The floor leader stood before them all, enveloped in a dark aura that seemed to creep along the walls. Malik, Walid, and Kenta were on high alert, while the three rival contestants studied the situation with cold indifference.
The floor leader's voice boomed, "Intruders, you have overstepped your bounds. None of you will leave this floor alive."
Kenta scoffed, "What a warm welcome. Perhaps you could try varying your tone a little? Maybe something less threatening."
Malik said sternly, "Kenta, focus. This is no time for jokes!"
Walid warned, "The floor leader seems different from anything we've faced before. His energy alone fills the room."
The group began to move. They quickly assigned tasks:
* Malik: Would face the leader directly to buy time.
* Kenta and Walid: Would work together to dismantle the leader's defenses.
* The mysterious man: Would continue deciphering the codes for any advantage.
The first rival, with a serious expression, said, "If you think we're just going to stand by, you're mistaken."
The second rival, with a sly smile, said, "The floor leader isn't your only enemy here."
The third rival, in a calm voice, said, "But perhaps we can cooperate... for a short time."
Malik hesitated and replied, "If you're sincere, help us take him down first."
Malik charged towards the floor leader with his sword, attempting a preemptive strike. But the leader easily parried the attack with a powerful black aura that sent Malik flying back.
Malik groaned, "His power is unnatural... we need to be faster."
Walid began firing lightning bolts, targeting the glowing spots the mysterious man had deciphered. Some hit, but they caused only minor damage.
Walid exclaimed in frustration, "Even his weak points seem well-protected."
Kenta, dodging an attack, said, "Well, looks like I'll have to use my brain this time. Ugh, I hate that!"
As the group struggled, the three rivals joined the fray.
* The first rival: Attacked fiercely with his heavy armor, absorbing some of the floor leader's attacks.
* The second rival: Used fire magic to try to melt the aura surrounding the leader.
* The third rival: Watched carefully, searching for any weaknesses.
The second rival exclaimed, "If we don't work together, we'll all lose!"
Malik agreed, but warned, "But don't forget, once he's down, we're against you!"
Suddenly, the mysterious man exclaimed:
The mysterious man: "The leader is just a part of something bigger. All these floors are connected somehow... there's something controlling it from above!"
Malik: "What do you mean?"
The mysterious man: "If we can disable his power source, we can weaken him. There's a symbol in the center of the room, but it's heavily guarded."
Tension began to rise between the team and the rivals.
Kenta scoffed, "Great. As if dealing with a giant monster wasn't enough."
The first rival growled, "If you don't focus, I'll make sure you don't even make it to the next floor!"
Malik warned, "Calm down. We need to cooperate right now. After that, you can try to kill us all you want."
After a long battle filled with exchanges of blows and individual duels, the team finally managed to reach the center of the room.
Malik yelled, "Kenta, Walid, cover me!"
While Malik was trying to disable the symbol, the floor leader surrounded everyone with a huge aura of darkness.
The floor leader said, "You won't let me fall... without a price."
Kenta joked, "Is that all you've got? I'm not finished yet!"
The chapter ends at a critical moment, as the team is about to disable the symbol, but time is running out, and the floor leader is preparing for his final attack.
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