Cruelty

"So, why in a maze, out of all places?"

I asked as I kicked one of minotaurs. It hit his head to one of walls and lost consciousness. Nidalia was right, knocking them out became easier with her singing.

"Our race feels more comfortable in places like this."

She answered while she checked the condition of minotaur lying in the ground. She sighed in relief.

"Thank you again for not killing them."

I clicked my tongue.

"Let's go."

I walked. Nidalia knew the outline of this maze so I no longer need to break down walls. I didn't know if it was a racial trait or she just memorized the outline.

"What about the mimics and that shadow creatures?"

She looked confused.

"I don't know about them. We didn't had those before he came here."

I see.

"Did you felt a dimensional shift?"

She tilted her head.

"I don't know what does that means."

So unlike Jasper's Castle this place wasn't transported to another place. But why did Lucy made things this complicated? According to Jasper his castle was transported out of nowhere. And Lucy told me that she put together this dungeon. But none of the other creatures mentioned about being transported.

"What do you call this planet?"

I asked as I hit my feet to ground.

"Trondai?"

My question must seemed weird to her. This place was neither Earth nor Minerva's planet. Minerva's planet was called Dreindel.

"Do you know about my race?"

She paused.

"You are a demon?"

Considering her tone, demons must seem like a bad race.

"Yes. Do you know about demons?"

She hesitated.

"I only know stories my mother told me."

"We are a bad race, right? Originating from another dimension, we corrupt and trick other beings."

She shook her hands as if to say no.

"I think those stories were false. You don't seemed to be that kind of person."

I sighed.

"Those stories were correct…"

"Ugh."

She seemed sad. I wondered if I should tell her to truth. After some consideration I opened my mouth.

"The being that created Calamities were Goddess of demons… I am trying to fix her mistakes."

I also called a Calamity by system but I didn't mentioned that.

"That means… That means that not all demons are bad, right?"

Her answer suprised me. I guess one could get that reasoning.

"Maybe your Goddess created Calamities. But aren't you here to defeat them? You even stopped killing my people because I asked you to."

I wanted to tell her my entire story. I haven't talked or discussed the things happening. But I didn't do that. Rather than doing that, I changed the subject once again.

"Do you know what kind of abilities Calamity has?"

She thought in silence for a minute.

"He is bigger, stronger and faster than my father."

If this floor was like previous ones, her father would be the floor boss. And this Calamity was stronger than him.

"He always with 2 of our tribe's finest warriors. He controls… No, he mutated them. He uses them as guards."

"How?"

"They became bigger. Fiercer. I don't think we can just knock them out. They probably are gone for good."

I raised my arm. I transformed it using Demonic Beast's Outrage. It became bigger and more destructive looking. Then I transformed it back.

"They may return to normal after I kill Calamity."

She looked at me with wide eyes.

"They were like that!"

"What?"

"Their mutation. They felt just like how your arm felt!"

Wait… My transformation was simply turning myself to a demonic beast.

"Does that means that Calamity turned them to demonic beasts?"

"I don't know what a demonic beast is but the energy coming from them was similar to your arm."

Black Dog didn't had abilities like this. Maybe just like I got Destruction Incarnate after I got the title Calamity, that was his ability. A skill related to army building. Does that mean his individual abilities are low? I hoped so.

"What about any other skills?"

"He used a huge axe."

Same as other minotaurs. I already got used to fighting enemies with axes so I wasn't too worried. While walking we came across a building. It looked like a house. While it had some cracks in the walls, it was mostly in one piece.

"Is this…"

"Yes. I know… I knew the owner of this house."

So they were dead now.

"We are about to enter our village. I think there will be more people. Will you be able to handle them?"

I chuckled as I raised my spear.

"Just keep singing and dancing. I will knock them out."

The way she weakened enemies was by like that. She song and danced while infusing magic power to her voice and body. For a reason I didn't understood, minotaurs became slower and more easy to knock out. A profession related to weaking enemy. She even could differentiate allies and enemies. Not that it would effect me with Abnormal Condition Resistance.

"Big sis?"

A weak voice came from inside of the house. Nidalia's eyes lit up with hope.

"Dorna!"

She tried to run towards the voice. I grabbed her arm. She turned and looked at me with confusion. I only shook my head.

"What happened?"

I pulled her back.

"Wait here."

I slowly walked towards the house. As I touched the outer walls…

"Got you!"

An arm thick as my body came through wall and tried to grab me. I jumped back. That arms owner broke through the house and came out.

"Dorna?!"

I could feel the pain in Nidalia's voice. Who Dorna were, no longer existed. Around 2.5 meters tall with jet-black skin a full beast stood before me. Red bulging veins popped out of his skin. Salive spewed out of his mouth. His body looked asymmetrical with one side more muscular and more monstrous than other side. I saw Nidalia covering her mouth with her hands in shock.

"You are not Big Sis!"

He shouted as he spewed salive everywhere. I released my magic power and Predator. While he stepped back at first, he throw a punch later. I dodged by jumping at air. I loaded aura to my spear and pierced his skull. He still kept moving. So I sent my black flames through my spear and burned its brain. He stopped moving them.

"I was wrong. I don't think they can return back after we kill Calamity."

Once again, lack of emotion in my voice disgusted me.

"I think only reason they are even alive is because they have immense amounts of magic power in their body. They are basically corpses…"

"Be careful!"

I was hit by something and flew through air. Breaking my fall by creating magic shields, I looked my assailant.

"You are shitting me."

I burned his brain. Yet he could still move? Nidalia started to to sing and dance but I felt something was wrong. I rushed towards and hugged her as Dorna's fist was about to hit her. By reinforcing my body with aura I tanked the punch. Without looking back at him, I created wisps of black flames and fired them. I let go of her and looked back. With a bitter feeling inside me I watched him burned to ashes.

"This is… So cruel."

"I know."

It seems like minotaurs mutated by Calamity basically turned into zombies.

"You can stay behind. I don't think you will want to see what is front of us."

She shook her head.

"No. I am princess of this tribe. If I can't save them, I have avenge them."

"I can't defend you."

She looked at me with angry eyes. She walked and got inside the house. After while she got out with an axe in her hand. She roared…

"Aghhh!"

I saw her muscles get bigger.

"You could do that?"

Then why didn't she done it earlier?

"Let's go."

She walked forward. I followed her. As we walked forward we came across more and more houses. Also…

"Roar!"

I saw severly mutated minotaurs running towards us.

"Are you sure they can't be saved?"

"Yes."

She gritted her teeth and charged forward. She seemed weak and meek just before. I guess anger is one hell of a booster. I also charged with her. Minotaurs still moved after we cut their head. I either had to burn them, or cut of their limbs. While Nidalia couldn't defeat them in one on one she stalled them until I defeated others. Even stalling one helped me and showed me how strong she were actually.

"Were you this strong?"

Mutated ones were stronger than normal ones. Yet she could hold her own.

"Only for limited time!"

So it was a skill similar to Wrath.

"Look at it. She returned. But it is too late."

A deep and masculine voice echoed. Power carried by it made me feel shivers.

"And you even brought back another Calamity."

She looked at me. I could see the feeling of betrayal in her eyes.

"I am here to kill you and end this madness."

I shouted.