of a limb and not another life." He chugged another potion to at least numb the pain while glancing at the body bags.
"I'm going back in, Sarah. When they get here, lead them in," Rick said, as Sarah gave him a weak nod while two healers tended to her broken arm and large throbbing bruises.
"Cyrus... let's fight...together" Jasmine muttered weakly as she clutched the two monster cores tightly while the medics placed her inside the ambulance.
"Don't worry, kid. I'll drag him out so you can scold him for being a damn hero," Rick said with a soft, warm smile before charging into the silver door.
The lone slayer faced a small army of grotesque beetles and insects that have furry creatures riding them letting him know the double door is in full effect.
Despite the increase danger he let out a blood-curdling war cry making a wave of fear wash over the creatures as they halted their charge.
With intense fury in his eyes, he rushed at them and crushed the nearest monsters, driving them into the ground with such force that it cracked the ground. Blood sprayed all over him, which only added to his menacing solo attack.