[The Threshold of the Second Floor — 6 Hours Remaining]
The Earth Dragon landed heavily near the archway, its obsidian claws scraping against the solidified mana of the platform. One by one, the adventurers jumped down, rushing toward Yoru , who was standing frozen before a massive, obsidian pillar situated just to the left of the gate.
"Look at this pillar," Yoru whispered, her voice tight with an unfamiliar dread.
The pillar pulsed with a dark, rhythmic light, as if it were a living heart. Inscribed into the stone in glowing, blood-red runes was a message that chilled everyone to the bone:
[THE LAW OF THE FIRST THRESHOLD]
"None shall pass through the gate of the void as a swarm. To prove thy worthiness of the deep, a champion must be chosen. Defeat Gladiator Bahamu in a 1-on-1 Duel, or remain eternal prisoners of the First Floor."
Carod stepped forward, his heavy boots echoing. He looked down at the base of the pillar. Lying in the dust was a shattered, jet-black helmet. It was massive, adorned with broken horns and still radiating a faint, sinister heat.
"So..." Carod rumbled, his metallic voice sounding hollow. "Someone has to fight the Floor Boss in a 1-on-1 duel? No backup, no support, no healing?"
"It's a trial of individual strength," Gaia noted, her molten gold eyes scanning the horizon. "The Void doesn't want to test our teamwork. it wants to see if we have a single pillar strong enough to support the rest."
Goto laughed nervously, looking at the broken helmet. "1-on-1? With a Z+ Guardian? That's basically a death sentence for anyone who isn't an Arcon."
Cynthia stepped toward the gate, her white flames flaring up instinctively. "I will do it. I'll burn this Bahamu to ash and open the way."
Suddenly, the red runes on the pillar flashed violently. A new line of text appeared:
"The Peak of the Flame is forbidden from this trial. The challenger must be of the Lesser Path."
"Lesser Path?" Lapis interpreted, his Honoured Eyes narrowing. "It's blocking the Z+ Ranks. It wants someone from the Z-Rank vanguard or... the Award Helpers."
Everyone turned their gaze toward the younger members of the group. Techyon felt his heart skip a beat. The broken helmet seemed to be staring at him, challenging him.
The air grew frigid as the duel was initiated. Goto, fueled by a desperate need to prove he wasn't the "insect" the Arcons claimed he was, tightened his grip on his claymore.
"Then I am going to fight," Goto declared, his voice echoing with forced bravado. He stepped into the designated ritual space in front of the pillar, pointing his blade at the shattered remains on the ground. "I am challenging you, Gladiator Bahamu!"
The reaction was instantaneous.
The broken black helmet didn't just move—it screamed. A torrent of Black and Red flames erupted from the visor, swirling into a violent vortex of heat and shadow. The fire condensed, growing taller and broader until a towering figure stood before the vanguard.
Gladiator Bahamu was a nightmare of obsidian armor. His body was a living furnace of dark embers, and he wielded a jagged greatsword that looked like it had been forged from the bones of a dead star.
"So..." Bahamu's voice was a deep, metallic rasp that seemed to vibrate the very Earth Dragon beneath their feet. "You are the challenger?"
He slammed the hilt of his greatsword into the ground, creating a shockwave that forced even the Z-rankers to shield their eyes.
"I am the Guardian of this floor... Black Flame Commander, Gladiator Bahamu," he announced, his helmet's eye-slits glowing with a murderous crimson light. "Since you are of the Lesser Path, I shall be merciful. You have three chances to defeat me. Fail all three, and your soul becomes the fuel for my next set of armor."
[The Void Arena – First Chance]
As Bahamu slammed his jagged greatsword into the obsidian floor, the world shifted. The ground expanded into a massive, circular arena, and iron torches erupted from the abyss, roaring with flickering Black and Red flames.
In a flash of spatial displacement, the rest of the group—Techyon, the Arcons, and the Z-Rankers—were teleported into high, floating stone spectator seats surrounding the arena.
"Now everyone see!" Goto roared, his ego swelling as he stood alone in the center. "I'll show you how I destroy this overgrown piece of metal scrap!"
He took a wide stance, his eyes glowing with mental strain. "[HIDDEN TECHNIQUE: ULTIMATE TELEKINESIS]!"
The air around Bahamu shivered. Huge chunks of the obsidian floor tore upward, and a massive, invisible force slammed into the Gladiator's armor, attempting to crush him into a ball of scrap metal.
"Master is using his Telekinesis!" Kokoi Ai cheered from the stands, her eyes wide. "It's his most powerful attack! No one can withstand that pressure!"
Cynthia didn't even lean forward. She watched with a bored, almost pitying expression. "It's useless," she said flatly.
"I agree with Cynthia," Yoru added, her arms crossed. "Goto is fighting with his eyes closed."
In the arena, the "crushing" force hit Bahamu, but the Gladiator didn't even flinch. The invisible pressure simply slid off his black armor like water off a duck's back. Bahamu stood perfectly still, his red eye-slits glowing mockingly.
"What?!" Goto gasped, his face turning pale as he poured more mana into the attack. "Why isn't he moving?! My telekinesis should have snapped his neck!"
"It's obvious it's not going to work," Yoru called out from the stands, her voice echoing. "Look at him, Goto! Gladiator Bahamu is a DarkType. Everyone can guess that just by looking at the flames. Pure psychic and telekinetic attacks are nullified by the Void. You're just wasting your mana on a ghost."
Bahamu let out a low, rattling chuckle. "One chance... wasted."
With a speed that defied his massive size, Bahamu vanished.
Bahamu's massive silhouette blurred.
In the blink of an eye, the Gladiator was standing directly behind Goto. He didn't use the jagged, soul-tearing edge of his greatsword. Instead, with a motion of casual disdain, he swung the heavy, flat side of the blade like a massive iron club.
BOOM!
The shockwave alone cracked the obsidian floor. Goto didn't even have time to scream. He was sent hurtling across the arena like a ragdoll, his body skipping across the stone before slamming into the far wall of the spectator stands. He slumped to the ground, unconscious, his telekinetic barrier shattered like glass.
Techyon gripped the railing of his seat, his eyes wide with shock. I didn't see it... he thought, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck. The sword... it just vanished and reappeared.
Beside him, Lapis and the other Z-rankers—Siyo, Saina, and Lilia—were equally frozen. Their high-level senses had completely failed to register the movement. To them, Bahamu had simply teleported.
However, in the VIP seats, the atmosphere was different. Cynthia, Yoru, Nefa, and the Arcons hadn't blinked. Their eyes followed the trajectory of the strike with grim precision.
"He held back," Nefa whispered, her usual playful tone gone. "If he had used the edge, Goto would be in two pieces right now. He's playing with us."
"His weight-to-speed ratio is impossible," Captain Carod added, his sensors having recorded the strike at speeds that would melt a normal adventurer's retinas.
Gladiator Bahamu stood in the center of the arena, the black and red flames on his shoulders flickering calmly. He didn't even look at the fallen Goto. He slowly turned his glowing red visor toward the spectator stands.
"One chance wasted," Bahamu's voice boomed, echoing through the empty void. "Two left. I grow bored of insects. Who is coming next? Or shall I claim all your souls at once?"