Dust and brick fragments rained down on Kairo as he lay dazed, every nerve screaming from the brutal impact. The air had been knocked from his lungs. Before he could even attempt to stand, a monstrous shadow fell over him. The Hydra-Wolf was already there, its twin heads lunging, claws raised to smash him into paste.
There was no time to think, only to react. "Full Recovery!" he mentally screamed at the Codex.
The familiar, life-saving surge of energy flooded his system, aches vanishing, his body instantly restored from the brink. In the same split second, he triggered Assassin Dash. The world stretched, the descending claws seeming to slow as he shot out from beneath them, the ground where he'd lain a moment ago erupting under the beast's furious strike. He landed lightly a dozen meters away, his heart hammering.
"Thank God I saved full recovery for moments like this" he thought, a tremor running through him. He couldn't afford another hit like that. This fight had to end, and fast.
The Hydra-Wolf roared, its heads snapping towards him, its taloned feet tearing up the asphalt as it prepared to charge again. His ice, his daggers, his gauntlets… they'd damaged it, yes, but its speed and raw power were overwhelming. He needed something more. Something decisive.
And For the first time since the fusion, Kairo consciously reached for the new, volatile power thrumming within him. The Hell-Fire.
He stretched his right arm out, palm facing upwards, and focused his Etheron, not into the familiar chill of ice, but into the raging inferno he now sensed in his core. A flicker of blackish-red flame, shot through with gold, ignited on his palm. It grew with astonishing speed, drawing energy from him, coalescing into a dense, searing bar of pure, destructive heat that pulsed with an almost sentient hunger. Kairo stared at it, momentarily shocked. The sheer power radiating from this "fire bar" was incredible, far exceeding the raw output of his most potent ice constructs.
The Hydra-Wolf charged.
With a defiant roar of his own, Kairo hurled the bar of Hell-Fire. It flew through the air not like a mere projectile, but like a guided missile of pure annihilation, leaving a trail of superheated distortion in its wake. It struck the charging beast dead center.
There was no grand explosion, just an implosion of heat and shadow. Both of the Hydra-Wolf's heads, caught in the direct path, were instantly and completely vaporized.
Kairo panted, a grin of savage triumph spreading across his face. "I… i did it!"
But his victory was terrifyingly short-lived. The massive, headless body of the Hydra-Wolf didn't fall. It staggered for a moment, then, from the twin stumps where its heads had been, flesh and bone began to writhe and reconstruct at an unnatural speed. In seconds, not two, but four new heads erupted, each one larger and more vicious-looking than the originals, their collective roars shaking the ruined buildings around them.
"Shit," Kairo breathed, his elation turning to ice in his veins. Four heads. It had regenerated, and stronger.
The fight resumed with a terrifying new intensity. The four-headed Hydra-Wolf was a whirlwind of snapping jaws and tearing claws, each head seeming to operate with independent, malevolent cunning. Kairo was forced back, relying on his speed skills – Assassin Dash and Phantom Stride – to stay just out of reach. He unleashed more Hell-Fire, shaping it into searing lances and explosive bursts. The dark flames were incredibly effective, charring hide and blasting away chunks of demonic flesh, but the beast's regenerative capabilities were astounding. Every head he managed to incinerate was quickly replaced, sometimes by two more.
He switched to his gauntlets, meeting its ferocious lunges with his Avalanche Fist, hammering blows against its thick hide and multiple snapping maws, trying to create an opening. The impacts were bone-jarring, sending shockwaves up his arms, but the Hydra-Wolf barely flinched, its sets of eyes burning with relentless fury. He'd dematerialize the gauntlets mid-dodge, his twin daggers flashing out to score deep cuts, only to see the wounds seal themselves moments later with a sickening, dark energy.
The air filled with the roar of the beast, the sizzle of Hell-Fire, the crackle of Kairo's ice (which he used defensively, creating barriers and slick patches), and the clang of his daggers against unnaturally tough hide. He was a blur of motion, a desperate dance against an ever-multiplying, ever-healing nightmare. The street became a scarred battleground, craters blasted by his fire, shards of his ice littering the ground like broken glass.
After another ferocious exchange where he managed to blast away all the heads with a concentrated Hell-Fire torrent, only to watch in horror as new ones began to sprout from the twitching neck stumps, a desperate realization began to dawn on Kairo. This wasn't working. He was fighting a war of attrition he couldn't win. There had to be a trick, a weakness.
He dodged a coordinated snap from three of the heads, the wind of their passage ruffling his hair, and then it hit him – a faint, almost imperceptible pulse of darker energy he'd glimpsed within the creature's torso just before a head regenerated.
Its core!
But where was it? He'd seen the pulse in its chest area when the first set of heads regrew. After he'd focused a fire attack there, trying to burn through its torso, he'd noticed the next pulse seemed to come from higher up, closer to where the necks joined the body.
"It's moving!" Kairo realized with a jolt. "Every time I destroy a major part of it, the core relocates to protect itself! And as long as that core is intact, it just keeps coming back, stronger." That explained the doubling heads.
A new, desperate strategy formed. He needed to disable it, then find and destroy that core before it could regenerate or move again.
The eight-headed Hydra-Wolf lunged, a terrifying wall of teeth and claws. Kairo met it with renewed ferocity, but this time, his attacks had a singular purpose. He leaped high, his gauntlets blazing with Etheron, and unleashed another furious Avalanche Fist combination, not aimed to kill, but to unbalance. He hammered blow after blow against its multiple heads and thick forelimbs, forcing it back, making it stumble on the uneven, rubble-strewn ground.
As it fought for balance, Kairo poured his remaining Etheron into one massive, sustained blast of Hell-Fire. The black-red torrent engulfed the beast, not just its heads, but its entire upper body, the sheer heat and corrosive energy making it shriek in a chorus of agony. He held the blast, pushing himself to his limits, until, one by one, the six heads were incinerated, their roars cut short.
This time, Kairo didn't wait. Before the regeneration could even begin, before the core could shift, he used Assassin Dash to appear directly above the beast's body remains, headless torso as it began to slump. He landed hard on its broad, heaving chest, his twin daggers already in his hands.
There was no finesse now, only desperate speed. He began stabbing, plunging both daggers into the creature's hide again and again, a frenzied, systematic pattern across its chest and upper abdomen, searching, feeling for that tell-tale pulse of darker energy.
Slash, stab, withdraw, stab again. His arms were a blur. He ignored the waves of unnatural heat still rolling off its charred flesh.
Then, one of his daggers struck something that wasn't flesh or bone. It was hard, yet yielded with a sickening squelch, and an intense pulse of dark, cold energy shot up his arm.
There!
With a final, desperate roar, Kairo drove both daggers deep into that spot, channeling the last vestiges of his Hell-Fire directly through the blades.
For a moment, nothing happened. Then, a violent tremor ran through the Hydra-Wolf's massive frame. A network of black-red cracks, like his fire but corrupted, spread outwards from where his daggers were buried. A horrifying, silent scream seemed to emanate from the creature's very essence, and with a final, explosive thump that threw Kairo clear, the core within detonated.
The massive body convulsed one last time, then lay still, its regenerative power extinguished. The remaining fires on its hide sputtered and died, leaving behind only a colossal, charred husk.
Kairo landed heavily on his side, gasping for breath, his body screaming with exhaustion, but a triumphant grin stretched across his face.
[LEGENDARY VEILSPAWN DEFEATED: ASHEN HYDRA-WOLF – FLOOR GUARDIANS]
[MASSIVE EXPERIENCE GAINED!]
[LEVEL UP!]
[HELL-FIRE MASTERY INCREASED]
[SKILL LEVELED UP: DRAGON'S BREATH LV. 2 UNLOCKED!]
"Floor Guardians, plural," he thought, "So there are more of these things." A shiver, not entirely of fear, ran down his spine. The Hydra-Wolf had been a brutal fight, but now he knew its secret – the moving core. The next encounters would be different. He could take them.
The Codex interface was still glowing with his recent achievements. Level 12. That was two level-ups since entering the Ashen Echo, meaning 60 stat points awaited his command. He allocated them quickly, pouring a significant portion into Strength to bolster his physical attacks and a large chunk into Stamina. The Hell-Fire, as potent as it was, felt like it burned through his etheron reserves at an alarming rate.
He then considered his progress. The EXP gains in this Demon Tower were insane. Even the weaker bat-like creatures gave a surprising amount, and the demonic humanoids had been a windfall. The Hydra-Wolf alone had granted a massive boost. A predatory excitement began to bubble up. His initial plan to clear everything before heading to that distant castle now felt less like a chore and more like an incredible opportunity.
"Every last one," he muttered, a determined glint in his eyes.
With renewed purpose, Kairo set off again, this time moving with a deliberate, hunting pace in the general direction of the mountain-top castle. The Ashen Echo became his personal training ground, his proving ground. He annihilated everything in his path. More flocks of the demonic bats were incinerated by precise blasts of Hell-Fire. Hordes of the twisted, demonic humanoids fell to his daggers, gauntlets, and icy constructs, his movements a whirlwind of deadly efficiency.
He encountered four more Ashen Hydra-Wolves, each lurking in different ruined sectors of the city. The fights were still challenging, each beast a terrifying spectacle of regenerating heads and brutal strength. But Kairo, armed with the knowledge of their shifting cores, was a different fighter. He'd engage, force the regeneration, track the core's new position with keen observation, then unleash a focused, overwhelming assault to expose and destroy it.
By the time the last of these "Guardians" had dissolved into ash, Kairo felt a profound shift in his own power. The Codex had chimed with the sweet sound of leveling up three more times. He was now Level 15.
He finally reached the outskirts of the ruined city, a jagged cliff edge dropping away into a smoky chasm. Across the abyss, the dark, ancient castle loomed on its solitary mountain, connected to his side by a single, massive stone bridge that looked almost as old as the castle itself. Its entrance lay just beyond the bridge, nestled against the mountainside.
As Kairo started walking towards the bridge, he spotted them: two imposing figures standing guard at its near end. They were clad head-to-toe in archaic, black knight armor, their faces hidden behind visored helms, motionless as statues.
They looked tougher than the humanoids. He considered charging them head-on, confident in his newfound strength.
But just as he was about to move, both knights abruptly stiffened. They turned in unison towards the castle and dropped to one knee, heads bowed in deference.
Kairo froze. They're kneeling to what? There's nothing there.
Then he saw it. Emerging from the gloom at the far end of the bridge, moving with an almost silent grace, was a carriage. It was an ornate, blacklacquered construction, pulled by two massive horses whose coats were the color of midnight and whose eyes seemed to glow with a faint, demonic red light – they were demonically majestic.
A sense of caution, a prickle of true danger, made Kairo duck behind the crumbling remains of a nearby building. He needed to see what this was about before making a move.
The carriage reached his end of the bridge and glided to a halt before the kneeling knights. The door opened, and two figures stepped out. They were tall and slender, with an ethereal, unsettling grace. Their skin was a startling, porcelain white, their ears elegantly upswept and pointed. Elves, or something very much like them. But these were no creatures of forest and starlight. Their eyes burned with a crimson glow, their attire was a symphony of dark, expensive fabrics, and the very air around them seemed to shimmer with a palpable, dark energy. Elves? Kairo found himself thinking.
The two knights rose and began reporting in low, deferential tones to the female figure, who listened with an air of regal impatience. Kairo, his curiosity piqued and his danger sense on high alert, activated Stealth Mode and slipped closer, finding cover behind a large, jagged rock near the bridge entrance. He could now hear their words clearly.
"…most of the lesser beasts have been slain, Your Highness," one knight was saying, his voice muffled by his helm. "There has been a significant… disappearance… from the ranks of the city-bound enforcers. Even the Guardians… all five have been neutralized."
Kairo's blood ran cold. Your Highness? The female figure, with her severe, beautiful face and aura of absolute command, had to be the ruler of this floor – the Warden he was supposed to defeat. And they already knew about him. They knew an intruder had systematically slaughtered their "pet soldiers" and their elite Hydra-Wolf Guardians.
"This isn't like any training I've ever had," he thought, a new level of seriousness dawning. "This feels… real. A real world, a real hierarchy." If they had "pet soldiers" and "Guardians" and a "Highness," they probably had an entire army in that castle. His plan to fight his way through to the ruler suddenly seemed incredibly naive. He needed to take out this "Queen" here and now, before she reached the safety of her fortress.
But he hesitated. She radiated an power that made the Hydra-Wolves feel like pups. He was still cloaked in Stealth Mode, slowly inching closer, waiting for the smallest opening, the perfect moment to strike with overwhelming force.
Suddenly, her head snapped up. Her crimson eyes, though not looking directly at him, seemed to pierce the very air where he hid. An angry frown marred her perfect features. She'd sensed something, even if she couldn't see him.
Kairo froze, his heart hammering.
The male figure beside her, equally imposing with his sharp features and a cruel twist to his lips, also turned, his gaze sweeping the area. A smirk played on his lips. "There's no need to lurk in the shadows, intruder," he called out, his voice smooth and laced with amusement. "The Queen has already sensed your pathetic attempt at concealment. Do come out."
Kairo's mind raced. Queen? So, she really was the ruler. There was no point hiding now. With a sigh that was more resignation than relief, he let his Stealth Mode dissipate, appearing before them, his daggers still sheathed but his stance wary.
The man's smirk widened as he glided a few steps towards Kairo, his movements unnervingly fluid and elegant. Kairo could indeed tell they were royalty, or at least, beings of significant standing, from their posture and the way they spoke. "Tell me, little spark," he purred, his red eyes glinting, "are you the one responsible for… redecorating our city and dispatching our Floor Guardians?"
Kairo, though nervous, met his gaze steadily. He kept his voice cautious but firm. "Yes."
The figure chuckled, a cold, humorless sound. "Well, thank you for saving us the considerable burden of hunting you down yourself. You've come directly to us." He turned gracefully to the Queen, bowing low. "Shall I dispose of this… inconvenience, Your Majesty?"
The Queen remained silent for a long moment, her crimson eyes fixed on Kairo, an unreadable expression on her face. Then, Kairo felt it – an almost physical wave of pure, unadulterated power washing over him, an aura of command so intense it threatened to buckle his knees. His entire body screamed with a primal fear and shock far beyond anything he's ever faced.
The Codex flared urgently.
[WARNING: INTIMIDATION SKILL DETECTED]
[ATTEMPTING TO INDUCE FEAR STATE IN HOST…]
[SKILL ACTIVATED: VEILBREAKER LV. 4]
[ANALYZING HOSTILE MENTAL EFFECT…]
[AURA'S INTIMIDATION PROTOCOL IDENTIFIED…]
[FEAR EFFECT SUCCESSFULLY NULLIFIED!]
Just as quickly as the terror had gripped him, it receded, leaving him clear-headed and steady, though his heart still hammered from the initial shock. He met the Queen's gaze, and he could have sworn he saw a flicker of surprise, perhaps even… impressed curiosity, in those burning red orbs.
She finally spoke, her voice soft, yet carrying an undeniable weight of absolute authority. "No, Valerius" she said. "He will accompany us to the castle first."
Valerius straightened, a hint of disappointment in his eyes, then turned back to Kairo, his smirk returning, sharper this time. "You have no idea how fortunate you are, human, for not being instantly beheaded. But you heard the Queen. You are… invited to the castle." He gestured towards the open carriage door. "Come."
Kairo was utterly confused, every instinct screaming at him to fight or flee. Nervous and deeply cautious, he slowly started walking towards them. "I don't know if I can take this Valerius guy," he thought, his mind racing. "Maybe, just maybe. But there's no way I could defeat that Queen, not at my current level. Her power is insane. I need to find another way out of this, and fast."
He reached the carriage. Valerius gestured him in with a mocking bow. Kairo climbed inside, finding himself seated opposite the two of them. The interior was surprisingly plush but felt like a cage. The carriage door closed with a soft click, and with a slight lurch, it began to move, gliding smoothly across the ancient stone bridge towards the foreboding castle.
Valerius watched Kairo with an expression of undisguised bloodlust, his crimson eyes promising future pain. The Queen, however, didn't even spare Kairo a glance, her gaze fixed on some distant point beyond the carriage window, her regal profile silhouetted against the ruined, burning city they were leaving behind. The silence inside was thick with unspoken threats and uncertain destinies, until Valerius, finally started with a predatory smile playing on his lips "You've caused quite the stir in our quiet little echo, human" he purred, his voice smooth as oiled silk. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Valerius, Knight-Commander of Her Majesty's Royal Guard." He gestured with a slender, white hand towards the impassive Queen. "And this is Her Majesty, Queen Seraphina, sovereign of the Crimson Court of Nocturna, and undisputed Ruler of this Ashen Echo, the first floor of the demon tower." Valerius's smile widened. "And you are?"
It was the domain name – "Crimson Court of Nocturna" – that finally clicked everything into place for Kairo. The pale skin, the red eyes, the dark potent energy, their almost predatory grace… Vampires. They weren't elves at all. It made a terrifying kind of sense.
"Kairo" he replied, keeping his voice as steady as he could. "Kairo," Valerius repeated, as if tasting the name. "A simple name for one who has single-handedly dismantled our Guardian beasts. You are clearly strong, for a human. So, tell me, Kairo, why are you truly here? What drives a creature like you to brave our domain?" Kairo met his gaze. "I'm seeking the Cursed Relic. The key to reaching the next floor." It was then that Queen Seraphina finally turned her head, her crimson eyes, like chips of burning ruby, fixing on Kairo with an unnerving intensity. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft, melodic, yet held an undeniable undertone of ancient power. "And what is your ultimate purpose in climbing this tower, human boy? Beyond collecting trinkets from each floor?"
Kairo didn't flinch. "To get stronger," he stated simply, the conviction in his voice surprising even himself. "I need to defeat every Warden, clear every floor. I need to become strong enough."
Valerius let out a cold, dismissive laugh. "Stronger?" he mocked, his eyes glinting with amusement. "You, a mere human? You are nowhere near capable of defeating me, let alone daring to even think of challenging Her Majesty, or the Wardens who rule the floors above. I've heard tales that your kind reaches a pitiful ceiling in your development. Humans can't get stronger don't they? How delightfully delusional you are."
Before Kairo could formulate a retort, he felt a sudden, frantic scrabbling from within his Codex inventory. Nyx! The baby dragon felt like it was desperately trying to force its way out. A heartbeat later, with a soft shimmer of dimensional energy, Nyx materialized on Kairo's outstretched arm, its tiny claws digging in for purchase, its molten gold eyes blinking intelligently as it surveyed the carriage's occupants.
Queen Seraphina, who had turned away again, now snapped her gaze back to Kairo, her regal composure visibly fractured by shock. Her crimson eyes widened. "By the First Blood…" she breathed, staring at Nyx. "How in all the blighted realms do you possess a hatchling of the Vyrnash lineage?"
Kairo, equally surprised by Nyx's sudden appearance, explained, "I encountered an ancient dragon. It… it recognized something in me. Instead of fighting, it gifted me with a measure of its will"—he carefully referred to the Hell-Fire as the dragon had implied—"and this egg, from which Nyx hatched."
The Queen's shock slowly morphed into a thoughtful, almost predatory smile. "I knew you were… something noteworthy the moment you nullified my intimidation, little human. you are indeed full of surprises, I see."
Just then, the carriage glided to a smooth halt. They had arrived.
As Valerius opened the door and stepped out, Kairo quickly asked, "What are your plans for me? Why bring me here to the castle?"
Neither Valerius nor the Queen answered. They swept towards the colossal, gothic entrance of the castle, flanked by heavily armored vampire guards whose red eyes glowed from within their dark helms. As Kairo followed, several of these guards snarled and moved to intercept him, their swords bared. But with a single, almost imperceptible wave of Queen Seraphina's hand, they immediately froze, then dropped to one knee, heads bowed in submission.
They traversed grand, torch-lit hallways, the silence broken only by their footsteps, until they reached an immense throne room. Dark tapestries depicting ancient, bloody battles adorned the walls, and at the far end, upon a dais carved from black, obsidian-like stone, sat a massive, ornate throne. Queen Seraphina ascended the steps and gracefully seated herself, an image of timeless, terrifying power. Valerius took his place at her right, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his gaze fixed on Kairo.
Kairo was left standing alone in the middle of the vast, echoing chamber.
The Queen surveyed him for a long moment, a faint, enigmatic smile on her lips. "It has been… an eternity since I last felt anything resembling boredom," she said, her voice resonating through the hall. "I do not receive many visitors, not since those treacherous bastards saw fit to betray me and banish me to this first forgotten floor." Her eyes hardened for a moment, a flash of ancient fury. "So, while you are here… and given that you have, unfortunately for your pathetic human live, impressed me… you shall serve a purpose." She leaned forward slightly. "You see, you've arrived just in time for our annual 'Crimson Festival'." Her smile widened, but it held no warmth. "A rather… spirited event where we pit our less… cooperative acquisitions against various beasts and each other. For entertainment."
Kairo's blood ran cold. Gladiatorial games. "Oh no," he thought, his mind racing. "But I can't afford to refuse. She'll kill me right here if I do."
He forced himself to meet her gaze, his voice coming out steadier than he felt. "Okay, Your Majesty. I accept. But I have a condition."
Valerius bristled, his hand tightening on his sword. "How dare you presume to give conditions to Her Highness!" he snarled.
Queen Seraphina merely raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, silencing Valerius with a glance. "Oh?" she said, a dangerous curiosity in her tone. "Do tell."
"I will participate in your festival," Kairo stated, choosing his words carefully. "But if I win – if I defeat every opponent you throw at me – you will give me the Cursed Relic of this floor, and you will allow me to leave, unharmed, to the next."
Valerius looked ready to explode, but the Queen simply tilted her head, considering Kairo. After a moment that stretched into an eternity, she let out a soft, melodious laugh. "Bold. Very bold, for a human so far from home." Her crimson eyes gleamed. "Very well, Kairo. I accept your condition. It will certainly make the festival more… interesting." She gestured to the guards who had silently entered the throne room. "Take our guest to suitable chambers. He will need his rest. The festival begins at dusk tomorrow."
Kairo felt a wave of relief so profound his knees almost buckled. His impromptu plan had worked, at least for now. But as he was escorted from the throne room by two silent guards, he knew this was only a temporary reprieve. He had bought himself time. "I still need to figure out how to actually defeat her after this," he thought, his mind already calculating, scheming. "But for now… rest. And then, survival."
He followed the guard down a long, dark corridor, the weight of the Queen's acceptance and Valerius's simmering rage heavy on his shoulders.