Chapter 241 - One Surprise After Another

Finding themselves back on the resolve-testing proving grounds that is the never-ending hiking, the group dragged their feet forward through the new terrain. It was a field of tall, gray grass that was lathered in a sticky substance, making it arduous to push through in its bountiful nature. 

It was the "gimmick" of the quadrant that Macheo had told them about in a passing conversation during their travels; the terrain was constantly changing from place to place, leaving little room for adjustment and constantly keeping them on their toes. 

All around them, the sounds of sly, slithering creatures periodically met their ears as the unnerving area inched away at their will. 

"...Rest. I need rest. And food; lots of food."

"For the hundredth time, Hongse, there is no damn way we're stopping in this field. We can't see anything here."

Ren let out a groan at the panda's continued complaints. Stomping each foot forward in an effort to keep himself going, he raised his head only for his eyes to meet with a peculiar structure in the near distance. 

"Hey, there's something up ahead."

"Huh? What is it?"

Pushing the foliage blocking his path aside, Macheo brought himself next to Ren as he set his eyes in the same general direction. 

"Looks like...a cottage?" 

"Out here?...Suspicious."

"Food!"

Without any hesitance, the towering panda came stomping forward, pushing past the others as he set his hungering stomach on the timber-built structure up ahead. 

"Hongse!...Shit, this idiot!"

Following the demi-human driven thoughtlessly forward by the call of his own bottomless stomach, the rest of the group pushed past the overbearing foliage. Not taking note of where he was stepping, Macheo's black leather boot came down on a squishy, warm substance that moved beneath his step. 

Looking down, his eyes widened as he began to realize what it was he had so rudely stepped on; a limbless body that looked to be as thick as a tree trunk with slimy, diamond-shaped scales that inhabited a verdant and sable complexion. 

"Oh shi--"

Before he could react further, the end of the creature lurking within the tall grass wrapped around his leg, hoisting him up into the air as he dangled upside down. 

"What the--Macheo!"

Coming to a halt, Ren stopped and turned around to see the crimson-eyed boy being held in the air by the tail of the serpentine. 

"I've got this...covered!"

Holding his usual pride, Macheo called out from the top of his lungs, halting Ren from drawing his blade with his amped words. 

"That idiot...Why does he have to be like this?..."

Aiko muttered, her words being heard by Iris who was more focused on the threat at hand. 

"Valerie, follow that damn, furry idiot! We've got this!"

Calling out to the vermilion-haired draconic mage, Ren's words met her ears as she nodded, following behind Hongse who was driven into a hungered stupor. 

Standing in watch, waiting for Macheo to make his move as he so fervently proclaimed, they witnessed the head of the serpentine reveal itself, hissing out as its jaw parted in four sections. Seeing this, Macheo's unequaled confidence was humbled.

"I take it back! Help me! I can't focus my magic like this!"

Supporting his words, Macheo was only able to release unrefined blasts of water that didn't come close to hitting the mark as his body was flung about in the air. 

"...I've got this, stand back!"

Putting his arm out to stop Iris and Aiko, Ren slid his trusty longsword from its sheath as he watched the gargantuan serpentine near its saliva-coated maw to the human snack it held. 

These two are far more worn out than I am. Between the wounds Aiko's body had to recover from and how much mana Iris used to heal her, it's only reasonable that I take it from here, he thought. 

"Dunkel: Slicer!"

Swiping his blade cleanly through the foliage, a blade of darkness parted from the steel, flying directly towards the snake as only a shallow cut appeared on its neck. 

"Huh? That wasn't enough?!"

"Dammit! Kill this thing already!"

Macheo's voice grew higher and more desperate as he could clearly see down the snake's slimy, constricting throat. 

"I've got it!"

"...Aiko, wait!"

Before he could try and stop her, Ren watched as the short, beige-haired girl zipped past him, sprinting up the serpentine's body as if it were a normal pathway. Looking as graceful as a dancer, such eloquent footwork was shot down as she tripped over, falling from the lengthy body of the rising serpentine. 

"I told you to wait, idiot!"

Huffing, Ren shadow stepped into the air to retrieve the girl before she could fall helplessly to the unnatural soil below. 

Crap, she's totally out of it. It was only a few seconds...Has she been like this since we left Butcher's Locker? He thought.

"You don't have to keep trying to prove yourself, jeez…"

Muttering quietly, he wasn't sure if his words met the ears of the Akitein girl as her eyelids seemed to be halfway to closing. Setting her down beside Iris, he sighed as he retrieved his blade from its hilt once more. 

"I think she's sick, get her to the cottage, alright?"

"But--"

"I've got this covered."

Ren's assuring smile left no room for Iris to contest his decision as she nodded, carrying Aiko on her back up the somewhat steep slope that led to the mysterious abode. 

"Hurry up already, all my damn blood is going to my head!"

"Whining is pretty unlike you, Macheo."

"This...is...different!"

Flipping his blade between his fingers with a bit of braggadocious finesse, Ren smiled as he nodded his head a few times. 

"Right, right, I'll get right on it."

During this time, Macheo managed to avoid being gobbled up by the hungry, oversized serpentine by scaring away its wide maw with frantic blasts of water spheres that had little chance of actually hitting anything. 

Taking in a deep breath lined with a calming focus, Ren placed one foot forward before bringing himself atop the serpent's back in an instant. 

Success. Another Shadowstep done without an incantation, Ren smiled. 

"Now for you, scaly." 

Pointing the tip of Belus downwards, Ren drove the blade through the thick neck of the creature, seamlessly piercing both its scales and flesh as it hissed out in pain, its massive tail flailing against the ground frantically. 

Being smacked against the ground a few times, Macheo grunted before escaping its unraveled hold, coughing out. 

"Here."

Jumping down from the rampant snake, Ren extended his hand down to Macheo, who looked at it for a moment before refusing it, standing himself up on his own as he caressed his throat. 

"I don't need it."

"Huh? Acting like that after I just saved your life?"

Being completely ignored, Ren sighed as he watched the golden-haired boy march towards the cottage. The verdant serpentine had fallen over dead within a minute, being stepped over as he swiped the blood from his blade before returning it to its rest of leather.

Still, I wonder what that place really is, he thought. 

Falling behind the rest of his group, his caution was put to rest as he heard their casual voices speaking from within the confines of the peculiar cottage.

Stopping right outside of the opened door, he took the opportunity to take his tightly-laced boots off, emptying the sediment that gathered during the tireless journeys through the depths of the hellish realm. 

Damn, my feet are sore as hell, he sighed. 

Slipping his boots back on, he entered the premises. Stepping inside of the open door--everything shifted. The air that he breathed in, the cold, stagnancy to it--gone. What looked like a somber, decaying cottage was something else entirely different on the inside. 

It was a refurbished, immaculate interior that expanded itself to the length of a glorious mansion, completely breaking the laws of physics in their entirety. 

"What...the...hell."

The immaculately polished timber walls were lit by orange torches held in decorative, silver devices. 

"How may I help you, Sir Ren?"

A calm, eloquent voice spoke to him, drawing his perplexed eyes to the center of the lobby where stood a tan-skinned man, slender and tall, well-dressed above all else. It was easy to tell from one look what the true nature of the man was for him. 

No doubt, he's a demon, like Bifrons, he thought. 

"You're a demon, right?"

"That I am."

For some reason, he expected his accusation to be rejected, but the man dressed in a wrinkle-free butler outfit answered calmly with a smile. 

Is this a host club or something?...Seriously, what's up with all the glamorous dudes?! He thought.

Just as the true form of Bifrons was, the seemingly benevolent demon standing behind the desk was just as flamboyant, with perfectly polished, icy blue nails that matched his peculiar irises. 

"What is this place?"

A slightly puzzled look came over the attendant's expression as he corrected it with a smile, extending his arm as the fluffy, sable cuffs of his matching suit bounced with his slightest movements. It was an odd movement but it ended in a bow, leaning his tall frame down before setting himself straight once more as his plentiful, light-gold locks slightly obscured his radiant eyes. 

"Allow me to explain, Ren Nakamura: you've qualified to participate in the Champion's Culling."

"…"Champion's Culling"? Mind explaining what the hell that is?"

Still on edge, the attendant seemed to notice this as his warm, welcoming smile persisted. 

"With pleasure!"

As usual, the eccentricity of the demon race was too much for his cautious, perplexed self to handle, letting out a sigh as he prepared for the flamboyant explanation coming his way. 

"You and your group, The Weltwanderers, collected at least five keys; that is the requirement to participate in this pinnacle event!"

"Hey, where is my group anyway—"

Before he could even get a full sentence in, he was promptly interrupted by the blonde demon's continued, unstoppable guidance. 

Spinning in place, the slender, well-dressed entity hummed before continuing. 

"All who have collected at least five of this floor's keys have been brought here, the Keep of Asmodeus, to battle for the remaining keys needed to challenge the guardian of this floor! Or better yet...direct access to the third, and final floor of Purgatory."

Finally, something significant caught Ren's ears as the prospect of obtaining the final keys was embedded in him. 

"Oh, are we interested now?"

"Just keep talking."

"Of course. This contest of the worthy is determined in the most appropriate setting: a tournament!"

Exclaiming this with fervent excitement, the handsome demon pointed his index finger straight to the pristine ceiling, his own one-man show releasing a fit of sparks.

How the hell did he do that?! Ren thought.

"What's the catch?"

Knowing the way Purgatory was run, and knowing that demons were likely the ones that ran this place, it was the most appropriate question he could find to ask. 

Being asked this, the tan-skinned inhuman settled down his high-energy performance, settling his ethereal gaze on the young man. 

"My, you're just as he warned; quite the cautious fellow. That's not a bad thing—not at all, not here that is."

Leaving the bounds of his polished, mahogany desk, the demon slowly approached the snow-haired mage as his pointed, black leather dress shoes clacked against the spotless flooring. Coming close to Ren, he leaned his slender, towering figure down until he was face to face with the defensive human. 

"Yes, yes…so conflicted; those eyes of yours. You're every bit as intriguing as I thought."

Stunned by the close proximity, he could feel the cold breath of the enigmatic entity as his long, colored fingernail trailed his chin. 

"…Stop that!"

Slapping the hand away, Ren's eyes were now passionate with contempt, which only seemed to intrigue the demon further. 

"My apologies. Here, you'll need this."

Lightly tapping his sharp nail against the back of the young man's obsidian glove on his left hand, a brief sting caused Ren to pull his hand back. 

"What the hell was that?!"

"Your proof of Championhood."

The demon's eyes trailed down to the afflicted hand, prompting Ren to hesitantly slide his glove from his fingers as he revealed to himself the new five-pointed star seal embedded on the back of his hand. 

"When that glows, make your way to the waiting room."

"…Okay? Anyway, where are my friends?"

"Oh, of course. They've settled into their rooms already. Impy will show you to your dorm."

Settled in already? That doesn't make any sense…I was only a minute behind at most. Dorm? This sounds like it might be a long endeavor…Still, sounds kind of relaxing, he thought. 

Responding to a snap of his fingers, a short, bulbous entity manifested by the attendant's will. 

"Impy, show him where the waiting room is, then the bazaar—then his dorm. Understood?"

"You got it, master!"

The creature was no higher than Ren's knee, with arms and legs that sprouted from its round, circular body layered with crimson, scale-riddled skin. 

"Please, follow him. Impy will give you the basics of the domain." 

"...Alright."

"That includes showing you where your friends are at."

Knowing that small tidbit would drive his feet forward, the demon's sly smile was met with a quiet scoff from the young man as he began walking down the pristine hallway, stopping in place for a moment before turning around. 

"Just one more thing: what's your name?"

"Orias."

Finally giving his name, the pale-haired demon bowed once more with his hand over his chest, presenting the same, unwavering smile. 

With that, Ren followed the stumpy, tiny creature by the name of Impy down the lavish halls; something he didn't expect to find himself in within the bowels of Purgatory.