The audience was in awe of the power displayed by Erus's shield. Meanwhile, the King stood up from his chair in a rage and stormed off the balcony.
Nick grinned as he watched the King's frustration boil over. Inwardly, he was celebrating for Erus. This was exactly the outcome he had hoped for.
However, he had no idea that King Leomar already had another plan in motion.
The King entered a dark room where the silhouette of a woman lurked in the shadows. He began slamming his hands onto the table, sweeping aside everything in his path and hurling the lighter objects across the room in a fit of temper.
"My King," the woman said. Her voice was deep and steady. She showed neither fear nor excitement at his outburst. Her eyes remained locked on him. She possessed a neutral, detached demeanor, but the danger lay in her absolute obedience because she did exactly what the King commanded.
"You said those Dark Mists were only beatable by divine weapons!"
"Absolutely, my King!"
"Argh!" King Leomar shouted. He hurled his wine glass directly at the woman. She didn't dare move, and a shard of shattered glass pricked her shoulder. Black blood dripped from the wound, staining her skin. "Are you telling me that bastard has a divine weapon?"
The woman did not answer. She wasn't sure what to say because the shield she had seen looked like ordinary energy, yet its aura bore a striking resemblance to divine relics. If it was strong enough to wipe out the Dark Mists in seconds, it was not something to be taken lightly.
"How did he obtain that weapon? It shouldn't be his! He is nothing but a disgraced, cursed bastard born from that witch!" King Leomar spoke with his jaw tightly clenched, making every word come out brittle and uneven. The depth of his loathing for Erus was unmistakable.
The King raised his head and looked straight at the woman, ignoring her bleeding shoulder and the black blood dripping down her arm.
"KILL HIM AND BRING ME THAT WEAPON!" he ordered. There was no trace of conscience in his eyes, only pure greed.
The woman said nothing. She simply bowed to show her obedience, then faded into black smoke.
The King smashed the table with his fist once more, then grinned like a lunatic certain of his victory.
"Today, I will end you!" He cursed under his breath.
On the other hand, Erus waited for what would happen next after wiping out the Dark Mists. He wasn't sure, but he had a feeling those creatures weren't actually part of this floor's real trial. Plus, he realized that the 99th floor was entirely different from the others. Everything here felt real but was full of malice. It was as if this floor were being ruled by something from the Abyss.
Didn't they say the whole dungeon is being protected during the trials?
The Elders told them before the event started that the dungeon was protected from any outside attack. Everything that would happen inside were all part of the trial. But now he begun to doubt. He might be an exemption for that protection since most of the Elders were the King's loyal dogs.
But how would they do it if they were outside the dungeon? Had they envisioned he would reach this floor and planned to end him here? That was too perfect a plan for something they didn't even know would happen.
Erus was so busy analyzing that he didn't notice the shadow beneath him. He reacted when it pulled him down, but it was too late. It swallowed him into the ground.
He tried to fight back, but the current of energy had brought him somewhere more—dreadful? Hideous?
"Oh, fuck!" He cursed, activating his shield to protect himself from the outside influence. It envelopes his body and acted as both a cleansing aid and a protective mask for his body.
The whole place smelled like hell. He could see the carcasses and skeletons of various creatures strewn everywhere. There was no malice here, it was simply death itself. Even the thick fog was unnecessary. The scene didn't need it to feel any more chilling.
Did I just teleport to hell?
He looked around, trying to find any clue that would prove he was still on the 99th floor and not somewhere else. Honestly, he couldn't feel a single living soul in this place.
And what was that thing that abducted me?
It didn't look like a Dark Mist. It resembled a void that had opened its mouth only to swallow him whole.
"...eee-yee-ha-ha-haaa... eee-yee... haaa..."
Erus froze, heightening his senses at the eerie sound. It came from a group of female creatures he didn't recognize. One thing was certain, they weren't making those noises to welcome him warmly. For all he knew, the carcasses strewn across the floor were their handiwork.
His eyes turned crimson as he took a few steps forward to inspect the area.
He identified some of the carcasses as monsters, while others were merely ordinary animals. By now, he shouldn't be surprised that such creatures ended up here, his own presence was proof enough of that.
"...eee-yee-ha-ha-haaa... eee-yee... haaa..."
The eerie laughter continued, and he could tell they were circling the area, trying to intimidate him. Suddenly, he remembered the Dark Mists. These laughing creatures shared that same sinister vibe and aura.
Without warning, a figure glided into view, stopping a few meters in front of him. Then, other figures began to appear from behind the massive monster carcasses, as if they were playing a twisted game of peek-a-boo with him.
"Tch!" He was displeased at the sight of the naked, rotting female bodies. Their lower halves resembled fish, but in a far more disgusting form.
A dark, thick, shiny fluid coated their scales, while their hands and arms were covered in long, spiky thorns like those of a sea urchin. As for their upper bodies—it was truly gross. Their withered breasts looked as if they had been sucked dry by the world itself. Perhaps the only good part was the perfect shape of their bellies, the kind of silhouette most women would dream of but only in shape. The color and rotting skin were another story entirely.
Their faces were a hellish sight. They had no eyes, only two dark holes that looked as if the void itself lived within them. Their mouths could stretch wide enough to devour a human whole and their noses elongating with every jaw movement. Instead of ears, they had only fins. Their hair might have looked normal, if not for the fact that it resembled models for a shampoo that causes severe hair loss.
He had a hint of what could be these creatures were but he chose to stay silent and kept observing.
Eating monsters would be a different view for Erus after this. If ever he would have a chance hunting monsters again.
Looking down at the glistening, wet trails they left across the cracked earth, he couldn't help but wonder how these creatures lived in such a dry swamp. Thick fluid dripped from their bodies, but where could they have possibly swum?
"...eee-yee-ha-ha-haaa... eee-yee... haaa..."
Their eerie laughs grew louder and louder every minute. It was piercing through his ears and he could hear it still ringing within his brain like a broken radio. It started to annoy him.
He noticed a pattern in their behavior. They were trying to intimidate him, yet they kept their distance as if they were afraid of something. Deciding to test his luck, he walked toward the nearest one. As expected, the creature glided away as fast as she could. The others appeared alarmed and caught off guard by his move. They became wary, watching him as if they were the ones being hunted.
Yet, they also looked like curious puppies, tilting their heads as if intrigued by him.
Erus scratched the nape of his neck. He knew they were afraid of his energy shield, but he couldn't help but wonder, Why was this shield emitting an aura that scared away such hideous creatures?
"You...killed...brother...you...pay..." Three of them spoke like a static fading sound from a radio.
Erus processed their words for a moment. Brother? Had he killed their brother? Had he encountered the male form of this species before? Perhaps it was those monster fish he had caught earlier—but those had been clean, not rotting and gross like these creatures. They weren't even half as foul.
Although these creatures were afraid to enter the area reached by the shield's aura, he remained on guard against potential delays or surprise tactics. Furthermore, Erus did not yet have a full grasp of his shield's limits or how long it could protect him.
While remaining extra attentive to his surroundings, he analyzed whether he was still within the dungeon. Who could possess the power to create such a realistic abyss?
"Son of the Witch!"
A high-pitched, ear-ringing voice pierced the air. It caused the creatures to scatter as if terrified of the new arrival. Even Erus felt a heavy aura radiating from this newcomer, who stood several meters behind him. He dared not look back.
He was certain now. It was the King's Bitch. He had grown up haunted by this very same aura.
This place was definitely not part of the dungeon anymore. This was the real Abyss—a true corner of the Underworld.
Erus felt her move closer.
She was on another level—not terrified enough to flee from his golden shield, but not brave enough to attempt a one-on-one attack. From her years of failed missions to take Erus' life, she had learned at least a lesson or two: an infant could kill instantly, and a low-born bastard could overpower.
But now, she had gained a new advantage from all those past failures. She had studied the patterns of his protection long enough to know exactly what triggered it.
"How rare," she spoke slowly, her voice reaching a piercing, high pitch that grated like metal on stone, "to see a young mortal traverse my domain unscathed."
"You must have bumped your head while teleporting me here," Erus replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He had finally figured it out. This bitch was the one responsible for dragging him into this frozen wasteland.
She laughed—though it wasn't a sound of amusement. It was a jagged, mocking rasp that echoed through the Abyss.
"I wish I did, because that would have made it much easier not to trigger your shield." The last words were whispered right into his ear.
Erus became wary. He hadn't expected her to get this close. He almost unsheathed his sword to slash at the bitch right then and there.
"See? Your face shows it all," she laughed again mockingly, then suddenly returned to a poker face.
She was indeed physically beautiful, looking nothing like the other creatures, but she lacked the emotions they possessed. Her lifeless eyes were no different from the void in the eyes of the monsters. To Erus, it was like facing a robot in motion.
Then, he noticed her form. She was truly a mermaid—the Queen of the Mermaids of Death but her black scales shimmered like gems. There was no gross slime, no spiky thorns, and no terrifying features. She looked like a mermaid straight out of a romance fantasy. If it weren't for her lifeless eyes, she would have been gorgeous. But that didn't mean Erus would fall for mere beauty. The Scepter's owner was far more radiant than this creature.
"You are their queen," Erus stated flatly.
"Yes! I am the Queen." Her voice was proud, but the emotion didn't reach her eyes.
Erus scoffed.
"No wonder you became his familiar. You both reign in such turmoil." He was referring to the Queen having her good looks while her domain looked awful and her subordinates were gross as hell—just like King Leomar, who lived lavishly while his citizens suffered.
"You dare not speak of my Master!" The mermaid of death almost forgot her tactic and was about to attack, but she stopped herself in her tracks.
"I just did," Erus taunted.
How he wished the King were actually watching this. If only this godforsaken place could be reached by the power of the Elders.