CHAPTER - 069 - THE DEVOURING GLINT

Alan watched in shock and dread as Armis succumbed to greed, tearing through the creatures with relentless force. With one hand, he punched holes in their grotesque bodies, while with the other, he greedily yanked jewels and gold from their forms.

"ARMIS, WAIT!!!" Alan's voice echoed through the chaos as he too joined the fray, lunging at the creatures with determination. As he sliced through the monsters, he remarked, "I want some for Relecta too."

Together, they pressed forward, cutting down the creatures and plundering their treasures before their lifeless bodies even hit the ground.

"ARIAN!!!!" Longiseus's voice pierced through the darkness as they plummeted into the abyss. With nothing but the rush of air around them, desperation fueled their contorted bodies. Longiseus's mind raced, searching for a solution to save them from certain death.

Suddenly, a plan sparked in his mind. Longiseus called out to Arian, who was falling below, and relayed his idea: "Use the air!!!!!"

Arian snapped out of his reverie, his focus shifting to action. Summoning all his strength, he mouthed the words against the rushing air and, with a grunt, exclaimed, "Claudum….VENTUM!!!"

With his command, the turbulent air that had been contorting and thrusting through their bodies ceased, suspending them in the darkness of the abyss. Struggling against the void, Arian gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, exerting all his strength to maintain control over the air. 

Suddenly, Longiseus's voice cut through the darkness with another command: "Now slowly lower us down."

Arian took a deep breath, his jaw still clenched, and began to gradually open his fist. As his hand moved, everyone started to descend at a normal speed, the dread lessening with each passing moment. After a brief struggle, illumination caught Arian's eye. The darkness dissipated, replaced by a dim glow reflected in his pupils. 

With a final effort, Arian forced his hand open, bringing himself and the others down to the ground with a resounding clash.

As they landed, Arian fell face-first, while the others managed to land on their feet. Longiseus caught Lady Roartad, who arrived a moment later, in his arms, gently lowering her to the ground before exchanging a bashful look with her.

"Where are we? Where is Orioros?" Leotrus voiced his confusion, unable to sense the presence he felt from above, now standing within a labyrinthine cave. Longiseus scanned their surroundings, his contemplative gaze taking in the carved stone walls and natural dirt pathways that composed the labyrinth they had descended into. Connecting the dots, he murmured, "It's an escape route...similar to the one beneath the church's treasury."

"Yes, but far more repugnant," Lady Roartad added, her eyes tracing the dimly lit torches that lined the walls, their flickering flames emitting a foul odor that caused her to instinctively cover her mouth.

"I don't care... I just want my treasure, where... where is it..." Arian struggled to his feet, his greed tightening its hold on his heart even as blood trickled down from his temple. 

His desires didn't faltered, but his words did when he caught sight of a gleaming golden sword poised above him. 

Rising slowly, Arian's dread deepened as he beheld a dark creature before him, its grotesque visage mirroring those they had encountered above, save for a large horn in place of pincers and two humanoid legs supporting its towering frame. 

With its maw agape, the creature hissed menacingly at Arian, its giant golden cleaver resting on its shoulder.

But Arian's dread soon gave way to rising greed as he beheld the diamonds and rubies embedded within the creature's dark form. Enchanted by the riches once again, Arian stood transfixed as the creature raised its cleaver over his head, preparing to strike. 

In the blink of an eye, however, a flash of green light heralded the arrival of a mace, shattering the creature's golden weapon and tearing through its grotesque head with a resounding clash of metals. Blood and flesh sprayed through the air as the mace continued its relentless assault.

"ARIAN, MOVE!!!" Lady Roartad's cry pierced the air as she yanked back her mace with its chain, warning Arian of the imminent charge of another creature emerging from a door at the end of the labyrinth.

As another monster lunged at Arian, Longiseus moved with lightning speed, cleaving through its body and sending half of it crashing into the other approaching creatures. "What are you doing, Arian?!! Move f—" Longiseus's yell held a mix of frustration and concern, but it trailed off as disappointment furrowed his brow upon seeing Arian's actions.

Instead of getting on guard or retreating to safety, Arian knelt down near the corpse of the creature and began plucking jewels from its lifeless body. "Arian, m—" Longiseus began to reprimand him, but his words were cut short as another creature leaped at him from the side, forcing him to clash with its weapon.

Meanwhile, Lady Roartad battled fiercely with the horde of creatures, her movements fluid and precise. In stark contrast, Arian acted selfishly and bizarrely, moving from carcass to carcass, tossing aside supplies and essential items from his knapsack and replacing them with collected treasure.

"What are you doing, Arian?" Leotrus's voice carried a mix of urgency and frustration, his desire to reach Orioros blinding him to the chaos around them. He made no move to assist Longiseus and Lady Roartad in their battle with the monsters until Arian's response filled him with urgency.

"Leotrus, it's treasure," Arian explained, his voice tinged with excitement. "Rubies and jewels shinier and larger than any we've ever seen. They're inside these creatures. Hurry, help me kill more of these things so we can collect more of it. Just imagine, Orioros adorned with a necklace made of emerald or a ring with a giant ruby." 

Arian's words painted a vivid picture in Leotrus's mind, and he couldn't help but feel the pull of greed and desire as Arian presented a ring of gold with a giant ruby protruding from it. 

Even though he couldn't see it, feeling its weight in his hand, made him imagine the thought of Orioros's smile upon receiving such an enchanting gift spurred Leotrus onward.

Wasting no time, Arian and Leotrus stood up. Arian slung his knapsack over his shoulder and extended his hand. The two of them launched into their attack. 

With a loud grunt, Leotrus hurled countless knives at the charging creatures. The knives struck creatures's head, body and limbs with such force that the creatures' wretched souls seemed to escape their bodies on impact. Arian then sent a sharp gust of wind at the falling bodies, manipulating the air to tear through them and extract the embedded riches. The wind returned to Arian on his command, delivering the collected treasures into his knapsack.

Longiseus and Lady Roartad watched in shock and dread as Arian began tossing out vials of potions and camping gear from his knapsack to make room for more riches. Seeing the madness, Longiseus yelled out, "YOU FOOL, THOSE ARE ESSENTIAL FOR US!"

But his words fell on deaf ears as Arian gazed at the collected loot, a smile creeping across his face. Leotrus stood on guard ahead, scanning the surroundings. Suddenly, the air was pierced by the shriek of a creature, and another horde emerged from the door. Arian's eyes gleamed with greed, and he smirked as he called out to Leotrus.

"Leotrus! I bet there are bigger ones behind that door! Come on, let's tear through these vile insects and claim what's ours!"

With a large, eerie grin, Leotrus and Arian charged at the approaching creatures, their battle cries echoing through the chamber. Longiseus watched in dread and disbelief, his frown deepening, his brows furrowing even higher. Desperation tinged his voice as he called out.

"STOP! I SAID, STOP YOU TW—"

His raging words were cut short as Lady Roartad gripped his hand. He turned to see the horror etched on his wife's face, her eyes shivering as they gazed at the massacre ahead. Arian, his laughter maniacal and words filled with madness, exclaimed.

"MORE! MORE!" He kept shouting like a madman, sharp gusts of air shooting from his hands, slicing the creatures into pieces. Leotrus cleaved and slashed through them with his knives, desperately muttering.

"I am coming… I am coming, my love."

As the massacre continued, both of them entered the gat, seeing which Roartad spoke in a dreadful voice, each word shivering with fear.

"Commander… it's no use… they have gone mad with greed… it's happening… it's happening all over again… something is doing that to them… something is—"

As her eyes filled with even more horror, contorting her face with fear, Longiseus quickly embraced Lady Roartad, halting her descent into despair. Taking a deep breath, he filled her with his warmth. Speaking softly, he tried to instill resolve in her.

"Shh… don't. Don't give up hope yet. I am here with you. I won't let you or anyone else get harmed. Stay strong, I need you, Rory," 

Longiseus said. Leaning back from the embrace, he looked into Lady Roartad's frightened eyes with a loving and hopeful gaze. His smile aimed to still her trembling as he planted a tender kiss on her temple, before gazing back into her eyes and saying,

"Come on, let's save our friends."

Lady Roartad gently nodded at his words. With resolve filling their steps, they turned and began to follow them through the chaos that Arian and Leotrus had left behind.

"Eh… AH!!" —squash!— "Did you really think you could run away? Hehe, now that makes it fifteen." Lyco's voice pierced through Poduria's awakening consciousness. She fluttered her eyes open, clearing her vision. Before her, Lyco stood, holding a sack in one hand and a shiny gold coin in the other. 

Poduria straightened her back from the wall, her gaze falling downward. Instantly, she recoiled in disgust and horror at the sight of splashes of green liquid beneath the squashed carcasses of what seemed like a dark, grotesque bugs.

"Lyco?!! What are you doing?!!" Poduria exclaimed, taking in the scene before her.

Hearing her call, Lyco turned, dropping the coin into the sack. His eyes widened in joy as he moved toward Poduria, his feet stained in the sawe green liquid made splashing sounds with every step. 

"Look, honey, treasure!" Lyco said, presenting the sack filled with gems and gold coins before her. 

For a moment, Poduria's eyes shone from the glow of the riches before her. But suddenly, her attention diverted to a loud grumble of hunger coming from her stomach.

Hearing the sound from up close, Relecta awoke, rubbing her eyes. As she opened them and looked around, the first thing she asked was, "Where… where is Boss? Where is Alan?"

"Relecta, look, treasure!" Lyco exclaimed once again, moving towards the half-asleep Relecta like a child showing off his toys. He presented the sack of treasure to her as well. The sudden shine from the gold irritated Relecta's eyes, and in startle, she smacked the sack of coins and gems out of Lyco's hand. It fell to the floor, coins spilling out onto the ground. Instantly angered, Lyco gasped and exclaimed in a sharp tone before kneeling down to collect it back up.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

The sudden banter snapped Poduria out of the enchantment of the treasure. She turned towards Relecta, who, after rubbing her eyes once again, began searching for Alan in desperation.

"Honey! Where are Alan and Armis?!" Poduria asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Those two went out to collect more of THIS!" Lyco exclaimed loudly, hovering the sack of treasure before Poduria's confused gaze. He continued, "Greedy bastards, leaving me alone while hoarding all the good stuff themselves."

"Where?!" Poduria yelled, her voice echoing through the passage as she tried to break through Lyco's greedy reverie.

"What?" Lyco gasped in sudden confusion and apprehension as he lowered the sack of coins.

Poduria, irritated by Lyco's strange behavior, repeated her question in a tight voice.

"I asked where did those two go? And how long has it been?"

"They went inside that room…" Lyco replied, pointing towards the room from which the creature gripping riches still emerged, but there was no glow of gold exuded anymore.

"Eek!!! What are these?!!!" Relecta jumped up in disgust as one of the creatures tried to climb onto her leg. Startled, she conjured up a wave of water that flowed on the floor, pushing all the creatures back towards the gate they emerged from. After some moments, the sound of water crashing down on the ground echoed out from the gate. Poduria and Relecta exchanged concerned wide-eyed glances before both of them rushed to their feet and dashed towards the gate. 

Quickly, Relecta slammed open the gate, almost falling into the large dark abyss inside the room from which the creatures crawled out. Lyco, following them in confusion, peeked his head from behind Relecta. 

His eyes widened in horror as he gazed at the gaping hellhole present inside the room, where its floor was supposed to be. Mixing a contemplative tone in his dreading gaze, Lyco muttered, "So this is what the sound I heard earlier…"

"What the hell, Lyco?!!! What is wrong with you?!!" Poduria's dread turned to anger, bursting forth upon hearing his remark. Lyco stood stunned and confused as Poduria continued berating him for his careless behavior.

"You heard it happening?! And you are just reacting to it now?!! What the hell were you doing?!! How could you be so careless?!! They could be in danger, Lyco!!!"

"But…but..I…this.." Lyco stammered, his previous greed and exclamation faltering under Poduria's furious gaze. She cut through his shivering and continued, pointing down the gaping abyss.

"Now don't stand there like a statue, Do something, LYCO!!!"

Following her hand, Lyco's brows furrowed in apprehension and confusion. He glanced at the abyss before returning his gaze to Poduria's furious eyes, stammering.

"You… wanna go inside. C'mon, Poduria, we have treasure here, why do you—"

Lyco tried to feign a smirk while presenting the sack of treasure to Poduria, but it only amplified her anger further. Frustrated by her husband's intolerable greed, she smacked the sack of coins out of his hand, sending it tumbling down the abyss while Lyco looked on with a helpless gaze. 

Suddenly, Relecta, with resolve in her eyes, jumped down the abyss without uttering a word. Lyco and Poduria watched in shock as Relecta disappeared into the darkness. 

Gritting her teeth, Poduria pushed Lyco down too, eliciting a shocked and betrayed glance from him as he fell. Then, Poduria took a step back herself. Closing her eyes, she ran ahead and jumped down the abyss, all in concern for their friends, hoping for their survival in this wretched hellhole.

Armis and Alan cleaved through the horde of monsters, their madness echoing through each hallway they left painted with the green blood of the creatures. Each door they shattered with their relentless massacre, each inch of the floor littered with maimed carcasses, chopped limbs, and decapitated heads of the grotesque beings. 

Insatiable greed had twisted Alan's eyes as well, contorting his face into something even more horrifying than the creatures they slaughtered.

No longer just killing for treasure, Alan and Armis, with their tongues lolling and contorted smirks on their faces, eyes widened with a madman's intensity, drowned in chaos as they cleaved through the hordes. 

Alan, leaping from one wall to another, lunged at numerous monsters at once. With chaotic swings of his sword, pulsing with his bloodlust, he slashed through their bodies in a single stroke. He emerged drenched in the emerald blood of their enemies, a nightmarish figure, while yelling out in lunacy,

"More!!! More!!! MORE!!!!!!!"

Ahead of him, Armis, his armor pulsating green with every blow, tore through the creatures like paper, lunging with devastating speed. 

His grin mirrored the brutal demise of any creature that dared cross his path. When Armis shoved his fists through more than eight creatures at once, his hands first clutched the handful of growths on the creatures' chests, grasping the jewels embedded within. With a powerful thrust, he skewered his fists through them, emerging from the other side of their bodies, holding both jewels and flesh. His arms and hands, stained in their green blood, clenched with another surge of strength, crushing the flesh he held until only jewels and blood filled his fists.

Armis's maniacal laughter reverberated through the passage and labyrinth they had turned into a slaughterhouse. He hurled the skewered bodies of the creatures onto the approaching ones, throwing them to the ground, then stomping through their heads while yelling,

"Mine!! Mine! MINE!!!! IT'S ALL MINE!!!!"

Armis's maniacal scream transformed into a demonic grumbling that filled the passageway, drowning out the destruction of the doors they slammed through as they continued their slaughter without even pausing for breath

"ARIAN, I SAID STOP!!!! LEOTRUS!!!!" Longiseus's desperate calls echoed through the hallway as they fought through waves of grotesque creatures. Every time Longiseus neared Arian and Leotrus, he was met with their maniacal grins, faces contorted with greed and chaotic desires bursting forth with each movement and step. 

They slaughtered each creature, cleaving through bodies and bursting them with air, the green blood and pieces of flesh splattering onto their unreacting, maniacal visages. The two had drowned in their insatiable greed, craving more and more, indistinguishably hoarding both treasure and the blood of their enemies.

Longiseus's every attempt to reach them was thwarted as a creature, somehow surviving the relentless assaults of Arian and Leotrus, lunged at him and Lady Roartad. They could only fight off one creature at a time, helplessly watching as Arian and Leotrus's chaos escalated with each passing moment. 

Dread filled Lady Roartad and Longiseus as they struggled to match the pace and brutality of their possessed companions.

Leotrus and Arian burst through every door, cleaving through every horde in their path. Their seeping greed and lunatic chaos left no room for breath, the intensity and gore only increasing. 

Arian commanded the air to reign in his chaos, floating the creatures mid-air, twisting their limbs, and squeezing their blood from crushing flesh like juice. He yelled like a lunatic,

"Give me more, more, and GIVE ME EVERYTHING!!!!"

Leotrus filled every inch of air ahead of them with sharp knives that instantly chopped the creatures into pieces, leaving behind only the jewels. As the jewels began to fall to the ground, they were caught in an overflowing sack of riches by Leotrus, who muttered relentlessly under his breath,

"I want it, I want it, I want everything!!!!"

When there was nothing left to cut through or treasure to rob, both of them charged ahead, not even giving the upcoming door the courtesy of being opened. The door met the same fate as the creatures, torn into a hundred pieces, crumbling before the insatiable greed of Leotrus and Arian

At first, it was an abyss of darkness, with the screams of Poduria and Relecta ringing in Lyco's ears so hard that panic set in. 

The void tightened his muscles and dried his tongue as Lyco gritted his teeth and mingled his own scream with theirs. Suddenly, the screams halted, and a loud thud echoed in the darkness. The feeling of something firm beneath them traveled through their bodies as a solid surface halted their fall. 

After a moment of startled, panicked shuffling of feet and hands, an illumination slowly began to overpower the darkness, revealing the view of a cavernous labyrinth.

As they slowly lowered down, standing upon a stone platform conjured up by Lyco, gasping for breath, they left the dark abyss above them and found themselves inside the labyrinth.

"Eeek!!!" Relecta jumped back in disgust, stepping away from the platform when she saw Lyco, clutching the stone and dirt of the platform he had conjured. In his grip were squished bodies of the creatures, staining his palms with their green, gooey blood.

"Lyco, get away from it!" Poduria exclaimed in disgust, stepping away from the platform after seeing Lyco's gasping form, covered completely in the green blood of the creatures.

Before anything could settle in Lyco's exhausted brain, his hazy eyes snapped open as he was suddenly drenched by a wave of water from Relecta, who acted hastily in her disgust.

Nearly drowning from the unexpected attack, Lyco gasped heavily as he crawled away from the platform, lying on his back and struggling for breath. In recovering gasps, he complained sharply, "What… what the hell, Relecta?! Are you trying to kill me?!"

"Look…" Relecta began, but before she could retort, Poduria's voice echoed through the carved walls of the labyrinth. Relecta turned to see the sight that had left Poduria wide-eyed with horror, her mouth agape with dread.

Before them lay a massacre: maimed bodies of creatures littered the floor, with limbs and heads scattered in the corners. Squashed remains clung to the walls, and a half-body of a creature hung from the ceiling, its green blood dripping down and adding to the carpeting pools of green blood covering every inch of the ground before them.

Lyco staggered to his feet, taking deep breaths. He walked ahead, holding onto the stunned Poduria's arm for support. 

Before his eyes could register the horrific scene before him, he noticed a shining glow on the ground. His tiredness faded, replaced by rising greed. With a grin on his face, he stooped down and picked up a gold ring with an emerald atop, exclaiming, "Oh my Roiran, this is magnificent." He turned to Poduria, presenting her the ring with an oblivious and greedy smile. "Here, Darling, this is for you."

Poduria did not react with joy or excitement. Instead, she turned her shivering and horrified gaze to Lyco, making him confused. With a trembling hand, she took the ring from Lyco and, gazing upon its green blood-stained surface, turned back toward the massacre ahead and gasped under her terror-filled breath, "We have to hurry."

As soon as Poduria's words mixed with the dreadful still air around them, Relecta dashed through the massacre, heading toward the shattered entrance ahead.

Watching Relecta run away in dread and shock, Lyco's greed gripped him again. Oblivious to the urgency, he began picking up more riches and coins stained and hidden in the pools of green blood. Poduria turned to him with urgency, but Lyco's unbelievable antics flared her frustration and anger once more. She exclaimed, "LYCO, ENOUGH ALREADY!"

Startled, Lyco turned towards her as suddenly a shackle of water ensnared him in its constricting grip. He lost the gathered treasure as Poduria dashed behind Relecta, pulling the bonded and nearly tearful Lyco behind her.

"YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!" ——bhdhaaam!!!!——

Armis, in his maniacal rage, punched through the bodies of the creatures, creating bursting explosions from their forms and spraying flesh and green blood all around him. Suddenly, his fist collided with a surface so hard that ripples reverberated through the air, forcing Armis to cover his ears from the piercing sound emitted from the clash.

"What the hell?!!" Armis exclaimed, glaring at the large stone slab that had halted his advance.

——bhdhaaaammmm!!!!!!——

Frustrated, Armis backed away a few steps, gritting his teeth. With all his strength, he lunged again at the giant slab of stone with a devastating punch. Yet, unyielding, it stood unscathed, returning the deafening sound of the clash once again. This time, the noise prompted Alan, who was behind him, to yell in irritation. Letting go of the sack full of treasure he had been filling, Alan covered his ears with his hands and shouted,

"What the hell, ARMIS?! What the hell are you doing?!"

"It's not me, it's this stupid wall," Armis replied, turning to glance at Alan before locking his glare again at the unyielding obstacle ahead. After a moment of contemplation, a big grin emerged on Armis's face as he took some steps back, tightening his footing on the ground. He leaned backward, about to grunt hard to collect his strength, when something caught Alan's eye.

Tossing the sack of treasure aside, Alan quickly dashed ahead, halting Armis's charge with an urgent call, "Armis, wait!"

Just as his body began to glow, Alan's voice broke through Armis's focus, increasing his irritation. Armis straightened up, growling back at Alan, "What? Give me a m—"

Armis's words ceased as Alan moved past him, his gaze held high and focused on the slab of stone ahead. Following his eyes, Armis raised his gaze above and saw an inscription etched upon the rugged surface. 

They realized that, unknowingly drowned in the greed for chaos and destruction, they had ventured so far into the labyrinth that now, standing in their way ahead, unyieldingly, was the gate leading toward the chamber of the next Lord of the Monster.

Dread replaced the gleaming greed in Alan's eyes, widening them in apprehension. Alan began to mutter with rising tension in his voice, "It's floor 70…"

"I don't care. All I know is there could be more riches, unimaginable, infinite treasure hiding behind this rock wall," Armis said, his greed unyielding as the gate before them filled his eyes with pride. Armis began moving forward, holding the inscription under his determined gaze.

"Armis, don't be foolish. We don't know what could be waiting for us inside it," Alan retorted to Armis's advance, holding him back and pulling him by his arm with a firm grip.

"Alan, I said I don't care," Armis uttered in a tight and threatening voice, piercing Alan's eyes with his sharp gaze and clashing his prideful greed against Alan's caution and logic. "Whatever it may be, it stands in my way. It will die. And you know what? Maybe it is too afraid of us. I mean, look at our achievements."

Armis quickly shifted his tone into smug amusement, gesturing towards the massacre and slaughter of the creatures they had left in their wake. 

His actions finally forced Alan to confront the consequences of their deeds, as they beheld the passageway they had left in ruins: stained in green blood, scattered with chopped limbs and bodies of the creatures. All this destruction for a sackful of treasure that might not even prove useful if they didn't make it out of this hellhole alive.

But such thoughts didn't bother Armis's greed-filled psyche. He seized Alan's diverted gaze as an opportunity to advance further and reverberate the labyrinth with his loud voice as he began to read and enchant the inscription on the wall. 

Hearing the sudden echo of the ancient language filled Alan with dread. He turned swiftly, instinctively calling forth the sword from the murky ring with smoke and mist, and leaned into a defensive stance, prepared for whatever Armis's echoing words might bring.

——swinsh!!!——swishhhh——phthhhaaaa——

"YEAHHH!!!!!!l"—swinsh!!!—bdhadaammm——

The cleaving and sheathing of the knives abruptly halted when Leotrus, slashing through the creatures mercilessly with his knives, yelled out in vigor before suddenly hitting something solid. 

The impact sent shivers and vibrations through his body, causing him to stumble down, startled. His ears hurt from the sudden echo of the piercing clang. Gritting his teeth in pain, he yelled out to Arian, who was busy robbing the cleaved and chopped carcasses of the creatures for jewels and ornaments, oblivious to the stain and splash of their green blood that began draping all over Arian's attire and body.

"Arian!!!! What was that?!!!"

Arian too became startled when the echo of the piercing sound reached his ears. Gritting his teeth, he gazed at the obstacle on which Leotrus had collided. As his pain dissipated, Arian released the knapsack filled with riches onto the ground. His eyes widened with dread at the horrific allure of the spectacle he had witnessed ahead, drawing him step by step toward it.

In a tone that sounded filled with dread at the start, but quickly succumbed to his greed once again, Arian replied to Leotrus, "It's… it's… it's more treasure, Leotrus."

"NO!!!!" Suddenly, Longiseus's voice crackled with anger and frustration, cutting through Arian's delusional words. He removed his sword from a creature he had just slain, its body hitting the ground with a thud. 

Longiseus's armoured boots splashed in the pools of blood, riddling the ground beneath him as he walked forward, followed by Lady Roartad, who had become horrified at the first gaze on the horror ahead.

As Longiseus continued, voicing her fear in a loud retort against Arian's greedy delusional advance, he stepped forward with fury, his steps echoing with the anger he exuded as he neared growling Arian. Raising his sword before Arian's eyes, he continued his warning, "Stop lying to him, Arian. That is death ahead, which you gaze upon. Now I am warning you one last DAMN TIME! Step away from the gate, kneel down in surrender. Make any movement, and I won't hesitate for a moment to paralyze you for life."

Seeing the emitting glow from Longiseus's sword and the seriousness piercing through his eyes, Arian, though showing his retort with gritted teeth and opposing glare, caved into Longiseus's warning and slowly began to kneel down. 

Longiseus, keeping his cerulean glowing sword firmly at Arian's head, continued, "I have no idea what is happening with you two. But I am not going to let you two jump right into the maws of death. This madness, this animalistic behavior, this greed has turned you two into a couple of lunatics. And I am sure that the cause of all this is waiting for us behind that gate," 

Longiseus said, as he glared at the similar giant gate with an inscription of ancient language etched upon its stony surface before them. They knew that behind the unyielding obstacle awaited the next horror, ready to pull them back into chaos and agony, which could leave them broke and shattered once again.

"You have to understand, Commander!!" Arian exclaimed, attempting to stand up, only to be halted again by Longiseus's glare and threatening sword. But with gleaming, greedy determination in his eyes, Arian continued. 

"You have to understand. I need all this treasure. You are aware of the financial conditions, the crippling commerce of the Preperena lineage. You know that we are at the brink of collapse. Ever since the disowning from the Holy Church, we have been relying on the loots from our raiders just to keep our families from the streets. All this treasure and all this wealth can save our dooming lineage. Yet you still try to stop me f—"

"How the hell are you gonna help anyone when you are dead?!" Longiseus burst through Arian's reasoning with his anger, trying to make Arian understand the crippling basis of his argument. He shoved the gravity of their circumstances into Arian's mind through his words.

"Arian, it may seem easy for you to say this, but this is not a simple raid! We are trapped here. One careless move, one step in the wrong direction can prove horribly fatal to any of us. You have seen, you have witnessed what happened to others, to Artereia, Bretren, even Orioros, when they became blinded by their emotions. The darkness of this place, the horror, the dread that looms in the very air we breathe inside this place, consumed them at the first opportunity it got. And now you are doing the same."

Longiseus's words of anger began to resonate with the pain he had been suppressing behind his feigned resolve. The dread of death, the fear of losing any more of his friends became evident in his eyes as he stood before Arian, trying to snap him into attention. He yelled once again, "But not ANYMORE!!! I am not gonna let anyone else get preyed on by this wretched place, even if I have to carry you all in a knapsack."

"No, Commander, you don't understand," Arian replied, feeling no emotion relayed by Longiseus's threats and pleas. Blinded by his greed and desire, he lunged back with his own reasoning, filling Longiseus's heart with dread by his lunacy-filled gaze set upon him.

"This place wants this. It wants us to be afraid, to be cautious," Arian continued, his voice carrying a chilling resolve. "It is counting on our fears, waiting for us to believe that we have no way out, that we are trapped like helpless mice. It wants us to become oblivious to our actual goal, to be strayed and afraid until we either kill each other or it kills us in the end. But not me!"

Suddenly, Longiseus backed away a bit, feeling apprehensive from the sudden emergence of the grimness in Arian's eyes. 

"I am not going to let this place win," Arian declared, his voice echoing with determination. "I will tear through each wall, each brick, each monster, through everything that stands in my way until I reach the top, revive my friends, and leave here with what is rightfully mine, even if I have to fight you, Commander."

The grimness in Arian's eyes made Longiseus back away even more in shock and disbelief. Arian raised one knee, tearing through the tension and dread in the air, and turned towards the already prepared Leotrus, calling out, "LEOTRUS!"

With a swift motion, Leotrus turned and hurled a knife at the stunned Lady Roartad. The blade nearly cleaved through her face, grazing her cheek with a small gash. Longiseus turned, shocked and panicked, at the sudden attack on his wife. As he turned back in rage, Arian stood before him, one hand extended towards Lady Roartad and the other just inches away from Longiseus's chest.

Their gazes met, holding different emotions—Longiseus's eyes widened with dread as a menacing grin appeared on Arian's face. With a sudden grunt, Arian hurled Longiseus away with a gust of wind. As Longiseus's limp body reached Lady Roartad, Arian used his command over the wind to manipulate the chain of Lady Roartad's mace, binding Longiseus and her together tightly before throwing them both far across the floor.

Arian turned quickly, his eyes fixed on the inscription before remarking into the air, "Forgive me, Commander, but I need this treasure." With Leotrus by his side, Arian began mumbling as he gazed at the inscription. 

Finally, he started chanting, filling the labyrinth with words of ancient language. His voice echoed along with Armis's, who stood just behind a wall, reading the ancient language in translation. Their combined voices created a dreadful and mystic atmosphere, reverberating through the walls:

"Cavete! Custodite! Avaritiae mordicus"

"Beware! Be wary! Of greed's biting grasp"

"Draco rapax, aurum cupidus, pericula iacit!"

"The rapacious dragon, hungry for gold, does clasp!"

"Quaerendi appetitus, opibus alligatus"

"Desire for gain, bound to riches"

"Cupiditas quae mentes, dirae rapit, et vitiatus!"

"Cupidity that corrupts minds, fierce and vicious!"

"Noli ad avaritiam pervenire"

"Do not succumb to greed's allure"

"Ne cedamus huius mali vinculum!!!"

"Lest we fall into its bondage dire!!"

"Gloriam et thesauros aviditate petimus"

"For glory and treasures we seek in our greed,"

"Sed pecuniae obsessio, mors nos opprimit!!"

"But the obsession with money, death does impede!!!"