The group advanced along the floating road, their footsteps echoing strangely in the surrounding void. With his gaze fixed on the upside-down castle looming on the horizon, Marshmallow led the way.

"Where the hell did we end up?" Lynx muttered with apprehension. "I've never seen anything like this in the Survivor Game."

Raven stroked his chin, looking thoughtful. "Could be BloodLust's creation," he suggested. "With all the Unique Skills he's hoarded, his abilities might've reached insane levels. Wouldn't surprise me if he cooked up this whole realm from scratch."

Parabellum nodded. "Agreed. We have to be ready for anything. BloodLust might've messed with the laws of physics here."

Marshmallow listened silently as they neared the castle. The closer they got, the clearer the structure's details became. It was a mammoth building, with towers and spires pointing downward. The whole construction seemed to give gravity the middle finger, suspended in the void like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Finally, they reached the massive metal gate. It was an imposing structure of wood and metal, decorated with intricate patterns that seemed to move and twist. Marshmallow turned to his companions with a blank expression. "Shall we?" he asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

Everyone nodded silently. Marshmallow was laser-focused; there was no room for smiles or extra words, just the moment to push forward. Taking a deep breath, Marshmallow shoved the gate, which opened with an eerie creak.

They found themselves in a gigantic hall, but everything was flipped in a way that messed with their minds. As they entered, they were walking on what should've been the ceiling, while above them stretched the floor of a typical Victorian castle. Instead of hanging down, huge chandeliers were placed like balloons floating upwards. Looking up, they could see precious carpets and antique furniture fixed to the "floor" above them, defying every law of physics.

"This place is nuts," Lynx declared, trying to take every detail.

Marshmallow nodded, but his gaze was already fixed on a specific point in the hall. At the far end, he could see a door that seemed to lead downward, or maybe upward, given the inverted nature of the place. "That's gotta be the way to BloodLust," he said, pointing in that direction.

But before they could take another step, they all noticed a figure positioned at the exact center of the hall. It was a knight of impressive size, at least two meters tall, covered from head to toe in tin armor that looked like it came straight out of a chivalric poem. He was sitting cross-legged, and in front of him lay a sword of ridiculous proportions. It was so huge it could barely be called a sword, it was just a titanic block of iron.

Marshmallow approached cautiously, followed by his companions. "Who are you?" he demanded as his voice echoing throughout the hall.

The knight rose slowly, picking up the sword with an ease that contrasted with its colossal size. "My name is Zal'Gorath. You shall not pass. Turn back."

With a fluid motion, Zal'Gorath traced a line on the floor right in front of the Wyolanders with his enormous sword. How did he do that? He was more than twenty meters away.

"This is my territory. This is my castle. You will not cross this line. If you do, you will die."

Oh yeah? Are you that confident?

Marshmallow felt adrenaline coursing through his veins. This dude wanted to challenge Marshmallow? The one who defeated Serthar and humiliated the Dragon Emperor? Only BloodLust could be on his level, but this was the kind of challenge he loved, the type of obstacle that electrified him. He decided to challenge him at his own game. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and extended his arm beyond the line.

Zal'Gorath's movement was lightning-fast. His sword came down with impossible speed, and somehow, before Marshmallow could even think to react, his forearm was cleanly severed, crashing to the ground and shattering into a mess of blood and bone.

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The pain exploded like a meteor, but Marshmallow managed to stay lucid. He jumped back, observing the bleeding stump with an odd calmness. "Damn, losing an arm hurts like a bitch," he commented in an almost amused tone.

Lynx let out a cry of horror. "Marshmallow!" she exclaimed. The others looked shaken too, but Marshmallow kept his cool.

He closed his eyes and concentrated deeply. Marshmallow was enveloped by a green aura, and under the astonished eyes of his companions, the wound began to heal. In a few seconds, a new forearm grew in place of the lost one, complete with armor.

"That Lifekinesis was a pretty sweet gift from BloodLust," Marshmallow said with a grin, flexing his newly regrown arm.

Raven stared at him in disbelief. "Marshmallow, why'd you pull a stunt like that? You could've died!"

Marshmallow shook his head, now with a serious expression. "It was to test his Unique Skill. I felt my arm go against an incredible downward pressure. For a brief moment, my arm became thousands of times heavier, a weight so great that even I couldn't sustain it, and it naturally snapped off clean. That guy has the power to manipulate gravity, and he knows how to use it damn well."

The Dragon Goat, who had remained silent until then, chimed in. "An opponent like that's gonna be a real pain in the ass. We could bombard him from a distance, but he's not gonna just stand there twiddling his thumbs. He's more than twenty meters away from us, he can easily dodge."

Lynx nodded, biting her lip. "And with his ability, he could make our ranged attacks useless. He could increase the gravity around him and make them fall before they reach him."

While the others were discussing, Parabellum stepped forward, towards the line. "This is a perfect match for me," he declared.

Marshmallow looked at him curiously. "How so? You can control fire, how do you think that'll be useful against a gravity ability?"

Parabellum didn't answer. Instead, he approached the line drawn by Zal'Gorath, getting right up to it. Marshmallow was about to stop him, but then he thought of Lynx and the promise he'd made not to underestimate his companions. With a nod of assent, he let Parabellum proceed.

What happened next left everyone breathless.

His body began to emit intense heat. A large amount of flames started to pour out from every pore of his skin, enveloping him in an incandescent cocoon. The temperature in the hall rose dramatically, and the air shimmered with heat.

With a cry that sounded like a dragon's roar, Parabellum raised his hands to the sky. "OVERDRIVE! INFERNO MODE!" he yelled, his voice charged with power.

Parabellum's body began to change before his companions' stunned eyes. The flames enveloping him intensified, merging with his flesh and armor. In a few moments, where there was once a man, now stood a three-meter-tall fire colossus.

Parabellum's new appearance was terrifying and majestic at the same time. His body was entirely composed of living flames. Where eyes once were, two globes of white fire now blazed. His armor had fused with his body of fire, creating silver patterns that flowed across his incandescent surface.

Everyone was impressed. Even Marshmallow, who had seen it all, couldn't help but feel in awe of this transformation.

Without wasting a moment, Parabellum lunged forward, crossing the line created by Zal'Gorath. The knight reacted promptly. He moved his gigantic sword, striking Parabellum with his gravitational ability.

But this time, it had no effect.

"My body is made entirely of fire!" Parabellum thundered. "Any gravity is useless against me!"

Zal'Gorath, for the first time, seemed to hesitate. His ability, which until then had seemed invincible, was proving useless against this new adversary made of pure fire.

Parabellum gave the knight no moment of respite. With a fiery roar, he lunged at Zal'Gorath. His arms of fire extended, enveloping the knight in an infernal embrace.

"Burn!" Parabellum shouted, intensifying the flames that composed his body.