"Are you sure they are gone?" A Gladiator asked the other.
The Gladiator nodded.
"They have been gone for a while now!"
The one that had responded gave the signal to the rest of his teammates and they all came out of their hiding place.
Some of them literally materialized from the walls. Others from the ceilings and some others as rocks.
One of these rocks, Lenny's teammate had sat on to watch the torture of E666.
Some of these gladiators even had their skin blend with the environment like chameleons.
Surprisingly, while many gladiators were dead, this gladiator team still had their complete ten members.
Nine were present while the last one went ahead of them to direct their path.
That one with his incredible hidding skills was already at the third layer.
The reason for thier completeness was because they had not engaged in one battle.
All the way, they had hid themselves.
Their skills were so good that whether it was smell, or even presence and intent, it was all hidden properly.
Even the devils crawled on their bodies as they walked away to feast on other gladiators.
But did not find them in their various hiding place.
"The first level boss is dead. We shall make our way into the second level now."
All of them nodded as they advanced steadily.
However, one of them stopped before the presumed dead E666.
He looked at her and shook his head.
Another one saw him and walked to him, "I was at a good position and saw the entire thing clearly. That D999 is just too much!"
The others nodded in agreement.
"Our lives are already difficult as gladiators. Our deaths should not be so strained. Let's get her off that thing and bury her!"
They all nodded in agreement. This did not mean that anyone of these gladiators was kind or would not have killed E666 if she stood against them.
It was just that they felt true pity for her fate. After all, she was like them. Gladiators had a believe that they should die while fighting for their lives and nothing more.
It was said that this was the only way a man could wash the sins of his ancestors that had been passed down to him and accepted into paradise.
To die by any other means was a relegation of one's soul to eternal damnation.
They destroyed the torture device Lenny made and extracted the thorn pike made of bones from her insides.
Surprisingly, they stayed and dugged a shallow grave and buried her inside.
"This is the best we can do for you. May your suffering down there be lighter!"
"Amen!" They all echoed.
Once more, they activated their stealth techniques and made their way for the second level of the dungeon.
Back in the Arena, Basit turned to Lady Hanger, "I see you still train the best Hiders, or is it cowards."
Lady Hanger giggled a bit, but then her gaze suddenly got serious, "be careful of your words young Basit. I may be an Arena master, but I am still a noble woman."
"Either ways, it remains that you still have your pawns all intact. That is impressive!"
The compliment had come from behind her. It was from one of the sets of twins.
It was from Duncan.
"Yes! She does, doesn't she!? I am starting to think that we might have placed our bets on Lady Hanger's stock instead." Danny added.
Lady Hanger chuckled again, "Both of you Flatter me too much. It's just that my stock are very dutiful. The goal is to clear the boss of the Dungeon. It was never to engage in petty waste of strength with the canon fodder. Also, it is not to kill one another," her eyes looked in Cuban's direction for a bit. She was obviously referring to him with her words just now.
However, Cuban pretended not to be aware.
Till this moment, even though he had climbed his way regardless of his exile from one of the royal families to become an Arena master, he was treated as an outcast.
"My stock are saving their strength and power for the real fight." She added.
At that moment, Clawed chuckled a bit.
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to him.
After all, Clawed was the only Demon of the Great Demon level here.
If he was laughing, then it was because he was seeing something that the others were not seeing.
"Is something the matter, Lord Clawed?" She asked.
Clawed turned to them, "let me ask you a question, Lady Hanger. "
"Please enlighten me, lord clawed." She responded in respect.
It was true she was a noble demon and from a noble family, but respecting the words of the strong was the only way to get stronger.
"Have you forgotten why the Arenas were made in the first place? Have you forgotten why all of you became Arena masters?"
"I haven't forgotten lord Clawed. It is to use the humans against the Devil menace."
"Good," Clawed nodded, "and how do we achieve that?"
"By stimulating growth because of danger and a fear of death," she responded.
Clawed nodded again, "exactly! So tell me, who do you think will have a better chance against the final Dungeon boss. Those that went through the trial of danger, becoming stronger along the way, or those that had no improvement whatsoever until the end."
Clawed did not need to talk further. She understood his words. However, from the very start, she had her own plans.
"Forgive me lord Clawed, but I have my own plans, by the end of the tournament, we shall see if my method or yours was the better strategy."
"Ohh!" Clawed eyes got brighter.
He turned to look at Lenny standing before the Monalisa portrait and his lips curved in a side smile, "oh, we will see!"
Meanwhile, Lenny questioned the background of the painting.
The moment he did, it slowly changed from a waterfall to that of a high skyscraper.
This had happened so tactically that Lenny and A222 would have believed that a skyscraper had been behind the Mona Lisa all along.
"Does this fucker take me for a freaking papaya!?" Lenny thought to himself as he turned to A222.
She too raised a brow. It was as if she could read his mind.
Just then, the Lisa in the painting slowly opened her mouth to take a big bite out him.
*Slash!*
With his eyes still on A222 his left hand instinctively moved with his Katana slashing at the Lisa's face, tearing it into two.
Blackish devil blood splashed across the wall like an artist destroying his work of art with paint.
There was suddenly an echo of loud ear irritating SCREECHING, like long finger nails sliding across a chalk board.
Lenny looked behind and there it was.
The paintings were coming to life.
Like a swarm of white eyes undead breaking their bones to dig out of their graves, the people in the painting forced their way out.
All those noble men dressed in their Era's most most fashionable attire folded themselves out of the paintings as they rushed for Lenny and his teammates.
Lenny waved his hands as both blades appeared.
Immediately, he rushed to battle.
"WAIT!!! Don't go! Those are..." A222 tried to warn.
However, Lenny had moved fast.
In barely a second, he had already arrived at the first Devil.
He swung the blade in his hands and the first devil with it's abnormally opened wide mouth that was well decorated with long sharp teeth ate the sting of his aggressiveness.
*SLASH!*
The blade made a cut so clean, that Lenny would have willed the cut part into the storage to join his other severed body parts collection if he was not in the middle of battling.
However, when his second blade came down on the Devils, the strangest thing happened.
The Devils morphed into spirit form.
His blade went right through their bodies.
"What in fucking...!?" He cursed out loud as he waved his blade once more, but it only passed through the bodies of the Devils now in spirit form.
There still had that horrible hunted look on their faces as they rushed at him.
There went through his defenses and hit him hard on the chest.
*BOOM!*
He was hit hard in the chest. As he flew backwards, so did the Devils.
A jet of blood escaped his mouth as he was sent flying back.
Lenny rolled on the ground.
The Blades went back into the storage as he grabbed his chest with both hands.
It was as if an heaven itch had appeared right from his insides.
He felt the incredible urge to tear his own skin, muscles and bones to scratch the itch.
As he did, he coughed up more blood.
C888 rushed to help him up to his feet.
However, Lenny was so shaken that his legs actually felt weak.
<Alert>
<Temporary Soul defence activated>
<Defence integrity at 77%>
<Please note: Soul will be devoured at 0%>
Lenny was surprised by the alert he just got.
However, A22 and A123 also came to help him up. As they did, A222 explained.
"Shit! Shit!! Shit!!! Those are fucking Soul Devils. We have to get the fuck out of here..."
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