As Alexander and Owen walked into the abyss, they were met with a forest-like scenery filled with tall, thick trees as far as the eye could see.
As the mythical fighters continued moving, they noticed something strange.
"We've been moving for quite some time now, yet we haven't encountered a single mythical beast," Miguel said.
"Yeah," Jason agreed.
"We just need to keep our guard up," Layla commented.
It wasn't that there weren't any mythical beasts around. On the contrary, ever since they had entered the abyss, they had been monitored and followed. Alexander thought to himself, They're probably biding their time, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Immediately, crimson, gorilla-like beasts with four arms—known as Quadgors—began dropping from the trees, encircling the mythical fighters.
"Would you look at that? They finally came out to play," Miguel said with a smile.
About fifty Quadgors surrounded the fighters. Each beast stood approximately 20 feet tall, with compact, bulky muscles, razor-sharp teeth, and intimidating red eyes.
"Looks like this'll be fun," Owen said as he ran toward a Quadgor with his fist ready. "Let's see how strong you are!" he shouted as he delivered a punch.
The Quadgor met his attack with a right fist of its own. As their fists clashed, a large shockwave was created. Then, the Quadgor used its second right fist to punch Owen square in the stomach. Owen jumped back, thinking to himself, They're not half bad. I'm certain I'm strong enough to deal with them without revealing my true strength.
"As expected of cannon fodder," Hercules scoffed as he threw his spear, hitting a Quadgor dead in the head.
After witnessing one of their own die so easily, the majority of the Quadgors turned their attention to Hercules. He quickly retrieved his spear and rushed toward the creatures, spinning his weapon to gain momentum. Just then, a Quadgor leaped at him, readying all four of its fists for a punch.
Before the attack landed, Hercules cut off the creature's lower fists and evaded the upper ones. Before he could follow up, another Quadgor was upon him, forcing him to jump back. This time, five Quadgors were right in front of him.
He began spinning his spear in an attempt to block the Quadgors' attacks, but it was futile. The relentless creatures pushed him back as more of them joined the assault, their fists poised to strike. Just as they roared and charged, Hercules tightened his grip and activated his skill: Whirlwind Slash. A devastating surge of energy erupted, killing all five Quadgors instantly.
"He's quite impressive, don't you think?" Jason asked Layla, who stood atop a Quadgor with her brown whip in hand.
"Yeah, he's the most impressive one," she replied, turning her head to examine the other fighters.
Her gaze landed on Alexander and Owen, who were still struggling with a single Quadgor. "Those ones are the most disappointing," she remarked.
"They still haven't managed a single kill," Jason added.
"Miguel, on the other hand, isn't half bad," Layla continued, tilting her head toward him. "At least he won't be a hindrance to our mission."
Just as the group took a breather after managing to defeat the troop of Quadgors, a Quadgor with black stripes on its back suddenly landed before them and let out an earth-shaking roar.
Without hesitation, it leaped into the air, interlocking its massive fingers to deliver a crushing slam. The mythical fighters narrowly evaded the attack.
"Seems like it's the leader," Jason said as he prepared for battle.