The Four Items! (1)

500th Chapter... Sigh! :D

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They arrived directly in front of the entrance of the 2nd Circle.

The smell of rot, dust, and ancientness was the same. Over one and a half years later, things had changed little about this place, Kai observed. This was the way of dead things, anyway. Until disturbed.

Kai held the compass in his hands and Cersei put the Portkey away. He walked up to the large door, inscribed with hideous markings, idols, and glyphs. His Items followed him, matching his gait.

"The Circle of Compassion," Kai read and snorted. "We will see."

With one push, the doors swung open, presenting another torch-lit corridor.

Kai lifted the compass and walked in. The needle of the compass spun rapaciously, he noticed, hearing the creaking of the doors as they closed behind him.

Suddenly, the spinning stopped.

Kai smiled. "Follow me."

The walls kept shifting, and so did the needle. One turn after another, the group walked deeper into the ancient ruins, never losing their path.

And just when it seemed they were about to stumble upon something great, it arrived.

Thud! Thud!!

Thud!!!

The steps were heavier than the previous guardian. The magical energy was mightier. Yet, the stench remained the same.

The Inferius Knight walked out of the shadows into the distance, covered in blue, red, and white tattered armor. Low growls came out of its mouth like a beast, and in its gloved hands, it carried a longsword, almost as tall as Kai himself.

"Chastiefol!" Moraine blurted, recognizing the sword. "He must be Sir Bors de Ganis. Truly. A legendary knight!"

The inferi had the equivalent strength of a mid-level 6th-floor Contestant, Kai judged. A perfect opponent for one of his Items. "Item-S," he said, his eyes forward, "go deal with him."

Item-S nodded. She passed by him, her red shroud rippling with a life of its own. She had regained her "original" appearance. A curvaceous figure in black and white, with four chains flailing around her. Every step she took was heavier than the Inferi.

As she walked, she was terror itself.

"Grrrr!" The Inferi growled, listing the enormous sword. The ceiling of the ancient ruins rose, and the walls expanded, giving the knight room to burst out with his most destructive capabilities.

Item-S kept approaching it, her feet leaving behind inch-deep foot impressions.

Behind Kai, Moraine and Red Sun observed Item-S with a troubled gaze, feeling out of place.

Item-M was a fallen 13th-floor ex-priestess of Hastur. If that was it, then it wouldn't have mattered. But she was also the grand-disciple of fucking Jiraya!!! If she could get the 5th rank in the Tournament of Worth without having the Ability of Chakra Manipulation, then what would happen when she regained it? What kind of illogical monster she would become?

Then there was this… incomprehensible creature. Item-S. A Blessed of the Deep One. She was destined to be a bigger monster than even Item-M.

And that left them standing, shuffling on their feet. This was it, wasn't it? It was their one and only chance to show off. It certainly seemed so.

Moraine and Red Sun shared a glance and immediately looked away.

On the other side, Item-S had arrived within the Inferi's sword's reach.

Kai's eyes narrowed.

And the knight hacked.

The sword lit up with a blue aura and then landed on Item-S' shoulder with a squelching sound. Bright green blood splattered everywhere, and her shoulder dangled on one side. The sword kept going deeper and deeper, and finally stopped at her waist, hacking half of her body.

Item-S took another step toward the Inferi.

This?! The shock was so great that Moraine and Red Sun looked at each other again, trying to see if the other person was seeing the same scene or not.

Item-M said nothing, though. Nor did Kai. Cersei even looked bored a bit, curling a lock of her hair.

"Dead do not deserve to exist in my presence," Item-S' ghostly voice penetrated the silence. She lifted her right hand, whose shoulder was still intact, and put it on the helmet of the armored knight.

"GRRRR!!!" The Inferi trembled, letting out screeches. A greenish-black magical smoke seeped out of its eyes and entered Item-S.

For 3 seconds, she held it in her hands, and then lifted it and threw it away like a rag doll.

Boom!

Then she pulled out the enormous sword and planted it on the ground before her. Meanwhile, the green magical smoke she had sucked out rushed toward her left side.

Her entire body was made of Necroplasm, which also granted her the living symbiotic costume. Moreover, her Blessing wasn't complete, because she shared her allegiance with Kai and Malebolgia. That's why she did not possess Spawn's magical prowess. She was still a Hellspawn, though. She had Spawn's physical abilities, the symbiote, the Necroplasm, and all non-magical and inherent Abilities and Authorities.

And with it came the fact that Item-S was an Officer of Hell itself.

The Dead had indeed no business standing against her. Not at least Inferi of this level.

Item-S' flesh squirmed, glowing green under the effect of sucking out soul magic, and in no time reattached to her body. In front of her, both the knight and the sword turned to dust and entered the floor. "Where now, master?" she asked as if she had not done something truly shocking just now.

Kai's reply was blunter. "Hmm," he held his chin, looking thoughtful. "Right." There was no corridor to their immediate right. But the moment Kai said it out, the walls shifted and a long corridor appeared, running deep into the ruins.

Behind him, both Item-E and Item-R took deep breaths, coming to a cruel but necessary decision.

They must forget all that they had considered normal in their lives before.

This was the new normal now.

This was power. True Power.

And if they didn't stand out, then they would be left behind. No doubt.

Kai led them into the corridor, and entered a circular hall, with a tombstone raised in the middle of it.

"Here rests Sir Bors de Ganis of the Knights of the Round Table," Kai read the epitaph, nearing it. "In the name of Pendragon, may his soul know peace for eternity."

The tombstone split open and a black marble appeared in the circular opening.

"Portkey," Kai demanded, pulling out the marble and throwing it to Cersei. She threw the Portkey back at him.

When Kai held it, it was already burning hot.

And then the second ingredient appeared on it, right under the Chinese Fireball's Claws.

7 drops of Felix Felicis.

Item-M stood behind him, looking at the Woodcut. "Hmm?" she raised an eyebrow. "Wasn't it Zygmunt Budge who invented it? He even called it 'the crowning achievement of his career', hadn't he?"

Cersei stepped up. "So?"

"He did it in the 16th century," Moraine added, nodding toward Item-M. "And Ekrizdis was active during the 15th Century. So he couldn't have known about Liquid Luck, could he?"

"Hahaha!" Red Sun burst out laughing.

"And what's so funny?" Moraine frowned at him.

"He's laughing at all of you." Kai turned around and faced them. "Cersei," he looked at her, "don't play with them so. You know better."

Cersei giggled, walked away, and begin examining the entrance to the 3rd Circle.

Kai knew she knew the reason, but the way she kept trying to tease Item-M was beyond him. He looked at Item-M, a touch apologetically. "Don't arrive at hasty conclusions, forgetting the data at hand," he told her, making her blush instantaneously.

And then his gaze fell upon Moraine. "I will not throw away my Items just because they are new and have yet to adapt," he said to her. "You need not rush in proving yourself."

Moraine gulped and nodded.

"Your reasoning is true," Kai continued, looking at the Portkey. "But you are ignoring a grave, but important truth. Ekrizdis was, and still is, a Horcrux of Herpo the Foul. And didn't I tell you who Zygmunt Budge was a student of?"

Moraine gasped. "The Order…"

Kai grinned and threw the Portkey back at Cersei. "Circle of Rage, I see," he said, his eyes falling on the words over the 3rd entrance. "Let's go. It's just getting interesting."

It was indeed getting interesting. At least for him. If the 2nd Circle already had an Inferi of mid-level 6th floor, then he could safely assume that by the time he reached the 10th, the Inferi were bound to have an equivalent strength around the 8th or 9th floor.

That was perfect, wasn't it?

Perfect foes… to test out his newly devoured Blood Essences.

4 Blood Essences!

Kai grinned almost becoming a laugh. Good thing he was walking in front of them all. Otherwise, that hideous, demonic grin on his "face" could have unnerved them all already.

He pushed at the door, his heart itching to let himself run amok.

The entrance swung open and the group vanished again, the doors creaking hideously behind them.

In the depths, below the lowest circle, another spike pinning down the Lord of Azkaban shattered.

11 more to go.

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Any guess related to the upcoming Ingredients?

Mass Release Goal Progress: 50%... [A heavey shout-out to Nyx for contributing One-Time donation on Ko-Fi again.] - Check out the links in my Synopsis. :)