Eris knew she would be transported when the beast died, but she expected to be in a corridor.
That was where the path to the finish line was. It was where she rightfully deserved to be.
But what was this?
Why was she stuck in eternal darkness, unable to decipher anything?
Those questions really only existed in her mind for a few moments. Almost instantly, her mind processed exactly what had happened.
'That little…'
"BASTARD!"
She roared.
There was only one person who could mess with the mechanisms of the central room, and that was the one person who had interacted with them.
August Void.
The genius that was originally supposed to be her stepping stone…
Had he used her as a stepping stone instead…?
"Unbelievable…"
She truly couldn't fathom it.
Some random bastard from a clan she didn't care to know the name of dared to provoke her?
He dared to play her for a fool?!
This was the space where he was supposed to end up. It was a place where he'd be trapped until everyone else in the trial had finished.
But, now that it was her prison instead…
'See what happens.'
Her eyes were practically bloodshot.
She meant it.
He would see what happened when someone decided that a member of the Noct Clan could be messed with.
This place couldn't hold her.
Nothing could hold her.
Nothing could stop her from finding him and slaughtering him.
That much, no matter what her circumstances were, she could guarantee.
Eris' power roared to life.
The blackness around her started to shrink as she consumed it, taking it into her body.
August thought he'd gotten off easy because he didn't understand the exact nature of the trap he'd sent Eris to deal with.
Little did he know that his troubles were far from over.
Whether it be the last few moments of this event or the remainder of his life once he left…
…Eris would ensure that he'd suffer.
***
As expected, August and Valerie ended up in the corridor that Eris was expecting to see.
"Huu…"
August took a deep breath.
"We made it!" Valerie exclaimed.
"We made it, but we still need to hurry," August replied.
He was certain that Eris wouldn't come for them any time soon, but it was best to not take risks when dealing with people like her.
"Hey, help me out a little. Let's get to the finish. We can decide who goes first and who goes second once we get there."
August couldn't necessarily walk on his own at the moment.
Luckily, Valerie was something of a healer. She wasn't the best yet, but her element allowed her to do basic healing even without experience.
She used her mana on August's leg, which allowed him to move properly.
It wouldn't function if he had to do more than that, but it was enough for now.
"Let's go."
August nodded.
He and Valerie rushed through the corridor. The blue light was only around 500 meters away. They could cross it in a matter of minutes.
It seemed like an anticlimactic finish, but this was exactly what August had been working towards.
A calm run to the finish, unobstructed by threats.
That was how it went.
At least, for the majority of the distance.
Five steps.
She appeared when they were only five steps away from the finish line.
In her full glory, with fury in her eyes, Eris Noct appeared at the end of the corridor.
And her aura was nothing to scoff at.
August had severely underestimated her. What he assumed would take her at least half an hour to escape was dealt with in a matter of five minutes or less.
And somehow, not only had she dealt with it in that short span of time, but she'd also made her way here.
August didn't know if she was cheating or if she did it legitimately, but it didn't matter.
Eris was already here, which meant that if they couldn't make these last five steps in time, they would lose.
August and Valerie were several hundred meters away, yet they still felt suffocated when she appeared.
"You. Dirty. Little. Bastard."
Her words echoed through the corridor. Each one was enunciated clearly, and somehow they all landed before August and Valerie could take another step.
They did take that step, though.
Four steps remained until they crossed the finish line.
The moment Eris appeared, time slowed immensely.
It was sluggish as if even it couldn't exist properly in her presence.
Every single moment was excruciatingly long. Every step took ages to touch the ground.
They had only taken a single step, but Eris was already acting.
"DIE!"
VOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Her aura raged. Pure blackness enveloped the entire corridor, leaving only the soft blue light of the finish line visible.
They crawled out from the walls, the floor, and the emptiness above; creatures undefinable by common means.
They were pure manifestations of Eris' power.Each and everyone was deadly.
August only had time for one thought.
'She was lying.'
The entire time, Eris had been hiding a large portion of her talent and power. Perhaps it was to throw off the other Holy Clans, but it didn't matter anymore.
Eris was mad. She was so furious that she didn't even care if others learned how powerful she was.
She didn't give a single ounce of thought to the fact that the people she was attacking could both be ended with just a slight move from her.
Consumed by rage, Eris just acted.
And this was the result of that.
A massive horde of dark beasts, loyal to her command, charging through the tight corridor that led to the finish line.
Three steps.
There were only three steps left before they crossed it, but that wave was already upon them.
Two steps.
August and Valerie rapidly put up any defenses they could, but the swarm tore through them like they were made of paper.
August felt something tear off of his leg. Luckily, it was the leg that was still dysfunctional from his previous injuries, so it didn't affect him much.
But, when one of those things gripped his other ankle in its mouth and thrashed around, August truly felt the pain.
"Khhh…!"
He put mana into that ankle to temporarily ignore the damage.
One step.
One step was all there was separating August and Valerie from the finish line.
That space filled with soft blue light, that very obvious indicator that their challenge would end in but a second, was right in front of them.
They could feel it. If they reached out, they could touch it.
But, that one step couldn't be covered.
Eris was already here. She teleported through the hall and arrived above them in the two steps they'd taken since the swarm appeared.
And she was still attacking.
August gritted his teeth and made a decision.
His foot was already moving to complete that last step, but instead of letting it touch the ground, he pushed off of his other foot and turned his body.
Bang!
"Ah…!"
Valerie made a small sound as his body collided with hers.
She stumbled and flew forward. She thought that was the end of her, but her fall was orchestrated with a purpose.
As Valerie flew forward, August's body naturally concluded its turn to face the incoming horde.
He couldn't see what happened to her, but he grinned anyway.
It wasn't like he could check.
The only thing he could feel, see, sense, and hear was the immense force crushing down on him from above.
It overloaded his senses and tried to drive him insane, but his mind didn't suffer the effects of its corrosion.
His body, though…
He tried to move his eyes up to see what was about to hit him, but he was perceiving time in milliseconds. He didn't have nearly the opening to do it.
August's body flew through the air, just barely touching the finish line as he fell towards the ground.
And…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
That was the last thing he saw.
The terrifying beasts in front of him, Eris above him, and a wall of darkness crushing him flat.
His vision went black.
His mind left the world of the living.
And that was the end of it.
That was the last memory August had of the labyrinth.
Eris knew she would be transported when the beast died, but she expected to be in a corridor.
That was where the path to the finish line was. It was where she rightfully deserved to be.
But what was this?
Why was she stuck in eternal darkness, unable to decipher anything?
Those questions really only existed in her mind for a few moments. Almost instantly, her mind processed exactly what had happened.
'That little…'
"BASTARD!"
She roared.
There was only one person who could mess with the mechanisms of the central room, and that was the one person who had interacted with them.
August Void.
The genius that was originally supposed to be her stepping stone…
Had he used her as a stepping stone instead…?
"Unbelievable…"
She truly couldn't fathom it.
Some random bastard from a clan she didn't care to know the name of dared to provoke her?
He dared to play her for a fool?!
This was the space where he was supposed to end up. It was a place where he'd be trapped until everyone else in the trial had finished.
But, now that it was her prison instead…
'See what happens.'
Her eyes were practically bloodshot.
She meant it.
He would see what happened when someone decided that a member of the Noct Clan could be messed with.
This place couldn't hold her.
Nothing could hold her.
Nothing could stop her from finding him and slaughtering him.
That much, no matter what her circumstances were, she could guarantee.
Eris' power roared to life.
The blackness around her started to shrink as she consumed it, taking it into her body.
August thought he'd gotten off easy because he didn't understand the exact nature of the trap he'd sent Eris to deal with.
Little did he know that his troubles were far from over.
Whether it be the last few moments of this event or the remainder of his life once he left…
…Eris would ensure that he'd suffer.
***
As expected, August and Valerie ended up in the corridor that Eris was expecting to see.
"Huu…"
August took a deep breath.
"We made it!" Valerie exclaimed.
"We made it, but we still need to hurry," August replied.
He was certain that Eris wouldn't come for them any time soon, but it was best to not take risks when dealing with people like her.
"Hey, help me out a little. Let's get to the finish. We can decide who goes first and who goes second once we get there."
August couldn't necessarily walk on his own at the moment.
Luckily, Valerie was something of a healer. She wasn't the best yet, but her element allowed her to do basic healing even without experience.
She used her mana on August's leg, which allowed him to move properly.
It wouldn't function if he had to do more than that, but it was enough for now.
"Let's go."
August nodded.
He and Valerie rushed through the corridor. The blue light was only around 500 meters away. They could cross it in a matter of minutes.
It seemed like an anticlimactic finish, but this was exactly what August had been working towards.
A calm run to the finish, unobstructed by threats.
That was how it went.
At least, for the majority of the distance.
Five steps.
She appeared when they were only five steps away from the finish line.
In her full glory, with fury in her eyes, Eris Noct appeared at the end of the corridor.
And her aura was nothing to scoff at.
August had severely underestimated her. What he assumed would take her at least half an hour to escape was dealt with in a matter of five minutes or less.
And somehow, not only had she dealt with it in that short span of time, but she'd also made her way here.
August didn't know if she was cheating or if she did it legitimately, but it didn't matter.
Eris was already here, which meant that if they couldn't make these last five steps in time, they would lose.
August and Valerie were several hundred meters away, yet they still felt suffocated when she appeared.
"You. Dirty. Little. Bastard."
Her words echoed through the corridor. Each one was enunciated clearly, and somehow they all landed before August and Valerie could take another step.
They did take that step, though.
Four steps remained until they crossed the finish line.
The moment Eris appeared, time slowed immensely.
It was sluggish as if even it couldn't exist properly in her presence.
Every single moment was excruciatingly long. Every step took ages to touch the ground.
They had only taken a single step, but Eris was already acting.
"DIE!"
VOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Her aura raged. Pure blackness enveloped the entire corridor, leaving only the soft blue light of the finish line visible.
They crawled out from the walls, the floor, and the emptiness above; creatures undefinable by common means.
They were pure manifestations of Eris' power.Each and everyone was deadly.
August only had time for one thought.
'She was lying.'
The entire time, Eris had been hiding a large portion of her talent and power. Perhaps it was to throw off the other Holy Clans, but it didn't matter anymore.
Eris was mad. She was so furious that she didn't even care if others learned how powerful she was.
She didn't give a single ounce of thought to the fact that the people she was attacking could both be ended with just a slight move from her.
Consumed by rage, Eris just acted.
And this was the result of that.
A massive horde of dark beasts, loyal to her command, charging through the tight corridor that led to the finish line.
Three steps.
There were only three steps left before they crossed it, but that wave was already upon them.
Two steps.
August and Valerie rapidly put up any defenses they could, but the swarm tore through them like they were made of paper.
August felt something tear off of his leg. Luckily, it was the leg that was still dysfunctional from his previous injuries, so it didn't affect him much.
But, when one of those things gripped his other ankle in its mouth and thrashed around, August truly felt the pain.
"Khhh…!"
He put mana into that ankle to temporarily ignore the damage.
One step.
One step was all there was separating August and Valerie from the finish line.
That space filled with soft blue light, that very obvious indicator that their challenge would end in but a second, was right in front of them.
They could feel it. If they reached out, they could touch it.
But, that one step couldn't be covered.
Eris was already here. She teleported through the hall and arrived above them in the two steps they'd taken since the swarm appeared.
And she was still attacking.
August gritted his teeth and made a decision.
His foot was already moving to complete that last step, but instead of letting it touch the ground, he pushed off of his other foot and turned his body.
Bang!
"Ah…!"
Valerie made a small sound as his body collided with hers.
She stumbled and flew forward. She thought that was the end of her, but her fall was orchestrated with a purpose.
As Valerie flew forward, August's body naturally concluded its turn to face the incoming horde.
He couldn't see what happened to her, but he grinned anyway.
It wasn't like he could check.
The only thing he could feel, see, sense, and hear was the immense force crushing down on him from above.
It overloaded his senses and tried to drive him insane, but his mind didn't suffer the effects of its corrosion.
His body, though…
He tried to move his eyes up to see what was about to hit him, but he was perceiving time in milliseconds. He didn't have nearly the opening to do it.
August's body flew through the air, just barely touching the finish line as he fell towards the ground.
And…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
That was the last thing he saw.
The terrifying beasts in front of him, Eris above him, and a wall of darkness crushing him flat.
His vision went black.
His mind left the world of the living.
And that was the end of it.
That was the last memory August had of the labyrinth.
