"This time, I am coming with you!" Lexi declared, and I nodded as we walked up to the next arena. Grey Mass Arena.
There would be this one and then three more after it just to get to the next layer. The fifth layer should be a break for Lexi and me since I didn't expect Martha or Toto to survive. I am not even sure why they were coming.
"We are going to watch from the stands; come, Martha," Toto said, and I frowned at her.
"What do you mean? Are you not coming in to fight?" I asked, but Toto shook her head.
"No, we would both surely die," She said without turning around, pulling a struggling Martha along, but her struggles looked more because she was being dragged along, not because she wanted to stay.
"Wait!" I yelled, but Toto and Martha were already gone.
"Maybe we can lose them on the way out of the arena and fly to the next one?" Lexi asked, and I rolled my eyes at her.
"Toto must have a pass from the Black King, meaning they will be following along behind us," I said with a sigh and then waved her forward to the entrance of the fighting pit.
"Do you think that this will be an easy fight?" Lexi asked as we approached the gates where guards told us to wait.
"Not likely. If you were watching my fight with Toto, they would be almost as strong as her here, if not a little faster," I said, and then pointed through the gate where two demons were, fighting at high speeds.
"Ugh, this is going to be harder than I thought," Lexi said with a grimace.
"Ye of little faith," I said in mock admonishment as we watched the Demons go at it, but then one of the guards shoved the other and pointed up through the gate, and I followed her finger.
"It is the Queen of the layer! Bellazibub!" One of the Demons said as my eyes fell on the bee-like Demon General who was looking directly at me from her high vantage on the other side of the gate.
"Is that the one that you were talking about before that was mad at you?" Lexi asked from beside me, and I nodded as I stared at the Demon.
"Yeah, I took some of her toys, and now she is going to want to get revenge," I said and looked away from Bellazibub, who smiled when I said revenge from her vantage. "This is going to get pretty intense, so make sure that you keep moving and show no mercy. I have a bad feeling about this," I explained as one of the two Demons slammed into the ground, and the crowd erupted.
Both guards turned to us, but I put up my hand. "Give us a minute," I said and turned back to Lexi as I gathered in Primal Magic. "There isn't going to be a lot of time to prepare, so I am going to coat you in defensive magic and empower your normal magic."
"Is it really going to be that bad? I thought that this was only the second arena?!" Lexi asked as the Primal Magic flooded into me, and I started to cast.
"I didn't think that Bellazibub would be here. She is going to make sure that every fight is an absolute nightmare, so get yourself amped up!" I laughed and then got serious. "I was just playing around last time, so don't worry. Just keep moving, and I will keep their attention; you just support me like over the Burning Sea, okay?" I asked, and Lexi took a deep breath and nodded as my magic settled in around her.
The guards opened the gate, and I stepped in first, with Lexi behind me. "Time to dance," I said, my voice low as we walked into the arena filled with roaring Demons.
As Lexi and I entered the arena, my stomach tightened when I saw the two ancient Demons summoned by Bellazibub. The first was a giant, two-headed beast with fiery red eyes and long, sharp horns. Its scaly hide was as black as night, making it appear all the more menacing. And it seemed to radiate heat, like an extreme version of a dragon. The second was a serpentine creature with crimson scales and luminescent yellow eyes that seemed to glow in the dark. It moved gracefully over land or through the air, and its tail was tipped with a venomous stinger.
"Well, this looks like fun," I said sarcastically as I looked at Lexi. "I hope you brought your dancing shoes."
Bellazibub smiled from her perch, far away from the fighting pit. "So, you got here much faster than I thought, hmmm? These two beasts have been summoned to take care of you and your friend there," she said, letting her eyes drift toward Lexi before turning back to me.
"We will see who has done their homework," I called out confidently as a fire started to fill my veins.
I stepped forward, my hands up in a defensive stance. The beast roared and charged me head-on. I summoned my energy and lunged to the side, narrowly avoiding its massive body. The creature swung around, letting his tail lash out at me as he tried to sting me with its venomous stinger. I flipped high into the air, dodging it completely, before coming down hard on its back.
My feet slipped from its slippery scales, but I kept hold of its thick horns, digging my fingers into them for extra grip. I drew upon primal magic and hurled bolts of energy at the beast's eyes. It bellowed in rage and tried to shake me off but failed as I clung tightly to its horns. Finally, I drove my knees into its head until it stopped struggling.
The second Demon had taken to the sky, circling Lexi and raining down fireballs upon her. She jumped this way and that, avoiding them all as she focused on finding an opening. Suddenly, she spotted it. With a shouted incantation, she sent a jet of water towards the beast, dowsing its flames. This gave her just enough time to direct her own blasts of magical energy at the creature. Her aim was true, and the beast cried out in pain before crashing to the earth but got back up again, along with the other Demon.
The fight was intense, with both sides exchanging powerful spells in a never-ending barrage. Lexi and I were on the defensive, dodging and weaving around the beast's attacks while trying to find an opening and hit them back. I sent blasts of magical energy at the creature while Lexi blasted a jet of water to douse its flames. Finally, Lexi found her opening and sent a searing beam of light through the monster's heart, weakening it enough for me to cast my own assault of lightning and thunder. The beast let out a deafening roar as it was struck by my attack before crashing to the ground below. With only one beast remaining, I turned towards the crimson scale serpent that was now glowing red with a spell circle around it.
A Berserker Spell.
"You think that you have won? Let me show you the true Demonic Magic!" Bellazibub laughed from her perch as the berserker spell changed and covered the serpent in black tribal markings that swallowed the light.
The berserker spell intensified the already insane levels of power that the serpent had been exhibiting. Its scales glowed an eerie red, and its eyes filled with madness. As it charged toward us, I could feel the sheer power emanating from it. Lexi and I ran in opposite directions as the beast unleashed a hail of magical fireballs that rained down on the arena floor. We both leaped up into the air to dodge them, me using my primal magic to fly higher and farther away than Lexi.
As we dove back to the ground, the serpent had split itself into two and was now attacking us separately with razor-sharp claws and teeth. I maintained my distance while Lexi stood her ground and fought, dodging and weaving between the attacks while sending blasts of water and ice at the beasts. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of fighting, the two creatures combined into one giant monster once again.
I took this opportunity to summon all the power I could muster and send out a devastating burst of primal lightning that engulfed the entire arena. The monstrous creature screamed in pain and rage before finally crumbling to the ground, defeated. After a few moments of silence, the crowd erupted with cheers for our victory. Bellazibub, who had been watching the fight intently, looked relieved but also frustrated as she clapped slowly from her perch.
Lexi and I embraced each other in relief, feeling exhausted but exhilarated. We had done it! We had won against the impossible odds presented by Bellazibub. She seemed happy for us, although I knew she was still angry at me for taking something from her. But despite this, she seemed proud of what we had accomplished.
"Well," she said, "You have proved yourself to be fine warriors indeed. There is much more to come, so make sure you're ready." With that, she disappeared, and the gate to the fighting pit opened up for us to leave.
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