With swift movements fueled by horror and fury, Alan caught Armis just as he was about to collapse. Relecta hurried to support Armis, offering her lap as a makeshift cushion. Gently laying Armis down, Alan frantically checked for signs of life, his heart pounding in his chest.
Suddenly, Armis coughed violently, blood spilling from his lips. Alan's fear spiked, but he steadied himself, preventing Armis from jerking back with too much force. As he carefully adjusted Armis back onto Relecta's lap, her tears mingled with the blood and bruises on Armis's face, causing him to wince in pain.
Alan observed Relecta's struggle to contain her emotions, her efforts to stifle her tears evident. With his friend on the brink of death before him, Alan felt a surge of frustration and sorrow welling up inside him. Casting a helpless glance around, he clenched his jaw tightly, battling to restrain the torrent of emotions threatening to overwhelm him.
Turning his gaze to Father Zeneth, who stood frozen in horror, Alan's eyes blazed with a mixture of rage and despair. His voice trembled with anguish as he shouted at the priest, desperate to snap him out of his daze.
"Zeneth! Potion, now!"
Alan's urgent plea shook Father Zeneth from his stunned state, and without a moment's hesitation, he sprang into action, retrieving potions from his pouch and rushing to Alan's side.
Alan swiftly retrieved three vials of potion from Father Zeneth's pouch, urgency propelling his movements. Handing one vial to Relecta, he instructed her with a sense of urgency, his voice laced with desperation.
"Here, give him all of this. Make sure he swallows."
Alan wasted no time, swiftly uncorking the other two vials and pouring the potion over Armis's battered face and his gaping shoulder wounds. For a brief moment, hope flickered in Alan's heart as he watched the potion take effect, but his relief was short-lived.
To his horror, the potion only succeeded in healing Armis's battered face, restoring his swollen eyes to normal. Blood continued to flow unabated from the dreadful wounds on Armis's shoulders, shattering Alan's hopes. Turning to Father Zeneth in anguish, Alan's voice trembled with frustration and despair.
"What's happening?!"
Father Zeneth, grappling with the situation himself, frantically scanned Armis's wounds and body for any clues. When he found none, a sudden realization dawned on him. Swiftly, he seized his staff and aimed it at Armis. As the pearl atop the staff began to glow, Father Zeneth seized the moment to assess the extent of Armis's injuries.
With a mix of calmness and urgency, Father Zeneth declared, "It's not just his body. His very aura has been badly damaged."
Alan, bewildered by Father Zeneth's cryptic revelation, shouted back in frustration, "So what should we do?!"
Disappointment clouded Father Zeneth's eyes as he returned to his seat beside Alan. Gazing at the writhing and anguished Armis, he spoke in a solemn tone, "I... I forgive me, as I too fail to determine the cure for this young man's anguish—"
"Al... Alan, is that you?!" Armis's desperate voice cut through Father Zeneth's words as he struggled to raise his head, the pain evident in his broken words.
"Yes, buddy, it's me. Don't... don't try to move," Alan responded, his voice heavy with helplessness and anguish. "I'm here with you. Just lay down. Don't worry, everything is going to be fine."
Alan's attempt to offer reassurance faltered as he watched Armis slowly inching towards death, each drop of blood from the wounds where Armis's arms used to be marking his painful descent.
"Alan... I can't see you... what's going on?!! Ahhh!!! It hurts, Alan, it hurts." Armis's agonized cries filled the air, his pain palpable even in his broken words.
Relecta's despairing voice added another layer of horror to the situation as she announced to Alan, her voice trembling with tears, "He's blind, boss!!! What's going on?!! Who did this to him?!!"
"I don't know!!!" Alan's response was sharp, cutting through Relecta's cries, as he stood up, his mind racing with frantic thoughts of how to ease their friend's suffering.
"It's his aura, slowly seeping out. It's probably what caused Armis's blindness. The potions aren't working, but we have to close these wounds first if we want to save him," Father Zeneth's voice came from behind Alan, adding urgency to the already chaotic situation.
With concern and desperation etched across his face, Alan glanced back at Armis and suddenly realized a potential solution.
He swiftly rushed back to Armis, gesturing for Relecta to straighten him up. Following Alan's lead, Relecta positioned Armis while Alan retrieved two purple balls from his cummerbund. Placing them between his fingers, he pressed his hand firmly against both bleeding wounds on Armis, muttering quietly in his ear with an assuring voice, "Buddy... I want you to bear with me. This is going to hurt, but I know you're strong enough to survive through it, just like always."
Armis responded with only a groan of agony to Alan's hopeful words.
Swallowing hard, Alan steeled himself. With a heavy breath, he crushed the balls in his fingers, unleashing an explosion of flames that engulfed his hands and Armis's wounds. Without hesitation, Alan pressed his burning hands against the wounds, cauterizing them. A deafening, agonizing scream tore from Armis's throat, reverberating throughout the floor. The scream gradually faded, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.
Alan pulled his hands back, revealing Armis's now fully cauterized wounds. The bleeding had stopped. Both Armis and Alan, along with Relecta and Father Zeneth, were left gasping for breath after the cruel but necessary act.
Alan asked Father Zeneth for another potion vial. As Father Zeneth handed it over, he informed Alan that it was the last one. Alan took the vial and carefully administered it to Armis, hoping it would restore some of his strength.
Armis, though still armless, seemed in less agony than before. He leaned against a wall for support, his blind eyes darting around aimlessly. Alan wiped the sweat from his face and sat down in front of Armis, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Feeling Alan's touch, Armis turned his face towards him.
In a calm and gentle voice, Alan said, "Armis...buddy, can you hear me? It's me, Alan. Relecta and Father Zeneth are here too."
Armis didn't respond with words but nodded solemnly, acknowledging Alan's presence.
Alan glanced at Relecta, who shared his concern, her face mirroring his own worry. He turned back to Armis and continued in a steady tone, "Armis, do you remember wh—-"
"HE KILLED THEM, ALAN! HE KILLED THEM!"
Armis suddenly jumped up, shouting in Alan's face with a burst of restored energy, shocking everyone and rekindling the tense atmosphere. Alan, Relecta, and Father Zeneth watched in stunned silence as Alan took a step back, his urgency pushing Armis to press for more information.
"What do you mean? Did Augustus kill eve—"
"Leo and Felix! He killed and ate them! We have to hurry, Alan, he has Aurelia! Lyco is injured! And...he..."
Swallowing a wave of rage, Alan placed a calming hand on Armis's shoulder. He tried to steady his own breathing as well, speaking in a calm, controlled voice. "Don't worry, Armis. First, just calm down and tell me where he is taking them?"
Armis, trying to hold back his tears, his eyes wide and unblinking, took a deep breath and uttered softly, "He said that he would be waiting for you at the 40th Floor."
"Good," Alan responded, his voice steady and reassuring. "Now take another deep breath. Don't stress, we will save them. Tell us everything on the way. C'mon."
Calming Armis with his hopeful words, Alan nodded towards Relecta and Father Zeneth, silently conveying his plan. They both nodded back in confirmation. Alan offered Armis his shoulder for support, and together they began fast pacing towards their next struggle.
Leaving Alan behind to rescue their teammate, Armis and the rest of Team Goliath pursued Augustus, with Leo and Felix leading the charge.
"Any plans, Leader?" Lyco asked, floating on a slab of rock just behind Armis, his voice filled with urgency and anticipation.
"Not sure," Armis replied, matching the urgency of the situation. "But I think we can set up an ambush using these ruin walls as cover... Yes, that's the plan!" He quickly instructed his team on their roles.
Meanwhile, Augustus barreled forward at full speed, smashing through any obstacles with his rapier, leaving destruction in his wake. His frustration morphed into a menacing lunacy as he sneered, "These cockroaches... If only I could find a snack along the way, then I could crush these insects... he he he..."
"Stop, you bastard! I WILL KILL YOU!" Felix screamed in rage as he chased after Augustus, his intent clear and deadly. Desperation fueled his actions as he hurled his shield at Augustus. Augustus deftly dodged it with a backflip, and while still airborne, he shot an energy sphere at Felix.
Felix tried to dodge the surprise attack but hit a rock, almost stumbling. He managed to regain his footing by rolling forward, grabbing his shield, and continuing the chase with renewed ferocity. The energy sphere, having missed Felix, hurtled toward Leo, who was close behind. Startled, Leo failed to react in time and took the full impact of the attack, which sent him flying backward into Armis.
Armis, barely keeping his footing under the force of the collision, managed to hold onto Leo and prevent himself from crashing into the rest of the team behind him.
"Unhand me! I don't need your help!" Leo growled ungratefully at Armis. Anger flared in Armis's eyes as he straightened both himself and Leo. Grabbing Leo's hand, he yanked him back and spun him with a mighty heave then threw him with mighty force in Augustus's direction, shouting mockingly, "OH REALLY? THEN LET'S SEND YOU BACK!"
After throwing Leo, Armis exchanged determined glances with Lyco and the rest of the team before dashing ahead.
Initially irritated by Armis's words and the forceful throw, Leo's mind quickly grasped the unspoken plan as he flew through the air toward Felix, who was still chasing Augustus.
"FELIX!" Leo shouted. Felix turned his head and instantly understood Leo's intentions when he saw him with his sword drawn, ready for a mighty swing. Felix stopped abruptly and glared at the escaping Augustus, his eyes gleaming with determination as he positioned his shield in front of him, bracing for impact.
In an instant, Leo reached Felix. At the last possible second, he spun and swung his sword with such force that it tore through the still air. The flat side of his blade struck Felix's shield with a resounding impact that reverberated through the ruins, shifting the very bricks that covered the entire 31st floor. The tremendous blow sent Felix hurtling through the air at wind-breaking speed, instantly catching up to the fleeing Augustus.
With a force that sent a wind-breaking echo through the entire floor, Felix timed his turn perfectly, smashing Augustus's back with incredible strength.
Felix, mixing his strength with the momentum, drove Augustus through the gate and onto the next floor. They broke through the gate of the 32nd floor, finally coming to a halt at the center of the floor, where Felix hurled Augustus to the ground.
Badly injured, Felix staggered to his feet, his eyes darting around to locate Augustus. He saw Augustus lying in a grotesque heap, bones jutting out from various places, blood seeping through punctured flesh, and his head so mangled that part of his brain was exposed. However, what filled Felix's heart with renewed fear was not Augustus's condition but the group of five raiders standing nearby. They watched Augustus's mangled body with dread and horror etched on their faces.
Groaning in pain, Augustus raised his eerie gaze, one swollen eye and the other popped out, a grin forming on his mangled jaw as he glared at the group of raiders with feral hunger.
Realizing Augustus's intent, Felix tried to rush towards him, but his broken leg and mangled arm slowed him down. With a helpless and horrified glare, Felix watched as Augustus, in a bizarre manner, rose with his broken body. Moving at an impossible speed, Augustus spun his ruby rapier and, in a swift flick, severed the heads of the stunned raiders from their bodies.
The horror and anguish intensified on Felix's face as he watched the raiders. Before their lifeless bodies could even hit the ground, they began to dematerialize into a crimson glow, which was absorbed by Augustus's bizarrely proud form.
"NO! You bastard, I will kill you! Just you wait! I we—"
Felix's enraged retort was cut short as he tried to limp forward and pick up his shield. A heavy stomp from a leg enveloped in dark crimson light shattered his shield into pieces. The agonizing pain surged through Felix's body, jerking him upright, as suddenly his retort diminished along with his life.
Leo, following behind Felix, was about to leap in with a yell when Armis suddenly yanked him behind a wall, covering his mouth. Both peered through a small opening in the wall, eyes wide with shock. Augustus, now enveloped in a dark crimson light, lunged at Felix with blinding speed, swinging his rapier.
In the moment of eerie silence that followed, the horror set in. Felix's body was sliced open, both halves falling to the ground with a messy fountain of blood erupting from within. Augustus, with another blindingly fast swing of his rapier, severed Felix's head from his body.
Holding the half-sliced head by the hair, the crimson light faded from Augustus's eyes. With a feral hunger, he raised Felix's head above him and began to drink the blood, a monstrous display that left Armis and Leo paralyzed with horror.
Leo and Armis watched in horror, their mouths dry and their stomachs churning as Felix's sliced-apart body disintegrated into a crimson glow, which was absorbed by Augustus's rapier. As the crimson light enveloping Augustus faded, it revealed his new and horrific form.
His skin had turned a menacing shade of purple, and instead of armor, dark purple steely growths morphed into a formidable carapace covering his chest, arms, and legs, leaving only his abdomen and head exposed. His eyes gleamed with the same crimson hue, now burning with a demonic intensity. His hair, longer than before, flowed wildly in the air, and a lunatic smile revealed sharp fangs.
Augustus looked to the sky, reveling in his new demonic form, exuding an aura of terrifying power.
He raised his transformed rapier, now as dark as a menacing night, adorned with spikes and bizarre growths swirling around the crimson ruby on the handle. The weapon exuded the same deathly aura as Augustus himself.
Armis and Leo watched with bated breath, horror rising in their eyes with every passing moment. After relishing the feel of his new body, Augustus swirled in a lunatic movement and then stopped with his back to their direction. He lifted the rapier near his lips and, licking it, declared in a chilling, low voice, "I... am... hungry..."
Armis and Leo exchanged a look of shared helplessness and fear. Leo, however, blinded by rage and disgust, gritted his teeth as his eyes became bloodshot. He gripped his sword so hard that the handle cut into the skin of his palm. Armis, understanding Leo's intentions, tried to stop him by clutching his hand. With a face flushed and drenched in sweat, Armis shook his head at Leo's raging glare.
But Leo had made his decision. He yanked his hand away from Armis, who screamed soundlessly, and leaped from behind the wall with a battle cry aimed at Augustus. Armis watched in desperation and anguish as Leo charged. Before he could do anything, Armis was pulled away by a whip into the safety of a crater hidden behind another wall, joining his friends.
Watching the horror on Armis's face, Lyco, Aurelia, and Poduria became terrifyingly curious. Along with Armis, they peeked out from behind the wall, and their horror and disgust amplified.
Leo had jumped out, beginning to yell, but before any sound could leave his mouth, Augustus was already standing inches away, his menacing glare right in Leo's face.
Leo's eyes widened in shock, and it took him a moment to realize why he couldn't scream—his jaw was missing. Augustus had shoved his rapier into Leo's mouth, piercing through and exiting the back of his neck.
Leo's tears flowed in agony as he writhed and struggled to escape Augustus and his rapier. But the demon Augustus wanted to savor the torment. Slowly, with deliberate cuts, Augustus moved his rapier upward, relishing each moment of Leo's suffering.
Leo thrashed like a decapitated chicken, feeling every inch of his skin, nerves, flesh, and bones being sliced apart. When the rapier reached Leo's brain, the excruciating pain had already driven his soul from his body. Augustus paused, then with a swift yank, pulled Leo's brain out. Like a feral beast, Augustus lunged forward and devoured the brain in one gulp. Leo's body instantly disintegrated into a crimson glow, which was absorbed by Augustus's rapier.
Augustus licked his lips and bit them suggestively, his eyes gleaming with twisted delight. Embracing his body, he spoke in a chilling, lunacy-filled tone, "Oh… oh… me… so that is what a human tastes like. This was so REFRESHING!!!"
His words were suddenly drowned out by a demonic growl as he turned to face Armis, Aurelia, Lyco, and Poduria charging towards him with a collective battle cry.
Armis, still crying out in anguish over the brutal loss of his friend, lunged at Augustus with a giant slab of rock. Aurelia followed closely behind, another massive rock wrapped around her whip, ready to crush Augustus.
From the opposite side, Lyco placed his hand on the ground, manipulating the brick floor beneath Augustus to shoot numerous small pillars of rock at him. Meanwhile, Poduria launched a giant, rapidly swirling projectile of water from the other side.
As Team Goliath's collective attack neared Augustus, a massive grin spread across his demonic face. He stepped forward, and time seemed to slow around him. Augustus saw all his attackers and their attacks moving at a snail's pace. Reveling in his newfound power, his grin morphed into maniacal laughter. He began jumping from one attacker to another, effortlessly dodging their assaults and mocking their futile.
He redirected Lyco, placing him directly above the ground manipulation Lyco had intended to use against him. With a swift motion, Augustus seized Poduria's wand and shattered it against her face, causing it to break instantaneously. Poduria, reacting in slow motion, could do nothing as Augustus dragged her by the hair and merged her with her own water projectile.
In a blur of motion, Augustus then approached Aurelia, positioning the boulder she had wrapped in her whip to strike her first. He then leaped above Armis, snatching the slab of stone from him and raising it high. With a teasing, maniacal remark, he prepared to strike.
"Die... insects."
As Augustus brought the slab of stone down on Armis, time snapped back to its normal pace. The resounding thud and subsequent crashes echoed as Team Goliath suffered under Augustus's wrath. Armis was slammed into the brick floor with such force that it created a massive crater, sending blood and rocks flying everywhere.
Aurelia, suspended in the air, was struck by the boulder she had ensnared in her whip.
The impact sent her hurtling towards Augustus, who seized her by the neck with one swift motion. Standing firm, he held Aurelia in place as the boulder collided with her, exploding into pieces and leaving her almost lifeless in an instant.
A maniacal grin spread across Augustus's face as he watched Poduria get caught in the torrent of her own attack. Her bloody face slammed into the floor with ground-crushing force, landing her at Augustus's feet. Just after Poduria's downfall, Lyco endured the full torture of his own assault. The small rock pillars, one by one, nearly pierced through his body, leaving him with numerous bruises in mere seconds, incapacitating him immediately.
With all his friends on the brink of death in a mere fraction of a moment, Armis, his face bloody, struggled to his knees.
Staggering forward with rage-filled, pupil-less eyes, he barely took a step before Augustus, moving at blinding speed, leapt at him with Aurelia's neck still ensnared in his hand.
Augustus stomped on Armis's head, slamming his face back into the ground with such force that Armis's body jerked back up instantly. In that instant, the sound of two slashes echoed through the air. Armis, his bloodshot eyes wide with horror and confusion, stared at the menacing form of Augustus.
Suddenly, a deafening scream filled the air, reverberating through every brick of the ruins on the 32nd floor. When Armis's scream subsided into a muffled groan, Augustus, with an eerie smile, watched as Armis's severed arms fell to his feet and disintegrated, their essence absorbed by Augustus's rapier.
Blood gushed from the gaping wounds on Armis's shoulders, overwhelming his mind and body with pain. As a new scream began to form in Armis's throat, Augustus silenced it with a jaw-shattering stomp. He continued to stomp until a pool of blood formed beneath Armis, staining the cracked ground.
Laughing maniacally and enjoying his brutality, Augustus backed away and moving towards Poduria, he picked her up. Armis watched from his blood ridden gaze from the little by little shutting eye, as Augustus in his both arms, grabbed Aurelia and Poduria by the collar of their armour and with swift yank, tore away the armour and their clothes underneath, leaving them naked and vulnerable.
Like lunatic creep he gazed at Poduria and Aurelia's lying on the ground naked bodies, as they struggled to hold on to life, Augustus picked them up, placing them on his shoulders, he began turning with his maniacal laugh that sent tinges of pain in Armis's mangled ears.
Nearing Armis, Augustus placed his foot on Armis's head, forcing his gaze into the ground. In a chilling, eerie tone, a mix of lunacy and demonic grumble, Augustus taunted,
"These are some fine women you got there, tell me which one is yours?? Heh?"
Ignoring Armis's pained groans, Augustus chuckled darkly and leaned in closer. "Tch," he gritted his teeth into a grin before continuing, "you know what? I don't care. All I know is they are perfectly breedable to bear my offspring. I'm going to need an army if I want to establish my reign over this wretched castle and Pompeii."
Straightening up, Augustus stomped once more on Armis's head. Mixing frustration and regret in his demonic voice, Augustus complained, "You know, it's a waste I can't eat you. Not after you've tainted your aura with that divine art. And now, it's so withered after my attack that soon all of it will seep out. Seriously, what a waste." With a sinister grin, Augustus turned and strode over to Lyco, stopping beside him. Without hesitation, he skewered his rapier through Lyco's shoulder. Lyco groaned in agony as his body jerked from the pain. Augustus lifted Lyco up, eyeing him like a hungry beast. "Well," he remarked with a chilling tone, "but this one, this one will make a perfect snack for later."
After his grotesque remark, Augustus continued walking ahead, but then abruptly stopped and turned just his head toward the mangled form of Armis. With an eerie playfulness in his tone, he said, "And yeah... one more thing. If that cockroach friend of yours finds you before the kiss of death, tell him that I will be waiting for him at the 40th floor. Don't worry, I won't kill any of these until then. You know why?"
Augustus paused, tilting his head in a bizarre manner. His long, grotesque tongue snaked out, dripping spit onto the ground as he continued, "Because I want him to feel the pain you're feeling right now. I want him to feel the helplessness that you're feeling right now when I slaughter all of the insects one by one before moving toward my main course..." With that creepy explanation of his motives, Augustus turned his head back ahead and began running at the speed of the wind, disappearing in an instant.