Welcome To Hell~!

I plummeted to my death, with almost no will to live as I did. Komoria was down there and I needed to be sure I could reach her.

Everything was dark. Was dead. Was devoid. I didn't know what to expect once the dead started to rise. Would I see my brother? My mom? Well, I doubt this world was connected to theirs, but I couldn't stop thinking about it as I continued my dive.

Hours seemed to pass as I idly fell. I preemptively activated [[The Rabbit]] to ensure I didn't fall to my death. It actually gave me a little laugh because this double-jump tech to stop my momentum was the same kind of thing I did in PVE games back in the day. 

As if my prayers were answered, a red landscape filled my vision. Volcanos, mountains of splinters, and boneyards of creatures far too large to be fought filled up the landscape. I saw places that seemed cooler and pleasant in the distance, but that's not where I would be going.

A fiery lake stretched out below me, bubbling and hissing with flames. There was no sign of Komoria. Welp. This sucks. 

I air-hopped right before the fires could lick my legs and landed on a smooth rock within the lake. There was a small salamander next to me who seemed kinda cute. As it looked at me with upturned eyes, I kicked its ass off, sending it plummeting into the lake. Curved, scaly backs undulated out of the water around me like sharks. There were a few rocks I could hop to, but I was afraid of being attacked mid-jump. What a pain this all was.

I got lucky, though. As a nuisance was falling down from above, I grinned mischievously. I hopped up, grabbed Senna, and threw her into the center of the boiling lake.  

"Gooooal!" I screamed as the fire serpents went after her. With my enemies distracted, I launched myself onto another rock and another until I reached the safety of the rocky ground.

I used my scanner to zoom in on the commotion in the fire ocean. As expected, that girl is OP  as fuck. Her blobs of ooze had expanded over a good portion of the lake, devouring both the firey water and its inhabitants. I watched for a bit, slicing in half any charred zombie-looking dudes that came by with my scythe. A little while after, Senna walked out of the lake, glowing and looking flushed as if she just got out of a relaxing bath.

"I would condemn you for that, but it was a rather pleasant experience." She let out a loud burp, covering her mouth as she did. "Parden me, and it seems my clothing has been melted." She reformed her clothes and as she did, I saw a poor fire serpent slowly swimming around throughout her torso, melting away. I could still see parts of it within the hole she left around the stomach of her body suit. How eerie. 

"I can't find Komoria. Everything around here is a hellish wasteland. Never thought I would actually end up in the underworld."

"Likewise, though the inhabitants here seem rather delicious, but more importantly..." She gazed off solemnly in the distance.

"Yeah, I was also wondering if all the dead were here. But this is Hell, right? Would your clan really be here?"

"I can't say for sure, though I know there are four layers to the Underworld. We are in layer One, Idle Punishment. Where your average villain resides. Thieves, poachers, politicians. They are being tortured, twisted, and punished somewhere within this realm. If we can find the Lord of the Layer, then we can proceed to the next Layer known as the Endless Onslaught. All infamous warriors and killers will be there. I always wanted to see the Crucible."

"Geez. This all sounds like a headache. But wouldn't Komoria be here?"

"I wouldn't be so sure. Mouths have been reported to open up in the ground at random, moving sinners from one Layer to another as another form of punishment. I don't smell her in the vicinity, so there is a good chance she fell to another Layer."

I narrowed my eyebrows. "How do you know all this shit?"

"Oni's were originally born in the Underworld. One of my ancestors led our people from the third Layer out. It became a rite of passage to escape all four Layers. I made it out within a week. I will admit, it has changed a lot since I last came."

"Lucky me, then. But seriously, if we can't wait for those random holes to open up, I guess we need to find the Layer Lord or whatever. I'll kick his ass. Where is he?"

Senna took a big whiff of the stale air. Their scent is coming from the direction of the God Boneyard."

"Great. How do we get there?" I did recall seeing it from above."

Lyra gazed past me towards the volcano area where fires ate away at the land. "We must cross the Bonfire of the Damned."

"You gotta be fucking kidding me."

"I do wonder who the new Lord of the Layer is."

"Do they change?"

"Only when you kill the former one. It takes centuries for powerful foes to return here. Only those with a strong attachment to the living can revive with haste. It's another form of punishment to slowly be rebuilt as your mind breaks down from boredom and loneliness."

"How awesome. This place sucks more ass than I thought. You better not let me die."

"I assure you, that I will let no harm come to you. However..." She licked her lips, and it was then that I noticed the fire serpent had been fully digested within her chest. "I do require some sustenance for the long journey. An arm and a leg will suffice."

"Fuck my liiiiiife!"

———————————————————————————————————————————

I awoke in a dark place, the sound of horse hooves stirring me. "Ugh...."

I took in my surroundings and noticed I was in some sort of cage. The last thing I remembered was falling into that chasm. The look on Raze's face nearly made my heart skip a beat. 

"Ah, so you are awake."

"Who...— Ahhhh!"

It was a skeleton wearing a cloak and heavy armor sitting next to me in the cage.

"A little rude, don't you think, bat demon?"

"I'm a bat beast-kin, not a demon! Where the hell am I?"

"The Underworld of course," he said with a face that seemed close to a grin. The Second Layer to be precise. The brought you in here a few hours ago as a contestant."

"Contestant for what?!"

"The Contest of Champions of course! A battle to the death while the Lord of the Layer watches. I'm hoping to finally get a win. It's been 203 years since I last died in battle there but I'm feeling good after all my training. What is your name, demon?"

"I'm not a demon but my name is Komoria Vato."

"Demon Komoria. It seems we have been chosen as partners for the Crucible. My name is Vido, the Undead Champion (self-declared). I look forward to our prosperous partnership."

"Umm, yeah...thanks." How the hell do I get out of here?!

The horses came to a halt resulting in Vido craning his neck. "Ah, it appears we are here. I look forward to another great fight!"

I grimaced, already hearing mad cheers in the distance. I gripped my hands tightly on the bars. Raze, please come find me soon. I don't like my chances on my own.

Some large fleshy monsters unlocked the cage and said something that sounded like gibberish. "Well, then," Vido said. "TO THE ARENA!"