Chapter 44 – Floor 3 – One of Many Endings

Floor 74.

Sitting on his throne, the Sector Administrator of Floors 70-79 sat depressed. As a heteromorphic monster, he resembled more of a blob than a person, but even as an advanced race of a lowly slime, his composure was less than desirable.

"Ah, you've finally arrived." Beelzebub said in a sad voice.

The survivors of the 73rd Floor entered his throne room solemnly.

21 stared down the blob monster with a grin and prepared to give a speech, but suddenly, he frowned, staring at Clico and Ziphe.

"Your auras are different than before." 21 remarked to Ziphe and Clico. Mite watched Clico carefully. Clico looked around confused. He was unable to make out his surroundings clearly, as if most of the remaining alive members were veiled from his sight.

"Ahh, I see. This is an alternate timeline." 21 sighed. Stepping back, he allowed Beelzebub to make the first move.

"I guess the time for talk is done." Beelzebub stood up from his throne by leaving it. He couldn't really stand as a gigantic blob, but he left his throne, nonetheless.

"Skill: Gluttonous Suzerain Lord." Beelzebub morphed into a gigantic and brooding Shade that towered over the party.

"Skill: Oceanus Twelve, Number Three!" The Arch Priest of Order yelled and charged at Beelzebub, who instantly killed the Arch Priest with one swing of his blob like arms.

Mite fell to his knees again.

"Impossible. This isn't right! This isn't right!" He yelled.

Clico looked over in shock. Mite acted the same as on the bad ending of the 19th Floor. 21 laughed in the background.

"Just another variable gone south. Perhaps, next time, I will be luckier." 21 chuckled.

One by one, the silhouettes of the living party members clashed with Beelzebub from all directions.

Ex-King Skele fell to the monstrosity next.

Superior Councilman Naxa fell.

Then, Mite stood up and walked right into Beelzebub's attack. His last words were haunting.

"Ziphe, your aura realm gave away that this is an illusion." Mite committed suicide in the blob monster.

"How disturbing." Ziphe muttered as the party members were slaughtered, one after another.

"Alas, this is indeed Floor 74." Ziphe sighed.

One by one, the party members unleashed their strongest skills but were cut down mercilessly by Beelzebub, who looked unamused and depressed.

"Aren't you going to attack?" Clico begged Ziphe.

"No, just watch," advised the Grand Councilman.

Suddenly, one man faced Beelzebub confidently.

"Skill: Holy Judgement!"

"Skill: Heartless Sacrifice!"

"Skill: Life in Death!"

A singular figure fought Beelzebub to a standstill. Casting extraordinary skills, the man was leaps and bounds stronger than the other Royalty and Deities left standing. Blinding golden and white lights spread throughout the throne room, obscuring the legendary clash.

"Who is that?" Clico gasped as 21 walked over to him and Ziphe from the sidelines.

"Another main character, just not the one needed for this story." 21 sat down and watched the splendor of the man facing Beelzebub.

"I don't remember anyone being this strong in our party. Are you even this strong Ziphe?" Clico gasped at the blinding silhouette of a man flashed in the depths of Beelzebub's cavern like throne room.

"Perhaps when we get to this floor, I will be able to match him. For now, I am at least one to three sub-ranks below this man and Beelzebub." Deduced Ziphe.

"Do you recognize him?" Clico asked Ziphe.

"No. There are a few people who become this strong. I could guess his identity based on my prophetic book though." Ziphe thought out loud. As someone with some of the most comprehensive details regarding each floor and its desired outcome, Ziphe could only speculate. There were a few Deities hidden in the party, and as time went on, a few would grow to this extent. Therefore, the current Aura Realms of those in the party made it unclear who the man truly was.

"He's the strongest, stronger than your peak." 21 muttered Ziphe.

For the first time, a flare of emotion came onto Beelzebub's face.

"Yes! Yes! Finally, you've come!" Beelzebub laughed and almost seemed to be crying tears of joy, finally facing someone who could match him.

As the battle continued, the party was utterly decimated. The moment Beelzebub died, the only people left alive were Clico, Ziphe, and 21. The cavern had long collapsed around them, and the fight continued as the rocks fell on the living party members. 21 pulled out a strange Artifact to preserve their lives under the rubble.

"The battle of two S Rank Deities destroyed the 74th and 75th Floors in its aftermath." 21 continued to marvel.

"That powerful?" Clico gasped. This was the peak of the universe. Those at the S Rank Deity Realm were close to the Authority Realm, and they were considered to be those with unfettered power.

21 turned to Clico with a look of pity.

"That, is a true main character." He said with glowing eyes and released the Artifact, letting the rubble consume them.

***

Floor Three.

"Ah you're back!" 21 smiled at Ziphe and Clico.

"Who was that?" Clico exclaimed in awe.

"The strongest person in our party at their maximum power." 21 tilted his head.

"Even at your strongest, you couldn't win." 21 shook his head at both Clico and Ziphe and waved his staff again.

***

Floor 86.

Clico looked around. Inside a dark cavern, he looked around for Ziphe but couldn't find him.

The only people around him were Wandering Sage Mite, Wandering Sage Jing, and Cheptah. Upon closer inspection, Clico realized they weren't in a cavern, but a dark crypt, full of bones.

"Where are we?" Clico asked the trio. Mite's face went dark, inspecting Clico's condition.

"What happened to your aura realm? This isn't supposed to happen. This isn't right. This isn't right!" Mite yelled at the top of his lungs, even more desperate than the previous two times.

"I've been sent here by 21 from the past." Clico decided to say.

Mite looked at Clico meaningfully.

"I understand. Damn, after all this time, it's for nothing. I guess there's no helping it." Mite shrugged and put the finger gun against his head. Clico turned away and flinched as the Mite killed himself.

Cheptah had a sad look on his face.

"Do you remember anything?" He asked quietly.

"No." Clico responded.

"It must have been from before the 10th Floor, I imagine. We are on Floor 86 now." Wandering Sage Jing remarked. Clico was shocked that Jing and Cheptah had survived this far. Just how strong were they now? Were either of them the man from the 74th Floor?

"Who dares come here?" A raging voice yelled among the bones that littered the crypt. Skeletons swarmed their location, and a gigantic lich came out of the shadows, apparently at the Deity Realm.

"I am the reigning Administrator of this Floor, and you are trespassing!" The skeleton said using a spiritual voice from its Shade Core.

"Skill: Deathless Consumption!" The lich chanted, and a blast of crimson aura slammed into the trio.

"This is the end." Cheptah said while shielding Clico, but it was too late.

***

Floor 3.

Clico panted and arrived back sooner than expected. 21 looked at Clico with curiosity. A moment later, Ziphe snapped out of his daze.

"Why does Mite act the same way every time? Why is he able to figure out we are instantly in an illusion?" Clico wondered to 21. Despite 21's absurd plots, this was actually more insightful than the private prophecy session given to him nearly a week ago. Gaining a surface level knowledge of these different scenarios and floors was actually helpful. If 21 had just said it was a good way to train, neither him nor Ziphe would have originally contested. Sometimes, 21 made things more difficult than it needed to be, and it confused and annoyed Clico.

"Mite is the only one who knows just as much as I do about this expedition. In terms of real-life experience, Mite knows more than me, actually. Mite's unique physique is actually the most important part of my plan." 21 explained briefly.

"How can this be?" Ziphe exclaimed loudly, realizing the implications of abusing Mite's physique.

"You're using Mite as the catalyst for your prophecies. Is that your secret?" Ziphe unexpectedly gasped. Even Tyermsy and Vladimir were taken aback by Ziphe's sudden outburst.

"How many iterations has Mite seen? I understand these illusions aren't real, but his physique is indeed real. These illusions imitate reality. What have you done to Mite? Answer me!" Ziphe yelled. Mite's Hourglass Physique was exceptional and hard to understand. Besides 21 and Ziphe, there was no one, including Clico, who fully understood how it worked. Explained to Clico as an ability that gave him slight access into multiple possibilities of the future, he never pried too much, yet in this moment, Clico was stunned at Ziphe's sudden concern for Mite.

"Mite's prophetic skills are technically even better than mine to an extent, but I am a better planner and have a broader knowledge of the situation and aura. You should already know by now that I'm a real prophet. Mite is just the glue that assures me that this is the timeline is the one I want." 21 smiled casually at Ziphe.

"Fine. I won't ask you again, but I will ask Mite next time I see him. For now, I want to continue with these illusions. If you had just told us how helpful this experience would be from the start, neither one of us would have fought against you, right Clico?" Ziphe nodded as if he could read Clico's thoughts.

"Yes," responded Clico, who nodded as well.

"Good, then let's try another." 21 waved the staff.