Chapter 40: On another level
{mass release 1/4}
The atmosphere around the throne room became tainted with a sense of dread as Callum, their single fastest fighter—whose talent allowed him to move almost at the speed of sound—was taken out by a simple goblet throw.
This especially got them all trembling as they stood in the vast space, cold sweat clearly visible running down their faces. The question that lingered in their minds was simple yet terrifying: Was this the being they were supposed to distract?
It was hard to believe they were even in the midst of such a creature, let alone meant to delay it. Blake, in particular, found it hard to stand without swaying from left to right. His palms were drenched in sweat and trembled so violently that his blade almost slipped from his grasp.
The same went for his cohort—each one unable to withstand the pressure emanating from the Crater King. It was suffocating.
Jessica, who held a short rapier in hand, instantly lost her grip the moment she saw the chalice tear through Callum’s skull. The weapon clattered to the ground with a ringing echo that filled the entire throne room.
’What... wha... what is this pressure?’
Jessica opened her mouth to speak but stuttered, finding it impossible to form words. Her body refused to listen, her thoughts resounding with only one command—run.
The Crater King frowned at the shuddering Cohort. It seemed this would not be as fun as he had anticipated. "Just one dies and this is the reaction I get? How weak."
At that statement, Jessica could take no more. Letting out a horrifying shriek, she dropped to her knees, kowtowing and crying instinctively.
It was as if a spell had been cast upon the room—one that stripped them all of rationality. Soon enough, the Cohort members began to collapse, one after another, bowing to the immeasurable, dreadful pressure.
Blake was the last to drop to his knees. His will was strong, but it certainly could not last against the overwhelming might of the Crater King. Each second under that invisible force made them feel as though their skin was peeling from within, their guts writhing like a thousand serpents biting to escape, and their organs bulging painfully, as if they were about to burst.
It was a truly gruesome experience—one that none could endure. All fell to it... all but Drake, who stood staring at the Crater King in the distance.
The King tilted its head slightly, intrigued by the lone masked man still able to withstand its presence. Tapping its fingers idly on the arms of its throne, it stayed silent for a while before speaking.
"You are different... worth a fight. Who are you?"
Drake shook his head, letting his eyes drift from the Crater King to the Cohort sprawled pitifully on the floor. They were in no state to help; he knew that much. Shifting his gaze back to the glowing interface before him, he read the message displayed.
{All aura attacks have been blocked}
"You never cease to amaze me," Drake muttered, glancing once more at the Crater King, who still sat arrogantly upon its throne, glowering down at him and awaiting an answer that never came.
"Don’t think too highly of yourself just because you can withstand my presence," the King said coldly. "If I wished, I could kill you all as easily as I did your fast friend."
Still, Drake offered no reply. From the King’s perspective, the masked man simply ignored him, walking forward with calm, deliberate steps toward the throne.
"You bastard, how dare you ignore me—"
Drake’s gaze shot up, and this time it was filled with bloodlust and resentment—so intense it silenced the Crater King mid-sentence. The mighty ox-like being froze, its tongue held, as it leaned back slightly on its throne.
"Do not be too hasty," Drake finally spoke, his voice monstrous and distorted through the mask. "I’ll kill you soon enough."
The tone was chilling—something inhuman—and it dazed the Crater King even further. What kind of mortal dared to speak that way to him? Curiosity overtook his anger, and he decided to observe this masked human as he continued to close the distance between them.
Drake reached the base of the throne’s staircase and paused before Callum’s corpse. Kneeling, he pried the pair of daggers from the dead man’s hands and wielded them, one in each hand.
After his experience battling the Stone Minotaur, he knew better than to rely on bare fists against an armored foe like the Crater King.
"Pitiful," the King scoffed. "Daggers of that level won’t do you any good."
Opening his palm, a large golden battle-axe materialized from thin air, gleaming with divine brilliance. The king swung it lazily a few times, its weight making the air itself hum. But he stopped when he noticed the human before him was neither impressed nor intimidated. Behind that mask, only bloodshot eyes leaked killing intent.
"I am Guram," he declared. "And you, challenger?"
Drake remained silent for a while, clearly contemplating whether to give his name or not. After a short pause, he finally spoke. "Unknown."
Guram wasted no time. Pulling back his massive arm, he hurled the colossal battle-axe at Unknown with such force and speed that it could have sliced through Drake’s entire body like a hot knife through butter.
In response, a dark pool rippled beneath Drake’s feet, and from it rose the monstrous Stone Minotaur, placing itself between him and the oncoming weapon.
It raised both arms to block—and when the battle-axe struck, a devastating crack echoed through the entire sanctum. The blow had been stopped, and Drake stood unharmed—if one ignored the ringing in his ears.
However, the same could not be said for the Minotaur. The weapon had torn through its once-impenetrable armor, slicing both arms clean off before lodging deep in its chest. The summoned warrior fell to one knee, then collapsed face-first into shadow before vanishing entirely.
{You have lost an undead}
Drake’s eyes widened beneath the mask. ’Just one attack? How is that even possible?’ The sheer destruction from that single strike—enough to tear apart the very creature even he struggled to damage—sent a ghastly chill crawling down his spine.
’The strength of this monster is on another level entirely. If I take even one hit, it’s over.’
He tightened his grip on the daggers, already reconsidering them. ’These won’t hold up against that thing...’
’I can’t use my Dragons either—it’s too dangerous. The army summons are replaceable, but the Dragons... they’re system-bound. If they die, it might be permanent.’
’This is going to be trickier than I thought.’
Guram grinned widely, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth that gleamed under the dim light, radiating an aura of menace that even Drake felt this time.
Surely, the Crater King was on another level entirely.