"[Activating 'Dark Armour' Lvl 4!]"
"[Notice: Defense and Offence are increased by 60% for the next 5 minutes!]"
The shadows around Thomas began to hardened into jagged, obsidian plates that pulsed with a rhythmic, sickening violet light. I immediately dashed back, putting several yards of frozen tundra between us. It was a solid skill, high output, decent duration. My [Absolute Cancel] was still on cooldown from the encounter with the Mid-Floor Demon, so I couldn't simply strip his power away this time.
However, I now had the literal light to his darkness.
"[Activating The Exclusive Skill, 'Blessings of the Stars: Divine Restraint' Lvl 1!]"
Glowing chains of holy mana erupted from the snow and the very air itself, lashing around Thomas's limbs to pin him in place. But the disparity in skill levels was too great. The [Dark Armour] hissed as it came into contact with the divinity, the dark energy corroding the holy chains until they withered into nothingness like burnt paper.
"I may not know who you are, but eliminating you right now is probably the best thing to do for the future!" Thomas screamed. He lunged at me, his hand manifesting a jagged blade of pure dark matter.
I jumped backward, playing a dangerous game of tag. Every time he closed the distance, I retreated, maintaining the gap while firing off a barrage of [Glacial Lances] and [Fire Spears]. The elements collided against his armor, creating a chaotic display of steam and sparks, but they barely dented his defense.
"Ahahaha, it seems like you are struggling against the 'Demonic Human,' Arthur." Melchior's voice rang out from the ring, sounding entirely too amused. He was watching the struggle like a spectator at a low-stakes circus.
I didn't mind the teasing. In fact, I was grinning behind my mask. "Who said I was fighting him alone?"
"[Notice: Summoning the Mystic Beast 'Cero'!]"
A jagged 'Gate' tore open in the air, connecting to my dimensional subspace. Cero leaped out with a primal roar. Because of my current mana limitations and the Tower's 'Restrictions' on this Floor, he couldn't manifest his true, gargantuan form, appearing instead as a massive, silver-furred beast the size of a grizzly bear.
Cero didn't hesitate. He slammed into Thomas with the force of a freight train, his claws clashing against the [Dark Armour]. The sudden shift in momentum left Thomas restless and agitated. He could feel the clock ticking; his skill was a sprint, not a marathon. Despite me being a Rank higher than him, my base skills were still underdeveloped compared to his specialized dark magic. I couldn't overpower him in a head-on collision, but I didn't have to.
"[Activating 'Glacial Dominion: Freezing Chains' Lvl 1!]"
"[Activating 'Glacial Dominion: Cold Arms' Lvl 1!]"
While Cero pinned him down with raw, physical brute force, I played the long-range game. I manipulated the ice into large and thick ice chains and even arms-like limbs that rose from the ground to trip him. I was stalling, and Thomas knew it.
Finally, after five minutes of desperate struggling, the violet light of his armor flickered and died.
"[Notice: The Skill duration for 'Dark Armour' has ended!]"
The price of such a high-level skill was steep. Thomas slumped over, his mana pool completely drained, leaving him as a helpless human in the middle of a frozen wasteland. Cero slowed his pace, circling the man like a predator waiting for the final word.
"[Activating The Exclusive Skill 'Blood Authority: Blood Roar' Lvl 1!]"
I stepped forward slowly, each footprint crunching loudly in the silence. I released my 'Status' as an S-Rank, amplified by the [Blood Roar]. The weight of it hit Thomas like a physical blow, forcing his knees to buckle and shattering whatever was left of his will.
"Tell me, Thomas Black," I said, my voice dripping with menace as I stood over him, "why are you, a human, siding with the Demons of the Tower who seek destruction?"
"I—I..." Thomas gasped, his throat working as he tried to speak.
Suddenly, deep red sigils and marks began to glow all over his skin. They burned with a frantic heat, and Thomas let out a gut-wrenching scream. It was a silence spell, a magical fail-safe designed to execute the puppet if it ever tried to speak to the puppeteer's enemies.
"What a pitiful thing you are," I leaned closer, my voice a cold whisper. "Tell me, is it worth betraying humanity just to be a candidate for a 'Dark Disciple' for the [Demon King {Vergas}]?"
Thomas's eyes went wide, his pupils trembling with pure shock.
The 'Copy Condition' was a cruel paradox, and it worked perfectly in my favor. I had recognized his magic signature as belonging to the Nebula [Pandemonium], specifically the lineage of the [Demon King {Vergas}]. Speaking the 'True Names' of higher beings like 'Demon Kings' or 'Archangels' on the lower floors was taboo. Their names carried 'Status', and mentioning them triggered a violent storm of 'Probability' as a price.
Since Thomas's 'Status' was far too weak to handle the weight of that name, the 'Probability' storm didn't just punish him, it consumed him. He burst into a pillar of dark ash, incinerated by the very power he had sought to serve. It was a violent end, but for 'Demonic Humans', it was more than they deserved.
"[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the Copy Condition 'Reveal the True Name of the Demon King'!]"
"[Congratulations! You have successfully copied the A-Rank Skill: 'Dark Armour' Lvl 1!]"
"[Info: Increase Defense and Offense by 20% for 5 minutes. Percentage scales to Level.]"
"[Note: The Copied A-Rank Skill 'Dark Armour' has been successfully added to the 'Memories of the World'.]"
I looked down at the pile of ash. Resting amidst the remains was the book he had used to summon the demon. I reached down and picked it up.
"[Notice: You have obtained the SS-Rank 'Memoir of Nine-Hells']"
"[Info: You are able to channel near-infinite 'Demonic Energy' from the Nine Realms of Hell.]"
"[Notice: You need to be affiliated with the beings from the Nebula [Pandemonium] to use this Item.]"