The Unseen

Going from the ground level to the next level was somewhat tricky, but they managed to bypass two levels by hiding in some crates that the guards were moving to the lower floors.

Yet by the time the guards walked away from the crates after moving them, Kurai noticed that Satoru had become very twitchy.

It set him on edge, given that the man usually seemed to be quite serene and friendly, but he didn't dare voice his thoughts as they made it to the level where the healers were apparently being kept.

They didn't have to look very far as the sound of angry cursing and helpless crying became louder the closer they got to the doors of a giant hall, but Satoru immediately grabbed his wrist when Kurai reached over to open it, "It doesn't seem to be locked, and yet no one is coming out. They could be using an ability."

Kurai nodded, and though he wasn't sure what type of ability it was, it made sense, seeing as it seemed to work similar to a trap, "But how do we bypass it then?"

Satoru motioned toward the stairs that went even deeper down, "We have to take out the root of the problem."

For a moment, he wasn't sure he'd heard the other man correctly, but then Kurai frowned, "Do you have a death wish or something? The king is the boss in this area…so doesn't that mean that he is stronger than a normal NPC would be?"

Satoru shrugged, but then finally gave in and nodded as Kurai crossed his arms. The man looked slightly guilty as he removed something from his inventory.

It was an old letter with dirt on it, or so Kurai thought until he looked closer and realized that it was actually covered in old blood, "Is that…"

"Blood? Yes, it is. I don't know exactly whose it is, but the task I was given is to find out what really happened to them." Satoru grimaced as he put it away again, "The problem is that the entire village is gone and this was truly the only thing left, so I couldn't find any clues, except for one…"

The glare Satoru aimed at the throne room made Kurai frown in worry, "Look, I know that we all have our quests to finish, but why does it seem like this is more personal than that?"

Satoru froze and carefully hid his true emotions behind the serene mask, but Kurai was having none of it, and seeing as he doubted that Satoru would be willing to tell him if he didn't at least offer up something in return, he removed the pendant from his inventory and showed it to him, "I received this while I was being tested in the Heart-weighing Chamber. The thing is, it was given to me by my younger self and I saw my real parents in the game. Was your case similar?"

The other man nodded with wide eyes, but before he could say anything, the large doors to the throne room swung open and he was thrown against a wall even as Kurai tried to grab his arm to yank him to the side as his instincts went into overdrive.

The sight of an unconscious Satoru sliding down the wall next to him had Kurai placing the pendant back into his inventory and crouching down into a fighting stance as the figure of a man stepped out of the dimly-lit throne room.

However, calling him a man was a bit far-stretched as he stepped closer and Kurai noticed the typical demon-overlord characteristics, including the dramatically flaring cape that the being wore as he walked toward him before coming to a stop a few meters away, "I thought I sensed the power of a Seraph healer, and yet you are merely a human…"

The being suddenly held up his hand and Kurai felt the air forcefully leave his body as he was slammed back into the wall without any warning.

He tried to take in gulps of air but the being slightly closed his hand and lifted, causing Kurai to struggle against the invisible grip that lifted him off the ground and choked him against the wall, "Where are they?"

For a moment Kurai didn't know what the being meant, and he took advantage of the slightly loosening grip to take in a gulp of air, but when he didn't answer, the grip tightened painfully once more, "I asked a question and I expect an answer unless your friend would be more cooperative…in which case…I do not need you."

The invisible grip around his throat tightened even more and Kurai briefly wondered when the resurrection ticket would activate if he died, but then he steeled himself and pulled a dagger from his pocket before throwing it at the being, causing it to lose concentration and drop him.

Kurai then willed 'Seraph's Blessing' to heal himself, just to try and buy some time, while also secretly willing the ability to heal Satoru as well.

It took quite a bit out of him to heal the two of them at once, but it was doable and he still had enough mana left to use some of his other abilities as he straightened up to meet the being's gaze with a glare.

Before his class change, he would've tried to find a way to hightail it out of there with Satoru after distracting the being somehow, but it felt like something had snapped within him ever since he 'died' on the battlefield and he pulled out his short swords instead before allowing 'Seradeihn's Form' to take over.

He saw the being's eyes widen in either shock or wonder as he sensed how Kurai's energy changed, but he didn't give him a chance to attack as he used 'Cyberblink' to swiftly move behind the being, whom he identified as the king as soon as he noticed the crown that had mostly been hidden by the being's elaborate clothing.

He relied on one of the new passives, 'Stealth', to be able to land a hit that would do more damage, and he succeeded, but the king wasn't the boss for nothing and he quickly turned to parry the next few attacks that Kurai tried to land.

The more hits Kurai managed to either land or miss, the more amused the king seemed to become and the player soon learned why when he realized that he was tiring quite quickly while the boss had barely even reached half-health.

'Seradeihn's Form' faded away due to the lack of mana and he was finally forced to take a break in his attacks as he glanced quickly to the side, only to find that Satoru still seemed to be unconscious despite the fact that he had healed him earlier.

The king noticed his gaze and gave him a feral grin, "Your friend won't be waking up to assist you anytime soon. This entire floor was designed to ensure that anyone who loses consciousness will stay in that state until I decide to revive them."

The being moved slightly closer and Kurai took a chance to try and regenerate some of his resources while the king spoke.

The NPC seemed to know that he was stalling for time and he allowed it, for a bit, before he quickly raised his hand and Kurai found himself slamming back against the wall again.

He gritted his teeth, having somehow managed to soften the impact as he noticed the king's hand move, "It seems all you know are a few old tricks…even dogs can learn a new trick or two, you know."

The king easily brushed off his statement with another amused grin, but then it became sharper as he stepped forward and raised his other hand.

Kurai expected the being to lash out with another telekinetic blow, but instead, a wildly pulsing energy started to form in his hand.

It looked like a mix of black and red with small embers flaring up in between before taking on the form of a vortex, although something about the energy seemed quite familiar, much to Kurai's confusion.

It took him a few moments to try and place it as the king walked forward at a tauntingly slow pace, and it was only once the being stood directly in front of him that his eyes widened in realization.

It was a darker version of the energy he used within the reverse ability of Seraph's blessing and he instinctively called up 'Seradeihn's Form' again to try and boost an attack to get out of the king's grasp.

However, the being's hold was tight and it kept him immobile despite the chatty mood he seemed to be in, "Did you know that Demons are the counterparts of the Seraph race?"

Kurai fought the urge to roll his eyes, "Everybody knows that."

The being's grin became sharper, "Ah, but what you didn't know is that Demons are formed when a Seraph becomes corrupted by the abyss."

He suddenly realized what the being was planning and he started struggling, much to the king's amusement as he continued, "Demons when compared to their counterparts, are formed instead of being born, and I waited for years for one of two Seraphs to be thrown into this place, only for none to appear."

The energy in his hand grew bigger as he stepped even closer, "My minions found one such Seraph earlier, but I soon learned that she seemed to have had an extra skill in the past…one she had carried on to another individual, so I found myself quite intrigued."

Kurai threw him a glare and the being chuckled, "Don't fret, she hasn't been changed yet since I became distracted with finding you, though I intend to remedy that soon enough."

The king stopped in front of him before slamming the hand holding the swirling energy straight over his heart, "The other side would never accept you back once you've become corrupted by the abyss, though I do wonder how they would feel if they were forced to fight their own."

Kurai bit his lip in an effort not to scream as he was hit, but then the energy seemed to engulf his sight and all he knew was pain.

He vaguely felt the king drop him to the floor as his body convulsed before the figure leaned over him, "We shall see…"