Asterius

"Hhahahahahahah!"

I heard laughing. After that I heard heavy foot steps. I took a deep breath. Soon his body entered my vision. Around 7 meters he was huge. Only part of body that wasn't pitch black were runic blood red writings that shined. He was even more musculer than any of mutated minotaurs.

"Sorry for not welcoming you. You are so weak that I didn't noticed you. Hahahaha!"

His laughing ringed in my ears. With 3 eyes he looked down on me. Third eye in his forehead casted curses as me just by looking. While I was able to resist it, Nidalia fell to her knees.

"Your opponent is me."

I lunged towards him. My body reinforced by aura and lightning, my spear burned with black flames. But when I was about to hit him my body stopped.

"Grhhhh!"

I tried to push myself more. I was just about to hit his body! Why did my body stop? Is this his ability?

"Oh. You don't know the rules."

As I sweated to push my spear further, he didn't do anything.

"We Calamities cannot attack to each other. That's the rule. Guess you are new, huh?"

I jumped back and created magic circles. But just as I was about to fire magic, they shattered.

"Told you. Someone carrying title Calamity cannot attack others."

"Why are you doing this?"

I pointed around us. All the mutated minotaurs were prostrating. He shrugged.

"Fun, I guess."

"What?"

"Come on! You also know it."

"I don't know shit!"

"Okay. I tell you. But I first need to finish something."

He reached his hand to Nidalia. I got between them.

"Fuck off." I growled to him.

"You want her? Okay, you can have her."

I expected him to fight but he just turned his back.

"You are…"

"I also cannot attack you. Plus, I have a lot of woman. You can have that."

He talked about her like an object. He reminded me… Her.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Name is Asterius. A Beast of Calamity just like yourself."

There was an awkard silence.

"Shouldn't you also introduce yourself?"

"Nox."

"So, Nox. Why are you here?"

"I am here to kill you."

He looked around.

"An interesting goal. But since you can't do that, what will you do?"

That made no sense. This guy was the floor boss. How I am supposed to defeat him? Also what was that rule with Calamities not attacking themselves?

(Beast of Calamity Asterius is not the floor boss.)

What? Who is then?

(Princess of Birighthide Tribe.)

I felt my blood becoming colder. I looked at Nidalia. I had to kill her to continue? And I can't kill other Calamities? Bullshit. My body turned into a demonic beasts.

"Oh, so you can get stronger!"

Lightning and fire covered around me. Fusing with my aura, they created a whirlpool. He clapped his hands.

"Not bad! Not bad at all!"

(Surpressing unnecessary emotions.)

(Title Defiant prevents System from mentally manipulating User.)

(Mental Barrier became level 9.)

(Surpressing unnecessary emotions.)

(Title Defiant prevents System from mentally manipulating User.)

(Mental Barrier became level MAX. Mental barrier is evolving. Passive skill Mental Barrier evolved into passive skill Mind of Steel.)

Using Breath I circulated my magic power to limit. Any mistake while doing that would cripple me so I slowed time using Time Alter. I jumped towards Asterius. Several shockwaves exploded in air, throwing Nidalia far away. Where I was before jumping now stood a huge crater. My perception slowed, I flew towards him while swinging my spear. He seemed unbothered by it. When my spear was about to hit him, my body stopped once again.

"Wrath!"

Red energy rose from my body. Pushing all the muscles in my body, I moved my spear further and hit him.

(Title Defiant brokes the rule put by Calamities.)

He was blown away from my attack. As if his huge made out of paper he flew. Flying for several hundreds of meters and destroying several meters, I couldn't see him anymore.

(Demonic Beast's Outrage became level 7.)

(Aura Manipulation became level 2.)

(Predator became level 3.)

(Wrath became level 5.)

(Breath of Primordial became level 2.)

I stood after hitting him. Due intense power I put in that strike all of my body hurt. I could feel my bones shaking with just recoil.

"Run."

I growled out my words. My body slowly turned into a mindless beasts.

"This place will be a battlefield worse than Hell."

With Clairvoyence I could see him coming here.

"What the hell are you?"

He had a huge wound in his chest. Good, my attack went through.

"How could you broke the rule?"

"I am a defiant, you asshole."

He grabbed an axe. I charged towards him while roaring. My mind slowly faded. When we clashed ground split open. I felt my shoulder nearly dislocating when our weapons clashed.

"You made a big mistake rookie! I don't know how you broke the rule but you cannot defeat me!"

He shouted as his attacks pushed me to ground. I read his attacks with Mind's Eye. Using the momentum I stabbed and pierced his forearm.

"They always say the same thing! And yet!"

My strike blow his entire arm.

"… Yet, I am still here."

I destroyed his weapon with mine.

"Still standing!"

I broke one of his horns.

"Still alive."

He manifested blades made out of dark energy. One strike opened a huge gash.

"While all of them are dead!"

My black flames consumes his blades. Throwing away them he summoned more. We clashed, creating shockwaves and breaking sound barrier.

"Don't be arrogant, you little shit!"

I felt my ribs cracking due intense pressure his attacks caused. Our weapons got interlocked. Both of us put all of our strength, yet both of us didn't moved for a inch.

(Wrath remaining time: 1 minute, 22 seconds.)

If we just stuck in this condition I would lose when Wrath ends. Taking a deep breath, I controlled all the powers I had. Black flames, lightning, aura, Wrath even power coming from Destruction Incarnate. Focusing them at the top of my spear, I pushed forward. Just as I compressed them, tehy started to go out of control.

"Shit!"

While I swore, he started to laugh.

"Can't control powers you have, wimp?"

I took a deep breath. Breath of Primordial. I felt the way it controlled my magic power. Couldn't I just used it to apply other powers I had? By applying how my magic power controlled by Breath, I focused all the powers I had in the tip of my spear.

"Arghhhh!"

I roared. My spear destroyed the energy blades Asterius created. But it wasn't enough. I thrusted my spear more. I went through his entire chest. He stumbled back and fell to the ground. I saw wound in his chest trying to close. I put my feet to his chest and pushed him.

"How?"

He tried to escape.

"I can't die! I don't want to die!"

I looked around. This place, despite being in a maze looked like a village. However, now it was in ruins. Its inhabitats were dead or mutated beyond return.

"Help me! Kill this son of bitch!"

He shouted to his underlings. Hearing his shout, several of minotaurs came forward. Without lifting my feet from Asterius, I shot them a look. Releasing my power to fullest, Predator's effect caused them to back away.

"No! Why?"

I looked at the bloodstained walls. Once people lived in here. In peace.

"Why did you do what you have done?"

Only coldness existed in my voice.

"I am the Calamity! Lord of…"

I pierced his head. He didn't deserved last words.

"Devourer."

Now, I could see how Devourer worked. A jaw made out of my soul appeared in air and shallowed him. Maybe I finally could see how it worked due being understanding magic power better.

(You devoured Beast of Calamity Asterius.)

I coughed blood. My wounds were deeper than what I thought. I fell to ground. I tried to keep myself awake. I tried to get up. But my body felt heavy. When I looked lower, I realized that the gash in my chest reached to my heart. Also my body felt hot. Like the times I couldn't process my power.