Leon took three steps to the left. Then, rubbing his chin, he muttered in a low cautious tone, "System... has the nullified potion been erased completely or stashed somewhere within... me, perhaps?"
Immediately, the reddish screen flared up.
[Toxins.
Witching Potion - available for a re-utilisation.]
"Oh..." Leon mumbled, raising his brows. The only reason he felt surprised about all this was the potion now displayed as a crystal on the screen. Meanwhile, its current form completely explained why it was undetectable in his wine. Colourless and odourless.
Leon smiled. Most importantly, Scarlet's biased play helped him find a special part of himself as a player.
"... neither potions nor poisons can affect me anym-"
Before he could complete his statement, a sharp clap thundered up. Leon's brows creased, glancing towards the source.
The temple's entrance.
"Mm...?" he slurred.
Two figures strode into the divine abode, their steps purposeful. Leon furrowed his brows even more... Who were they? Enemies, or just passer-bys?
Their presence wasn't world-shaking like Hecate's Realm. But, the tension here was...
... Why were they here of all time?
***
A torchlight held in Scarlet's hand illuminated the narrow path leading to a distant gate. Many doors flanked her walkway, each suggesting entries thriving with dark mystery. But she minded nothing other than the ten-metre-high golden gate.
...
Crack, crack, crack...
Lightning spiralled over the gate as she inched closer to it. It then spread out like a wildfire, inviting her into the grand hall within.
The gate closed when she stepped in; it raised a fleeting cloud of dust.
Scarlet swallowed. 'The first trial...' she thought, eyes locking on a dark-stone throne several metres away. 'The Thunder God's Ordeal...'
In the next instant, she crouched, sliding the pouch off her back. Then she unzipped it and fetched a railgun and a curved knife. As soon as she returned to her feet, the air between her and the throne thickened.
'They're here...' she thought. She nodded affirmatively before closing the distance.
A tall, muscular humanoid armed with a hammer appeared before her without warning. She continued in her stepping whatsoever. The creature looked like a male warrior. Its hair was wild like whipping winds, its eyes glowing bright white, and its silver skin shone like storm armour.
Before even time could count, it added up to close to twenty more.
These muscular warriors were Enforcer-level (B-rank) archetypes of Thor. Apart from existing to challenge the temple invaders in trial, they represent the different facets of the thunder god's domain over thunder, storms and strength...
FWOOSH!
Scarlet blurred. In the preceding second, she materialised over an overhead wide chandelier. An azure fume wrapped around her curved knife. Then, she hurled it downwards to sever two archetypes' heads in one go.
SPLASH!
With practiced ease, she jumped off the chandelier. Mid-air, a bullet from her rail gun sent another crashing to the ground. Scarlet washed like a directionless air past every attack... the crackling stroke of lightning and sneaky invocation of storm.
Her curved knife shadowed her steps like a clone. Here? There? No, no one could tell her exact location. But the only testament to her presence was the humanoids falling dead one after the other.
Shortly, Scarlet landed a few metres from the jagged throne. She exhaled with a sudden release of breath. Meanwhile, the cold bodies of the creatures spread behind her like a creeping frost.
That was just the deadliness of an Executioner that also had the experience of an assassin.
In a heartbeat, the throne blurred away. The wall behind it shifted several times until it manifested as a gate alive with green fumes.
Scarlet proceeded on.
---
(Back at the temple's atrium...)
Leon grunted several times. "Let go of me, you bastards!" he yelled.
Earlier, the two guys closed in on him without warning. And like now, they had forced him to his knees while gripping his shoulders with a tight hold. No matter how hard he tried, they wouldn't bulge.
Leon clenched his jaw. 'I might as well resort to violence!' Then he groaned, "Parad—"
Right as he was about to summon his dagger, someone else stepped in. Their footstep rang out, filling the open space. Leon gasped, his eyes widening.
"This aura..."
Striding with an unspoken sense of danger was a white-haired man draped in a white cloak. Accompanying him inside was a dog half a metre tall.
Leon breathed with a tremor, feeling a tingling sensation in his nostrils. He knew what...
"HRK!" he screamed, choking as hot blood spewed from his nose. His body jerked downwards as the liquid gushed down in an endless stream. Leon panted, clenching his jaw to control the flow. "Gag!"
The other two guys cupped their noses, and blood trickled down their arms. Nonetheless, they bowed to the white-cloaked man.
"Lord Phantom!"
Leon's chest tightened. 'This man's aura... it's the same as the Requiem's! Damn it... gag!'
Even specks of dust made way for Lord Phantom as he threaded near to the trio. He possessed this mysterious part that transformed almost everything through his presence. As a matter of fact, the gods' golden statues grew pale.
The moment he stood close, Leon managed to glance up.
The man's crimson eyes sent thrills down his spine. For a while, Lord Phantom stared at him without saying anything. But Leon couldn't help it as he turned his gaze downwards.
He clenched his jaw. Who was this man? He appeared unlike someone he could torment like Jax, nor try to manipulate like Zane. No.
In a low, rough voice that carried an intense weight, Lord Phantom said, "I see. You must be her serving boy after all. Definitely, you'll mind telling me what she came here for."
Leon swallowed.
"And quite well, she puts her trust in you. Despite knowing her life is in your hands."
'What...?' Leon lifted his sight slowly to meet the gravelly pairs again. His chest tightened. And for the first time ever, he felt as if he were on fire.
The man, his face itself invoking unease, said, "I won't ask you to tell me why she's here either. But... what I want from you now is to leave the temple."
Leon's lips parted. "To... leave the temple?"
"Exactly."