Lord of the Flies

The seventh floor was a combination of everything annoying about the earlier floors, but amplified. If I wasn't careful, I could be seriously injured here.

'This would be a lot easier if only you used your beast will.'

'Now where's the fun in that? If I wanted to mow through the dungeon, I'd have kept integrate phase active the whole time.'

I ducked under one of the bulky demon's swings, my blade cutting a deep gash across its torso. The water at its edge injecting itself into his bloodstream as he froze from the inside.

Earth mana concentrated around my arms, each blow they received shattering every bone in their body. Vibration was a really useful ability.

The speed type demons would zoom around the cavern looking for openings to attack, but a single hit would break them in half.

The mages found it wise to stay behind, but I had access to ranged magic too. The ground underneath them gave way, sealing them in stone, marking their grave.

But what was most surprising would be the being which patrolled the area. It would come every few minutes, it's axe dragging behind it as it picked out any slackers. Those who survived my blows were taken out by this warden.

But it never attacked me, it seemed to respect my strength. In the end, when the field was filled with the cries of the dying, it would swoop in. The glint of metal, the sound of air being split and blood spraying on the stony ground, that's all that remained behind as I walked.

And so I descended once more.

.

.

.

'This is becoming a bit repetitive.'

'This is the last floor before the boss room.'

'They do seem a bit desperate to keep you out.'

'That and the fact that previous adventurers have confirmed there to be ten floors.'

Sidestepping a warhammer, I swiftly decapitated the demon which had come so close to me. I was getting careless.

I swatted aside a poorly constructed firebird, throwing my sword across the area and stabbing through the archmage.

I cracked my knuckles flowing with ice and earth mana, "Come."

Frozen blood and smashed skulls was all that remained on the battlefield this time. The warden had nothing to cull, so it bowed its head.

Nodding at it, I walked into the stairway of the final floor. Yet, before I could descend, I paused.

'Should I rest?' I had lost a minimal amount of mana in my fights, and I still had two trump cards to rely on.

'Eh, I'll be fine.'

So I descended once more.

The stairway was noticeably different this time. Skulls of gold outlined the walls, a dark crimson almost black flame billowed inside them. The stairs themselves seemed to be made of black obsidian, twin rivers of red magma ran down on either side of it.

And lo and beyond, the throne room was designed in a similar fashion, minus the golden skulls. A spiraling streak of ruby and obsidian led the way to the throne where a single figure sat, leaning on his fist. His mere presence exuding enough pressure to make my knees weak.

Ash-gray hair fell down to his shoulders, his eyes were like embers in a dark abyss. Black flame spouted out of his shoulderblades like ethereal wings. He smiled, "You've finally reached me. Only took you five years."

I raised an eyebrow, "You've been aware of my previous visit then."

He laughed, "Of course, I would be a bad ruler if I didn't."

"Fair." I snapped away my seal, making it a lot easier for me to stand.

He perked up, evidently surprised by my quadra-elemency, "Now that's certainly interesting."

'Zeke, could you stay out of this?'

'...I'm not going to help when you get your ass kicked.'

'Sure, we'll see about that.'

My veins glowed black gold as I discarded my makeshift sword. The newly named Void Edge leaked out to my palm.

His eyes widened, "That's one interesting weapon you have there."

I grinned, releasing my acquire phase, and took a single step.

Third Person POV :

Beelzebub was not having a good day. No matter the smile he wore outside, he was pissed. His strongest underlings had just been slaughtered like goats. And now the interloper had the audacity to attack him without issuing a proper duel?

His black scale armor moved like a well-oiled machine as he manuevered his torso around, grabbing Fayden's hand and tossed him at his wall, shattering the black stone at impact.

Fayden groaned, a grin framing his face, "Yeah, that's better."

He shot forward, Void Edge clashing with Beelzebub's claws. Nacht and mana exploded, the ground shattered like glass.

His eyes glowed red, nacht and mana pulsed through his gauntlets, amassing at his palm. Fayden widened his eyes, jumping back his sword held like a shield, but the explosion that ensued still almost ripped his arms out of their sockets.

He shot back, his body embedding itself on the wall at the other end of the hall. He groaned in pain as his body fell to the ground.

"Better, was it?"

Fayden's neck snapped up, his gaze meeting Beelzebub's blue eyes. His eyes flashed yellow, and before Fayden could get up, he introduced his fist to Fayden's back, pushing him further into the ground.

As he winded for another hit, Fayden's eyes sparked silver, and before he could be hit again, potentially breaking his back, his body disappeared in a flash of black.

Fayden coughed in pain as he tried getting up, elemental healing could only do so much, but what about…

As if on cue, nacht flooded his body, and his pain numbed. To Beelzebub, it looked like he just set himself on fire, and he wouldn't be far from the truth.

'If nacht works on the same principle as mana, shouldn't it be able to heal me like mana?' Fayden thought as he unwillingly unlocked access to another one of his spells.

'Tartarean Vitality.' Fayden didn't know why he named it that, but the words just felt natural to him.

Beelzebub's eyes flashed blue once more, and Fayden moved, meeting the ruler halfway through. Beelzebub's eyes turned red right before they collided, his armor absorbing the force behind the blow, "Why don't we turn it up a notch?"

Dark-crimson flames burst out of his hands, shaping into a sword of his own as Fayden moved away.

He narrowed his eyes, his gaze drawn to the ball of nothingness acting as the blades crossguard. Red-orange flares spewed out ever so frequently. It looked like a dying star.

His hand moved on its own, bringing his own sword up just in time to block the star-like blade of Beelzebub. He stumbled back, the force behind the blow was harder than any before, he struggled to hold his ground even with both arms on the blade.

"It occurs to me," he spoke mockingly, "I never introduced myself."

Fayden grunted in response, glaring straight into his yellow eyes.

"I suppose I can grant you that luxury before death." He grinned maliciously. "I am Beelzebub, Lord of the Flies, Prince of Gluttony and ruler of this realm."

"Gluttony eh?" Fayden breathed out, earth mana supporting his frame as nacht infused lightning crackled around his sword. "I thought you'd be fatter?"

Black thunder exploded at the junction of their swords, lightning strong enough to vaporize metal with ease.

"Darned infernal armor." Fayden cursed under his breath as he saw his thunder get absorbed by the black scales.

Earth mana coalesced around his sword, "Let's see you try and absorb this."

Fayden's black lightning swirled around Beelzebub's sword, and as his eyes flashed blue, he shot forward.

Fayden void stepped, warping above Beelzebub as he brought down his sword with all his might.

Beelzebub turned, black thunder trailing behind his starsword, but he was too late. Void Edge made contact with his armor, and before he could activate it's absorption capabilities, Fayden had already shredded part of it.

Beelzebub cried out in agony as he felt his very bones quiver and crack under Void Edge, the blade itself carving a deep gash at his side.

But even as he clutched his injury, Fayden could already see the mana rushing to him. His eyes flashed red as he began absorbing the atmospheric mana.

Fayden moved once more, Void Edge meeting Crimson Flare once more as they exchanged blows, his armor glowing everytime Fayden striked.

Fayden raised an eyebrow, 'How is he healing so fast?'

Using Void Step once again, Fayden emerged from Beelzebub's shadow, his blade slashing across his thigh, right before he moved out of range.

'His armor keeps absorbing my spells, but where does that mana go?'

Unlike before, Beelzebub's attacks didn't get stronger each time they exchanged blows.

'He's using the energy to heal himself.'

'What now?'

Fayden yelped, avoiding being decapitated by a millimeter.

'The mana he absorbs is healing his wounds.'

'And he's doing this while keeping up with me…'

"Eyes on the battlefield." Beelzebub flashed in front of him, Crimson Flare descending at a dangerous pace.

Fayden's eyes widened, and he stepped into his own shadow, warping out of range.

"Ow!" He jumped when his leg began burning, parts of the obsidian floor had been turned to molten rock under the sheer heat of Beelzebub's sword.

He was given no chance to rest and Beelzebub was on him again. Water mana rushed to his sword as a white flame consumed the blade.

White and orange clashed in an explosion of mist, a thin sheet of ice momentarily blanketed the area before it was vaporized to steam. Fayden disappeared into the fog, masking his mana signature perfectly.

'Still don't need my help?'

'Shut it.'

Fayden's neck snapped towards the center of the room as the steam began coalescing like a vortex. He cursed under his breath, he hadn't bought much time.

Fire mana flooded his sword and he warped right in front of Beelzebub's grinning face, his red eyes indicating his armor activated, but Fayden only needed one proper hit.

Although the mana had healed him, it had failed to repair his armor, so while Beelzebub saw Fayden appearing from the front, the real Fayden snuck up on his side, lodging his sword deep into Beelzebub's side as he released all the fire mana inside.

An unearthly scream tore itself from Beelzebub's throat, and Fayden warped away as fire filled his veins.

"It burns!" He screamed as he was burned from the inside.

Or so Fayden thought.

"Is that how you thought I would react?" Beelzebub whispered down Fayden's neck.

Fayden froze, glancing back just to see the dangerously smiling face of his adversary just as he felt his palm touch his back, right behind where his mana core would be.

'Move!'

An amalgamation of dozens of voices in his head almost made him scream. Silver energy pulsed from his core and he lost control of his body momentarily.

'DAD NO-!'

A burning pain filled his chest, a tingling sensation passed by his mana core and Fayden Eralith lost consciousness.

The dull silver core visible from the outside cracked, a blinding white light leaking out of its crevices and a layer flaked away, revealing his mana core in all its glory.

The nacht at its centre exploded, the higher form of energy leaking out in two jets as a shell covered his naked core.

The explosion pushed Beelzebub back, his armour incapable of absorbing all the energy.

Fayden inhaled, a sound like a hundred whispers filled the air, yet the voices quieted for, but a moment.

"Canine Divinity."