There, at the center of the hall he came across an ominous looking altar.

It was smeared with long-dried blood, its surface etched with strange runes. The walls and floor surrounding it were covered in the same markings, an intricate web of symbols Arthur had never seen before.

He knelt beside it, studying them carefully. “…Runes again.”

He communicated with the Guardian AI and asked it to analyze these runes, recording the markings and running them against the growing library of magical knowledge he had been collecting.

The AI’s voice appeared faintly in his mind.

[Commander. Preliminary analysis suggests these runes are consistent with structures used for stabilizing spatial gateways. Probability of this formation being used to open a portal.]

Arthur’s brows furrowed. “A portal? Here?”

He stood up, glancing around the room again. “So, this wasn’t just a temple…”

As if in response, the torches lining the walls started to lit-up one by one.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The torches were casting long shadows across the runes, and the air grew heavier.

Arthur instantly raised his guard, Chi covered his body. He took out his sword, his senses sharpened to a razor’s edge as he looked at the altar.

Yet nothing happened as seconds passed.

“…That’s creepy as hell,” Arthur muttered dryly.

Then the air above the altar suddenly twisted. Space itself seemed to ripple like water disturbed by a stone.

Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “Here we go.”

The ripples deepened, swirling faster until a dark oval tore itself open above the bloodstained altar. The distortion widened, stabilizing into a portal large enough for a man to walk through.

Arthur tightened his grip on his blade, his body lowering into a combat stance. His heart pounded loudly, not out of fear, but due to the anticipation.

The portal pulsed once, and then… something stepped out.

A shadowy figure, humanoid in shape, its form wreathed in an aura of thick, oppressive energy that seemed to freeze the very air around it. Its eyes glowed faintly from the darkness of the portal, locking directly onto Arthur the moment it emerged.

Arthur exhaled slowly, a grin tugging at his lips despite the tension.

…

The figure stepped out of the portal fully now, its form solidifying under the flickering light of the torches. Its voice was deep, cold, and carried a strange cadence that seemed to scrape at Arthur’s bones.

“Finally… after so many years, the time has come again.”

Arthur’s eyes narrowed, his grip on his sword tightening. The creature was not something he had seen before, it was a mix of a man and a bat.

It had horns that curled like a bull’s, the pair of wings at its back were leathery and veined like a bat’s. Its yellowish eyes reflected the flickering fire of the torches, and its entire body was clad in a pitch-black armor. Even the ground beneath its boots seemed to darken at its presence.

The being glanced briefly at Arthur but didn’t attack immediately. Instead, it began monologuing in a tone that was equal parts pride and disdain.

Arthur, raised his guard and activated ‘Analyze.’ A panel appeared before his eyes, as numbers and words came into view.

//--------------------//

Name: ??

Rank: Archmage

Age: 1326

Height: 6’2"

?#?: 7.97 Million Units

Strength: 399 Kilotons

Speed: Mach 13.12

//--------------------//

Arthur’s lips thinned. “…Great.”

Though from the first look, it appeared that the being was weaker than him, but that was only in physical aspect and that too in base state. And it uses some kind of energy different from mana.

Its gaze flicked back to him, this time with more interest. He tapped his chin with a clawed finger, and said. “You are quite strong… for a prey.”

It tilted its head, as though recalling something, then asked in a measured tone, “Tell me, human… how many of you entered the Ancient Realm this time?”

Arthur ignored the question. He asked in a steady voice, but with an edge in it. “Who are you?”

The being’s eyes narrowed instantly, as the faint amusement it felt was replaced by irritation. Its voice dropped low, filled with malice. “You have quite the guts to ignore my question, human.”

He straightened, his wings unfurling slightly, throwing jagged shadows across the altar.

“So be it. You deserve to know the name of the one who will take your life.”

Arthur’s blade hummed faintly with Chi as Morax declared, “I am Duke Morax, a humble servant of the Demon King of Agony.”

His grin widened, revealing serrated fangs. “And now… it’s time for you to die.”

Before Arthur could blink, the demon vanished.

WHOOSH!

A blur of black appeared in front of him. Morax’s hand clamped around his neck with a vice-like grip, lifting him off the ground effortlessly.

Arthur’s eyes widened at the sheer speed. ‘I didn’t even see him move…’ Although he believed he could be faster if he used Lightning Manipulation.

Morax’s yellow eyes gleamed, as satisfaction etched across his face. “You have a lot of lifeforce,” he hissed, his grin stretching wider. “Good for me.”

Arthur immediately felt like something was being pulled out of him. His limbs grew heavier, and he felt a bit sluggish. His vitality was being drained, siphoned away by Morax.

Arthur’s hand gripped the demon’s wrist on his neck, as he tried to remove it. The speed was not that fast, but he can feel at this rate he would be drained in less than five minutes… and he’d be nothing more than an empty husk.

But then… his adaptability kicked in. His cells reacted, resisting the draining force and slowly changing themselves to block this draining force.

Arthur pretended to be hurt, he let his face twist with fake agony, masking his recovery. His breathing grew ragged on purpose, and his eyes half-lidded. The demon chuckled, convinced his prey was dying.

A few seconds later when his body was able to fully resist the draining force. Arthur snapped his gaze up, his eyes locking with Morax’s. He dropped the fake struggle.

Morax’s smug expression faltered. His eyes widened. “…How…?”

But all he got as an answer was a punch to the face.

BAM!

His punch landed squarely on Morax’s jaw, the force sending the demon hurtling backward, and the impact creating a sonic boom.

Morax’s body slammed into the altar, the stone groaning under the blow. Dust exploded outward, as cracks spiderwebbing across the bloodstained surface.

Arthur dropped back to the ground, landing lightly, as Chi flared across his body. He rolled his shoulders, and said. “You talk too much.”

From the rubble, Morax rose slowly, brushing stone debris off his black armor and without even a scratch on him.

Arthur’s brows furrowed. “…Tch.”

Morax rubbed the side of his jaw where the punch had landed, a faint shimmer of energy still lingering. Arthur's punch hadn't caused him any damage as he had erected a barrier just before his punch landed. His grin widened, and he asked in an almost admiring tone.

“You resisted my Life Drain ability. Interesting… That should be impossible for a human.”

Arthur didn’t answer, he tightened his stance.

Morax’s eyes glowed bright yellow as energy coursed through his body, his wings stretching to their full span, filling the temple chamber with his oppressive presence. His voice dripped with menace. “Very well then, human… let us see just how long you can keep your mouth shut before I break you.”

The air shuddered as a thick killing intent poured out of the demon.

Arthur exhaled slowly, grounding his feet, lightning crackling faintly along his arms and legs.

“…Guess I’ll just have to prove you wrong.”

…

Arthur’s eyes narrowed as the oppressive aura thickened around them. He thought, ‘What is a demon doing here?’

Arthur was a bit confused on how there could be a demon in this realm. He had heard that this realm was created by the gods of this world as a trial ground and opportunity for the people of this world, and demons were considered as the invaders, so technically they should not have been allowed to enter.

‘So how the hell is one walking out of a portal inside a temple?’ But he pushed these thoughts to the back of his mind and focused on the fight.

Morax suddenly launched upward, his wings snapping open with a thunderous clap.

CRAAASH!

Stone and dust rained down as he punched through the temple roof, disappearing from the hall.

Arthur tilted his head, and blinked in confusion. “…Now why is he running away?”

‘No…’ his eyes narrowed in realization. ‘He is not running. He’s a mage, so he’s trying to pull me into a battlefield where he has the advantage.’

Morax was a mage and generally mages mostly fought from a distance. And since Morax found out Arthur could resist his Life Drain ability he became cautious.

Without hesitation, Arthur bent his knees and shot upward after him, blasting out of the same hole Morax had torn in the temple roof. Wind roared past his ears as he emerged into the open air and froze.

“Sh*t…!”

Dozens of glowing red magic circles floated above him, layered in complex formations. Each one glowed with crimson light. Before Arthur could react…

FWOOOSH! FWOOOSH! FWOOOSH!

Scarlet beams of energy rained down like divine judgment. They hammered into Arthur mid-air, the impact slamming him downward.

BOOOOOOOM!

The sky lit up as the beams converged, detonating against the temple below. The entire structure vaporized in a blaze of crimson energy, collapsing into rubble and molten stone. Shockwaves flattened trees for hundreds of meters around, and a wall of dust and fire surged outward.

For a moment, the world went silent under the ringing in Arthur’s ears. Smoke and flame smothered the ruins, the ground glowing faintly from residual heat.

As the dust settled Arthur rose from the center of a crater, from a kneeling position, his hand pressed against the fractured earth. His cloak was singed, and dust caked his skin, but his body was unscathed.

He rolled his neck with a smirk tugging at his lips. “…That's all you’ve got?”

High above, Morax’s yellow eyes widened briefly, surprised by Arthur’s tenacity before narrowing again. “Impressive. Most would have been reduced to ash… and yet, you crawled out unharmed from my attack. No wonder the Demon King warned us about anomalies like you.”

Arthur’s gaze sharpened. “…‘Us,’ huh? So there are more of you around this realm.”

Morax didn’t answer. Instead, his wings flapped, and new magic circles appeared in the air behind him. “Let’s see how long you can keep your bravado.”

Arthur didn’t give him the chance. He burst forward, his body vanishing in a crack of lightning.

WHOOSH!

He closed the distance in a blink, cocked his fist back and punched forward.

BOOOM!

Only for it to slam into an invisible wall. The energy barrier absorbed the brunt of the attack, but the sheer force still drove Morax backward, hurling him hundreds of meters across the sky before he stabilized.

Arthur clicked his tongue. “Figures.”

He shot after him, but before he could close the distance, something tugged at his legs.

“…What the…?”

He glanced down. Shadows had come alive beneath him, stretching unnaturally across the ruined forest floor. Jet-black tentacles coiled around his ankles, writhing like serpents.

In an instant, they yanked him downward.

SLAM!

Arthur smashed into the ground, the earth split apart due to the impact.

He growled, Chi bursting outward in waves as he ripped himself free, shards of rock scattering into the air. He flipped to his feet and jumped out of the debris, only to freeze at the sight around him. He saw the surrounding had been filled with sharp tentacles made out of pure darkness. There were hundreds of them, lashing and writhing, their tips jagged like spear heads.

Arthur exhaled slowly, and tightened his defence.

Morax hovered above, his wings now rapping around him like a cloak, his laughter echoed over the ruined landscape. “Struggle all you want, human. But if you think you can come out of this alive you are mistaken.”

Arthur floated up, lightning crawling across his body until it intensified like a golden storm around him.

The tentacles shot forward all at once, blotting out the sky as they converged on him.

Arthur clenched his fists, Chi and lightning flaring bright as the ground beneath him cracked due to the intense energy waves. “Come on, then!”

***

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