Inside the den of lizard people.
Next to the pit of fire were wooden cages. These cages were gigantic in size and were able to house about 30 people each. There were three of these cages and the Diamond City [Users] were divided into each of the cages.
The people inside the cage tried as hard as they could to escape but the seemingly fragile wood showed no signs of breaking.
A giant lizard man was looking at his captured prays with a look of wonder. Unlike the others with green-scale, this one had black scales and was about three times larger than a regular lizardman.
Above his head hovered his title.
[Lizard Shaman]
It barked out orders in lizard language and the first cage was brought forward, carried by four lizardmen.
"There they are!" Loti exclaimed.
"Quiet now," Spring-Autumn said.
Loti felt like a bucket of cold water was poured on his head. Spring-Autumn showed no signs of wanting to move. Instead, his eyes landed on someone with an ordinary appearance.
He shared the same cage as Winter, the second cage. Unkempt black hair and eyes that resembled that of a fish in a flea market.
"Is that him?"
A light bulb lit up above Spring-Autumn's head. He recalled the vision he saw before he jumped down to this second level.
[Divine Artifact Master]
Such a title was hard to forget.
"I'll wait till the last minute to save him for maximum gratitude," Spring-Autumn thought. "This way he'll be indebted to me. It doesn't really matter if he's the same person or not. It's the thought that counts. I'm truly a good person,"
Spring-Autumn chuckled which got the notice of Loti, "Is he going to make a move now?"
To his disappointment, Spring-Autumn merely stood and watched the event unfold.
The four lizardmen lifted up the cage and began to circle around the fire pit under the orders of their shaman.
All the surrounding lizardmen came out of their shacks and began to chant. It was as if they were offering sacrifices to their god.
More lizardmen came out of their shacks with drums, further adding to the chant.
Their chant began to speed up. The others who were in the other cages watched nervously at the fate of their comrades.
As for the ones who were in the cage that was being carried by four lizardmen… They've long been scared shitless.
The chants of the lizardmen reached its peak. The lizard shaman beat his claws on his chest like a monkey and gave a loud roar.
The four lizardmen carrying the cage reciprocated the roar and in one smooth movement, the cage was tossed into the fire!
The blood-curdling screams of more than 30 [Users] could be heard from the pit followed by the crisp smell of burning flesh.
Spring-Autumn and Loti:"..."
The screams quickly died away and the flames roared with increased vigor, reaching the peak of the ceiling.
The flame exploded like a firework, fragmenting into small wisps that entered the body of every lizard person.
It was a beautiful sight, like a flower blooming in darkness.
The lizard people went onto their knees and basked in the glory of their fire. Slowly, the fire infused into their body. When it finished integrating completely, there were minor changes to every lizard person. Their body slightly increased in mass and their scales shifted to a darker color. It was a very minor change.
The black lizard shaman gave a loud laugh and gave orders to proceed with the next cage.
The four lizardmen enthusiastically went to the second cage that consisted of a few significant people. Winter's party: Rocklet, Brame, Rosane, and the man Spring-Autumn saw in his vision, Dam.
"Hiiiii!" The cowardly ones in the cage made a strange noise. They were full of fear.
The cage was lifted and the chant began.
"My time has come," Spring-Autumn said. His cloak spiraled off his body and condensed into the form of a gray sword.
One step at a time, he walked down the stairs. The sound of his footsteps was covered by the sound of the loud chants of the lizard people. However, this did not mean that he was invisible. The black lizard shaman immediately noticed his presence.
Screech!!
Every lizard person turned their head over to Spring-Autumn. There were probably over a thousand of these lizard people.
"I can't eat all of you…" Spring-Autumn smirked. They were food in his eyes.
Without halting their chanting, all of them surged towards him.
As for Loti, he was hidden behind a rock shaking like a kitten in the rain.
[Bullet Time]
Spring-Autumn's vision turned gray and all sounds vanished. He jumped over a few lizardmen and shot like an arrow to the cage. On his way, his sword danced.
[Bullet Time] ended and he was in front of the four lizardmen that carried the cage. The people inside the cage were bewildered by his appearance, but at the same time, they were grateful.
Behind him were decapitated corpses of lizardmen that he killed in [Bullet Time]. These corpses that numbered near hundreds were killed in a straight line that paved a perfect path for him to reach his destination.
All of this happened in a single instant.
The lizard people howled in anger and sorrow at the loss of their kin. Having lost their mind, they rushed madly at Spring-Autumn at a faster speed.
Keep in mind, these lizard people were stronger than minotaurs. It would only take an instant for them to reach Spring-Autumn.
Just like the other lizard people, the lizard shaman was enraged. He raised his wooden staff high into the sky and a green light gathered in an instant. Without wasting any time, the green light was distributed to every lizard person, making them stronger.
[Bullet Time]
The heads of the four lizardmen that were carrying the cage slowly fell off their bodies. The cage fell with a sudden thud!
"That's a hard piece of wood,"
Spring-Autumn actually wanted to cut the cage as well but found it too difficult. There was only a deep mark left on one of the pillars.
At this moment, the swarm of lizard people finally arrived.
[Bullet Time]
All the lizard people that were around Spring-Autumn in a sphere were instantly decapitated. However, the sheer volume made the killing negligible. The lizard people that surrounded him were instantly refilled.
[Bullet Time]
[Bullet Time]
[Bullet Time]
After several rounds, the lizard people finally noticed that their number had decreased by half. They all took a step back. There was fear in their eyes.
It was the same for others who watched this scene. The people of Diamond City felt fear more than joy.
Winter felt a complicated emotion in his heart. The enormous power he was hiding that he planned on using to escape slowly dissipated. There was no need for him to do anything. The eyes of his followers that knew about his power were no longer on him. They were on his brother.
In their eyes, Spring-Autumn was the god of death. His white blouse had been dyed completely red from the blood of the lizard people. His gray sword that had no sheen was dripping with blood nonstop. At his feet was a large puddle of blood as well as piles of corpses of decapitated lizard people.
There were no visible injuries to be seen on this man. He was completely uninjured. He stood and pointed his sword forward as if to provoke them to come die.