The announcer chuckled, his voice echoing unnaturally as if two mouths were speaking at once.
"Demonic human…" he repeated with a sly grin, his laughter rumbling into something guttural. "Looks like you caught me, Son of Prophecy."
My body tensed, my daggers humming faintly with my mana. His eyes glowed like smoldering coals as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pulsating red crystal, veins of black energy writhing inside it like a living parasite.
"It is time to revive the King." He turned, his gaze locking onto me, and then—he smirked. "It's time to revive your… grandfather."
I froze. "…Huh? Grandfather? What are you tal—"
He cut me off with a roar of laughter, sharp teeth glinting as shadows twisted around his body.
"Yes. Your grandfather. The father of your mother."
My chest clenched. "Cut the crap! That's just some lie l! My parents told me My grandparents died heroically fighting the Legendary Yokai Beast!"
The announcer's grin widened, cruel and mocking.
"How shameful… of the princess… to lie like that." His wings unfurled with a snap, black and red, stretching wide enough to block the fractured ceiling of the labyrinth. "No legendary or normal Yokai Beast killed your grandfather. No—your mother did. Your own mother killed her father—the King of Demons—and then abandoned our people, leaving us with no queen, no king, no future."
My entire body went cold. "W…what…?"
He stepped closer, claws dragging against the stone, sparks of black lightning sparking where they scraped. "She murdered him. Abandoned us. Left our realm in ruins. And now… she sends you here. The spawn of betrayal. Her own cursed bloodline."
"LIEEEESSSSS!" I roared, my voice cracking the silence. My teeth grit so hard my jaw ached. I lunged, daggers raised, fury pouring from me like raw electricity.
"Tarek—wait!!" Astrid's voice cried from behind me, but my blood drowned her out.
I swung—only for the announcer to vanish, reappearing high above, wings spreading as he floated through the shattered hole that opened above the labyrinth. His aura spread like wildfire, demonic power making the air heavy, suffocating.
I bent my knees to leap after him, but suddenly—a burning pain erupted in my chest. My muscles convulsed, veins glowing faintly red as my power faltered.
"Tarek!" Astrid rushed to me, her hands glowing faintly with soft healing magic. "You have to be careful—here, let me heal—"
I slapped her hands away, forcing myself to stay upright even as blood dripped from the corner of my mouth.
"No. You don't have much mana left. Jay and his teammate… they're near death. Use what you have on them."
"But—"
"No buts." My voice was hoarse, but I forced a smirk beneath the mask. "I don't trust Jay, not really… but we'll need him alive for what's coming. Heal them. I'll handle this."
Astrid's lips trembled. "…Tarek…"
I turned to the gaping hole above, fire burning in my chest. Elarion was right. This mission… this demon… it's teaching me more about who I am than anything else could.
Then out of nowhere Astrid grabbed my shirt.
I looked at her and was stunned by how she was acting.
For a long time, I thought trusting people was weakness. That kindness was a flaw. But… after meeting Astrid, even Kuro… maybe, just maybe, putting faith in others wasn't weakness at all. Maybe it was strength.
A rare smile tugged at my lips. Slowly, I reached up, pulled off my mask, and tossed it aside. Astrid's eyes widened at the sight of my face—my unguarded self. For the first time in years, I let someone see me. Truly see me.
"Thank you, Astrid," I whispered.
Her face flushed red, and before I could react, she bolted into me, hugging me tight. My eyes widened in shock. "U-uh… Astrid?"
She jumped back almost immediately, stammering, cheeks burning even brighter. "M-my apologies, Tarek… I—I don't know what came over me."
I chuckled softly, shaking my head. "It's okay. Now hurry—heal them."
She bit her lip, then nodded, crouching by Jay's crumpled body. As her magic flared, I bent my knees, mana rushing through me.
"Don't die, Tarek…" she whispered faintly as I shot upward, breaking through the labyrinth hole in a storm of crackling lightning.
Arena Above the Labyrinth
The arena was no longer the same place I'd entered earlier. The ground was scorched, glowing with demonic circles etched into the stone. Kuro floated in midair, writhing, screaming as the crystal pulsed beneath him, flooding his body with vile energy.
And behind him—perched on a jagged column of broken arena stone—was the announcer. No longer human. His wings stretched like a dragon's, his horns curved upward like a crown of bone, his claws glinting sharper than blades. His hair was wild, falling past his shoulders, his eyes glowing like molten blood. And that aura—so oppressive it nearly forced me back down the hole.
The announcer growled, his voice no longer one, but many.
"She could not live with her failure… so she repays her debt by sending me her son to my slaughter."
He stood, every word dripping venom.
"Your mother thought by killing the King, she would save her people. But all she did was curse us. Our realm withered. Half of us perished. No king, no queen. She abandoned us and crawled to the Crimson King, leaving us to rot in ashes."
His voice rose, fury blazing in his eyes.
"Do you understand what that means, boy? Your mother's hands are stained with more demon blood than any blade could spill. Her mercy was a lie. Her sacrifice—a poison. And now, fate has delivered her spawn into my arena. When your blood soaks this ground, it will not only be vengeance for our King—it will be justice for every demon she damned in her name!"
I stood, silent, letting his words burn into me. Flashes of my mother's face, her warmth, her smile, darted across my memory. Her voice. Her touch. My hands trembled, then clenched tighter around my daggers.
"…Would you shut the hell up already?" My voice cracked, but my rage carried it.
The announcer's eyes widened, then narrowed.
"You think I'll believe any of that garbage? Even if it were true—I don't care. I'm not a demon. I'm not Crimson. I'm human. And I don't give two craps about your so-called people."
I smirked, lifting my head, eyes blazing.
"If anything, by the sound of it, my mother tried to help you all. That king of yours sounds like a tyrant. So hate her all you want. Call her a traitor. Whatever. But me? I don't care."
My mana flared, crackling across my body. My eyes burned redder, brighter than ever before.
"You want to slaughter me? I'd like to see you try."
The announcer roared, wings snapping open as his body blurred forward.
"LIKE MOTHER, LIKE SON! HOW DARE YOU DEFY OUR PEOPLE!"
Our blades and claws collided in a thunderous shockwave, air splitting with raw force. The impact flung me back like a ragdoll, crashing me into the arena wall. Stone shattered around me, dust filling my lungs.
"DIE!" he bellowed, raising his palm. A golden orb of condensed destruction swelled in his hand, runes spiraling across its surface. The heat singed the air, bending the arena around it.
I snarled, my body trembling. The fury inside me—the pain, the truth, the lies—it all blended into one. My veins burned with demon light, my speed amplifying as I shot forward, lightning streaking across my daggers.
The orb fired, a beam tearing through the air like divine wrath. I vanished, dodging by a hair, the ground behind me erupting in a volcanic explosion.
"RRRAAAAHHHH!!!" My roar tore from my throat as I clashed against him again in the sky. Sparks. Thunder. Fire. Claws. Steel.
He moved first, faster than thunder. One beat he was above the ritual circle, the next his claws were carving for my throat. Instinct screamed—I brought my daggers up.
CLANG! Sparks erupted as my blades clashed against his claws. The sheer weight of his strike rattled my arms to the bone, hurling me backward like a ragdoll. I smashed into a chunk of broken labyrinth wall, coughing out blood.
"LIKE MOTHER, LIKE SON!" he bellowed, diving after me. "HOW DARE YOU DEFY US!"
Before I could breathe, his hand lit up—gold and demonic fused into a blazing orb. He hurled it.
I slashed my daggers wide, flooding them with electricity. They grew, crackling into twin arcs of lightning-blades. With every ounce of willpower, I cut upward—SLASH!—splitting his orb in two. The explosion swallowed the arena in smoke and flame.
Through the dust, I launched myself, daggers spinning, eyes burning crimson.
"SHUT THE HELL UP!" I roared, swinging for his chest.
His body blurred—THUD!—a knee slammed into my gut mid-flight. My eyes widened as spit and blood burst from my mouth. He finished with an elbow to the back of my neck, smashing me down like a meteor.
The labyrinth floor cratered around me, debris raining. My chest screamed, the pain spreading deeper, heavier. But I forced myself up, teeth gritted.
"You bleed, boy," the announcer growled from above. His horns glowed brighter, mana dripping off him in waves. "Good. I want you alive long enough to hear every bone in your body break.
He shot downward again. I sidestepped, lightning flashing through my veins, and barely dodged his claw swipe. His talons carved a trench through solid stone where I'd stood.
I countered with a dual cross slash of my daggers—sparks of electricity cutting the air. One blade scraped across his shoulder, burning flesh, but his regeneration hissed instantly, the wound closing before my eyes.
"Pathetic," he snarled. His wings flared, summoning gale-force wind. "Do you think scratches will stop me?"
[Exchange of Blows]
He slammed his wing like a guillotine—BOOM!—I rolled under it, spinning my dagger up at his ribs.
He twisted, tail lashing out. CRACK! It struck my chest, sending me skidding across the arena like a broken toy.
I stabbed my blades into the floor to stop. Sparks danced around me, my mana core pulsing violently in my chest.
I inhaled sharply. My chest burned more violently with every surge of power.
Still… I charged.
"LIGHTNING—BURST!" I screamed, propelling myself forward at breakneck speed.
I slashed upward, left blade sparking—he parried with a claw.
Right blade thrust—he caught it barehanded, claws screeching against the steel.
I headbutted him through sheer desperation. CRACK! Blood sprayed from my forehead, but his smirk only widened.
"You fight like her," he hissed, face inches from mine. "Desperate. Stubborn. Worthless."
Before I could react, his knee slammed into my ribs. CRUNCH! Something inside cracked.
He hurled me away, and I smashed through a collapsed pillar. Dust filled my lungs.
Astrid's scream faintly reached me from below the labyrinth. "TAREK!!!"
Her voice echoed, but I shook my head. I had no time to falter.
I rose, body trembling, my daggers humming with unstable electricity. My crimson eyes glowed, veins sparking.
"I'm… not… done."
The announcer tilted his head, eyes blazing with fire. "Then break more."
He surged upward. I followed.
He clawed downward—I blocked, but his raw power shredded my defenses.
I spun mid-air, slashing for his leg—my blade cut shallow, drawing a spray of blood. He howled, tail whipping like a scythe.
I twisted, letting the tail barely graze my shoulder, skin splitting open.
He suddenly stopped holding back. With a guttural roar, he slammed both hands into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
The entire arena shook. Walls cracked, debris exploded upward, and shockwaves tore through the labyrinth.
I shot into the smoke, coughing, eyes darting. He emerged through the haze, claws glowing red-hot.
"DIEEEEE!!!"
His hand swiped—I crossed my daggers, electricity bursting outward. The collision birthed a blinding white explosion.
When the light cleared, I was on my knees, blades trembling. My chest seared with unbearable pain—my mana core pounding like it was about to rip free.
He hovered above, wings casting a demonic shadow. "Stand, son of prophecy. Show me you are worthy of slaughter."
I forced myself up, blood dripping down my chin.
"…You talk too much," I growled.
He rushed in—claws carving.
I ducked under the first slash, rolled sideways, and countered with an upward stab to his abdomen. Sparks erupted—the blade dug in, sizzling.
He snarled, grabbing my head. With one brutal motion, he smashed my skull into the ground. CRACK! My vision blurred red.
But even as my head rang, I twisted, plunging my second dagger into his thigh.
STAB!
He roared in rage, swatting me aside like an insect. I flew across the arena again, bones screaming.
He began chanting. The red crystal floated higher above Kuro, sucking in more demonic energy, the circle glowing violently.
"This world will kneel…" he growled, aura swelling until the entire arena shivered. His horns burned gold. His claws became molten blades. His form grew even more monstrous—towering, horns branching like trees, his wings spanning the arena.
I staggered to my feet, body broken, chest burning. But my eyes locked on him.
I tightened my daggers. My lightning sparked harder, fiercer, unstable. My entire body screamed to collapse—but I refused.
I smirked, blood dripping from my lips.
"…I'll… tear that smug grin off your face."
And with a roar, I launched myself at him again.
His claw met my blades. CRASH! Lightning and fire exploded.
His wing slammed into my ribs—CRACK!—blood burst from my mouth.
I stabbed upward desperately, electricity carving his arm. He howled.
His tail whipped around—BOOM!—sending me crashing through another wall.
I dragged myself out of the rubble, chest heaving. My daggers still crackled, though my hands shook violently.
He hovered above, monstrous and unstoppable. His glowing eyes locked onto me with pure hatred.
"You endure…" he admitted, growling. "Good. That makes breaking you all the sweeter."
I stood, staggering, bloodied but unbroken.
"…Come then," I whispered, lightning still flashing in my eyes. "…I'll show you what a human can take."