Garden Of The Abyss

As the two slowly moved forward, leaving a trail of crimson behind them as their tired, heavy breaths were the only ambiance, the relieving sight of the entrance to the arena was finally in sight.

"We...made it?"

Ren spoke in a gasp as he started to move faster with Jae-Seong still leaning on him; the density of corpses was heavy near the entrance, but it was quiet.

"Don't jinx it."

"...True."

They shared a brief chuckle before reaching the front of the gilded door; each placing a hand on either side of the double door, they looked at each before nodding--pushing the large, heavy doors open as it croacked.

As the unsealed doors parted, they found themselves in a meadow of pale, white grass, stretching far and wide.

"Where the hell are we?"

Ren asked, but it seemed his companion had the same question as his eyes scanned the area; it was an unnatural scenery for the realm: the usual, abyssal ceiling occupied by upside down, snow-white oak.

"Beats me. Wherever we are, it looks a helluva lot better than in there."

Smiling smally, Jae-Seong muttered as a cough followed his words.

An uncountable number of swords and spears were implanted into the fields like a forest of steel; standing out most of all in the distance was a grandiose castle made of ivory.

"I think I know where we are. Macheo told me about this; I'm pretty sure it's Camlann--the last quadrant of this floor."

Ren deciphered, looking around to see to finally notice the abundant corpses of inhumanly tall knights dressed in silver armor.

"Looks like Belmon already laid waste to this place as well."

"Well, all we can do now is wait, right? Sicarius said another from Osmanthus would be escorting the others out…I hate to say it, but I don't think either of us are in the condition to act like heroes. I'm just about out of mana, and you're...yeah."

Saying this, Ren watched as Jae-Seong took those words to heart while taking a seat in the pale grass, coating the seraphic foliage in the crimson that seeped from his arms. It was hard to see the man in such a state, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

"What a hell of a day, huh, Ren?"

"Yeah."

Staying on his feet, he matched the direction of Jae-Seong's gaze, watching the territory of ivory nature around them.

Come on, guys...please make it out, Ren thought.

As he looked at those parted doors with longing, worried eyes--something began to meet his ears besides the melodic winds.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

It came from within the boundaries of the mystical stadium inhabited by abundant death; within the quartz walls of the place that held an expansive realm within its doors--monstrous steps grew in speed.

"Something is coming."

Even as exhausted as he was, Ren said this while drawing Belus from its sheath--still feeling the the ignition of the adrenaline flowing through his veins.

"Today is not my lucky day."

Jae-Seong said with one eye closed, almost swaying side-to-side from the exhaustion overtaking his battered body. Just like the snowy-haired companion of his, Jae-Seong took to his feet despite the state of his body.

"...That doesn't sound like a Reverse Walker."

"A monkey could've deciphered that; something big is coming; really big."

The golden-eyed man cracked his knuckles as the pain didn't even seem to register in his mind, facing the opened doors alongside Ren.

I guess his adrenaline is still pumping, huh? Ren thought.

Expecting something to propel through those doors--something did come, too fast to register, in fact--it didn't care to use the gateway too small for its frame as it crashed through the front of the building, sending a cloud of dust that rained debris towards the two, exhausted men.

"I can't see a thing…!"

"Luft!"

Shouting this, Jae-Seong swiped his hand, using a fit of wind magic to part the cloud of dust as their visitors were revealed to them.

"...What is that thing?"

Ren's eyes widened at the sight of the hulking creature that bore prominent, curved horns attached to its head that inhabited no flesh. Wrapping around its limbs were loose chains with no end, dragging behind its colossal form as steam propelled from its bony nostrils.

The first thing that came to his mind was Asterius, but the beast was clearly not a minotaur; it's feet were not hooves, and its body was clad in no fur, exhibiting a black hide across its muscular, veiny form that seemed to surge with a convulsing rage.

Beyond that:

It's bigger; it's definitely a bit taller--but more than that, it's huge! It's like if that damn minotaur fused with a gorilla! Ren thought.

"Good find, Wrath."

Walking out from the shattered entrance, a man with a calm, monotone voice had his hands slipped into the pockets of his sable cassock.

Though his appearance wasn't anything abnormal, in comparison to the Marquis of Rot, the spiral inhabiting his marmalade irises gave it away to both of the men. Aiding this, a deathly, malicious aura seeped off of the man in abundance--an unmistakable darkness that tasted the same as the Marquis of Rot's own.

"That guy is definitely a part of Belmon. Stay vigilant."

"A Marquis?"

Jae-Seong responded in a whisper as the two stuck close to one another, keeping their eyes locked on the two, mysterious entities.

"...I don't know. Still...I think the bigger question is what that beast is?"

This has to be a cruel joke, right? I thought we were clear...why is something like this here? Ren thought.

The question flooding from Ren's lips brought both of their gazes to the now stationary beast--who seemed to want to do anything but stand still as it shook with a bubbling, endless rage.

...For now, Iris, all of you...stay in there just a little longer, he thought.

With a cough, the man with bags under his eyes ran his fingers through his messy, dark locks, calling the attention back to himself as he stood beside the colossal beast.

"Marquis Liber was sent to handle you; I take it your being here means he failed?"

"If you mean that creepy-ass rot guy, then yeah, I blew him to pieces!"

Ren responded to the unknown, dreary-eyed man with a sharp responde, waving his sword around as the man who looked similar to him in age simply released a sigh.

"I see...how exhausting. Wrath, kill the golden-eyed one and apprehend the white-haired one."

Giving this order, the softly-spoken man of a short stature brought himself close to Wrath, whispering into the beast's absent ear:

"You can break him if you'd like, but just make sure he lives. Let loose, Wrath."

--With these words, the slobbering beast unveiling a tongue hidden within its sable skull before roaring out towards Ren and Jae-Seong.

"Here it comes."

"Yeah! I'll cover you--"

Before Ren could even properly take a stance--the colossal beast already disappeared from his vision; a powerful gust of wind brushed against the left side of his body.

What?...He thought.

Turning his gaze to the left, Wrath was already in front of Jae-Seong with its scarred, beefy hand raised to the air with utter bloodlust oozing from every pore of its war-torn form.

Shit...I'm off my game right now; I couldn't even track it! Jae-Seong thought.

Raising his peeled arms into a guard, he received the blow that punished his dulled senses--the enormous fist thundering down upon his arms as every nerve present in his body screamed out from the ravenous strength behind the beastly fist.

Following the punch all the way through, Wrath's blow lifted him off the ground--throwing Jae-Seong backwards into the air.

As he soared back through the air, landing down on the ivory stretch of pale grass harshly, Jae-Seong struggled to lift himself back up before he looked at his quivering arms; feeling as if pins and needles were prodding his every nerve.

I thought...my arms were blown right off. Holy shit...He thought.

Distracted by the voltage of pain seizing his arms, Jae-Seong looked up to see the towering beast standing before Ren--who was distracted by the man's wellbeing.

"Ren! Look out!"

Jae-Seong's yell came at just the last moment as Ren trusted his senses--ducking down as the bloodthirsty fist carved through the winds harshly. From the wind pressure alone, a sharpness pelted against his back; it was the sort of strength that loomed over him like an immutable mountain--inspiring utter dread.

I almost died…?! Ren thought.

Stumbling forward, he picked himself up, rolling forward as a stomp crashed down into the vanilla pasture where he previously stood.

Using the momentum from his roll forward, he spun around to face the wrathful beast while on one knee.

"Araphel: Void Slicer!"

--Quickly said, quickly came a slash of refined, condensed darkness that inlaid itself across the giant's chest. A brief flash of magenta and black flooded his eyes in the collision of Wrath's hide and his magic.

Huh? He thought.

Nothing. For a moment, he questioned if he had even conjured the spell in the first place; not a single essence of it ever existing was left on the ebony beast's scarred torso. In that field of boundless, ivory grass, despair replaced the resolve flowing through his veins as he looked up at the dreadful creature as it blew steam through its nostrils.

I can't beat it, he thought, it's impossible. That was one of my strongest attacks!

Witnessing the massive fist that inhabited an aura of death around its hulking form, Ren felt his body freeze under the terror of Wrath's might.

I can't move. I can't. I'm going to die…! He thought.

Plummeting downwards towards the head of white hair, the beast's fist halted at the calm man's voice who spectated the scene.

"Oh, right, stop for a second, Wrath. We can stop this at any time, Ren Nakamura. It's honestly kind of exhausting, so just come with me so this can all be done and over with."

Hearing this from the tired-looking man dressed in dark robes, Ren was silent for a moment as his mouth was left agape--simply wondering how he was still in the realm of the living.

"...Who the hell are you? What do you even want with me anyway?! I don't know you!"

Asked this by Ren while Wrath remained still at the man's orders, the baggy-eyed man paused for a moment as he scratched his head.

"I guess it's common courtesy to introduce myself if I already know who you are, isn't it? How exhausting. I'm Zeno Tressa, the Marquis of Death."

...Marquis....of Death? Ren thought.