Zephyrus looked at the man standing in front of him, holding a long black sword. He had assessed the situation earlier from his hidden location. The fight between the fallen guild master and Astaroth surprised him, but he felt that the strength displayed by Astaroth was something he could handle. As for the sorceress, he had special items on his body that would detect and break all magic under tier seven. There were only a handful of people in this world who could cast tier-seven magic, and he couldn't recall her resembling any of them, and also the spells that were cast by her earlier had been shattered.
Zephyrus gave a wicked laugh and pulled out a cane from his subspace. The cane had a small human skull attached on the top and the body appeared carved from a monster's bone. "Let me introduce myself; my name is Zephyrus, the master of this dungeon. Some call me the harbinger of chaos, but I see myself as the giver of life. Those enhanced by my experiments get to experience a fuller life. Hehehehahaha."
"Now, what are your names, although I already know, I'll give you a chance to introduce yourselves." Zephyrus stopped laughing and asked them, his eyes staring into theirs.
"I am Astaroth, the demon king of the sixty-sixth world, and this is my subordinate, Lalitha," Astaroth exclaimed, his anger rising since he had come to this place. After being forced to battle Glenda and finally having to kill her, he could no longer contain himself. Lalitha was surprised that her master had given Zephyrus their real name and declared himself the demon king, but she knew there must be a reason for it.
"Demon king of the sixty-sixth world? Hahahahahha, you're joking. The demon king died thousands of years ago, and there isn't one anymore," Zephyrus threw back his head and laughed. At the same time, he raised his cane and pointed it at Astaroth. A strong force followed and blew against Astaroth and Lalitha.
Astaroth raised a finger and flicked it, blowing the force apart. He then clenched his fingers into a fist and threw a punch at Zephyrus. The force from the punch ripped the floor tiles apart, and Zephyrus placed his cane in front of him, taking a defensive stance. At the same time, he reached into his pocket and took out a few pebbles, throwing them on the floor. As soon as the pebbles hit the floor, they turned into stone golems. The stone golems rushed towards Astaroth.
"Begone, you lowly monsters! Lightning strikes," Lalitha cast her spells, and bolts of lightning flashed and struck the stone golems. The lightning pierced through the golems' bodies, but that didn't stop them from advancing. The nearest golem to Astaroth raised both arms above its head and swung them down toward Astaroth's head, but the demon king stepped back, cleanly avoiding the attack while keeping his eyes fixed on Zephyrus. Lalitha continued casting her lightning to prevent the rest of the golems from reaching Astaroth.
"Get lost!" Astaroth swung his fist and hit the golem in the chest, knocking it across the room, breaking it into pieces. Zephyrus, observing the duo after releasing the golems, frowned upon seeing the strength in Astaroth's fist. He then took out another item from his pocket, a wooden cube. The cube didn't have any markings, but as Zephyrus started chanting, the cube began to turn in his hands, and strange markings appeared on all six sides. The spinning cube started to float, and tiny distortions appeared in the space surrounding it.
"Release!" Zephyrus shouted, and the spinning cube was sucked into the distorted space. Suddenly, a green, half-decomposed zombie emerged from the space. The zombie had a large head and a huge body, much bigger than the stone golems. As soon as it appeared, the stench of decomposed flesh filled the room, shocking Lalitha when she saw the new monster summoned by Zephyrus.
"Kill them," Zephyrus commanded the zombie. Despite its huge size, the zombie was fast. With a few strides, it crossed the room and swung its hand toward Lalitha. She quickly put up a shield to block the attack, but the impact of the hand against the magical shield still knocked her back a few steps, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Astaroth, seeing that Lalitha was injured by the charging zombie, lunged forward with his sword in hand. However, despite the zombie's body being composed of rotten flesh, Astaroth's sword proved ineffective against it. The cuts inflicted by the sword healed rapidly, and the zombie retaliated with ferocious counterattacks.
"Your sword is useless against him, don't you know who he once was?" Zephyrus taunted with pride. "This zombie was once a formidable adventurer with the strongest defense against physical attacks. When I captured him, I enhanced his body so that any damage he sustains would be instantly repaired. Hahahaha!"
"In that case, I'll engulf him in the flames from hell," Astaroth declared. He chanted an incantation, conjuring a blue fireball that struck the zombie's chest. The intense blue flames spread rapidly, engulfing the zombie completely.
Yet, to everyone's horror, the zombie remained unaffected, emerging from the fiery inferno unscathed. Its eyes glowed with a malevolent crimson hue, and a sinister smile crept across its decayed face.
Astaroth frowned, the cursed zombie was immune to conventional attacks, including fire from hell, he had no idea what Zephyrus did to him, but the defense of the zombie was high. The ancient evil that lurked within the creature defied any earthly force.
As the blue flames dissipated, leaving nothing but scorched ground behind, the zombie advanced toward Astaroth with relentless determination. The ominous aura emanating from it sent shivers down the spines of all who witnessed the horrifying spectacle. With each step, chunks of mud-like flesh dropped off its body, revealing the damages sustained during the encounter. A part of its body had melted under the hellfire, leaving a grotesque trail on the floor. The zombie's first howl echoed through the air, signaling the arrival of madness.
"It appears it is not immune to fire," Astaroth grinned. He chanted another incantation, summoning a larger inferno that swallowed the zombie once again. This time, the undead creature thrashed about in the fiery grasp, seemingly feeling the intense heat and pain of its melting flesh.
"You bastards!" Zephyrus shouted, pulling out a glass orb from his pocket and hurling it at the zombie. The orb shattered upon impact, releasing a copious amount of purple liquid that cascaded over the zombie's body. Strangely, the creature ceased its thrashing and focused its aggression on Astaroth. Its strength and endurance were evidently enhanced by the properties of the mysterious purple liquid.
The room filled with an air of uncertainty as the zombie, now imbued with unnatural vigor, launched itself at Astaroth with greater ferocity. The situation had taken an unexpected turn, pushing the boundaries of their confrontation into uncharted territory. The purple liquid seemed to grant the creature new life, adding an element of horror to the already chilling scene. "Astaroth raised his sword to block the charging zombie, its strength greatly increased, and the parts destroyed by the fire started to repair themselves.
"This is taking too long," Astaroth exclaimed, growing increasingly annoyed with each passing moment. He had tried to avoid using too much of his strength to prevent triggering the gatekeeper and causing it to appear again. However, it looked like he had no choice but to unleash his true power to stop the zombie. With that thought, Astaroth dug his feet into the ground and struck the zombie's head with the back of his hand.
"Get lost!"
The zombie's head was ripped off from its neck, and it flew to the opposite end of the room. The headless zombie slumped onto the floor, lifeless. Zephyrus was shocked by the sudden change and before he could react, Astaroth's hand had already reached his neck, lifting him off the ground. A pair of red eyes stared into him, and Astaroth's countenance had transformed completely. He was no longer a man but a devil, and Zephyrus felt fear for the first time since he met Astaroth.
The atmosphere in the room grew tense as if the very air had become heavy with malevolence. Astaroth's true power emanated like a sinister aura, enveloping Zephyrus in an overwhelming sense of dread. He realized that he had underestimated the darkness that resided within Astaroth.
With a deep, guttural voice, Astaroth uttered, "Your behaviors will not go unpunished."
Zephyrus struggled to find his words, fear paralyzing his senses. His heart pounded in his chest, drowning out all other sounds. As he looked into those fiery red eyes, he knew he was staring into the abyss, and it was staring right back at him.
A sinister smile crept across Astaroth's face, revealing a glint of sadistic pleasure. His grip on Zephyrus tightened, and with a mere flick of his wrist, he tossed him aside like a ragdoll. Zephyrus hit the floor with a thud, pain shooting through his body, but his fear was far more excruciating.
As Astaroth approached, the room seemed to darken, shadows dancing ominously on the walls. Zephyrus knew he had no chance against the malevolent force that now stood before him. He could only hope that his treacherous actions wouldn't seal his fate in this nightmarish encounter.