Chapter 96 His Shield

Mark opened his eyes to a clear blue sky, unobstructed by leaves or branches.

His Underlings had brought him back to the Final Floor's center.

A couple of meters away, was the hole that connected the Final and Second Floors.

Mark tried to push himself off the ground, only to notice that he was lying on Fiery's abdomen.

Argh-

He lay back down.

'So I'm still this beat up...'

Mark stared at the sky.

'First time it's taken this long to recover.'

His wounds had healed up nicely, but his muscles still felt extremely sore.

Additionally, he could feel knots in his belly. It was an unpleasant feeling. Very much so.

'Seems I remembered...'

Even extending his arm in front of him hurt a bit.

'Something very unpleasant.'

Mark remained unmoving for a bit, before rolling to the side twice.

​ Pouf-

He let himself fall off of Fiery's body and onto the ground.

'You couldn't do much since I was here, huh?'

The Underling pushed itself off the ground with its numerous legs.

'Go a bit further.'

Fiery walked about thirty meters away from her Master, before activating the Skill "Offspring Production".

Mark lay on the vibrant grass. While taking deep breaths, he thought of the various occurrences that had taken place in what seemed like a very short time period.

'Fighting the Berserker... Was so damn fun.'

A slight smile was on his face.

'So fun... But I can't do that anymore. I can't fight that way. I can't act that way anymore...'

Feeling somewhat somber, he slowly brought his right hand to his chest.

'Those Corrupted Dark Elves. I don't think I've felt that scared... Ever...'

Mark clenched his right fist.

'Just thinking about it is enough for my heart to go haywire...'

Nevertheless, his smile didn't disappear.

For one reason only.

'It's a good thing I got to experience this before leaving.'

Mark's index finger tapped the grass-covered ground as he thought.

'The Berserker felt like a Boss Monster. But he wasn't...'

Chuckle-

'He was just a normal Monster. Just a normal Monster, huh? What kind of Guardian will this Floor have then-'

Mark's thoughts stopped for a moment.

'Now that I think about it... This Floor's Guardian...'

His heartbeat increased greatly.

'Isn't just this Floor's-'

The next second, a being made of flames appeared out of thin air.

"How are we doing? Taking a nap under the sun? Did you rest well?" The Fire Spirit asked humorously.

Mark chuckled.

It was a chuckle, but it sounded more like a grunt.

'Surprised you care.'

"Somehow, I do."

'Well, that's new. Didn't realize we'd grown closer. Don't tell me it happened without me being aware-'

"What happened back there?" The Spirit interrupted.

Mark struggled to push himself off the ground. He sat up.

'Mm... I'm not sure myself.' He answered reluctantly.

The Fire Spirit stood, or rather hovered, silently.

'Mm. It started with an outburst of Strength. Or energy, I should say. Then...'

Mark raised his left hand slightly. He stared at his palm.

'My body started... Moving on its own. Well, not exactly. It was more like-'

"You lost control?" The Spirit asked.

'No. Well, not initially. At first, it felt pretty good. Almost as if...'

Mark's gaze changed.

'My body moved on instincts alone.'

The Fire Spirit raised an eyebrow.

"And that's supposed to be a good thing?"

Mark looked at the Spirit for a bit.

'It felt... Freeing. Kind of?' He hesitantly answered after a short pause.

"I don't get it, but whatever. What's important is what happened after that."

Mark scratched his head, obviously at a loss for words.

The Fire Spirit opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word,

Clank-

Clank-

Someone was approaching. Climbing.

"Oh. I might have to get going."

A second later, Levi stood on the Final Floor.

On his shoulders, two unmoving Lower Demon Warriors.

He stared at the Fire Spirit.

"So you were there."

"I was." The Spirit admitted.

"Why didn't you help while we were bringing our Lord-"

The Fire Spirit disappeared. He entered the red gem before Levi could finish his sentence.

Mark remained silent.

His Endurance hadn't recovered yet, but he pushed himself off the ground and stood up.

The fact that the Underling had talked to the Fire Spirit before acknowledging its Lord's presence surprised Mark.

"My Lord."

Levi solemnly kneeled in front of his Master.

'Once again, no need to kneel-'

"No, my Lord. I apologize, but I must..."

The look in Mark's eyes changed.

'No?'

Mark wasn't used to hearing that word.

It was something he didn't want to hear. Especially not coming from his Underlings.

"My Lord, I must..."

'Speak.'

"With the previous occurrences, it has become obvious that I am not fit to serve you. Against the Berserker, my strength was lacking. Against the numerous Elves, I could barely offer any assistance. And-"

'Huh? What is-'

"My Lord, please allow me to continue."

While his body had previously been at an angle, Mark turned to face Levi.

It was the first time an Underling had interrupted him.

Mark stared from above at the kneeling Levi.

The latter lowered his gaze to the ground.

"Something similar has happened previously. After fighting the Spirit that has, now, joined our Lord's side..."

'So that's what it's about.' Mark thought to himself.

"Only now, it was... For lack of a better word, worse. All I could do was watch as you fought. As your body was broken, again and again. I couldn't prevent that, I couldn't dare to. As I am but your loyal Underling. To protect you, I would have had to stop you. And that is something I am unable to do."

Levi took a short pause.

"As your Underling, I can only assist and obey your commands. But-"

'But my commands weren't clear, since I wasn't truly the one fighting? True. I hadn't thought about it. I can see how it would pose an issue.'

"And so, my Lord, I would like to ask-"

'What to do were it that to happen again? I'm not sure. I haven't had the time to even think about what happened yet. It seems to me like-'

"No, my Lord. That is not what I..."

Mark's eyes narrowed.

'Make your ask then.'

Levi took a short pause.

"My deepest wish is to protect you, my Lord. As much as is within my ability, I want to protect you from any threat. And that would also include..."

Levi raised his gaze off the ground.

Solemn eyes.

Earnest, and loyal.

"Protecting you from yourself, if you'd allow it."

The Lord's eyes widened.

'From... Myself...?'

Levi lowered his gaze once more, silently.

'To protect me from myself...? What does that... Wait. From myself? That would mean... Giving Levi... the ability to even go against my orders; if that's what it takes to protect me... The ability... To go against me...' Mark thought to himself.

He pondered the question a bit longer.

Meow-

The Moonlit Feline, who had been lying down a dozen meters away, rubbed itself against Mark's leg.

He lowered his body and stroke the Underling's fur.

'I can't agree to that.' Mark answered sternly.

Levi couldn't help but press his lips together at the refusal.

Krista raised her gaze towards Mark.

The latter stared back, silently.

He thought of many things.

Various encounters, fights, and mistakes.

Mark straightened back up after a bit.

He looked at the kneeling Levi.

'I can't agree to that. But there might be times when you'll know better than me.'

Levi stood up abruptly.

"My Lord, I would never dare think that I-"

Mark raised his hand and Levi stopped.

'My orders are absolute, but there are times when you might know better. So my question to you is...'

The Moonlit Feline walked towards Levi, before rubbing its white fur against his leg.

'What's more important, Levi...'

A slight smile was on Mark's face.

'My wishes, or my safety?'

The Underling didn't need a second to think.

"Your safety, my Lord."

'Even if ensuring my safety meant going against my wishes?'

Levi lowered his gaze. He clenched his fists.

For an Underling, the answer was a particularly hard one to give.

"Yes... My Lord."

Mark let out a chuckle.

'Interesting.' He thought to himself. 'Underlings Are... Such strange things. I wonder if the others would give the same response.'

As if on cue, Light and Grey exited the forest and walked on the plain field. They approached, each with a Storm Eagle lifelessly lying in his mouth.

'Somehow...'

Mark stared at them before answering.

'I can accept that.'

A dignified smile appeared on Levi's face.

He walked closer towards his Master, before taking a knee right in front of him.

"I swear to you, my Lord, to shield and protect you, to the best of my ability, now and forever."

The grand declaration made Mark want to chuckle. But he decided not to.

The Master looked down on the kneeling Underling in front of him.

'I'll hold you to that.'

[Your Underling "Levi" has been assigned a different Position.]

'Position? Just like...'

[Your Underling's Position has changed.]

[The Underling "Levi" has been Promoted.]

[The Underling "Levi" has been Promoted to the Position of "Guard".]

The next instant, a blueish Aura appeared around Levi.

[Your Title "Devourer" opens its eyes.]

[Your Title influences your Guard's Growth!]

[Your Guard has acquired a new Title.]

[Your Guard has acquired the Title: "The Devourer's Shield".]