I awoke in a new room, though it was similar to the previous one.
This room was a lot emptier, as I only sensed the presence of two beings next to me.
The first was a man. He was fair-skinned with messy black hair that suited him. Like all gods, he was incredibly handsome, but what stood out most were his red eyes and the black suit that he wore.
The other was a woman. She wore robes similar in design to mine. Her hair was long and brown, and her eyes were an incredibly radiant blue. Her beauty was immense.
They both seemed to be the same age as me, like most of the other gods did, and they both stood roughly the same height as me.
It was the male god that spoke first, his voice calm and collected.
"It seems luck favors me; you two seem a friendly pair. My name is Adon, God of Rationale."
We all stood facing each other, and Adon was right. A friendly feeling radiated from the two gods.
"Haha, I'm glad you feel that way," the woman said. "My name is Melis, God of Faith."
I was the last to introduce myself.
"My name is Vale, God of the Broken." The two gods nodded in acknowledgment before I continued. "We should stay alert; we have no idea when this beast wi-"
My sentence was interrupted by a loud sucking sound coming from the center of the room.
We all turned to look, and what awaited us was otherworldly.
A tear in space had begun to open, creating an impossible portal.
I expected it to be a darkness, void of color. Instead, it looked like a swirling mess of all the colors conceivable to the eye.
It grew and grew, as I drew my sword. Adon wielded no weapon but entered a ready stance. Melis had a great bow on her back made from wood; she drew it and nocked an arrow that she pulled from a quiver.
After growing to a size larger than all three of us, a sword began to emerge from the portal.
It was a giant blade, gruesome in design, its color an onyx black. The hand that followed, gripping the hilt, was armored and bulky.
Then emerged the body of the creature, followed by another sword in its other hand.
Once it had fully exited the portal, it stood ahead of us, striking terror through my heart.
It was a humanoid beast with a hunched back. It wore dark blue plated armor covering its entire body, and a white cloth wrapping to cover its face and neck like a scarf.
It wielded two identical blades in each hand, resting the points on the floor, as it faced us.
Even slouched, it stood nearly twice my height.
The beast wretched its head back and let out a roar that seemed ten times more fierce than the mightiest of animal roars on Earth.
I need to move, I cannot face this monster.
A sound came from my right as an arrow flew from Melis' bow.
It hit its target, despite the increased pressure that she must have felt acting against her strike, but then it simply crumpled against the armor of the beast.
Though it was enough to anger it.
It charged towards us, keeping its body low to the floor, and Adon and I ran away, both running past either side of the beast in an attempt to make it to the other side of the room.
Sprinting proved difficult, but my body had begun to adapt to the pressure, and I still ran at a speed far faster than any human could achieve.
The beast headed towards Melis, who nocked another arrow and let it loose, this time aimed for its clothed face.
I turned as I ran past the beast, to see that the arrow had once again had no effect, as the beast moved its head and allowed it to fly past.
In retaliation, the beast closed the distance, and with ferocity, it drew back its blade and swung it forward.
The sword strike hit Melis just above the waist and severed her body in half.
A fountain of blood sprayed from the wound, and instantly I felt sick.
Not at the grotesqueness of the sight, but at how easily a god had been slain.
This beast. What is this?
It turned its head, and its attention was now on me.
I saw Adon on the other side of the room, but I couldn't focus my attention on him.
The beast charged.
I ran faster, heading towards the wall closest to me, hoping to make it before the beast closed the distance.
It was a silent predator. I could only hear the metallic sounds of its armoured feet hitting the surface beneath us.
Clank clank clank
The beast was right behind me.
Almost there.
I heard the plates of the beast's armor moving as it brought back its blade and swung, aimed directly towards me.
The wall was in front of me now, and I placed my foot against it, then again, and again.
Running up the wall, I reached a height that allowed the blade to fly under me, crashing into the wall with a loud ring.
I reached a height even taller than the beast and flipped backward over its head as I watched myself land behind it.
The beast seemed to be disjointed from hitting its blade so hard against the wall, but I didn't dare attempt to take advantage and strike.
Instead, I ran to the other side of the room towards Adon.
The god had a scheming look on his face, and as I headed towards him, he began to sprint in my direction as well, though he ran past me and towards the beast.
I turned, confused.
Does he wish to die?
The beast had now recovered and charged towards Adon.
They would meet head-on.
The beast swung its blade as it had before, though having seen its previous strikes, Adon anticipated it.
He slid low on the smooth floor, and the blade passed over his head, allowing Adon to slide through the gap between the creature's legs.
Due to the missed swing, the beast was already in an awkward position, and as Adon slid past it, he grabbed onto the creatures ankle, pulling it further off balance.
The beast tripped and landed on its stomach, but Adon wasn't finished.
He quickly recovered and turned towards the beast, running past it and back towards me.
As he did, he grabbed one of the large blades from the beast's hand and disarmed it.
It was all done with a speed that should have been impossible under the pressure we were feeling.
How strong is Adon? I could only imagine.
The beast, angered, pushed itself to its feet and gripped its remaining blade in a two-handed grip, and suddenly, it began to radiate incredible power.
The power was so intense that it made the pressure from the challenge seem like nothing.
I couldn't move, and neither could Adon, as the beast stalked towards us.
"Time's up," Osidon's voice echoed through the room.
The beast dropped its sword, and its body steamed as it slowly dissipated into the air, ceasing to exist.