Calm before the storm

{ Tier II Leviathan Night Guardian, has perished. }

{ Your inner flame burns brighter. }

Taking a seat at a nearby tree, Uni and Moon caught their breath for a moment.

After killing the Night Guardian, Moon was very confused, "Nothing about this is normal. Why the hell are we running into Tier II Leviathans? This is a Nocra, it's like one in a million that they go above the Beast rank, so to have a CC inside it's world that's Tier II ... This may not be as easy as I thought." He muttered

Listening to what Moon was saying under his breath, Uni asked, "What are you talking about, how is this strange? And What is a Tier II Leviathan?" Sighing a bit, Moon said, "I hate explaining shit.. but listen. Remember when I mentioned that we're inside a Nocra earlier? Well, that CC we just dispatched, it's not your typical creature. It's a Tier II Leviathan. That's weird because Nocras usually have creatures classified as either Beast Rank or Leviathan. So, having a CC that's a Tier II Leviathan within a Nocra's world... well, I'm sure you see how this is strange right?"

Uni nodded, starting to grasp the concept. "And you mentioned something about Tiers, too. I vaguely remember our professor talking about the Hierarchy. But, they never explained the Tier aspect. What is that?

Moon leaned in, explaining further," Well to keep it brief, Remember our class where the professor talked about the Hierarchy and the seven different ranks for CCs: Beast, Leviathan, Hydra, Typhon, Kraken, Phoenix, and Demon? Well, he left out the part about Tiers within those ranks. Each rank has three Tiers, and these Tiers determine how strong a CC can be. For instance, if a Beast Rank is at Tier II, it's roughly as strong as a basic Leviathan. If it's at Tier III, it's even stronger than a base Leviathan. The same principle applies to Leviathans. A Tier II Leviathan is on par with a standard Hydra, and a Tier III Leviathan surpasses a base Hydra. I'm sure I don't need to keep going right? You get the Idea."

Nodding his Intently, Uni got a better understanding of how strange this really was. 'I don't think he'd be lying right now, he doesn't gain anything from it, so assuming what he said was true, that makes this situation a little more worrying than I thought. How strong is the creator of this world?'

As he pondered this, Uni made a small circle motion with his finger, summoning the Pantheon.

{ Ember remnants collected: 5/500 }

{ Rank: Mortal }

{ Deity Rank: SSS+ }

{ Mojo }

{ Deity Bond 0/7 }

'Got some new Embers from that, but I got three this time... So I guess whatever Tier it is determines how many remnants you receive.' Getting up, Uni then began to stretch as he said, "I think this should be enough time. My Phoenix Pyre cooldown is over by just now. Moon you ready to keep going." After killing that Night Guardian it was as if something changed within him, like he got some more confidence in himself.

Looking up at Uni, Moon smirked a bit before lifting himself off the ground. "Let's head to that castle and deal with whoever's trying to trap us here," he said, tapping his gauntlets together. They walked in silence for a bit until Uni asked Moon a question, "So, how do you even know all that stuff? The Professor hasn't even told us about that, not even the different CCs we could encounter. But you already knew what CC this was, and we've only been in here for a minute. So, how?"

Moon looked thoughtful but chose to remain silent, his gaze fixed ahead as they continued on their path towards the castle, leaving Uni's question unanswered for now. 'Ouch.. that one hurt, being blatantly ignored like I wasn't even there. But I guess that's kinda been my whole life, so this isn't much different...' With that they just stayed quiet, walking together in the silence.

As Uni and Moon approached the castle, they encountered more CCs along the way. However, these creatures proved to be no match for them, in stark contrast to the formidable Night Guardian they had battled earlier.

They found it a bit surprising but certainly welcomed the easier challenge. The break from constant danger was a relief. As they reached the bridge leading to the castle, their clothes and faces were splattered with CC blood, giving them the look of battle-hardened individuals.

Upon crossing the bridge, they were surprised to find the castle doors wide open. They entered cautiously, something about the atmosphere made them uneasy, almost as if gravity had intensified.

Taking a glance around, the castle's interior had an eerie, horror-like quality. Up ahead, a peeling stairwell led further into the darkness. The only source of light filtered in from outside, casting faint illumination on numerous portraits of unrelated individuals lining the walls. Above, an unsettling creak emanated from a perpetually moving chandelier.

Despite their prolonged stare, the chandelier showed no signs of slowing down, maintaining an eerie, never-ending motion.

Feeling thoroughly creeped out, Uni and Moon remained on high alert as they cautiously ascended the stairs. The chandelier creaking and their footsteps the only audible sound in the castle. The eerie silence hung heavily, putting them on edge. They believed they were prepared for anything, but their composure shattered when a sudden quake rattled the ground. And then, a humanoid figure came bursting through the walls, charging toward them with an unsettling determination.

Caught off guard, they activated their abilities—Uni's Phoenix Pyre and Moon's gauntlets. However, their efforts seemed futile as the figure, undeterred, seized both Uni and Moon by their skulls and tossed them into the air.

The figure vanished in the blink of an eye, reappearing directly above Uni and Moon, delivering a brutal blow to their chests that sent them tumbling down several levels. For a moment, they stayed on the floor incapacitated, coughing up blood and struggling to regain their senses.

"What...that's...t-that's blood! Who the hell was that guy, anyway!?" Uni exclaimed in a panic as they were surrounded by rubble, leaving a clear hole leading to the surface. After taking some time to recover, both Uni and Moon managed to get back on their feet, wiping the blood from their mouths.

Surveying their surroundings, they realized they were in an incredibly spacious area, akin to entering a stadium.

With a cheeky smile, Uni quipped, "Underground chambers never lead to anything good... I have experience..."

Just as he uttered those words, the ground trembled once more, and the humanoid figure descended, striking a superhero-like pose.

As they slowly rose to their feet, Uni and Moon finally got a good look at their assailant. The creature wore no clothes except for joggers. Its face was the strangest part; it possessed teeth resembling those of a vampire, but that was all. There were no other facial features, no eyes, nose, or even eyebrows.

Realizing that using his Phoenix Pyre was futile, they began to run forward with Moon close behind. However, at that very moment, Uni's powers were inexplicably disabled, and they were pulled to the ground, unable to escape.

Trapped and powerless on the ground, Uni and Moon stared up at the faceless creature closing in with a malicious grin. Crushed by the overwhelming gravity, Uni and Moon were again coughing up blood. Just as things looked their grimmest, the ground began to shake once more. But this time, it wasn't the creature's doing. They exchanged puzzled glances. In the midst of their dire situation, they remained blissfully unaware of just how much worse things were about to become.