The staircase seemed endless. Rusted steps groaned under their weight, each one sticky with an oil-like substance that clung to Plamen's boots. Above, shadows stretched into a cavernous throat of darkness, swallowing every flicker of light. The air grew heavier with every step, until even breathing felt like pulling chains through his lungs.
When they reached the top, the staircase ended abruptly at a set of doors—massive slabs of blackened iron, scarred with claw marks. Each scratch hummed faintly, like the door itself remembered every strike it had endured.
Without a word, Plamen pressed his hand against it. The doors split apart with a tortured groan, and a surge of heat blasted out.
The chamber beyond was vast, shaped like a broken arena. Chains hung from above, swinging lazily, their ends frayed as if something enormous had chewed through them. The floor was cracked concrete layered over rusted steel plates, and in the center of it all stood the thing that would be their next trial.
At first it looked like a collapsed mound of flesh. Then it moved.
The monster rose to its full height — nearly twice that of a man. Its body was a grotesque lattice of muscle and bone, each limb swollen with unnatural strength. Horns curled from its head like twisted anchors, and from its shoulders dangled chains fused into the skin, their broken links dragging along the ground with a metallic scream. One hand had fused entirely into a jagged slab of iron, as if it had absorbed its own weapon. The other was a swollen fist large enough to crush a man whole.
Its head tilted, and when its molten-yellow eyes found Plamen, the air itself seemed to recoil.
The doors slammed shut behind them.
Kamen immediately reached for his ability, but something in the walls responded. The ground pulsed with crimson veins, and his skeletal aura fizzled like water on hot metal. He gritted his teeth.
"This trial is yours, Plamen," Kamen said, voice tight. "The arena won't let me fight."
Plamen's fists clenched. His heart pounded like a war drum, his veins thrumming with the aftertaste of rage still lingering from the last trial. This wasn't just another enemy. This was the factory itself, testing the very limits of his flesh.
The beast didn't wait.
With a roar that rattled the entire arena, it charged. Each step thundered like falling pillars, shaking the ground. Its iron-hand swung in a wide arc, smashing through a cluster of chains that exploded into fragments around them. Plamen barely ducked in time—the gust of wind from the strike alone almost knocked him off his feet.
He rolled, came up fast, and lunged with a straight punch. Boosted martial arts surged through his body—the technique flowed sharp and clean, faster than his own raw strength could have allowed. His fist connected with the monster's ribs, a blow that would have shattered a boulder.
The beast barely staggered.
Its massive fist lashed out in retaliation. The impact caught Plamen across the chest, launching him into the wall. Stone cracked around him as air tore from his lungs. His vision went white for a second, but he forced himself back to his feet, wiping the blood from his lip.
"Too strong…" Plamen muttered, steadying himself. But his eyes didn't falter. "…then I'll just get stronger."
The monster advanced again. Its iron-hand came down in a vertical smash. Plamen sidestepped and countered with a low kick, his technique boosted threefold. The precision of Muay Thai channeled into the strike—the monster's knee buckled for a moment, forcing it to stumble.
That moment was all Plamen needed. He followed up with a flurry of elbows, each blow cracking against the beast's torso like thunderclaps. The air around him screamed with pressure, each strike heavier than the last.
But the Executioner Beast was no mere creature. It bellowed and surged forward, its swollen fist snatching Plamen mid-combo. The world spun as he was lifted like a ragdoll, then slammed into the floor. Cracks spiderwebbed outwards from the impact.
Pain tore through his back, but Plamen forced himself to roll just as the iron-hand came down, shattering the ground where he'd been.
Every instinct screamed at him to stop, to yield, but rage boiled inside him hotter than any wound. Kronoshpan wanted his strength? Then it would see it.
He spat blood, steadied his stance, and let the rhythm of martial arts guide him. His movements sharpened, each strike amplified by his new ability. He slipped under the monster's swing, drove a knee into its gut, and followed with a crushing elbow to its jaw. The beast's head snapped back, and for the first time, it reeled.
Kamen shouted from the sidelines, his voice echoing. "Don't stop, Plamen! Break it down!"
The monster roared, swinging blindly in fury. Plamen ducked beneath a chain swipe, planting his feet. His fists tightened until his knuckles whitened.
He channeled everything—his rage, his exhaustion, his will—into one final blow. His body twisted, hips snapping into motion, the technique perfect.
A boosted straight punch.
His fist slammed into the monster's chest with the force of a meteor. The arena itself shuddered—the air cracked like thunder.
The Executioner Beast stumbled back, chains rattling furiously, its molten eyes flickering. Then, with a sound like steel collapsing under its own weight, it fell.
The arena went silent.
Plamen stood there, chest heaving, body shaking with exhaustion. His arms trembled, his knuckles bruised raw. But he was standing. He had won.
The monster's body dissolved into ash, leaving behind a single object: a jagged shard of iron glowing faintly red. Plamen picked it up, feeling the heat radiate through his skin.
The shard pulsed once, sinking into his chest like a brand. His strength flared, surging through his veins with renewed vigor.
From behind him, Kamen finally stepped forward, awe in his eyes. "You did it. That… wasn't human anymore. And you crushed it."
Plamen only exhaled slowly, staring at the ground where the beast had fallen. "This place won't let me be human either. Not when it keeps throwing things like that at us."
The walls groaned. The chains above shifted, rattling like laughter.
And then, a new staircase revealed itself, spiraling upward into shadows even deeper than before.
They both knew there would be no rest.