13. Death

"This is the sixth floor. Stay sharp, heroes!" Reivain's voice rang out as he raised his sword, eyes scanning the dim, rocky surroundings. The jagged formations glowed faintly, their light twisting into the shapes of an approaching horde. From the shadows emerged a legion of orcs, their guttural roars shaking the ground as they charged the group.

"Orcs, huh?" Kateni grinned, muscles tensing as he readied himself for a fight. His excitement surged at the sight of their fearsome, towering forms.

The orcs stood tall and imposing, their battle-worn green skin marred by the scars of countless fights. Their crude armor—a haphazard mix of rusted metal and scavenged remnants—clanked as they moved, tusked jaws twisted into snarling grins. Clutching brutal axes and clubs, they surged forward with raw power, eyes gleaming with savage hunger.

Seiito knew that on this floor, there would be orcs, but seeing them face to face was definitely making his body shudder.

Saka's grip tightened on her weapon, her heartbeat quickening. These were no mindless skeletons. These orcs were living beings, creatures with a pulse and breath. Once again, the thought of taking a life weighed heavily on her, even if they were the enemy.

Noticing her hesitation, Seiito stepped beside her, gently taking her hand. His calm presence anchored her.

"Remember what I said," he murmured, his voice steady. "Killing isn't a sin… not when it's to protect the people you care about. What you did before doesn't make you a monster. It doesn't change who you are."

Her thoughts flashed back to that moment, to Seiito's reassuring smile, his warmth and kindness. She knew he was right. There was no room for compromise—not when his life was at stake.

Determination surged within her, a fire igniting in her chest. Saka's expression hardened, her resolve set. "I'll protect you, Seiito," she vowed, her voice steady with courage.

"Here they come!!" Reivain's shout pierced the air as the orcs closed in.

"RAAAAHG!!" The deafening roar of an orc was abruptly silenced, its body torn apart in a flurry of black slashes. Kōji emerged from the shadows, his [Sneak] skill allowing him to strike with lethal precision.

As an orc's massive mace descended toward him, Kōji deftly sidestepped, retaliating with a brutal strike. "[Lightless Slash!]" His blade cut through the air, the inky black energy cleaving the orc's head from its body in a single stroke.

"W-wow…" Seiito's eyes widened with respect. Kōji had grown stronger—far stronger than before—but something was unsettling about his movements. His strikes weren't just precise; they were filled with anger, as though each swing was a release of pent-up rage.

Seiito couldn't quite understand it. Kōji had always been the grumpy one, but now he was unnervingly quiet—too quiet, too focused. A chill of unease crept into Seiito's mind, an unsettling feeling he couldn't shake. Was it his instincts? A simple gut feeling? Or had his paranoia about Kōji, his classmate and bully, begun to cloud his judgment?

Kōji was a classmate, after all, even if he'd tormented Seiito in the past. Despite everything, Seiito trusted his companions. He had to. As the weakest 'hero,' trust was his lifeline, and he clung to it tightly, willing his doubts to vanish.

But the coldness in Kōji's eyes unsettled him. Without a word, Kōji dashed at another orc, his daggers flashing as he drove them into the creature's eyes, blinding it. Before the orc could even react, Kōji sliced through the tendons of its legs with brutal precision, sending it crashing to the ground in agony.

Weak...Weak...Weak...WEAK!!

The word echoed endlessly in Kōji's mind, a dark mantra that fueled his every strike. But it wasn't the orcs he despised—it was himself. He loathed his own weakness, his inability to be the strongest. He wanted to surpass Takemi, and Reivain, to protect Saka…to prove he was worthy of something more.

And to take his righteous place with Saka.

With a final, savage thrust, Kōji drove his dagger deep into the orc's skull, silencing it with a sickening squelch. Blood splattered across his face, but he didn't flinch.

Reivain, watching from a distance, was taken aback. He had always known Kōji was a skilled rogue, but this? The sheer bloodlust radiating from him, the reckless precision—it was dangerous. Even Reivain, seasoned as he was, felt the menace rolling off Kōji like a tangible force, making him uneasy.

Masa's eyes widened as she witnessed Kōji's lethal precision. It took incredible control to fight like that, and for a moment, she hesitated. But then she grinned, refusing to be outdone, and began launching fireballs from her staff, determined to keep up with him.

"So cool, boss!" Yukiya's eyes sparkled with admiration.

"That's why he's our boss!" Ryūju added, his face alight with glee.

Takemi, watching silently, narrowed his eyes at Kōji. "It seems that fool has become stronger..." he muttered, his sharp gaze catching the faint aura surrounding Kōji—an aura of seething bloodlust.

"I want to fight him!" Kateni said with a grin, his warrior's heart stirred by the display.

"Focus, heroes! We're still in battle!" Reivain's voice cut through the chatter, his sword at the ready as more orcs surged forward. "Stay alert! There are more coming!"

Hours passed, and the sixth floor had become a battlefield drenched in green blood. Orc corpses lay scattered across the rocky ground, the pungent stench of death thick in the air, assaulting everyone's senses. The victory was theirs, but it came at a heavy price.

Seiito moved among his comrades, casting healing spells on their battered bodies, his hands trembling from exhaustion. He'd already drained five mana potions just to keep up with their wounds. His heart pounded in his chest, but he forced himself to continue. They couldn't afford any weakness, not now.

"Good work, everyone," Reivain called out, his voice steady, but his eyes betrayed his weariness. "The seventh floor is going to be even trickier, so prepare yourselves."

They pressed on through a labyrinth of twisting caves that seemed endless. Up, down, left, right—it was an intricate maze that could have easily swallowed them whole if not for Reivain's guidance. His experience was the only thing keeping them from getting hopelessly lost.

"Stay alert, Heroes. This is the seventh floor, a labyrinth."

"A maze?" Chiharu's voice echoed the unease that everyone felt.

Even Takemi, usually composed, appeared uneasy. The sheer scale of the cave system was daunting, towering over them like a living entity. They were nothing more than ants lost in the vastness of its winding paths. The ceiling was a mere 20 meters high, and around a football field of width, it was pretty big.

Kōji's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, his lips curling into a devilish grin as he stared at the looming maze. "This is it...[Sneak.]"

As they ventured deeper into the maze, the ground trembled beneath their feet, and soon they were confronted by enormous creatures—twice the size of Reivain. Insects, monstrous and grotesque, with gleaming eyes and sharp pincers.

"Ugh...I think I'm going to be sick..." Masa muttered, her face pale, her body trembling uncontrollably. Her entomophobia gripped her tightly, rendering her almost immobile with fear. She took one shaky step back, then another, trying to distance herself from the nightmare in front of her.

"Masa, watch out!" Chiharu's voice cut through the haze of fear. She shoved Masa aside just as a massive spider's pincer came crashing down, missing her by inches. In a flash, Chiharu retaliated, unleashing her [Wind Storm] spell, sending the spider hurtling backward.

Takemi stepped forward to finish it off, his [Shield of Life] glowing brightly as it disintegrated the creature in a flash of holy light.

"REEEEEHHHH!!?"

It cried out its last screeches, Seiito could only look in disgust, happy that he didn't have to fight bugs and insects...

Reivain wiped the sweat from his brow. His gaze scanned the tense faces of the heroes poised for battle, each one bracing for whatever came next.

His eyes suddenly widened as a wave of thick, suffocating bloodlust washed over him. The feeling was raw and overwhelming, like death itself had crept into the room.

He whipped his head around, searching for the source, but saw nothing.

It was as if the enemy had cloaked itself perfectly.

Reivain's mind raced—he had never felt anything like it before. It wasn't just any enemy. It was something far worse.

A chill crept down his spine as dark suspicions began to form in his mind. The King had sent them here, after all, and Reivain knew the King's ruthless reputation. Could this mission be a cover for something darker? His eyes lingered on Seiito, the weakest of their group, standing out awkwardly in the back.

"Seiito? Could the King have sent him here to..." Reivain's thoughts spiraled as his unease grew. It wouldn't be the first time the King had sent someone to their death under the guise of an expedition. This floor, this maze—it would be the perfect place to eliminate someone 'useless.'

Before Reivain could voice his fears, the ground beneath them trembled violently. Cracks split the stone, and an enormous shadow began to rise from a gaping hole in the earth.

"What?! What is it doing here!?" Reivain shouted in disbelief.

"A-A centipede?!" Masa stammered, her face turning pale as she stared at the monstrosity emerging before them.

The Devil Centipede towered over them, its grotesque, twenty-meter-long body writhing as it revealed itself. The creature's obsidian armor shimmered with malice, each segment lined with razor-sharp legs that could shred flesh in an instant. Its venom-dripping mandibles clicked menacingly as its glowing red eyes locked onto the group. Poisonous fumes hissed from its body, filling the air with a suffocating stench. This wasn't just a monster. It was a nightmare given form, far more dangerous than anything they'd faced before.

This monster wasn't supposed to be here. It belonged on the 40th floor. There was no way they could fight it—not in their current state.

"Everyone! Run for the exit!!" Reivain's voice cut through the panic, his tone sharp and commanding. The heroes didn't need any more convincing. Realizing the gravity of the situation, they bolted toward the exit without hesitation.

"Watch out for its pincers! That poison will kill you! We don't have a cure yet!!" Reivain shouted as the centipede gave chase, its enormous legs scrambling over the ground with terrifying speed.

They reached the looming stairway, each of them hesitating for a moment as they stared at the steep drop. "Just go!!" Reivain barked, pushing them forward.

"The strongest with me!" he commanded, his voice like steel.

Takemi, Saka, and Kitani immediately stepped to his side, ready to face the nightmare with him.

"We hold the line. Buy time for the others. Stay sharp!"

Seiito watched from behind, his heart pounding in his chest. He clenched his fists, the weight of his weakness pressing down on him like never before. He wanted to help, to stand with them, but he was too weak. All he could do was stay behind, ready to heal them once the battle was over...if they survived.

"SKREEEEEEEE!!!" The Devil Centipede shrieked, its massive pincers lashing out as the battle began.

Takemi's [Shield of Light] flared to life, creating a barrier of radiant energy just in time to block the centipede's monstrous pincers. But the sheer force of the impact shook him to his core. His eyes widened in disbelief as he felt a numbing shock spread through his arms. "He...hits like a truck..."

Before he could recover, Kitani leaped into action. "[Axe Throw!]" His colossal war axe spun through the air, aimed straight at the centipede's gleaming armored body.

In a blur of motion, Reivain ghost-stepped behind the creature, his blade flashing as he unleashed his most devastating attack. "[A Thousand Slashes!]" Each strike was precise and deadly, aiming for the vulnerable segments of the centipede's neck.

But the Devil Centipede, enraged, let out an ear-piercing screech. It spun violently, its entire massive body whipping through the air like a living battering ram.

"Ghh!" Takemi and Kitani were sent flying, crashing into the jagged rocks with bone-shaking force. Reivain, too, was slammed to the ground, the wind knocked out of him.

Saka stood frozen, paralyzed by fear as the chaos unfolded around her. Her knuckles whitened as she gripped her sword, but her body refused to move. In her terror, she watched as the centipede's many glowing red eyes zeroed in on her, venom dripping from its monstrous mandibles as it closed in.

In a flash, the beast covered the distance, its pincers aimed directly at her.

If I don't move…she dies. Even if I'm weak…I can at least do this.

Seiito's heart lurched. Time seemed to slow as he saw the impending doom. Without thinking, he sprinted toward her with everything he had.

"Saka!!" With a desperate lunge, he shoved her aside, taking her place in the centipede's path.

Squelch.

The world froze.

A sickening, wet sound filled the air. Seiito gasped, eyes wide, as the centipede's pincers drove through his chest. Blood spilled from the wound, staining the ground crimson.

The battlefield fell silent, as if the universe itself held its breath. Saka's heart shattered, the sight before her too much to bear. Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and her breath came in ragged, broken gasps. Her voice, choked with anguish, tore through the silence.

"SEIITO!!!"

Her scream echoed, raw and filled with unbearable pain, as Seiito's body hung limply on the centipede's pincers. His bloodied form, still and lifeless, burned itself into her vision. His sacrifice.

Chiharu's hands flew to her mouth, her face pale and stricken with horror. Masa, already teetering on the edge of consciousness, looked ready to collapse entirely.

Even Takemi, known for his calm and resolve, let out a furious roar, his grief, and rage mingling as he charged recklessly at the centipede.

Kōji, who hid in the darkness, grinned devilishly, intoxicated with satisfaction. The plan had been successful.

But the creature wasn't finished. With a single, effortless flick of one of its massive legs, it threw Seiito's limp body into the abyss.

"No!" Saka's voice broke as she staggered toward the ledge, her body shaking uncontrollably.

The last thing Seiito saw as he plummeted into the darkness was Saka's face, her expression frozen in horror and disbelief. Her eyes, filled with pain, were the last image burned into his mind as the world above grew distant.

And then, everything faded to black.