Chapter 43: The Final Challenge
The day of the third and final challenge had arrived. The team, fully aware of the difficulty awaiting them, prepared meticulously, stocking up on every type of potion and elixir. They knew this challenge would be hell itself.
The ominous voice echoed once again:
"Contestants, it is time for the third challenge."
Morbius turned to his companions, determination gleaming in his eyes.
"Let's end this once and for all."
As the mysterious portal swallowed them, they found themselves in an otherworldly realm—a place that seemed like a cursed underworld or a shattered, apocalyptic landscape drenched in ruin.
"The land stretched out before them like a vision of hell incarnate. The sky above bled crimson, lightning tearing through thick, smoky clouds as though the heavens themselves were furious. At the center of this chaotic expanse rose a colossal fortress, its obsidian walls pulsating with veins of molten fire, as if alive with a dark heartbeat.
Rivers of liquid fire snaked through jagged rocks, casting an eerie glow. The air was thick with the acrid stench of sulfur, and the only sound was the mournful wail of a desolate wind. This was no ordinary battlefield; it was an eternal war zone where hope had long since been extinguished."
The voice spoke again:
"Welcome to the Infernal Paradise. The third and final challenge is simple: defeat the Guardian of the Dimension Crystal, and you will ascend to the Fourth Echelon of Aether. Success will also grant you mysterious gifts."
Isaac scoffed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Simple? Yeah, right. In a place like this, I bet the so-called 'Guardian' is some infernal beast waiting to roast us alive. I shudder to think what's in the second or third dimension. By the fourth dimension, we're probably fighting gods themselves."
Rosemar shot him an annoyed glance.
"Stop whining, Isaac. Let's just finish this."
Morbius nodded, his voice calm yet firm.
"The Guardian is likely in that fortress. Let's head there, and stay alert."
As they made their way toward the fortress, they were surprised to find no traps or powerful monsters blocking their path. Instead, only weak skeletal flames attacked them—mere nuisances compared to what they had faced before.
"This feels... wrong," Isaac muttered uneasily.
"For once, I agree with you," Rosemar replied, her tone wary. "This challenge is way too quiet."
After a grueling march through the blistering, suffocating heat, they finally reached the fortress gates. Standing before it was a monstrous creature—a fiery, birdlike beast.
The creature resembled a giant eagle but with a grotesque maw filled with sharp teeth, a tail wreathed in flame, and eyes blacker than the void. Its feathers burned with an intense blue fire, and its immense size—nearly fifteen meters tall—towered over them.
Isaac cursed.
"What in the name of the abyss is that? Is this the Guardian?"
Morbius narrowed his eyes.
"More likely, it's the fortress guard. Either way, we have to deal with it."
The beast turned its gaze to them, spreading its enormous wings. With a deafening screech, it unleashed a wave of sound so powerful it shook the ground beneath their feet.
Isaac groaned.
"Great. We've pissed it off."
Morbius smirked.
"Isaac, aren't you part phoenix? Maybe you can talk to it."
Isaac shot him a glare.
"Shut up, Morbius! Don't compare my majestic lineage to this filthy overgrown chicken. I'll turn it into roast eagle myself!"
Rosemar chuckled lightly.
The flaming bird seemed to understand their mockery. With a mighty flap of its wings, it ascended into the air, spinning rapidly.
Morbius quipped, "Look, Isaac, it's doing a mating dance for you."
Before Isaac could retort, flaming spikes shot out from the spinning bird with blinding speed.
"Watch out!" Morbius shouted.
They barely dodged the barrage, but one spike grazed Morbius's arm, drawing blood. For the first time, Isaac's tone turned serious.
"Alright, jokes later. This is going to be a tough fight. Let's finish it with everything we've got."
Rosemar summoned vines from the earth, trying to entangle the beast, but it soared higher, evading her grasp. Morbius hurled shadow blades at its wings, but the bird's speed made it nearly impossible to hit.
Isaac growled in frustration.
"We won't take it down while it's airborne. We need to ground it somehow."
As they debated, the bird suddenly vanished into the smoky clouds above.
Rosemar frowned.
"Did it retreat?"
Before anyone could answer, a massive flaming arrow shot down from the sky with terrifying speed. It was too close to evade.
In that fleeting moment, Morbius felt something strange—a primal, overwhelming sense of survival. His blood roared in his veins, his heart pounding like a war drum. With no time to think, he activated his shadow-step ability, teleporting himself and his companions away from the blast zone.
An enormous explosion of fire erupted behind them, creating a fiery whirlwind that consumed everything in its path.
Isaac cursed.
"What the hell just happened?"
Rosemar, still shaken, replied, "Morbius... He moved us at the last second."
They turned to Morbius, but what they saw left them speechless. His eyes had turned completely black, emitting a faint, shadowy glow. Thick, dark mist billowed from his mouth as he spoke in a guttural, almost feral voice:
"I feel alive... free."
Isaac and Rosemar instinctively stepped back, their unease evident. Isaac whispered to Rosemar,
"Is he cursed? Or has he lost his mind?"
Before they could react further, Morbius launched himself at the flaming bird with terrifying speed, his shadowy blade glowing with blood-red energy.
The bird screeched in rage, releasing another volley of flaming spikes, but Morbius dodged them effortlessly, his movements almost preternatural.
Inside his mind, Morbius's thoughts were a chaotic maelstrom:
"I feel... rage. Pure, unrelenting rage. Every instinct screams to kill. To tear it apart!"
Closing the distance in a blur, Morbius slashed his shadow blade across the bird's wing, leaving a deep, gushing wound. The beast roared in agony, its fiery feathers burning brighter with fury.
It retaliated with a massive blast of flame from its maw, aimed directly at Morbius.
Isaac shouted,
"What's he doing?! He'll be incinerated!"
Rosemar tried to pull him back with her vines, but the flames engulfed him before she could reach him.
A fiery explosion filled the air, leaving behind a thick cloud of steam and ash.
Isaac cursed.
"Damn it! He's gone! That idiot finally got himself killed."
Rosemar's face was pale with horror, unable to believe what she'd just witnessed.
Suddenly, they felt a surge of immense energy above them. Looking up, they saw Morbius descending from the sky, his blade enveloped in a massive, shadowy aura streaked with crimson.
With a speed they could barely comprehend, he struck the bird's head, the impact producing a horrifying screech of pain as the beast's fiery form began to crumble.