Uriel was genuinely terrified. Everyone knew they would witness incredible things in the tower, but he could never have imagined how harsh it would be. He had barely been inside for a day, and he had already been forced to kill people—and had even lost his right eye.
He managed to get used to the corpses; he had watched zombie movies before, and they didn't seem that horrifying to him, though they were far more terrifying when they were running at you instead of being on a screen. The imps could even be considered terrifying animals with grotesque deformities.
But this thing made his hair stand on end. It was unnatural to its very core. Anyone who saw it would think that it was something that should not exist: a monstrosity.
Even so, he did not retreat. He looked at Ininise, whose arms were trembling with fear, just like his.
Did Uriel want to run? Of course he did. If he could, he would avoid fighting this thing at all costs—but running away meant abandoning Ininise. He had already made his decision: even with fear, even if he might be devoured by this thing, he would give everything he had and fulfill his role.
"Ininise!"
Uriel called out to her. There was something he wanted to say now that he had steadied himself.
"I won't let that thing get close to you, so give it everything you've got!"
Ininise nodded, and her hands seemed to relax, if only a little. After all this time, she was certain that this man would never let any harm come to her.
The creature lunged toward Ininise; it seemed to understand that the most dangerous person here was her.
Uriel immediately sprinted with all his strength, crashing into the creature's body. While he couldn't knock it to the ground, he managed to stop its advance.
An incredibly large and heavy arm slammed into Uriel's back, forcing him to his knees; however, he did not let go. He was determined to keep it there. A barrage of magic missiles struck one after another, causing parts of the monster's body to explode and splatter across the walls.
The monster's body twisted, and from its back, multiple fleshy appendages stretched out like whips, striking Uriel's back.
Uriel activated his hardened skin ability; even so, the flesh-whips tore through his defense, leaving wounds. He was startled—this was the first time hardened skin had failed him in battle. Until now, it had been an unfailing protection for his body.
"Let go of it, quickly!"
Uriel obeyed immediately and released the monster. He trusted that Ininise had come up with something—and she had. Uriel realized that while he had been holding the creature, Ininise had splashed the floor with a slippery black liquid. Instantly, the monster lost its footing, its massive body betraying it.
She's not planning to burn the whole house down, right? For a second, Uriel worried, but he quickly dismissed the thought. He knew Ininise was aware that if she did that, they would have nowhere to escape.
Taking advantage of the monster's slip, magical circles appeared above it this time, dropping what seemed to be a green liquid onto its body. Upon contact, its flesh began to sizzle, reminding Uriel of the sound something makes when frying in oil at high temperatures.
The creature's body writhed in desperation. A giant crust formed, covering its entire body; it seemed far more solid and durable than flesh.
Quickly, Uriel moved back toward Ininise. Unfortunately, he couldn't attack now—he risked getting his feet covered in that oil, and if he needed to move quickly, he couldn't afford to slip. That would mean his death.
However, Ininise could still fight at a distance. Another volley of missiles struck the creature's body, shattering the crust that protected it.
Suddenly, from the back, the crust split in half, and from within, a mass of flesh—now the size of an adult person—leapt toward Ininise.
Uriel, standing in front of her, reacted with his left hand: he caught the monster midair, placing himself in the path of its leap. A sudden pain struck him, followed by a numbing sensation. For a moment, his mind faltered, but by pure instinct his body was already moving—he brought the creature down, slamming it against the floor.
The creature stretched out its arm, grabbing Uriel's leg, and he felt that peculiar pain again. He raised his right arm and smashed the creature's head, caving in part of its skull.
But it did not stop. It continued dragging itself forward with all its strength, trying to reach Ininise.
Ininise quickly retreated, heading toward where the staircase should have been. When she saw it, her eyes widened in shock: a small piece of flesh had begun forming a crude bridge between the broken remains of the stairs and what was left of them. The little imps climbed up like a tide, seizing the opportunity.
Ininise tried to fire a magic missile, but it was intercepted by the imps themselves, preventing her from destroying it again.
Too late, Ininise realized that this creature was not entirely mindless—it could think strategically. But why hadn't it done this from the beginning? Why had it waited for this precise moment to make its move?
It didn't take long for her to understand its intentions. This monster had assumed that both she and Uriel were easy prey and had intended to feast on them alone. Now that they had proven to be a threat, it was willing to use all the help it could to kill them.
Ininise ran back toward Uriel.
He still had the creature pinned to the ground, blocking the lashes coming from its body with his shield, which he had summoned moments ago. Though it was reinforced wood, it proved brutally efficient at withstanding attacks meant to tear flesh. The whips were no longer a problem.
"Uriel, quickly—we have to get out of here!"
He lifted his gaze for a moment to see what was happening, only to realize that dozens of imps were appearing behind Ininise. This place was now doomed. But how was he supposed to get her out of here? They were trapped inside this house with the monstrosity—and the imps.