This stupid test was definitely a way for the Architect to win without having to fight him. It was a brilliant idea, if only his greatest creation weren't Judy.
"[Call forth your greatest creation and if you win, I shall grant you any wish you desire]," the Architect spoke.
As Steve saw the entire dungeon slowly come to life, the statues that had once traumatized him were now fully visible. This was the first time he was seeing the dungeon in all its glory, but he wasn't impressed.
"Is this your greatest creation?" Steve asked, gesturing towards the entire dungeon. None of them were a match for him, let alone an actual Monarch like Judy.
"Judy!" Steve called out.
Boom! A loud sound was heard as the door was sent flying into one of the statues. As the dust cleared, a small figure could be seen. From her expression, he could tell that she didn't like being teleported forcefully out of the room.
"You created her?!" The creature asked, shocked.
"Of course. Last I checked, the original Monarch of Elements was called Baran, not Judy," Steve replied, looking on smugly.
What he initially thought would be a great battle turned out to be what can only be described as bullying. Even though the Architect, as he called himself, was made from stone, Steve could still somehow tell how it felt seeing Judy enter the room.
"If you think it's overkill, you can just give me what I want and leave here alive," Steve said suddenly, much to the surprise of everyone in the room.
"Alive? You think you will win?" The Architect asked, a loud and deep laughter was heard. Soon Steve saw the stone falling apart as flesh was revealed underneath it. This was no longer an avatar; the being itself was here. The creature had the same presence as the Monarchs, but it was different in some way. It had pale white skin, a red third eye on its forehead, and the once luxurious set of wings on its back now looked shriveled and dead, yet it remained floating.
"You are not a Monarch. What are you?" Steve asked, a bit shaken by its appearance and aura. The mana he felt from it was immense, though that seemed to be all about it. It seemed that this was how it went for people like them; they had immense mana but in truth, their power level was low.
"Live and you will find out," the Architect shouted just before it rushed forward to attack.
Steve still remained standing as he was. Truthfully, nothing here possessed a threat to him, especially if the Architect planned to make the fight physical. He had more mana than it and was definitely stronger than it, and even if he wasn't, there was enough soul energy here to permanently boost his strength even more.
However, all these didn't bother Steve. He was more bothered by the fact that the creature had chosen to get physical. It had given him his powers; this was a trap. Without paying much attention, Steve dodged as Judy came forth with a kick that sent the creature flying.
If this was a trap, then there was no way in hell he would busy himself with fighting the creature physically.
"Don't let up, kill him," Steve ordered.