"Before you perish, I am curious about something. How is it that you have grown so powerful? I know you are a half-breed—half human, half angel. How can your mortal body contain the power given by the divine? A human carrying divine power always comes at a price. If my assumptions are correct, you must have lost people close to you, haven't you?" the demon asked Hiraku, walking closer to the cage that confined him.
Hiraku listened to the demon's words. "Half-breed, half human, half angel? Could it be that my ancestry is linked to an angel? Why do these creatures keep calling me a half-breed?" he thought to himself.
His eyes shifted to the distance, where he noticed two cubic cages similar to the one he was trapped in. In one, he saw Shin sitting cross-legged with his head bowed to the ground. The second cage, adjacent to Shin's, held a little girl lying motionless on the floor.
The demon extended his arm forcefully, gripping Hiraku's neck through the black ash bars.
"You will perish here with those you love, and nothing will save you. You failed to save your brother—your screams carried the weight of your failure to protect him. Now you will watch your friends perish. Their cries will feed on your heart, and when they are gone, you will join them," the demon taunted, his grip tightening around Hiraku's neck.
The demon's face exuded a dark aura, devoid of any expression except for its gleaming reddish eyes. Hiraku grasped the demon's hand, feeling his breath constrict and his vision blur as his eyes throbbed painfully.
The demon suddenly drew his arm back, flinging Hiraku toward the back of the cage. Hiraku hit the ground hard, coughing up blood as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Hira," a faint voice called from not too far away. Hiraku clutched his chest, straining to locate the source of the voice. To his right, he saw two more cages at the far end. One held Lisa and Mira, while the other confined Misaki.
"Lisa, everything will be alright. Everything will be alright," Hiraku muttered through gritted teeth, clutching his chest tightly in pain.
"Darkness surrounds you. What hope do you have? And yet, you make false promises," the demonic figure sneered, raising its hands. Dressed in a coat and hat, it began chanting a spell.
A circular hole with jagged spikes slowly opened beneath each cage. Chains, bonded to the tops of the cages, began dragging them downward into the abyss. At first, Hiraku, his friends, and Misaki only felt the oppressive, evil darkness emanating from below. But as they descended further, their eyes widened in terror. Below them was a river of flames, and the anguished howls of creatures trapped within echoed through the dungeon.
Misaki screamed, holding her face in her hands. "No, no! My nightmares! I can't die! My baby!"
Tears streamed down Mira's face, and Lisa held her hands tightly, shutting her eyes as she prayed. Trails of tears marked her cheeks, and her body trembled with fright. Hiraku stared in horror at the churning flames below as the cages creaked and descended further into the inferno. The screeching of the evil creatures grew louder, piercing their ears.
A faint determined smile formed on hiraku as he gazed upward. The searing heat of the flames seemed to suffocate the air around them. Suddenly, a loud bang resonated from the base of the dungeon.
The chains binding the cages shook violently, and, to everyone's astonishment, began pulling them upward instead. A violent collision of spiritual energy erupted somewhere above, shaking the entire dungeon.
Misaki laughed hysterically, clasping her hands together as though in prayer. She was so consumed by relief that she failed to notice the black, lightweight spider that had crept into her cage. The creature deftly stole the pendant hanging around her neck and darted away, disappearing into the darkness.
"Little Rascals!" A cracked voice of an old lady called out from above the underground layer. They all squinted their eyes to see an old woman wearing a fur like coat calling from above. Mira out of joy bellowed from the cage,
"Old granny,yes,we',re here! Save us?!" Tears welled down Miras eyes. Lisa cried out with relief. Hiraku looked up in surprise,with a smile he slowly knelt with his knees and clutched onto his chest. The chain drifting upwards until it reached the surface of the dungeon. A chest key that glistened red slowly darted towards the keyhole of the cage,The door to hiraku's cage opened and he slowly crawled out of the cage,smoke drifting from his body he breathed heavily and slowly stood up,he looked at the old woman who pressed her knee on a red demons back it had a great kudu horn and batlike wings,it's appearance was grotesque,by the side of the torso blood slowly oozed out of a wound.
"Granny" hiraku muttered his voice barely audible but she heard him,she nodded her head and the red key opened the cage binding shin and the little girl,the little girl already conscious lay on the ground looking with a frightful terror at the demon sprawled out on the floor. The red key darted in the air and opened the cage binding Lisa and Mira. Lisa ran towards hiraku and hugged him tears streamed down her face. Hiraku withdrew from her embrace and went to the cage where shin lay,he lifted him up and held him on the waist,he flung his left arm on his shoulders as he went out of the cage,Lisa and Mira took the child who was still in shock on their arms. The red key darted towards Misaki who was looking at her daughter with joy and relief that she was alive.Suddenly, a jagged-edged sword sliced through the air and severed the chain binding the cage. It came loose, and Misaki screamed as she plummeted into the fiery flames.