The tension within the chamber could be felt down to the bone. The walls, pulsating with streams of lava, seemed alive, breathing in sync with the two colossal figures standing before the black throne. Pyrrhos and Pyrrhas, the twins. Identical yet different, their auras roared like twin infernos threatening to consume everything.
Arzael gripped the Crimson Edge tightly. His crimson eyes gleamed with caution, every nerve in his body ready to react the moment a sudden strike was unleashed.
"So that's how it is…" he murmured under his breath.
He activated Threat Level. Instantly, the world distorted, an oppressive, red aura radiated from the twins, so dense it made the very air shudder.
'A real threat… If it were only one of them, I could manage. But both at once? Damn it.'
Still, he opened his mouth, buying time. "Before we fight… I want to ask a few questions."
The two demons didn't move. They simply glared, as if granting permission.
"Do you recognize me? Or… at least feel familiar with me?" Arzael asked, his voice low yet firm. The question was born of unease, too many demons he had slain acted as if they knew something about him.
"Yes," Pyrrhos answered, his voice a booming quake through the chamber.
"You are the intruder," Pyrrhas followed, his words like an earthquake crashing down.
Arzael had another question on his lips, but no chance to speak it.
In the blink of an eye, Pyrrhos's spear hurtled forward. The force of the throw carved the air like a hurricane.
SRAAASHHH!!
Arzael evade just in time. The spear smashed into the wall behind him, reducing the black stone to shards as cracks spread like a spider's web.
"Shit."
He had barely drawn breath when the twins charged. Pyrrhas raised a magma axe the size of a fortress door. Its downward swing crashed like a collapsing mountain. Arzael leapt skyward, only to be met by Pyrrhos lunging upward with his spear poised to skewer him midair.
"Shadow Step."
In an instant, his body vanished, reappearing against the far wall, then blitzing behind them. The axe and spear slammed into empty space, but the collision detonated a quake that shook the castle itself. Walls trembled, molten rock dripped from the ceiling.
"Their strikes are too powerful… one direct hit and I'm done for."
But the twins didn't relent. They blurred like shadows, reappearing at Arzael's flank. A spear thrust, an axe cleave, simultaneous. He darted back, sweat beading at his temple.
"They're attacking in perfect sync…"
He lunged forward, countering at last. Crimson Edge flared with a blood-red gleam as he slashed directly for Pyrrhos's head.
CLANG!
The spear intercepted, sparks bursting like fireworks. Black flames ignited at their clash, lava droplets scattering across the chamber. Arzael pressed harder, then unleashed a skill.
"Shadow Pierce."
Shadows engulfed his blade, and he thrust it straight at Pyrrhos's skull.
DUAAARRR!!
Half the demon's head exploded, half its body tearing apart.
But—
ZZZZTTT!!
The form stitched itself back together in an instant, rewinding as though time itself obeyed.
"…What?" Arzael's eyes widened.
No pause, Pyrrhas's axe came crashing down. Arzael vaulted back, counter-slashing the demon's neck. The head burst apart into magma mist, only to regenerate before it could hit the ground.
"So that's it…" Arzael growled. "Instant regeneration. Damn it."
His thought was cut short as Pyrrhos's spear rammed into his gut.
SRAAKK!!
Blood burst forth. His body locked in place.
-1240 HP
+125 EXP
[Skill Activated: Pain Conversion Lv.3] [+137% ATK]
Arzael coughed blood. "Tch…"
The spear withdrew, lunging again—but Arzael twisted, redirecting the strike and slashing Pyrrhos across the chest. Black blood erupted. He triggered another skill instantly.
"Blood Reaving."
[Skill Activated: Blood Reaving Lv.4]
A crimson aura engulfed him, feeding on the wound. His strike converted the demon's suffering into his own restoration.
+1240 HP Restored!
'If this keeps up… I'll be the one to fall first.'
No time to dwell, Pyrrhas appeared at his back, axe sweeping horizontally. Arzael spun, clashing with Crimson Edge. The impact cratered the floor, his boots sinking into cracked stone.
And from the side, Pyrrhos lunged—his spear aimed at Arzael's head.
Instinct roared. "Shadow Step!"
He vanished—
BRAAAAAKKKK!!
The axe and spear collided instead. Pyrrhas's head split in two, Pyrrhos's body shattered.
Both paused, melting into steaming magma, then reformed once more.
Arzael's lips curled into a knowing smirk.
Arzael didn't waste the time,he raised Crimson Edge high. Black-red energy roared around it, devouring the chamber's light.
"Crimson Execution!"
[Skill Activated: Crimson Execution] [50% HP Sacrificed]
Half his life force ignited in a detonation that split the chamber apart. The slash descended.
ZZZZZHHHHHHHH!!!
The very walls cracked open, lava geysers erupting. Pyrrhos and Pyrrhas were cleaved in unison, bodies shredded into molten fragments. This time, their regeneration failed. Their twin forms collapsed, severed clean.
"Their bodies are one. The only way to kill them… is to strike both at once."
The chamber itself crumbled, fissures spreading beneath his feet.
[You have slain Demon General ×2]
+6000 EXP
+10% HP Restored
[Level Up! 53 → 54]
[EXP: 2240/6000]
Arzael stood amidst the ruins, breathing heavy.
"Demon Generals, huh? Not bad. That was a lot of EXP."
He pulled a Medium HP Potion from his inventory, downing it in one go.
+50% HP Restored!
[Cooldown: 9 minutes 59 seconds]
"Hey, system. How about removing potion cooldowns?"
[System: Request denied.]
"…Bastard."
He exhaled, stepping into the next corridor. Silence.
The passage stretched long and dark, lit only by the red glow of lava cracks along the walls. Ten minutes passed, no sound, no enemy. Yet with every step, the air grew heavier.
At last, the corridor opened into a vast hall.
A throne room. Enormous, ten times larger than the previous chamber. No ceiling, only the blood-red sky of Hell's First Layer glaring above. The hot wind carried black dust across the ruinous floor.
"There it is."
At the far end, a black throne. Upon it sat a humanoid figure, shrouded in dense shadow. Even from a distance, its aura dwarfed the twins'.
Arzael took a step forward.
DUAAAAAARRRR!!!
A meteor plummeted from the red sky, crashing into the floor just meters ahead. The explosion rocked the hall, hurling debris like shrapnel.
From the inferno rose a demon far greater than the twins.
Black wings unfurled wide, horns twisting toward the sky, skin glowing like burning coal beneath torn flesh. Its aura of annihilation pressed down like a mountain, breathing itself became a struggle.
The demon's eyes locked onto Arzael.
It spoke, its voice a curse etched into the air. "Intruder… must be eradicated."
Arzael tightened his grip on Crimson Edge. For once, no smile touched his face.