The battle commenced as the monsters rushed toward Sith Town. These creatures were not driven by logic, but by a commanding will that forced them into a state of frenzy to kill all challengers. In a sense, those entering the tower were the outsiders to these monsters.
Arthur and his group had no intention to help the residents, as this challenge would bring them together and earn respect for the guild. Thus, the five companions jumped from the walls into the sea of monsters.
Seraphine was the first to rush like a mindless killing machine, effortlessly butchering monsters. She created a path, which the group traversed with relief. Arthur did not attempt to win the bet because his lightning was still killing elemental monsters as they respawned.
The five rushed through the dense forest with ease, following the demon who killed and absorbed monsters. Arthur studied her blood art with interest because the fact that her life force grew stronger the more she killed reminded him of his legacy rune.
As the trees grew more numerous, moonlight became scarce. In a world of darkness, countless red eyes stared at them, encircling them like fireflies. The group stopped as Seraphine began to grow tired, her breathing labored.
"Are we already in the third layer?" asked Arthur as he stepped forward, patting the demon on her back. "You killed over a thousand monsters in less than five minutes. Take some rest."
"You lot are just leeching behind me," said Seraphine, looking back at the four with enraged scarlet eyes. No one could face her accusation, as they had indeed taken a back seat while she did all the work. "Move your asses, too!"
"I will take it from here," said Arthur as the black dagger appeared in his hand. "I want to test how my blade fares against countless monsters. How much power can a godslayer reach?"
Nightmare cried, letting out an ancient and defiant aura. The four glanced at the blade, knowing that both its wielder and the blade itself were far from normal. Thus, they wanted to see too.
Almost ten thousand monsters surrounded them from every direction after they made their way deep into the forest. Their stampede toward the group made the ground shake, but everything seemed to freeze when the black and golden robes fluttered.
Arthur held the dagger with his right hand and placed it on his left waist as he leaned forward. He mustered all the strength he had from his week-long farming of monsters and mana of creation into his arm, supplying it with a terrifying amount of strength.
A crushing aura exploded from his body, pushing everyone a step back. His golden eyes gazed at the incoming monsters, seizing them all. The monsters were as numerous as stars around them, and they were about to reach them.
"I can hear it from within this blade," muttered Arthur as he stared straight ahead. "An ancient art that demands to be revived. The power moves on its own within, seeking an exit. I shall offer it one."
The four had no idea what he was talking about, but Nightmare released another cry of defiance. It began to shine with brilliant lights as the hand holding it began to move.
"Godslayer Art, Eternal Night."
Then, the man and dagger disappeared before their eyes. There were no explosions or blood. No screams or struggles came as a response. The group witnessed the red eyes disappearing one by one as thousands of presences disappeared from around them.
Moonlight seeped through the trees, illuminating the scene around them. Mountains of corpses filled the forest as a figure stood atop them, his robes and hair fluttering in the chilly wind. In his hand was the dark dagger flowing with immense power.
"Eternal Night," repeated Whisker as his eyes flickered in the moonlight. "Ender of everything and silencer of sound. A fitting name for an attack so beautiful."
Everyone agreed with his words, because this slash was unlike anything they knew. It was beautiful and serene, ending all sounds and lives that stood in its way. As serene as the blade, its wielder stood like an ancient statue as black lightning crackled with golden mana. A harmonious picture of destruction and chaos, embodied in one, was painted before their eyes. Then, it all disappeared, as did the blade.
Whisker was the first to move and walk toward the mountain of corpses. He examined them with curious eyes only to find no wounds, but no life as well. The strike indeed brought eternal darkness upon these monsters; it brought their deaths.
The feline reached the mountain of corpses where the Seika stood upon and tried to see where he was looking. In the distance was a hill at the end of the forest, where a single giant monster awaited. It was the first-floor final boss, Night Panther.
Arthur stared at the monster, which he had encountered before. It witnessed him killing thousands of its underlings with one strike, but Whisker saw no fear in its eyes. Instead, it lowered itself atop the hill in a challenging manner, uncaring about Arthur and his team.
"Let's go," muttered Arthur without looking back, and jumped down from the mountain of corpses. The rest followed after him, making their way through countless bodies. It was quiet, as if the monsters never existed.
A moment later, the corpses dissipated into red particles that filled the forest. Their path was illuminated by the lights as more monsters began to respawn. The four followed, but their minds shared the same thought without a single word.
"This man is unusual."
It was not in an apprehensive manner because all of them witnessed how he handled the situation in Sith Town. He gave most of the wealth in the stronghold to Roderick and the guild, while barely keeping enough for himself.
In the span of a single week, he harnessed a power that could slay gods, and it did not even change him. All of them knew how much this attack had given him in reward points: enough to conquer the next floor. However, he advanced without a care.
The monsters respawned, but Whisker and Sarohan took care of them as Arthur made his way toward the hill. Seraphine seemed to realize that this fight was not hers and remained to butcher the monsters.
The hill was surrounded by monsters, but when Arthur and his group arrived, the panther let out a growl that prompted the monsters to make way. The panther awaited him atop the hill, with the red path behind it.
"You want to test me too, huh?" asked Arthur as he climbed the hill. The rest of his team remained at the base to take down the monsters once they attacked. There were almost ten thousand monsters in the forest, who respawned every time they died. However, the horde would disperse once its leader dies.
The giant panther stared at Arthur with an apathetic look. It almost looked like a statue without the usual wrath and ferocity of monsters. In its eyes, Arthur saw intelligence as it recognized him from a week ago.
Nightmare appeared in his hand as a smile crept on his face. Colorless lightning crackled around him, surrounding him like a domain. It zipped past his face as his hair fluttered in the wind, making the panther growl at him.
"You are the strongest monster in this place," said Arthur as he raised his arm to the side with his black dagger facing away. Then, he turned it toward the panther
as he held onto the wrist holding the dagger. "There is a lot I don't know about this blade, but I would like to test it, so be my sparring partner."
The panther raised its claw and stomped on the ground before turning into black smoke. Arthur remained in place as the ground shook beneath him and the hill began to crumble. In a second, the panther was behind him, sending its claw toward his head.
"Godslayer Art, Light Seizer."
The words left his mouth, and all light disappeared from the surrounding. Darkness reigned as the forest no longer had light in it. The sole exception was Nightmare, which seemed to store the moonlight within it. Then, it slashed.
Ssssssss!
Light sizzled before exploding from the blade as it struck the incoming attack and sent the black panther soaring toward a nearby tree. Arthur was still standing in place with his blade in hand while the entire forest fell into silence.
Monsters, similar to his allies, stared at the scene with silence. Their boss slammed into the tree before falling, breaking several ones in half before falling to the ground. Arthur looked down toward his dimming blade with similar apprehension as his enemies.
"Where does this weapon come from?" he wondered, curious as to why a blade of this caliber fell into his hands once he reached the tower. It was even disguised as a normal dagger until he made it his main weapon when it awakened and revealed its new form.
The answer awaited him at the end, where the immortal sage and Yuvan Perli awaited him. Arthur would have to dig out the truth from their lips since he realized that he was lured into the tower for mysterious reasons.
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