“What the hell happened?” Slim muttered softly, confusion evident on the necromancer’s face as he tilted his head from side to side, searching for the whereabouts of the eldritch knight.

Like Slim, Zara too searched for Scott’s whereabouts; however, the brawler’s gaze shifted toward Llorva. It had only been for a moment, but she had seen the elf’s shadow move ahead of her, racing toward the spot Scott stood at earlier.

Zara turned her attention toward the elf while trying her best to regain her composure. “What did you do?” Zara mouthed, her complexion slightly pale.

Llorva turned toward the elf, her impassive, somewhat cruel eyes meeting the feline’s. Zara jolted, a crippling sense of foreboding stirring within her, but she couldn’t move. She lowered her gaze, noticing that her shadow had grown thicker and darker. Then Llorva’s whisper filled her ears, “You shouldn’t have seen that.”

Instantly, several blackened wraps cleaved to the feline’s wrists and ankles, pulling her to the ground. Unlike Scott, who sank into the shadowy abyss, Zara lay flat on the ground as if being weighed down by gravity.

Amidst Zara’s confusion, Llorva’s voice echoed again, “I was considering letting you off since you couldn’t have known how vile he is, but you went ahead and joined those despicable people. Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire.”

A chuckle filled Zara’s ears, but it didn’t come from the Llorva standing in front of her; rather, the giggle escaped from the shadow. Then, so did Llorva’s voice, “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. You’ll just suffer for a couple of years or so. You should count yourself—”

A scythe decapitated the brawler, fresh blood spraying into the air like a geyser. Despite the macabre blood shower staining the surrounding areas, it only glided off the surface of the shadow. Ossie, who wielded the scythe, towered over Zara’s decapitated body, its empty eye sockets focused on Llorva.

“Smart,” Llorva commented, chuckling as she raised her head. “I guess I can’t complain since I’m the one who delayed,” she added as she stood up.

She turned around, and only the ladies from Claw were within her immediate vicinity, prompting the elf to laugh even harder. “Well, those two aren’t all that important. My job here is done,” she muttered, sighing softly.

Ossie braced himself to charge toward the elf, but the skeleton's shadow abruptly darkened. In the blink of an eye, the skeleton shattered into nothingness, vanishing along with the scythe.

Meanwhile, Llorva shook her head slowly, a soft giggle escaping her lips. The Claw ladies watched with bated breath as the darkened shadow slithered beneath the elf, silently praying she wouldn't turn her attention toward them. They cared little for the cause of the strife among the hound extermination crew; their only desire was to avoid being involved.

As the shadow resumed its original form, several straps coiled around Llorva's ankles, wrists, and neck. Like a revolving door, Llorva was pulled into the shadow, only to be replaced by another figure. The new elf shared a resemblance with the dark elf but exuded a more pronounced aura. She cast a lazy glance at the frightened ladies, who recoiled in terror before she turned her attention to the tumultuous skies.

Orion's voice reached the elf's ears from a distance. “This wasn't the plan.”

The elf chuckled softly. “For someone as perceptive as you, I expected better. I seized an opportunity when I saw it. You should be more concerned with escaping than fretting over trivial matters. But then again, you've always been one to let your curiosity get the best of you.”

As she spoke, a massive shadow loomed over the elf, prompting her to turn. The titan glared at the agile champion, its eyes ablaze with fury and bloodlust. The elf, however, merely smiled and shook her head.

“It's been too long since our last encounter,” she remarked. “Unfortunately, I don't have time to spar with you today. You'll have to satiate yourself with them.”

With a smirk, the elf opened a portal behind her. The titan lunged forward, aiming a punch at her, but she calmly stepped into the portal, disappearing with a lingering giggle. The titan's blow struck the ground, unleashing devastation over a two-kilometer radius. It roared in frustration, its features contorted with rage.

The creature’s back trembled vigorously, launching several spikes into the air. Yet, each spike fractured into equal halves before regenerating to their original size, only to split again. The process repeated until thousands of spikes floated above the creature, hovering like obedient soldiers awaiting orders.

A dense mesh of shadows cast over the maze, both champions and creatures acknowledging the ominous spikes. While eerie creatures showed no fear, many champions stood petrified in their positions.

Another howl echoed, and the spikes descended like heat-seeking missiles, intent on obliterating all life. Explosions resonated with mournful screams, each trying to outdo the other. Amidst the chaos, mystical lights fueling revival descended throughout the maze, but the torrent of spikes continued relentlessly, as several spikes nurtured others.

“Surely, this isn’t all you can do. I want to see more,” Orion roared, sprinting toward the titan.

The titan shifted its attention to the delirious mage approaching with an ominous spear. The mage twisted and turned, dodging the falling spikes as if predicting their trajectory.

The titan raised its right hand, a spear nestled within. Orion grinned, closing the distance further.

“That’s right. Show me what you can—”

Before Orion finished his statement, the titan threw the spear. It appeared in front of the mage instantaneously, seemingly defying every law. Orion's eyes shrunk, but his smile widened as the spike impaled and shattered his skull.

The titan averted its gaze, focusing on another clone. It raised both arms, unleashing a soul-churning roar, forcing every living creature to halt. Blood and other fluids burst forth from their eyes, mouths, ears, and nose. Champions who had used stealth techniques became visible. Moments later, they fell dead. Like before, mystical lights descended, resurrecting them to the nightmarish hellscape.

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The torrent of spikes did not cease; it became fiercer and more precise, ruthlessly killing champions less than a second after revival. Those who evaded the spikes faced miniature titans or evolved monstrosities. A rare few were assaulted and killed by both creatures, while the unluckiest were randomly slain by the titan’s casual attacks.

In less than ten minutes, champions had experienced hundreds of resurrections, their minds collapsing under the trauma of death and revival. Yet, they found no solace in their lunacy; cured and made whole only to endure the process again.

Among the champions who managed to cling to their sanity, Slim and his summons waged a brutal defense against miniature titans, dodging massive spears raining from the skies.

The necromancer, wielding his flute, played an ominous tune that ensnared both champions and creatures alike. They became mindless puppets, rushing towards chained monstrosities and smaller titans, while others assaulted the beasts prowling the skies. Slim suddenly lay motionless on the ground, disguised as a lifeless corpse, hoping to evade detection. He only needed to survive for ten minutes to quell the chaos.

He attempted to reach Scott several times but received no response from the eldritch knight. Scott had disappeared in the same spot where Slim now lay pretending to be a random skeleton. Despite the lingering dot on the ground, it remained tangible and unmovable.

Meanwhile, Zara fought ruthlessly against numerous creatures despite her many injuries. Bloody projectiles hovered above her, forming hundreds of rotating blades that cleaved through the chaotic stampede blocking her path. Unlike Slim, who opted for concealment, Zara eagerly provoked aggression, her aura growing more menacing with each passing moment. Like Slim, she too reached out to Scott through the party channel, only to be met with silence.

While Llorva’s betrayal came as a surprise, they knew they couldn’t dwell on it. There was a strong possibility they would be trapped in an endless cycle of slaughter and resurrection in the second layer.

Orion, despite suffering the most at the hands of the colossal titan, continued to gather data. Each death seemed to fuel his excitement rather than deter him. Unleashing attacks ranging from simple to comical, Orion targeted the titan relentlessly, but his efforts failed to influence the creature or quell its rage. However, he no longer fragmented into multiple clones as before, as the titan's roar would swiftly dispatch all champions.

Orion and several other champions, under the sway of Slim’s music, charged towards the titan while dodging the relentless barrage from the skies. Some champions perished before reaching the creature, succumbing to their injuries, or reacting too slowly.

As the titan raised its right hand, the champions instinctively braced themselves. They knew all too well what would follow. Some gazed skyward, anticipating another spear to claim yet another life. The only uncertainty was whose life it would be.

Contrary to their expectations, however, no spear descended; instead, the towering creature seemed to have a mocking glint in its eyes. The spears embedded into the ground shook violently, and before anyone could react, it exploded. Raising a thick cloud of dust and smoke into the air. Champions closest to the blast zone were instantly turned to dust, while those further away were besieged by shrapnel of all sizes, shredding their bodies within seconds. Even those who managed to survive the blast and shrapnel instantly felt their insides corrode from the thick and toxic fumes filling the area.

Once again, the lights signaling revival descended, and the champions reawakened, with the majority dying within seconds again. This time, however, the toxic fumes had been largely responsible for most deaths.

Meanwhile, within an infinite darkness, Scott floated in place. Both the concept of sensation and time were foreign to him. Like a statue, untouched but forgotten in the annals of time, he remained in the darkness, neither falling nor sinking. The orb he summoned remained fastened in his hand, as did the war hammer of the mad god.

How long have I been here? Scott thought to himself, recalling the familiar yet distinct voice he heard before being banished to the darkness.

I’m slowly losing consciousness, and for some reason I can’t open the void bank.

Scott panicked, his thoughts racing. He had long forgotten what any sort of sensation felt like, and he knew it was only a matter of moments before he lost his sense of being too. The fact that none of his abilities worked in the area only compounded his anxiety, coupled with the realization that even the mask and war hammer had become inactive.

Madness he could handle, but the all-consuming nothingness wasn’t something he knew how to face. He tried to communicate with his companions via the party channel, but his consciousness became even more weary. He knew wherever he was sent to wasn’t the abyssal void since it was one of his sources of energy, but he couldn’t begin to fathom what treacherous place he had been banished to.

There’s no way in hell I'm dying here, Scott thought to himself as he battled to keep his consciousness from fading. Although there was no sound or sensation to lull him into slumber, he felt as if every fiber of his being, down to his soul even, was being dragged into a pit he would never awaken from.

Meanwhile, in the second layer, twenty days slowly passed, and each champion had lost track of the number of deaths they had experienced. Many had grown delirious, recovering, and repeating the same process repeatedly, unable to break free from the chaotic cycle. New champions entered the mix, but a vast majority of them preferred to watch the chaos from the zones above the steps. Surprisingly, neither the titan nor its minions nor the monstrosities attacked them. However, the moment a champion descended the first step, they were besieged on all sides.

Slim and Orion lay flat on the ground, heedless of the explosions and screams that echoed around them. To outside observers, they appeared relaxed, exchanging lazy glances. Yet, they had grown accustomed to the relentless cycle of death and resurrection.

“So, you're saying there's no way to bring him back from there,” Slim muttered, casting a glance towards the spot where Scott had vanished. Dismembered body parts scattered nearby, but the necromancer paid them no heed.

“Exactly. Even I can't escape that place,” Orion replied with a solemn nod, unfazed as a severed head landed nearby. “Believe me, whatever we endure here is a paradise compared to his fate. It's one of those situations where we'll have to hope for a miracle.”

Another corpse landed on Orion, but he brushed it off without a second thought. Meanwhile, Slim wore a contemplative expression, blood and fluids staining his form.

He sighed softly, then turned his head. “Zara has died again,” he remarked with a wry chuckle, his gaze shifting to the right where a colossal slime who had contorted into a grotesque form, battled ominous creatures with bravado. The elemental slime waded off attack after attack while dealing considerable damage to the surrounding creatures. Although impaled by countless chains, the slime continued its ruthless onslaught unabated.

“Fi-Fi's holding her own—” Slim's words were cut short as a spear tore through the slime, annihilating it instantly.

Slim sighed again. “I really hate this place, you know,” he muttered.

Orion giggled, lounging with his arms behind his head. “I find it rather enjoyable. It's quite entertaining.”

Slim shot a resigned glance at the mage, shaking his head. “How long do you think we'll be stuck here?”

“Probably more than eight months,” Orion replied nonchalantly. “Forget about defeating that creature; it'll take years before we're strong enough for that. But we might manage to last at least ten minutes in a few months... maybe,” he chuckled softly.

Slim chuckled too, but a sudden ominous presence loomed over them.

“I've been feeling different lately,” Slim confessed.

“How so?” Orion inquired, yawning.

Slim hesitated before continuing, “It's hard to explain, but it's like death has been beckoning me.”

“Oh,” Orion murmured, his voice tinged with disinterest, but then his eyes suddenly lit up. “Oh? Oh!” A grin spread across his face as he turned to Slim. “Do tell me more.”

A massive foot descended upon them, ending their lives along with several wounded champions nearby.