Chapter 18 – The Forbidden Arena
Velcous lingered in the shadows of the battlefield, his eyes narrowing as he observed the carnage. His controlled adventurers clashed against Pyrtho, blades and spells scattering the air with blood and fire.
At first, Velcous only watched. But when Pyrtho unleashed another devastating skill, his suspicion deepened.
Skill: Inferno Nova!
The flames devoured the infected, burning them into ash one by one. The surviving adventurers erupted in cheers.
"Pyrtho! Our savior!"
"Leader Pyrtho, you're incredible!"
Velcous scoffed, his voice low with disgust. "Fools. You're nothing but pawns… sacrifices for that demon."
He moved quickly, weaving through the chaos. "I need to escape and report to Master Roy before it's too late."
But then—
A sharp voice slashed through the din:
"You think you can get away from me?"
Velcous spun, but not fast enough. A sword tore across his shoulder, throwing him to the dirt.
"Tch—who the hell!?"
Standing above him, smiling, was Pyrtho. His aura burned with black fire.
"You!" Velcous hissed. "How can you even see me!?"
Pyrtho laughed coldly. "Invisible to others, maybe. But not to me. My eyes see through all veils."
Velcous raised his scythe, grimacing. "Then I have no choice."
But Pyrtho didn't move, his posture almost casual. "I'll give you one chance. Join me… or die. If you choose to serve me, you'll be welcomed into the Seven Deadly Sins."
Velcous's eyes darkened. "…So you mean part of the Apocalypse?"
For the first time, Pyrtho faltered. "H-how do you know that!?"
Velcous smirked and leveled his scythe. "Ready to die?"
Pyrtho's facade cracked, rage flooding his face. "Insect! How dare you utter that word!"
Velcous raised his hand. "Skill: Summon Ghost Nencrypt!"
A circle of mist erupted, and from it rose a towering humanoid wreathed in spectral decay. It roared and swung for Pyrtho—who dodged effortlessly.
"You think this weak spirit can distract me?" Pyrtho sneered, pulling open his grimoire.
Grimoire Skill: Gladiator Arena of Kings!
The world shifted violently. Darkness swept across the battlefield, reshaping the land into a massive arena of cracked stone, surrounded by roaring phantom crowds.
Velcous cursed. "Tch—a Field Skill?!"
Pyrtho appeared above, seated like a monarch on a throne of shadow. "Wrong. This isn't a mere Field Skill… this is a Forbidden Spell once used by the Ancient Kings!"
Velcous glared, pointing his scythe at him. "You've dressed your stage well… now prepare to die upon it."
"Hahaha! You amuse me, ghost. But this is your grave."
Velcous activated Sight Ghost, his vision locking onto Pyrtho's stats. What he saw froze him.
[Status Revealed]
Name: Pyrtho
Age: 986
Level: 244 (Sealed Level 666)
Class: First Forbidden Demon (Sealed Power)
Title: The First Crowned Demon
Weapon: Forbidden King's Grimoire
Velcous's eyes widened. "Y-you… you're the creator of the Seven Deadly Sins!!"
Pyrtho's expression twisted. "…You know too much. Then I'll erase you."
From his grimoire, a massive blade of pure red lightning began to rise.
Skill: Grimoire Forbidden Sword Kings!
Velcous tried again to summon. "Skill: Summon Ghost Nencrypt!" But nothing came. Only silence.
"What!?"
Pyrtho laughed. "This arena allows no allies. A true duel… one against one."
Velcous cursed but raised his scythe, unleashing Ghost Malevolent Flame. Dark fire surged toward Pyrtho—
—only for the arena to explode in mist and smoke.
Velcous strained his vision. "Tch, I can't see in thi—"
Steel pierced his chest. Blood sprayed, black and spectral.
"Arghh—yo-you…"
Pyrtho twisted the sword. "Still alive after a Forbidden Sword? Impressive. But pointless."
[Notification]
You are inflicted with Cursed Bleed.
You are inflicted with Forbidden Blood.
Velcous gasped. "Tch… that sword—it can wound even me!? I'm not human, why do I bleed!?"
Pyrtho grinned. "This blade was forged to slay demons and entities alike. Once wielded by Blood King Exolus himself."
"E-Exolus!?" Velcous's eyes widened.
Pyrtho raised the sword. "Now… die."
But Velcous only smiled, blood dripping from his mouth. "You fool… you'll regret underestimating me."
He roared: Requiem Nether Sacrament
Skill: Requiem Nether Sacrament
Description: The ghost chants a forbidden hymn, offering its own essence as sacrifice. Shadows ripple outward, tearing the boundary between the living and the dead. With a mournful wail, the spirit erupts in a cataclysm of netherfire, engulfing all within reach. Enemies caught in the radius feel their souls dragged toward the void, as if the entire world itself mourns and collapses around them.
Effect: buff and debuff True Death(cannot remove) and death by a ghostly explosion to all surrounding life's and non-life
Cost: Own All Hp and mana
The arena shook as a forbidden hymn echoed. Black fire and spectral light ripped open the boundary between worlds. Souls wailed, shadows writhed, and a blinding explosion consumed everything.
The phantom crowd screamed and disintegrated. The walls crumbled into ash.
A cataclysm of netherfire swallowed the arena whole.
When the dust settled, silence ruled.
From the sand, a single hand clawed its way free. Pyrtho pulled himself out, his form scorched and battered, but alive. His grimoire pulsed with black glyphs.
"Tch… that insect forced me to use it. Grimoire Forbidden: Undying Rebirth."
Grimoire Forbidden Undying Rebirth
Description: From the pages of a cursed tome, forbidden incantations echo against the fabric of existence. The caster tears open the seal of mortality, summoning forbidden glyphs that twist the boundary between life and death
Effect: Immortality, Immune to all damage, Immune to all Buff and debuff
Cost: 56 souls
The memory of the explosion returned—Pyrtho chanting, sacrificing 56 souls, his body wrapped in immortal flame.
Now, in the present, his face twisted in rage. "I lost my Sacrifice Soul for this survival… someone will pay dearly."
Meanwhile, near the bandit stronghold, Roy stiffened. A surge of dreadful aura brushed against him.
"…What was that…?" He glanced north but forced his focus back on the bandits.
Suddenly, footsteps approached. His summoned wolf cub snarled and lunged.
"Master! This guy reeks of—!"
But Roy caught the cub mid-leap. His eyes widened. "Velcous!?"
Yet what stood before him was not Velcous's familiar ghostly form. It was an adventurer's corpse, hollow-eyed, kneeling.
"Master," it rasped, bowing.
Roy's voice shook. "Report. What happened?"
The corpse-Velcous spoke grimly. "I am sorry, Master. My true body was slain… by Pyrtho."
"What!? Then how are you still alive!?"
Velcous lowered his head. "I prepared for this. I seeded fragments of my soul inside the adventurers I killed… This body is but one vessel."
Roy exhaled in relief. "For a moment, I thought you were—"
But Velcous cut him off, his voice sharp. "There's no time. That man… that demon… is not ordinary. At first I thought he was one of the Deadly Sins."
Roy froze. "Deadly Sins…?"
Velcous's hollow eyes burned. "No. Worse. He is the one who created the Seven Deadly Sins. The architect of the Apocalypse itself."
Roy's heart thundered. "…The one who caused… the Apocalypse!?"