The Black Fog

Alex POV

Upon our consent demion and Morris were transported away to the opposite end of the coliseum and both of us entered the white transparent dome which was 2 kilometer wide.

[Use of any ability, weapon and summon is allowed inside the dome.]

[Dome will be lifted only when one participant dies.]

From the 1st trial the tower has been treating beast and retainers as my summons but this floor was different anything summoned outside the dome is considered as a different participant just like demion but inside the dome I can summon any beast for my help.

'Demion can you hear and see me?' I asked demion telepathically from inside the dome to check whether sound can be transmitted.

'Yes lord alex.' He replied which confirmed that the dome is there to only restrict our physical moments.

I already had an idea how I will extract information from Lucius and therefore I summoned psyche (the beast having ability related to mind). His sudden appearance made both leaders raise their eyebrow, but the reason for summoning psyche was not to help me fight Lucius but tap on their telepathic communications.

'Inform me what both the leaders are discussing telepathically and don't get in the way of our fight.' I informed psyche who flew away at the very edge of dome. I could take out more beasts but I was thinking of dealing with Lucius myself.

The reason psyche was out because his ability could easily read the brain waves of others if he is outside the [Quick seal] spell and he was my trump card in extracting memories of Lucius when I have decapitated him.

"What is that beast you have summoned guardian, do you think an S rank beast would be of any use in the fight between us?" He asked me misunderstanding my purpose of summoning psyche, Psyche did not specialized in combat and therefore one would always evaluate him as weak S rank beast by appearance and aura he emitted but he was an X ranked beast.

"The beast is not here to fight, just ignore him; he is just a spectator like the two outside the dome." I said to 4th leader.

'The 1st leader morris is saying to 4th leader lucius to be beware of the beast and if necessary use that artifact which king has given them but without guardian noticing.' Psyche said to me telepathically.

'Okay, keep me updated.' I said.

"Nothing you do is as simple as you say but a weak beast like him won't make any difference." 4th leader Lucius said to me.

"You will not intervene in our fight in any way do you understand." I said looking at psyche who nodded; I didn't call his name so that they don't get the hint of his ability from his name.

"You may not believe me but I always keep my promise unlike your king and fellow leaders." I said looking at Morris his eyebrow twitched at my statement.

"What is the promise king has made with you for you to lay your life?" I answered his question with my own.

"I just answered your question, it is only right if you answer mine." I wasn't expecting an answer but I asked nevertheless but instead of answering me he retrieved his ancestral draconic daggers from his space rune and charged at me.

He didn't use any of his ability but due to use of daggers his strength was multiplied several times. I also retrieved a silver sword from my space rune and without using any ability only with brute force I swung my sword. My sword and his daggers collided and a shockwave spread from our position.

Lucius was pushed back several steps while I stood on my position not moving an inch.

"It was just a casual swing of my sword, come on it is life and death dual not a sparring match, even if you know you can't win at least give the performance worthy of your title 'Lucius of Hell'." I said to him glaring.

"Who said I can't win, the last time we fought I realized something, the way I was back then I couldn't beat you and therefore I devoted my everything for the sake of getting stronger for more than hundred thousand year I have been living a hellish life for only one reason, to show you the hell I have experienced." He said releasing his draconic force.

He released black gas from his body which quickly covered our surrounding, hindering my vision; soon I felt a powerful attack coming from my left and a physical attack from my right.

Both the attack was about to reach me and I was ready to counter them, that is when both the presence vanished and I felt a strong force hit my back.

I stumbled few steps forward and looked at my back where the attack has landed my clothes were torn and my skin had few scratches which started to heal and vanished but the most interesting thing was the attack was not intended to injure my physically but was aimed at my soul.

The fog surrounding me was quite interesting affecting directly soul and I understood that the attack which I sensed previously was not real but due to the effect of fog, it was making my senses dull I had sent few aura slash attack into the fog but they just vanished.

I had used [Soul sense] to find Lucius in this fog but my senses couldn't penetrate deep into the fog.

[Soul sense] was an ability to sense your surrounding by spreading your soul. The stronger the persons soul the farther it can be spread. But for some reason I was feeling various presence inside the fog like hundreds of souls has been dismantled and ordered to resent me.

The ability of 4th leader was manipulation of soul. He could absorb others soul and get strong and also control the soul of other to do his bidding his power was always unstable due to its vicious nature and so was his personality.

I could see the fog slowly corrupting the space I have hardened around me. It was gradually turning black and attacks continued to land on them cracking them little by little. I could still repair the cracks and push the fog out but that would only be a temporary solution.

"I see you have worked really hard 4th leader Lucius." I praised him for his efforts he hadn't shown me this attack last time we fought.

"I don't need your praise but your life." He declared his voice echoing throughout the fog.

"Hoh… for that to happen, I think you have to train for another eternity." I said pushing the fog away from me but the fog continued to advance and increase more.

"You speak some big words for a cornered rat." He said while laughing but I thought that if I let him live any more than this, the poor souls he has absorbed and enslaved will resent me forever.

"Then should we test who is a cornered rat?" I said in dismissive tone. Clenching my fist and accumulating as much mana as I could, the space around the fist started to rotate vigorously and soon a small black ball left my hand heading toward the center of the dome.