THE SCHEME GONE WRONG

[ AREX ]

A metallic clang reverberated through the air as Arex skillfully thwarted Roxina's assault, preventing her blade from reaching his throat. Arex was utterly astonished by the sheer strength of Roxina.

It was only at that moment that he truly grasped the authenticity of Leomold's words, especially as he witnessed the stark contrast between his own power and Roxina's. Arex could not help but acknowledge the immense power Roxina possessed, capable of shattering his arm with ease.

Even before that, Arex sprung backwards far enough to put some distance between herself and Roxina. 

"You nearly had me there," Arex said in a rush. He gently caressed his neck with his left hand, ensuring he was still alive. Arex felt a wave of relief wash over him as he confirmed that he had emerged from the ordeal unscathed.

"Almost? Don't worry, I am not even done yet." With a quick retort, Roxina dashed straight for Arex's. She unleashed a fierce attack, swiftly swinging her scythe towards Arex.

And once again, Arex attempted to fend it off using his gleaming sapphire sword. With each strike, Roxina's power grows, forcing Arex to desperately dodge and create distance in their ongoing battle. 

"I have been wondering why do you still want to fight me, Roxina. When we both know that no matter what you do, you still can't change the fact that you weren't able to defeat me." Arex suddenly spoke as they stood just inches apart, their weapons trembling before their faces as they clashed.

"Shut up, mortal! It was because of you that I had failed the high lord. It was all your doing that my once esteemed position as one of the seven lords of the black parade has been tarnished!" Roxina's anger erupted with explosive force, as if the words Arex had spoken earlier had ignited a long-suppressed rage within her.

Roxina stepped back, lifting her scythe high above her. In this instance, Arex observed the remarkable ability of his opponent to channel a dark and foreboding energy, which surged from her arms and converged into a powerful strike aimed directly at him.

For some inexplicable reason, Arex had a strong intuition that this assault would prove to be more deadly than his previous endeavor. The intensity of Roxina's anger towards Arex only fueled the power she had gathered for this assault. 

As expected, Roxina swung her scythe towards Arex, unleashing a powerful ray of black beam. That If Arex had not dodged in time, he would have been sliced in half.

As Arex skillfully dodged Roxina's formidable attack, he watched in awe as it left a profound, straight crack in the ground. Arex narrowly avoided a fall, only realizing his right foot was at the edge just in time.

"Shit!" Startled, Arex instinctively moved away from the gaping crevice next to him. 

"It seems fortune smiled upon you, allowing you to narrowly escape that." Roxina jeered playfully as she blew away a puff of steam from the tip of her scythe. She spun it around once more after the steam had dissipated and placed it next to her.

Meanwhile, Arex could sense the thunderous pounding of his heart as he recoiled from the near-miss of Roxina's powerful assault. Roxina's newfound power was undeniable, especially since she had become the game's blind. Her abilities had also grown stronger.

Arex could not help but let out a sigh, indicating his frustration with the challenging task at hand. He knew that taking on Roxina alone was akin to a death wish.

He understood that no tactical maneuver would be enough to overcome Roxina on his own, as she would inevitably discover his plan before he could even set it in motion. Even his thoughts were not secure in the presence of Roxina.

From the way Roxina smirked at him, it seemed clear to Arex that something significant was about to happen. "What is with the expression, Arex? Have you exhausted all your strategies?" She playfully taunted, punctuating her words with a mischievous chuckle.

Even though he felt as though he was already cornered, Arex knew that he simply couldn't keep evading Roxina. As Arex continued to fend off Roxina's relentless attacks, a sudden memory of the impromptu training session he had with Leomold came rushing back to him.

In the face of Roxina's apparent trap, Arex swiftly remembered the newfound power he possessed. He almost forgot that he was actually able to manifest a fireball. 

"How stupid. And I almost forgot I got that one." Arex mused, enough for him to hear alone. 

Though Roxina might be able to deduce Arex's next move, this would be her first opportunity to see it in action. Arex desired to cling to the notion that Roxina, being unfamiliar with the concept, might not be adequately equipped to counter it.

With unwavering conviction, Arex found his footing and focused his inner power into his outstretched hand, aimed directly at Roxina. Just as he had done before with Leomold, he effortlessly conjured those blazing orbs towards Roxina.

The powerful shots caused a massive explosion, effectively obstructing Roxina's path. Seizing the chance, Arex made a swift escape from the area with the limited time he had. 

He intentionally did that to escape and regroup with the others. It was what Leomold told him before the two of them parted ways earlier. As Arex made his escape from Roxina, he could not shake the feeling that it would not be long before she discovered his plan. It was possible that Roxina was already aware of his intentions from the start, and was merely toying with him, allowing him to believe he had a chance to escape her.

Regardless, Arex still used the opportunity to escape from Roxina and get the other players gathered to defeat the blind.

Arex recalled the instructions given by Leomold, leading him to entice Roxina into an expansive meadow. Before he knew it, Arex found himself sprinting across a vast, desolate landscape.

"Shit. Now, how do I even gather those morons here? As if a cellphone is even accessible to them? Damn, they all even look like people from primitive times." Arex voiced his frustration as he continued to sprint. 

As he sprinted through the field, his mind raced with ideas on how to connect with the rest of the players. In a stroke of inspiration, he conceived of a signal light that could serve as a beacon, guiding the other players to his location. 

Although Arex found his current predicament to be risky because some of the players refused to team up with him. It wouldn't even be impossible for Roxina to find him first before the other player decides to come and group with him.

Despite that concern, Arex still continued with his initial plan. He raised his hand, palm facing up, and conjured a blazing beam that shot into the sky, signaling his location to the others. Just as he was on the verge of taking action, Roxina materialized in front of him, poised to strike with her menacing scythe.

In fear of getting severed by the scythe, Arex was unable to create the fiery beam so that he could evade Roxina's attack. 

"That was damn close!" He raised his voice, directing his anger towards Roxina.

Roxina quickly fired back, exclaiming, "What an annoyance! I almost had you!" Her voice carried a hint of exasperation, as she once again fell short of her goal.

"I must admit, I am growing quite frustrated with this relentless pursuit of yours. You really aimed to fight, fine. I am giving you one, but not alone, as I know this is the only way that you would be defeated." Arex said back, although that may have sounded like he admitted that he couldn't defeat Roxina all by himself.

"As if you could even have enough time to call for the rest of them." Roxina then said, mocking Arex.

Instead of responding, Arex simply smirked, exuding an air of confidence in his strategy. 

With no guarantee that the other players would respond to his summons, Arex raised his hand high above his head and channeled all his energy into his palm. He then unleashed a mighty beam into the sky, causing a massive hole to form.

"See this light? With this, it would be enough to call those damn players." With a sense of pride, Arex informed Roxina. 

After that, Roxina could not tear her eyes away from the sky and a shiver ran down her spine as she witnessed the impact of Arex's blazing beam. Little did Roxina know, but Arex's plan was about to unfold in a way she could never have imagined. The sheer power of his actions was enough to create a gaping hole right above them.

As Arex reveled in his accomplishments, he could not help but chuckle at Roxina's fear of the blazing ray he had conjured. "If only you could witness the terror etched upon your face now, Roxina. It is quite satisfying to witness your overwhelming fear." Arex even added.

Out of nowhere, a vibrant green light burst forth, unveiling the enigmatic figure of Grecko who wasted no time in unleashing a torrent of words upon Arex. 

"What have you done, mortal!" Grecko's behavior tells that he was infuriated on what Arex just did especially after causing the large hole above them.

Arex, feeling a sense of bewilderment, eventually responded, "What do you mean, what have I done? I was just trying to make a signal call to the other players so they could be aware of my location." 

"You damn fool! Your idea just broke the barrier around Necropolis!" Grecko responded, his voice tinged with irritation at Arex's actions. Afterward, Grecko attempted to seal the hole using his mysterious dark orb, but his efforts were in vain as time slipped away. 

Arex watched in awe as a demonic head, adorned with three towering horns and an array of menacing fangs, emerged from the gaping hole. Grecko desperately attempted to push the orb forward, hoping to seal the opening. However, his efforts proved futile as the demonic head managed to escape from the hole. In a swift motion, it unleashed a powerful suction force that ensnared Roxina.

Arex and Grecko were completely engrossed in the malevolent visage, leaving them powerless against the overwhelming force that prevented them from rescuing Roxina. At the conclusion, they could only witness Roxina's desperate cries for assistance as she was snatched away by the malevolent entity right before their very eyes.

"Hey!" Arex shouted. Driven by his intuition, he desperately tried to prevent the malevolent entity from kidnapping Roxina. However, his efforts proved futile as the entity disappeared into the void, sealing itself off completely after successfully capturing Roxina.

"What on earth was that just now?!" Arex grumbled at Grecko, his frustration evident as he stood with his fists clenched tightly, unable to rescue Roxina.

After a brief pause, Grecko finally responded to Arex's question, "You want to know what just happened, Arex? Well, you've certainly just caused quite a hole that allowed the demon lord to infiltrate Necropolis and captured Roxina."