"Hey, can you not tell me what you mean by traitor or betrayer?" He asked, with the hope this monster would give him some information.
"...."
However, the monster just hovered while its blue flaming eyes watched Ryuji intently.
Ryuji didn't want to waste time and shrugged his shoulders. He grasped his black axe in his right hand while controlling the magic with his left hand.
He could now use his fingers to control the detailed movements of the fireballs hovering around his back.
At that moment, the skeleton monster dashed forward like a speeding bullet. A trail of flames followed behind its spear.
Ryuji was startled by the sudden acceleration but quickly regained his composure. He activated his demon eyes, slowly the world around him. His demon eyes allowed him to step back, leaning away from the spear while using the pole of his axe to deflect the spear further.
With a twist of his wrist, a fireball launched forward towards the skeleton.
The skeleton monster twisted its body while its spear flashed and slashed at the fireball. The moment the spear cut the fireball, it exploded into a small inferno. However, Ryuji wanted this as a barrage of ten fireballs shot from his back, all flickering and dancing as he controlled them with his left hand.
His demon eyes were helping him to create the fireballs faster, and he could use his fingers to create multiple fireballs in quick succession.
The skeleton's eyes glowed brighter as the flame on its spear grew thicker.
Yet the sound of fire colliding with bone filled the strange room, followed by the monster groaning.
It was not long before the flames engulfed the skeleton in the blazing inferno. Ryuji stared at the skeleton as the fire died down. The skeleton's bones were scorched and covered in soot.
"Betrayer.... spawn.... child of.... our queen.... face your judgement.... take up the mantle..." Its eyes glowed before pulling back its spear, seeming to become agitated by the fireballs.
"Woah... Woah... Woah...." Ryuji muttered as he dodged another series of spear thrusts. "You can speak, and what the hell are you saying? What Mantle?"
"..." The skeleton ignored him and tried to pierce through Ryuji's chest.
"Okay, I get it, I get it, I don't need to know the details, but I am not a child of anyone or a betrayer or whatever. My mother is a woman that would never quit without a good reason!" Ryuji's temper flared up as his fireballs grew larger, his magic power increasing the size of the fireballs.
He could also feel a strange connection growing inside his mind. It felt as though it was an invisible string connecting him to the flame.
'Balls aren't good, but what about screws.... or sharpened cones?'
Ryuji snapped his fingers, and like he experienced an orgasm, his entire body became active, the feeling of magic flowing through his body like a waterfall as the flaming cones formed, twisted, sharp and long like deadly blazing stakes.
His control over them was much easier, and with a wave of his left hand, the cones twisted and changed the angle, pointing all at the skeleton arranged around its body.
Ryuji's eyes twitched as he controlled his demon eyes to increase his speed and perception, the world slowing down around him to the maximum before he started to barrage the monster as if using this boss as a test subject to improve his demonic magic.
He moved around the skeleton and used the cones shooting out from his back, and the skeleton was too slow to respond.
"Hahaha...." Ryuji laughed as the skeleton groaned.
Finally, after a few minutes, the skeleton dropped onto the ground. Its wings were charred and crumbling from the damage of Ryuji's magic, that hit the monster with so many stakes it finally cracked. The monster was now crawling on the ground and looking up at Ryuji with a strange emotion inside its blazing blue eye of flame.
"Sigh...." Ryuji felt as though he had used his entire life force to control the magic, and his body felt exhausted and sluggish.
However, he felt excited and full of adrenaline while grasping his axe tight, watching the monster with focused eyes.
'I can't believe the dungeon would be so empty after the first area, but I guess this is fine as well. Still, I would like to have a few more fights to test the strength of my magic.'
After searching the room and finding nothing useful, Ryuji sighed.
"I guess the only way out is through the door leading forward, but why can't I hear the footsteps or grunts of the goblins anymore, I was sure I could hear their voices a few moments ago."
He reached towards the door handle when he saw one of the open books on the table... there, an image of a beautiful woman was drawn, or rather painted... Her black hair was like midnight, ocean sapphire eyes that seemed able to see through anything and a black eastern kimono with white highlights, her lips painted with a dark red rouge.
"Why?"
However, what made the image a little strange were the huge curved horns, which were identical to Ryuji's in his demon form, except he was larger than her tail with a beautiful heart-shaped tip and long claw-like nails on her hands.
"Why is there a picture of my mother in this dungeon?"
Ryuji's heart started to pound, his eyes staring at the woman on the page.
'How the hell does she have the same kimono... that emblem, this is what she wore each year for mine or dad's birthday...'
The image was slightly smudged and ruined by water or blood, and it wasn't easy to see the writing below.
However, he couldn't take his eyes off the image. The beauty and elegance in the painting were so accurate it was as though he could almost remember his mother in person.
He stood there for quite some time, unable to let the picture go. He snatched the book and kept it inside his item box.
'Why is my mother here, and why is there a drawing of her in this place...'
He could feel the connection between him and his mother growing stronger with each passing day.
Although his mind had already made the connections and answers, Ryuji didn't want to admit it—the topic of his mother was too delicate, even now...
"Let's leave..."
Ryuji realised that he could have only chosen one path.
While looking at the two paths to proceed and return, he couldn't help but feel his weakness growing. The feelings towards his mother were something he needed to let go of.
'Mother... why can't I forget about you?'
He wished that he could have at least said goodbye to her instead of spending the night at another woman's house...
Returning to find her on the ground, alone, cold and dead.
An error that caused him nightmares even now.
[Second Tier evolution is beginning, please prepare yourself....]
'W-What?!'
Before he could move, his body dropped to the ground.
The rotten flowers and musky scent of the ancient courtyard filled his nose as he lost consciousness.
[Sorry... I don't want to watch you linger on these thoughts. So sleep until you can forget, Little Ryuji.]