It was a vast land. A properly developed land with top-class buildings numbering more than a thousand, each not just big, but in absolute pristine condition, crafted with beauty and durability. In its center, a massive, luxurious castle stood, built with a sense of royalty and grandeur. Beside the castle was a single towering structure that threatened to pierce the clouds and reach for the heavens.
An overview of this place displayed just how much wealth and prosperity it held.
Unfortunately, at the moment, and for years now, not a single soul had stepped into this land. Not even the beasts that crawled the ground or birds that traversed the sky had dared to cross the walls of this territory.
The reason was not far-fetched—the demon lair.
A large and ominous crimson portal could be found hovering above the castle. It gave off a malevolent aura, one that stilled the growth of every living thing around it.
A simple glance was enough to tell that whatever existed at the other end of the portal was nothing but evil. Something no human should dare draw near to.
Nevertheless, at that moment, two figures could be seen standing at the base of the castle, observing the ominous crimson portal with serious expressions on their faces.
Rowan, who had on his cherished black robe, stared at the portal, gripping the Soul Harvester in his grasp. Beside him, D'andre stood and observed the portal as well.
Rowan heaved a short sigh and turned to D'andre. "Are you ready?" he asked.
D'andre nodded instantly, a smile forming on his face.
Without wasting further time discussing, both of them began making their way towards the crimson portal. D'andre activated a flight spell and propelled his body towards the mouth of the portal, while Rowan exerted strength in his feet and leapt towards it.
Both of them got closer and were swallowed by the malevolent portal.
Their vision darkened for the few seconds it took to arrive at the other end.
Once they opened their eyes, they were standing in the midst of a new and strange setting.
Red! was the first thought that came to their mind as their eyes fluttered open within the confinement of the demon lair.
The place around them was a colossal, cave-like structure that revealed nothing but red, or rather, blood.
The ground beneath them was red, appearing like blood that had been hardened several times. The walls were entirely made of the same hardened blood, and even the sky was a light red. A large, bright red planetary body akin to the sun hung in the sky and bled its glow upon the ominous setting.
Besides the appearance of the place, the familiar iron-like smell of blood constantly drifted across it. The energy within this place streamed out nothing but evil. If any human were to enter here, they would die merely of horror.
[You've entered a disaster-grade demon lair.]
[All exits have been locked.]
[Teleportation outside the demon lair is impossible.]
[Your only key outside is slaying the owner of the demon lair.]
As they were observing the strange structure, different holographic windows appeared in front of their eyes. As they studied the information, a frown quickly appeared on their faces.
"It's a lot like the demon lair in the game," D'andre said. "Well, unlike the game, we can feel pain when wounded, and we can actually die when killed. We have to be extra careful."
"Yeah," Rowan replied as he canceled the notification.
SCREEECH!
Before the two could discuss further, a loud, high-pitched screech tore through the very fiber of the strange setting, coming from ahead of them.
"They've been notified of our presence. They'll be here any time now," D'andre muttered seriously as he began waving his hands, ready to cast his spell. Rowan tightened his grip on his sword and fixed his gaze ahead.
As the two of them prepared, several entities began forming and growing out of the walls around them. They first started like a small bulge in the wall surface. Then those bulges began morphing into inhuman forms and enlarging.
Within the next ten seconds, a total of six of them had already completed their transformation. They leapt down to the ground from their positions, landing with loud thuds that seemed to shake the very fiber of the setting.
These demons stood at an alarming height of over twelve feet. Like the setting of the demon lair, they had dark red pigmented skin, or rather, scales. They had huge, muscular builds, and each of them had a single, big red eye in the middle of their head that stared at the two humans with intense malice.
After a few more seconds, the remaining bulges that had appeared had successfully completed their transformation.
Currently, fifteen of these scary demons stood and watched the humans with all sorts of negative intentions displayed in their red eyes.
Rowan and D'andre activated their inspection skills at the same time.
For Rowan:
[Ogramon - B]
[Health: 100%]
[Special Skill: Null]
[Status: Bloodlust]
For D'andre:
[Ogramon - B, Health: 100%]
"B-rank demons..." both of them muttered at the same time while preparing to engage.
As though their short exchange was a provocation, the Ogramons let out loud roars and began charging towards the two of them at a speed shocking for their size and build. Their heavy footsteps thundered across a wide range.
"Let's go..."
Both humans advanced.
Rowan's eyes grew fierce, his grasp around his sword tightened, and with incredible speed, he blasted towards the Ogramon.
D'andre, on the other hand, caused several magic circles to appear in the air. Out of the magic circles, countless magic bullets shot in the direction of the Ogramon.
SLASH!
Rowan's sword hacked with insane and lethal speed towards the head of his opponent while midair.
Unfortunately, before the attack landed, the Ogramon swiftly lifted its hands. Under Rowan's surprised eyes, the hands turned into a sharp, red bladed greatsword the size of Rowan's entire body.
CLANG!
Rowan's blade collided with the greatsword that had suddenly formed. The resulting sensation was akin to slashing against a sturdy wall.
WHOOSH!
Before he could come to terms with what had happened, the Ogramon let out a low growl and slashed the greatsword in his direction.