A few minutes ago....
Lenny handed A222 the Black shield and headed out of the room.
As he did, A222 and A123 stood by the door, opening it slightly to see what was going to happen outside.
They watched attentively as Lenny took on all the Soul devils as they swirled about him before rushing into his body.
Meanwhile, C888's attention was drawn to the bed.
He walked over to it, and leaned right at the spot LennY had just been shedding tears.
For him, this was the first time he was seeing such a bed.
After all, Gladiators were not allowed such luxury.
He traced his hands across the sheets.
It was soft, and good to the feel.
He was very tempted to lie and sleep on the bed, but even he was aware that this was not the time nor place.
Just then, his fingers brushed across something.
It was foreign and did not have the smoothness that the silk sheets had.
He wanted to ignore it, but the feel of the sheets just did not feel right with this substance.
He frowned as he raised his head to check.
It was a folded brown piece of paper.
It was folded tight and well.
Out of curiosity, he opened the paper, and then his brows frowned even tighter.
He remembered that A222 said something about the soul devils taking form from one's memories.
He knew that Lenny was a Reminder, which makes sense that all they were seeing was from memories Lenny had access to.
As far as C888 was concerned, all this memories were from Lenny's connection to his ancestors.
After all, Lenny was a gladiator and had lived his entire life in the arena.
There was absolutely no way that all this was from his own memories.
The perfect explanation was that it was from people that had come before him.
Nevertheless, A222 had said that details were important.
This was proven when Lenny stood before the Monalisa portrait and said the portrait was missing important details of which it changed immediately.
These Soul devils were very particular with every memory.
It was one of their special attributes as soul Devils.
Even the smell of the room was not left out.
"In that case," C888 sighed to himself as he put the odd looking picture in his Gladiator pants.
There was a sudden rumble and C888 immediately ran to the door to see what was happening.
Only for him to peep outside, and see a sight he was not expecting.
Lenny knelt on the ground, tears flowed from his eyes. The same eyes that also shone in an eerie green color.
In his arms, was what appeared to be a mutilated woman.
However, her arms were wrapped around him.
Slowly, like the roots of a tree, they snaked all over his body.
They continued to grow around him, as he teared down, wrapping around him, as they slowly penetrated his body, entering his Orfrices and snaking into his veins and arteries.
<ALERT! ALERT!! ALERT!!!>
<Mind invasion! Mindinvasion!!>
The Satan system warned again and again, but it was of no use.
Lenny was too far gone in the pain of his struggle.
In his mind's eye, the only thing he saw was Catherine with her dead eyes in his embrace.
Her cold body to the feel of the touch, hunted his attention, his concentration, and every cell of his body.
Now more than ever, he felt so close but yet so far from her.
When the feelings started, he knew deep down that it was better to move away from her.
It was better to give up on the job and leave, but every moment his eyes met hers, it was a pull like no other.
Like a black hole sucking all into it's unforgiving dark depths, she drew him in.
The feeling was not any he had ever felt before.
It was like he was always made to be hers and her, to be his.
It was an inmate attraction he never questioned.
After all, was there any use questioning the attraction between magnet and iron?
Such was their pull. Much as if it was always meant to be.
Never questioned, never opposed.
A match made by the very stars in attitude of their kindness.
In one another, they had become one.
And now, without her presence he was like a snail empty of its shell.
He was a body empty of a heart.
Now hollow of the functionality of his existence.
All he was left with was longing and pain, reminders of his abrupt failure.
For all he had achieved and was capable of, he was not even able to protect one person.
Shame was not even a measurable container for his uselessness.
Meanwhile, Gladiators under Lady Hanger sneaked into the second level.
There were surprised at the change of scene.
Only a bit ago, it had been a cave and now, it was the corridors of a beautiful castle.
While they surveyed the place, taking their time to advance, something else was happening with Lenny.
After careful deliberation, A222, A123 and C888 opened the door and walked out of the room.
Gently, and carefully, with the Black shield to cover them, they advanced steadily towards Lenny.
"Is he okay!?" C888 asked.
"What do you think!?" A123 asked with a raised brow.
"Something is wrong! We need to separate him from that! Whatever it is." She pointed at the woman in his embrace.
"I don't know what it is, but I can hear it entering his veins to his heart! If it takes total control of his heart, then it is over.
"How the fuck are we going to do that? We are not like him you know. That thing is a soul devil, if we touch it, our souls will be lost." A123 added.
A123 had just made a very valid point.
Touching a Soul Devil was akin to seeking death.
A222 immediately handed the black shield to A123. She brought out her knives and extended her Darkline magic on them.
Using a normal weapon might not work, but using a weapon covered in Darkline magic might do the trick.
She waved her knives and brought them down fiercely.
However, what happened next took all of them by surprise.
Lenny stopped her blade just before it would reach the woman in his embrace.
Of course, the Soul devil was still in Catherine's form.
She tried hard, pushing the blades as hard as she could, but was it even possible?
Lenny was many times stronger than her.
With a wave of his hand, he threw her to the side.
"A222!!!" A123 screamed in worry as he hurried for her. He hurried over with the Black shield in hand and C888 followed him.
Just then, they heard a voice. It was none like they had ever heard before.
"Finally, a suitable body I can make my own."
The voice had come out of Lenny's mouth. It was Eerie and echoed like his voice over lapped on top each other.
This surprised all of them.
Lenny slowly stood up. His eyes were still an Eerie green, and green tree like roots that had penetrated his body made him an abomination to look at.
However, they could not take their eyes off him.
After all, he was supposed to be the strongest amongst them.
But the Boss of this Level had suddenly taken over his body.
The Boss Devil in Catherine's form still in the nude floated in the air behind him.
While Lenny stood before it. Green Tree like roots extended from her fingers all over his body.
He stood before her like a puppet before a puppet master.
"Oh Fuck!" A222 cursed as she saw what was happening.
They all had a mixture of both surprise and fear on their faces.
The Soul devil behind had a menacing smile. She leaned over Lenny's shoulder, and then she whispered into his ear, much like an affectionate lover, "You'll do anything for me, right?" She asked tenderly.
"Yes, yes Catherine! Anything for you." Lenny answered blindly.
As he did, tears still fell the side of his eyes.
"Good," the Soul Devil nodded. "These people are trying to hurt me. They are trying to hurt your Catherine. You did not protect before. Protect me now. KILL them all!!!" Her voice hissed lightly.
Just like that, the Devil ordered their death.
Lenny nodded as his head sharply turned to them in their corner.
At the sight of those Eerie eyes on them, A123 could not help but frown as he Cursed, "fuck! Fuck!! Fuck!!! We are so fucked!"
This gladiators had been with Lenny for a while now.
They knew what he was capable of doing. They had seen him slice and dice people. Falling them like domino tiles.
And now, he was to face them. None of them was a fool to believe that they could match him in battle.
Immediately, Lenny waved his hands and Two Katanas appeared.
He kicked against the ground as he rushed at them with his blade.
A massacre was on it's way.
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