The cave dungeon echoed with the sound of stone grinding against stone as the three Death Executioners faced their intruders. The skeletal figure's hollow eye sockets glowed with green light as it bowed slightly – a mockery of politeness.
"Sorry for our misbehaviour – where are our manners? Let me introduce ourselves. My name is Azalith Necrotis – Chaos Bringer, as they call me."
The silver-haired swordsman stepped forward, his blade resting casually at his side, though red mist still curled around its edge. "I am Nakano Ichiya. Nice to meet you." He gestured toward the massive lizardman behind him, who gripped the handle of his double-headed axe like it was a toy. "And this is Drakath."
Drakath let out a deafening roar that shook loose pebbles from the cave ceiling, sending Maitara, Dale, and Geth stumbling back a step.
"We are the Death Executioners," Azalith continued, green energy coiling around its bony fingers. "Our sole purpose is to execute any who dare invade the White Lord's plan!"
"White Lord?" Maitara's voice was sharp with confusion. "We don't even know who that is."
"You don't need to," Ichiya cut in, his gaze turning cold as steel. "You'll die here anyway, so knowing is useless."
Before anyone could react, Drakath lifted his massive axe and brought it crashing down onto the stone floor. The impact shattered the ground beneath their feet, and molten lava bubbled up through the cracks as the floor gave way entirely. Maitara, Geth, and Dale plunged into the darkness below, their shouts echoing up into the dungeon.
BACK AT THE ORDEAL GAMES ARENA
Crackling blue lightning and glowing green energy filled the air as Anniebe and Hythesion faced off – two auras of raw power clashing before the silent crowd.
"Here I come, Elf!" Anniebe roared, electricity arcing off her scales and blades. "Meet your defeat!"
She charged forward in a blur of storm clouds and lightning, her swords raised to strike. But Hythesion stood perfectly still, his eyes closed as if he were meditating. Just as she was inches from him, his eyes snapped open – they glowed with the bright green light of ancient forest magic. In one fluid motion, he reached out, grabbed the back of her dragonborn head, and drove her face-first into the stone arena floor with a thunderous CRACK.
The crowd fell completely silent. Even the White Order's supporters sat frozen in shock – Louie Zafra, watching from the sidelines, cracked a small smile before turning and walking back toward the church entrance. Anniebe lay motionless on the ground, unconscious.
The announcer stood gaping for a full minute before finding his voice. "What– what a– WHAT A MATCH?! I think… the winner is HYTHESION EVERGREEN!!"
Hythesion knelt beside the fallen dragonborn, his voice low enough only she could hear. "I told you, didn't I? I'd make it quick."
He stood and turned to walk back toward his team, where Arkar and Akmenos stared at him with wide eyes.
"What's wrong?" Hythesion asked, brushing dust from his cloak.
Akmenos shook his head slowly, a nervous laugh escaping him. "Remind me again never to mess with that side of yours."
Hythesion's expression grew serious as he scanned the stands. "Any news from Maitara?"
Arkar shifted uncomfortably. "Oh right… uh – no. We haven't heard anything since your last conversation before the match."
"Then they must be fine, I guess…" Hythesion said, though a flicker of concern crossed his face. He turned his gaze to Akmenos, who was already looking across the arena. "You're next, Akmenos."
"Yeah…" Akmenos replied, his jaw tightening. Across the grounds, Abe stood waiting – his hand rested on his weapon, and he made a slow, deliberate throat-slitting gesture.
DOWN IN THE CAVE DUNGEON
Maitara hit the cave floor hard, rolling to absorb the impact as loose stones and dirt rained down around her. When she finally came to a stop, she pushed herself up, wincing at the pain in her knees and palms. The cave around her was different from the dungeon above – narrower, with walls slick with damp moss and strange glowing fungi casting an eerie green light across the rock.
Dale and Geth were nowhere to be seen.
"Sir Dale!!! Geth!!!" she shouted, her voice bouncing off the stone walls. "Where are you??!" She called out again and again, but only silence answered – until a cold, raspy voice cut through the dark.
"Your comrades cannot hear you."
Maitara spun around to find Azalith Necrotis floating a few feet off the ground, its skeletal form illuminated by the green fungi. The dark purple robes billowed around it despite there being no wind, and the green light in its chest pulsed with each word.
"You are something else, for such a young age, to survive that long fall," Azalith said, tilting its skull head. "May I know your name first? It is only polite to know who we are sending to the other side."
"Maitara…" she said, her voice shaking slightly as she raised her hands, purple magic already beginning to gather at her fingertips. "Where are my friends?"
"Hmmm… Maitara. Such a young name for someone with such strong magic." Azalith's bony hands curled open, and masses of glowing green death aura swirled into shape – dozens of small skulls that hissed and crackled with energy. "Your friends might be dead as we speak. My colleagues will take care of them."
"What do you mean?!" Maitara demanded, taking a step back as the green light from Azalith's magic cast her shadow long and twisted across the cave floor.
Azalith floated forward slowly, the skull-shaped magic growing brighter and more numerous in its hands. "It means… they're going to die. And so will you."
Dale hit the ground hard, rolling across rough stone until he came to a stop against a jagged wall. He pushed himself up, grunting as pain shot through his side – then froze when he noticed the ground beneath him glowing orange-red.
"I don't like this one bit…" he muttered, already moving as the spot he'd been lying on burst into molten lava. His cat-like reflexes kicked in, sending him leaping backward just as the rock bubbled and cracked open.
Across from him, the lava pooled and solidified into the massive form of Drakath – the lizardman's scales glowed with intense heat, and his double-headed axe blazed with flames that turned the air around it hazy.
"Hey big man… Will you tell me where my friends are?" Dale called out, his hand moving to the dagger at his waist. His casual tone masked the focus tightening in his eyes – the same focus he'd used as an assassin, back when every movement could mean life or death.
"No can do," Drakath rumbled, his voice like stones grinding together in a furnace. "I was tasked to kill you – and here I shall."
With a roar, he leaped forward, his axe trailing streams of fire as he swung it down toward Dale. Dale ducked low, the heat of the weapon singeing the ends of his hair as it crashed into the stone where he'd stood.
"This is annoying," Dale hissed, already circling to the side as molten rock sprayed from the impact site. He'd trained for speed and stealth his whole life – now he'd have to use every trick from his assassin days to outmaneuver the lava warrior's raw power.
Geth tumbled down a sloping, rocky chute, his body bouncing off the cave walls until he finally skidded to a stop at the bottom. Dirt and small stones rained down after him as he pushed himself up, gritting his teeth against the ache in his shoulders and legs.
"Damn it, what a fall… Are any of you guys ok?!" he called out, scanning the dim space around him. The cave here was wide and open, with smooth stone floors worn down by water over centuries – but Maitara and Dale were nowhere to be seen. He took a deep breath, trying to catch their scents, but all he could smell was damp rock and the faint metallic tang of his own minor cuts.
"Damn it – am I alone in here?" he muttered, cracking his knuckles as he straightened up.
SWISH
A blade sliced through the air toward his neck – Geth reacted on instinct, raising one sword to block the strike. The impact sent a jolt up his arm, and he staggered back several steps, his boots scraping against the stone.
A low laugh echoed from the shadows.
"Who's there?!" Geth roared, his hand tightening on his sword hilt as he scanned every dark corner.
Another slash came out of nowhere – faster this time. Geth barely managed to bring his blade up in time, but the force of the hit sent him crashing to the ground, his sword skittering across the floor. As he looked up, Nakano Ichiya stepped into the faint light cast by glowing lichen on the walls, his silver hair gleaming, one blade already in hand.
"Hey – where are my friends?!" Geth demanded, scrambling to his feet and snatching up his fallen sword.
"Who knows?" Ichiya replied with a cold smile. "How about I'll tell you when you defeat me… if you can."
"You've got an annoying voice," Geth growled, his eyes narrowing as he shifted into a fighting stance.
"I won't be offended," Ichiya said, drawing a second sword – red energy now glowing along both blades. "Because every creature who faces me always ends up dead. And I'm gonna enjoy killing a lizardman."
Geth's jaw tightened at the slight – then he drew his second sword, Ready to fight.
BACK AT THE ORDEAL GAMES ARENA
The crowd was still buzzing from Hythesion's lightning-fast victory as the announcer stepped forward, his voice booming across the stands. "Now – let's bring you our FINAL MATCH! The battle of fists that will decide everything – will our visitors take the win, or will the White Order claim total victory? Let's welcome to the fighting grounds – from our visitors, AKMENOS!!"
Akmenos strode out onto the stone floor, his jaw set and fists clenched tight at his sides. There was no flashy aura, no grand entrance – just quiet focus as he took his place at the center of the arena, his eyes locked on the opposite side.
"And from the White Order Elite – the Ice Doom Bringer himself… ABE WHITEFANG!"
Abe didn't walk – he launched himself high into the air, his scaled form glinting in the sun before he came crashing down just feet from Akmenos. Where his boots hit the ground, sharp ice spikes burst up from the stone, spreading outward in a jagged circle.
"Ready to get beaten up, low-life devil?" Abe sneered, looking down his nose at Akmenos – his dragonborn stature making him tower over his opponent.
Akmenos just stared back, unfazed. "What are you yapping about?"
"There's no 'horned devil lower life form' – and no 'high mighty Ice Dragonborn with anger issues' either," he said, rolling his shoulders as he shifted into a fighting stance. "We're just two men, fighting for the last win…"
Abe paused, his smirk fading slightly as he studied Akmenos' face. Then he nodded once, a cold light flickering in his eyes. "Hmmmm. So be it."
Ice began to coat his fists, forming sharp, crystalline gauntlets as he raised his hands – ready to fight not for pride or insults, but for the victory that would seal his side's fate.