“Well, that’s settled then,” Gena folded his arms and grinned. “Good luck to everyone.”
---
“Ugh. And why do we have to go back to the First Level?!” Drak voiced his dissatisfaction with the team distribution, mocking me with his gaze. “And why am I stuck with this one?”
“Do your job, and I will do mine. Let’s not complicate each other’s lives,” I replied coldly, standing before the creature.
During the general meeting with Shorty Joe, we had been divided into teams. Each team was assigned responsibility for a specific level, making a total of five teams. Yuna, Sam, Drak, and I were tasked with descending to the First Level of the Fourth to recruit new members for the Alliance and deal with several deserters.
Without wasting any time after leaving the island, we made our way to the waiting room. It was where we typically scheduled battles, paid for various services, including access to training chambers.
Presenting the red token to the skeleton guard, we were swiftly transported to the center of the waiting room, thanks to our status.
---
We ascended to the podium, only to be hurled down the Descent mere moments later.
The Descent offered a quick means of moving between levels. By engaging in battles with random creatures, or rather artificial clones, one could progress through increasingly stronger foes, akin to advancing levels in a video game. Starting with weaker opponents and gradually facing more formidable foes, the clones multiplied in number. Defeating thousands of them could eventually lead to encounters with Kings of different races.
Each team was provided with a white flag, a triangular piece of cloth symbolizing defeat. If the team commander raised the flag, it signified an acknowledgment of defeat and an immediate descent to a lower level.
It was not possible to encounter the Intersection of Levels or the Survival Crossroads. The options were limited: fight to the death or defeat the King.
In the event of a loss on the First Level, the fighters were met with certain death in the jaws of predatory plants. If the King was vanquished, the victorious team would be transported to the current level’s residential areas.
This tactic worked exclusively for Descending and not for ascending levels.
---
Before us lay a Battlefield with a giant rat cage. However, the rats were not inside the cage but rather outside.
The audience erupted in furious applause as they observed the five teams taking the field.
In my hands, I held a white flag with a triangular shape, symbolizing defeat.
“Hey, I want to stretch my muscles. Don’t you dare raise that flag before the King arrives!” Drak exclaimed, bending down and flexing his limbs.
“Yes, I would also like to see what I am capable of!” Sam completely transformed into an animal, taking the form of a spotted lynx with a short tail. The tassels on the tips of his ears twitched with anticipation.
“I will fight until the master raises the white flag,” Yuna declared, her claws and fangs extended, ready for battle.
“Okay,” I responded, summoning my Spiritual Weapon. As I glanced around, I noticed Gosha, Roxy, Genka, and Madeleine disappearing behind the portal.
Like us, the other three teams decided to remain on the Battlefield.
As the announcer’s voice echoed, the bars of the cage illuminated yellow, and the floor was divided into four sections, each teeming with diverse flora.
“Oh, it seems the Mourners themselves have come to pay us a visit,” I remarked as predatory creatures emerged from the tall bushes. Their bodies were covered in numerous legs, and they emitted inarticulate shouts as they charged towards us.
With a single sweep of his tail, Drak obliterated the first batch of assailants. The severed parts of their bodies fell onto the green grass, turning into small black dots that swiftly vanished.
Subsequently, the appearance of the Mourners changed. Initially, they resembled vague female figures with supple skin, but later transformed into swamp witches, their movements agile as they circled around us.
The poison-coated mandibles snapped shut in front of me, while spider-like legs clung to the grass, ripping up patches of earth with a rustling sound. Dozens of eyes, encrusted with pus, pleaded for mercy, and their hoarse cries, no longer resembling anything feminine, assaulted our ears with their frequency.
While death on the Descent was unlikely, it remained a possibility.
Plunging my sword into the creature’s neck, I severed another head. One of them attempted to climb up my steel armor, only to be reduced to shreds by Yuna’s powerful clawed blow.
We neared the climax of the battle when I raised the white flag. It was then that a long-legged, voluptuous beauty appeared, bloody tears streaming down her pale face.
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Sam and Yuna had already passed through the portal. Surveying the ravaged battlefield, I witnessed Drak engaged in a fierce fight on the edge, decimating five Mourners simultaneously. He tore their bodies apart and sank his teeth into any that approached him. The queen, with a seductive gait, was now merely a meter away from him.
“Drak, let’s go,” I called out, my voice raised as I launched Poison Arrows towards the Queen of the Mourners.
Licking the blood from his claws, Drak swallowed a piece of the Mourner’s forearm. Rising to his full height, he leaped through the portal.
Having secured the team, we descended from the Fourth Level to the Third Level.
We continued dispatching the remaining clones until Kings appeared on the horizon.
Time after time, we engaged in battle with different creatures, and the number of combat teams dwindled until only mine remained.
Breaking free from the grip of a clay golem’s hand, I struck its stomach, knocking out its leg in the process.
Yuna stood behind me, her fragile back shielding mine. The once fragmented field transformed into a dense forest spanning a vast area.
Raising my gloved hand, I summoned Poison Arrows that flew out from the open portal.
Two more golems fell, shattering into gray clay fragments.
Sam dealt with one of them by planting his paw on the golem’s head and clawing at its throat.
Drak stood right in the middle of the crowd like a hurricane, commanding more and more space. The last clay figure fell as the Golem King emerged before us.
Towering at a height of 19 meters or more, the King’s entire body was intricately adorned with patterns from ancient civilizations. Two arrogant pupils locked their gaze upon us, and with his colossal feet, he trampled young trees beneath him.
We stood atop a hill of defeated golems, yet even in that moment, we appeared minuscule compared to this newcomer.
In a swift motion, he seized Drak by the scruff of his neck and flung the creature onto a nearby rock. Drak’s body collided with the solid surface, and he expelled a mouthful of purple blood.
Sprinting up the slope, the golem pounced on Sam, who barely managed to summon the strength to resist. Biting into the King’s fingers with his fangs, Sam drove the golem into a frenzy, prompting it to wildly swing its hand in an attempt to dislodge the audacious beast.
Summoning Poison Arrows, I blocked the giant golem’s path to the ancient trees and unleashed my Spiritual Weapon against him. Sam regained his footing and tapped into his heritage, growing in size and healing numerous wounds. The beast entered a berserk mode, driven by a wild frenzy.
Drak mustered his strength and, despite his exhaustion, covered a short distance as he attempted to traverse the golem’s patterned body. However, the King invoked the magic of the earth, turning his body into a malleable morass. Floundering like a cat in water, Drak utilized every ounce of his strength to extricate himself from the sticky trap. My sword, lodged in the giant’s left cheek, remained unresponsive to my summoning. Puckering my lips in frustration, I dashed toward the melting silhouette.
“Finish it off quickly! In its liquid form, it is nearly invincible!” I shouted as I ran, observing Sam leaping with anticipation. His crimson eyes gleamed as his long claws tore into the golem’s liquid torso, smearing himself in clay and creating a round hole in the golem’s stomach. Yet, this provided Drak with the opportunity to slip free from the sticky morass and collapse on the grass, spitting out remnants of liquid mud while wearing a disgusted expression.
Damn.
The Poison Arrows could only inflict physical damage, while the King could fully regenerate within a few minutes.
Using Shadow Steps, I positioned myself in front of a blurring leg and thrust my arm up to the elbow into the liquid mass. I felt the vibrations of my Spiritual Weapon, successfully summoning it.
Sensing the surge of alien energy, the King let out a roar and completely transformed into a swamp.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
“Hold him off, and I’ll try to locate the source of the field!” I flapped my wings and took flight.
“How do you expect us to stop him? He’s fucking water!” Drak expressed his clear displeasure before biting his finger and channeling his own power. His purple blood transformed into a long blade capable of slicing through not only flesh but also the soul itself. Unfortunately, the latter aspect was detrimental when it came to living beings.
Meanwhile, the Golem King was merely an artificial creation of human scientists, grown from a small sample of dirt to its current colossal size.
“Great!” Yuna, no longer hesitating, assumed her animal form and augmented her strength through berserk mode.
Sam shook himself off vigorously, spraying the clinging dirt around him. With a growl, he summoned his own doppelgänger, a copy that matched him in every way. Now, the three creatures did their utmost to distract the Golem King, forming a flimsy paper-thin barrier.
Summoning 17 Spectral Familiars, I dispatched them to search for the source.
There were two ways to kill a King: destroy its true body or, if the King had assumed an invulnerable form, locate and destroy the source of the field.
The first option was usually easier... under normal circumstances. But in our case, luck was not on our side. Or perhaps it was another plan to eliminate unnecessary members of the Alliance.
Below me, sparks of various forces flickered with intensity, and the vibrations in the air made every hair on my body tremble.
No, for that it’s too early.
Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I peered through the eyes of the Spectral Familiars, scouring the surrounding environment for any traces of the source energy. Yet, my efforts proved futile as I couldn’t detect any promising leads.
“Are you just hanging there?” Drak’s indignation was palpable, and I understood his frustration. The power he summoned, Dissecting Souls, required a substantial amount of nourishment.
Seconds ticked by, and sweat trickled down the bridge of my nose, when suddenly something grabbed my ankle and pulled me down.
Gazing at the slimy tentacle, I summoned my sword and swiftly severed it. Simultaneously, one of the Spectral Familiars managed to locate the pathway to the source.
“Can you guys hold out for another half minute?” I shouted, already racing towards the source. Sensing the threat, the King followed me.
Taking a seat on a branch, I activated my Shadow Steps, using the fastest method. Veering to the left, I engaged the Hypnosis of Breathing. Immediately, the system notified me of my remaining Endurance and Intelligence points:
[Endurance:
219.]
[Intelligence:
167.]
Cursing inwardly, I propelled myself forward with the last remnants of my strength and hurled myself onto the frozen lake. The thin ice cracked beneath my weight, and the frigid water enveloped me from all sides.
Fortunately, the General’s armor shielded me from the drastic temperature drop.
Hearing the distant sound of impact, I sensed the Golem King entering the lake. Puckering my lips, I summoned my Spiritual Weapon once again and employed Dark Threads to guide the sword towards the pulsating yellow crystal, which beat softly, resembling a living heart.
Suddenly, something seized my ankle and coiled around my waist, squeezing me in a tight vice. Startled, I exhaled all the remaining oxygen in my lungs, causing dozens of Poisonous Arrows to burst forth, crushing the encroaching thick tentacles. However, the Golem King remained undeterred.
Turning my head to the side, I noticed my sword lodged in the dense algae.
Ha-ah.