The Celestial Dark Palace doesn't have only 10 underground floors for the invaders to conquer and test their might. There's also Pocket Floors, another Dimension linked and connected to the main 10 floors. Imagine a paper being cut apart and then stuck to another larger piece of paper. That's the reality and space inside one of the Pocket Floors.
Hell, Abyss, Heaven, a piece of a Mortal Realm, all sorts of environments were cut and stuck to the Celestial Dark Palace's 10 floors. These Pocket Floors give a more unique kind of gameplay other than the bloody battlefield. It can be mind tricks, it can be puzzles, or it can be another test of might, all of which can be completed for a reward other than the rite of passage.
.........
One of such Pocket Floors was the Catacomb of Grim Heroes. It is literally what it sounds like, a collection of 'weapons' for Sora to use. It is where he goes to bring out the might of his Necromantic aspects in his Build. Numerous Legendary Undead and Mythical Beings are held here, and if someone were to stumble upon this Pocket Floor then only Death awaits them.
The Pocket Floor that is advised to stay away from, and they all say it with a passion as dying inside the Catacomb would mean disaster.
[You have died within the Catacomb of Grim Heroes]
[Your Character now belongs to the Catacomb permanently]
For a little context, when the Player dies, their Character will be saved and stored as a Neutral Spirit to be summoned back. It is a mechanic that's kept in order for the Players to not get too angry and lost over their defeat.
So, having your Character being absorbed, basically stolen from you, is without a doubt a scary prospect for many Players. However, it still doesn't deter those with bravery by their side. Some attempt the Catacomb when they're on a Raid, or do the Raid for this specific reason. Some come to find hidden treasures, while others try to regain their Character back.
It is possible to regain one's Character back, it's just hard to do. Through a Miracle called Redemption's Calling, coming from either the Skill itself or an Item. Once Redemption's Calling is cast, the selected Undead or Spirit will be redeemed of their current Undeath Status and become a Neutral Spirit that can be summonable once again.
Anyway, in this Catacomb there lies a gimmick. Since the Undeads that're stored here are all Legendary and Mythical in grade, they get to have their own independent Will and Mind. Unless ordered by Sora, they can do whatever that they please.
"Hey… Karak, you feel something off?"
Inside one of the sarcophagus placed amongst untold thousands, a voice resounded.
"Yeah… but I'm not sure if something truly did happen."
Then, the one next to where the voice resounded came another. How it was transmitted through a sealed sarcophagus, one can only guess.
"Let's go outside to check, aye? Maybe we can find something interesting as well."
"Ohhhh, yeah yeah."
With both side's agreement, the lids start to tremble and shake violently. It crumbled to fine ashes, and rose from the two sarcophagus were two Elder Liches, each with different styled robes.
"Fly."
"Spacial Shift."
The one with a blue color scheme and an emblem finely marked onto its back flew up from where he slumbered. While the other with a purple and magenta color scheme disappeared with the space around it contort inward.
"Let's not make it too obvious though, I wouldn't want something unsavory to happen to us like the others."
"Agreed."
They walked instead of using their specialized Movement Spells. It was because the Catacomb had certain Spells and Runes that constrict and alert when a Movement Spell is used for prolonged periods of time.
"So, what do you think there'll be when we leave?"
"Dunno, aren't you supposed to know since you're more specialized in it than me?"
"Well, just looking for an opinion."
"Then, maybe a forest? Somewhere with an abundant source of Life and roaming creatures. I haven't been feeding on Life Force for so long."
The two made conversations to kill the time it took to walk. The Catacomb was very large, more than 5 football fields in width and 8 in length from start to finish. It would take at least a day to traverse since while exploring, the surrounding shifts and stuff change places.
"Luckily the Rune placed us near the exit, aye?"
"Yeah, it's almost like it wants us to leave."
The two chuckles, such a thing is impossible and could only be labeled as near impossible.
They stand before the exit of the Catacomb, a giant gate that's chained up by ethereal restraints. It's a special kind of Seal that only lets outside in while keeping the inside from exiting.
"Well, that's it."
"Wait, it's almost there."
"Huh? What do you mean it's almost-"
And, right on cue with the purple Elder Lich, the ethereal restraints were fading away.
"Woah, it's today?"
"Yep, that's why I said to go out today, idiot."
The ethereal restraints have a cooldown though. If someone isn't stationed there to apply energy to the restraints, then it'll need to switch off in order to recharge manually. The process takes two days, and in that time frame the Undead within the Catacomb is allowed to go out. However, if they're stuck outside after the two days time frame then a punishment is put on them by Sora himself.
"Let's go."
"Yeah yeah!"
The two Elder Liches open the gate slightly, enough for them to fit through. They immediately close it after going through.
"...Were we fast enough?"
"Probably… I can't sense her."
"Only because I didn't allow you, dumbass."
The two Elder Liches froze. Looking at the scene from a comical view, they would have a dark shadow casting over their faces right now.
"Fuck."
"Dammit."
"Why're you all cursing for? Want me to take your heads for a spin or something?"
The voice that came from absolutely nowhere revealed itself again, along with its appearance.
"So, where're we heading? Somewhere interesting?"
"No, Liliel. Go back, we're going alone."
"Awww, you boys don't want a beautiful lady tagging along with you? So dry~, but I guess it's to be expected from a bunch of old bones."
"Tch, provocations like that won't do you any good."
The voice was from a rather slender woman, with an ample chest to boot. Her arms and legs were fit, with no signs of fat anywhere on her body. Though the figure is that of a Spirit, it's still a magnificent body nonetheless.
"Get back inside will you? Spare us the headache."
"How about you two shut up and just let me tag along, aye? Saves me the trouble also."
"Kuhh… she's right. Let's just ignore her then."
"Wouldn't have it any other way, I am an assassin after all."
And with that, the woman disappears into the surroundings once more. The two Elder Liches look at each other, before shrugging and carrying on with their curiosity.
......
It was the 8th Floor, and the door is located at the edge of the floor up northwest. The Teleporter on the floor is located in the middle, atop a mountain that's guarded by a pair of Dragonkins that test the ones who come out.
"How long is the Teleporter again?''
"About… 8 something thousands of meters?"
"You guys don't know the Teleporter's distance?"
The trio was standing not far away from the gate where they came from. The woman and the blue robed Lich asked, but the purple Lich only gave a rough estimate that even he is unsure of.
"Let's just teleport, I need to test distance again."
"Woah woah, I don't want to get stuck inside something."
"I can't so do whatever you want."
The trio decides to test the waters, but the blue robed Lich was still fearful of whatever mishap that could happen.
"Spatial Distortion Rift."
The space around them bent and broke, creating a wormhole that sucked the three in. And, upon reaching the other side, they saw that they were falling through the air.
"Well, guess using the highest peak as altitude was a mistake."
"Fly…"
The two floated, while the voice didn't say anything. She's still invisible, but they know she followed after them.
"Liliel? Are you there~?"
"Ignore her, it's better that she's gone."
They levitate in the air in silence, none of them speaking much. The mountain where the Teleporter was located is nowhere to be found. But, this silence wasn't without fruit.
"Alright, I acquired the precise coordinates."
"About time, I thought you were supposed to be good at this?"
"I'm good at bending it, not using it."
They went through the wormhole willingly this time and ended up at the Teleporter. Behind them a few dozen meters, a pair of Dragonkin watched as the two exited through the wormhole.
"Identify yourselves." Said the one wearing golden scale armor with a greatsword stuck to the ground in front of him. A helmet was covering his entire head, so little could be discerned of his appearance.
"We're from the Catacomb, we're on an expedition."
"...Is it by the order of the Godfather?"
In the different Floors, some of the inhabitants know of the existence of Sora. They call him with different names, with the title Godfather for the 8th floor's inhabitants. The reason being that they view him as a God that has sheltered them for countless generations. He's their absolute benefactor, even though the only reason Sora does so is to monopolize a source of power for a floor.
"No, it's… complicated."
"..."
The Dragonkin pair didn't know how to react to this, so they just didn't. They watch as the two Elder Liches input the Travel Rune for the Black Castle, but fail to remember what it looks like.
"Shit…"
"You don't remember it?"
"Been a long time, don't judge."
"...Are you two being serious now?"
Then, the third person of the group showed herself once more, this time swatting away the boney hands of the Elder Liches.
"Here, I can even do it upside down. You two are really incompetent despite being an Elder Lich, you know?"
"..."
The Elder Liches have no words to say. So, they just remained silent as the Gate opened.
"Let's go, you two."
"Wh…"
"C…"
They try to muster up words, but still nothing. The trio went through, and this makes the pair of Dragonkins look at each other once the Gate closes.
"Well…"
"Don't mind it, I guess…?"
The two decide to not say anything. For now at least.
......…
Once the Gate opens, the trio goes through and immediately to the doorway. They open it to let the fresh, untainted air through to the inside. And with it, dust also came in to dirty the interior furniture and surfaces.
"Wow, it really is a forest."
"Divine damn, I can feel… Life, overwhelming and bountiful."
"..."
The two Liches could be depicted, in a comical way, as having blush marks across their cheekbones and closed eye sockets. It is a strange way of looking.
'Whatever, I'm free for two days now.'
The woman then sprinted away fast, looking like a blur to the naked eye.
''And finally, we're alone."
"Not so, remember, Master can still see us and through us. Let's not do anything rash and take it slowly, explore what we can and can't do."
"Yeah, good idea."
At this point, the two Liches looked like they were a pair of idiots from the way they exchange with each other.
......…
It was a peaceful patrol for one unsuspecting group of elven scouts. They ate fruits atop a thick tree branch to refill their stomachs, and since they are light eaters they didn't consume too many of the fruits.
"The Yelim apples are good today, aren't they?"
"Yep, Arin said she got them from an orchard up far North, I think it's in zone 2S?"
The three elves sat and enjoyed their mid-duty meal. After a while, a voice suddenly resounded.
"Helloo~, mind if I ask a few-"
"?!!!"
The elves reacted immediately with hostility. They aimed their bows and jumped down without a second thought. Arrows fired at the direction of the voice, but when they fully take a look, they can't seem to see anything there.
"Woah, I'm friendly~."
Once again, the voice resounded but this time it wasn't at where it first came from. They shift their eyes quickly to the voice, thinking who it could be.
"If you don't stop, I'm going to have to incapacitate one of you as a threat."
"Wind Imbue!"
One of the elves used Magic to enhance his next shot. He fires it towards their now revealed target, an ethereal-looking woman wearing a face mask that covers most of her features except for her daring and teasing eyes.
"Awww, cute."
However, the deadly Magic imbued arrow, capable of sniping an unsuspecting person from several thousand kilometers away, was blown to smithereens in an instant that it approached the Spirit. She shrugs and disappears from her spot.
'Where…?!'
Then, the one in the middle, also male, got grabbed by the neck and thrown down to the ground after a couple of spins.
"There, enough to sedate you three yet?"
She then proceeds to kick the chest of the other two, knocking them faster to the ground. They landed hard, but compared to the one thrown it would be less.
"Kuack!"
"Urgk!"
They grunted as their backs hit the ground hard. Their breath immediately escaped their lungs, and their visions blurred for a moment.
"That should do the trick."
The Spirit lands softly on the ground, and looks at her opponents with a smile.She walks to one of them, and crouches down to have a better look.
"So, you will provide me with information, and I shall let you live."
"Who… are you."
"I'm a Spirit, and I belong to my one and only God."
The Hands of Death, a group of martial artists within the Catacomb. She is a part of this group with an assassin martial arts Build, very capable for solos and also has a high impact in teamfights and Boss Raids.
Her purpose for so many decades now was to service and be of use to Sora, the man who saved her in her darkest moments. The only man who can have his ways with her, as well as the only male she sees fit to have an offspring with.
In short, she's a devout follower of the God of Death that dedicates both her body and Soul. If someone were to insult his name with her presence, then their throats will feel very sensitive.
'Ahhhhh, my God~!'
She shivered visibly while stuck in her fantasy.
......…
"Phew~, such delicious treats. I can't seem to get enough of this bliss."
"I know right? It's been a long time, so my Soul just tingles whenever I suck the Life dry of these animals."
The two Elder Liches were feasting on the animals within the Moon Forest. Aside from the animals, they also absorb the surrounding Life passively.
"Our God hasn't said anything just yet, so this might be okay."
"Let's look for more in our two days of freedom. I want to have a full stomach so that I can sleep well."
The two Elder Liches continue their bloody feast and ruins. But, their fun was soon stopped by the elven scouts in the area.
"Stop right there, Undead!"
The elf that jumped down to confront them was wearing a different attire than the usual scout. It had silver accents and her cloak is also made from higher quality hide as well. Her golden eyes radiate authority and her voice makes her look more intimidating.
"Where did you come from, filthy Undeads."
"Oh, a meal that went to us all by itself."
"Ummm, now that's the kind of meal I want."
The Elder Liches, thinking that they're safe because of their power, didn't mind the elf's provocations and even thought it as cute. She was clearly disgruntled by this fact, and so she took up her bow and aimed.
"This is your day of true Death, monster."
"Hahaha, we serve him, dear. He already accepts us."
Arrows flew and imbued on it a warm Aura that's unlike any other. The Elder Liches saw this and was taken aback.
'Oh, Divinity.'
'A God's faint Divinity.'
Being Undead one can sense the feeling of Divinity, the poison that can one-shot an Undead unless they have some immunity against it or are stronger than the Divinity.
"Flash Freeze."
The air in front of him froze and trapped the arrow, making it fall down along with clumps of ice.
"Space Shift."
A purple Magic Eye appeared on the ground with the three inside of it.
"Have a nice flight."
A bright light flashed to the surroundings, and the three disappeared from their spot. Upon closer inspection, the grass they were on is now cut evenly with each other.
But less of that. The three teleported up high into the air, about 4000 kilometers or so.
"Well, this is overkill, isn't it?"
"Just to make sure."
"?!!!"
Everything happened so fast that it made the elf unable to respond. Now, she found herself high in the air.
"Wind Spirit, to me!"
"Oh?"
"Elemental?"
The Elder Liches were once again surprised. Looking at it in a manga's view, they have dark faces as the seriousness increases.
For context, again, an Elf is one of many Races that have an affinity with another Semi-Race known as the Elementals. They control one attribute and usually play a Support centered role if it's a Player. One can make an Elemental focused Build with another Elemental Player, but it's incredibly ineffective generally unless they go a damage but easily one-shot-able route.
"This one seems promising…"
"Indeed, an Elemental isn't a small feat."
"Wind Imbue, Mach Acceleration."
The strongest arrow. It was the fastest arrow with high Piercing, showing that this person is indeed not someone one can take lightly.
"Space Compress."
But, that was when using the New World standards. These two are Elder Liches, and some of the strongest within the Catacomb as well. They were in a league of their own.
"?!!!"
Another shock came one after the other. The strongest arrow the elves has to offer, crushed to nothingness. It was like blowing away a small candlelight.
"You also know Skills in the higher ranks?"
"It's a praiseworthy achievement, I must say."
One of the Skills, Mach Acceleration, was a Skill achievable in the 200s in the Archer archetype. It is a Skill that enhances Penetration scaling with your Strength and Dexterity combined and divided by your total Level.
Mach Acceleration is the finisher Skill to either end it instantly or at the end of a magnificent fight. But, this time it was neither aside from proving the massive gap between the Elder Liches and the elf.
'No way…'
The elf knows instantly where the two could come from. She was briefed about it, a restricted access place in the uncharted lands further into the Moon Forest. The Elves, for their longevity and all, never managed to explore and map out every square meter of the forest yet.
'A Foreign God…'
She was said the Ruler of the place is a man of great power, enough to make Death bend its knees. She thinks that these two, could possibly be that Ruler. She never heard of a specific number, so she just assumes so for now.
"Are you… a God?''
"..."
"...Eh?"
The question brought a moment of respite for the elf, as this makes the two Elder Liches stop their castings. They look at each other with a brief glance, before throwing their heads back in laughter.
"Kuahahahahaha!"
"Keahahahahahaha!"
"What's so funny?"
The elf thought that this was some sort of trap. But no, it was more of a joke to the Elder Liches.
"Kahaha… haha…"
"Hehe… heh…"
They soon stop laughing, and a strange atmosphere settles.
''...Wait, you think our powers are that of Gods?"
"It might as well be, the arrow I just shot was at the level of piercing through several dozen trees and never fell down in its flight. Her Majesty also praised my arrow of being able to hurt a God."
"Huh…"
The Elder Liches look at her with tilted heads, and since a skull can't really express much emotions, she didn't know that they were pitying her.
"Anyway, we're going to end it here."
"Farewell, elf. You were promising, but today is where that promise dies."
The blue Elder Lich points his pointed index finger at the elf, and a small Magic Eye appears.
"Spatial Constriction."
The other one saw that she was about to move and constricts the space around her, trapping her in place for her execution.
"Goodbye."
A white flash appeared and for a split second, the elf could see a zigzagging lightning bolt and that was it. It was darkness after then, no feeling of pain and all.
'...Wait.'
Something didn't feel right. And as light shines once more to her vision, she could see that the bolt of lightning had stopped midway and is just centimeters from reaching her chest. She looks at it for a second, before glancing up at the Elder Liches.
"???"
She saw their heads bent backward, faces toward the sky. The space constrictions were lifted, so she could move again. She contemplated fleeing, or stay and see what happens next.
Meanwhile, the two Elder Liches were in front of their God.
"Master!"
"This lowly one greets his God!"
They were kneeling in their minds. Sora, wearing a black cloak that only revealed his pale white face, spoke.
"Xeno, Kidra. It seems that you're the two that awoke first."
"Yes, master."
"Yes, my God."
"Good, that's very good."
"But it wasn't just us, master. Liliel has also awoken with us and is somewhere else."
"Yes, I am aware of her presence. Return, and do not under any circumstance let any witnesses pass, but do not kill them either. I cannot have my prestige ruined just yet."
"Yes, master! Apologies, master!"
"Yes, my God! Apologies, my God!"
And with that, Sora returned them to their bodies. It was only for three seconds, and they enacted his order upon returning.
The lightning bolt missed the elf obviously, but that didn't matter now.
"Erasure Mind."
"Curse of Forgetfulness."
The two Elder Liches cast their appropriate Curses. They assaulted the elf's mind and messed with her memories of recent events, namely the encounter with the Elder Liches.
"Urk! Kuahhhh!"
"She's durable, her mind."
"Indeed."
The Elder Liches continue to exercise their Curse, but the Wind Elemental reacts to their actions and attacks. However, since the Elemental's attacks are Magic-based, it did little damage to the Elder Liches with their naturally high Magic Resistance.
After a short while, the Elemental disappears and the elf free falls down. But, the Elder Liches catch her and bring her down with them.
''There's still more."
"Indeed, let's finish and have a few more quick meals before leaving."
With that, an unknown chapter comes to an end.