Chapter 33: A Demonoid

"Ugh!"

Nero lost his balance and crashed onto the stone floor, rolling several times before finally stopping. Fortunately, his improved physical condition prevented him from suffering any serious injuries.

After catching his breath, Nero slowly pushed himself upright, only to notice something strange about his surroundings.

The walls were covered in paintings depicting angelic figures with enormous wings and peaceful expressions, completely different from anything he had seen inside the Gate before.

"Why are there paintings inside a Gate?"

Nero examined them with confusion, but as he slowly stood up, another thought occurred to him.

’Wait a second...’

Something about this Gate was wrong.

Demonoids normally appeared deep inside Gates, often near the final chamber. They weren’t supposed to appear near the entrance where porters worked, yet one had attacked them there.

The more Nero thought about it, the more certain he became that this Gate wasn’t normal.

Just then, a familiar notification appeared.

[By observing paintings crafted by Angels, you’ve gained enlightenment into the concept of Angels.]

"..."

Nero froze after reading the notification.

"Angels? They actually exist?"

It was difficult to believe, but after everything he had experienced, the revelation didn’t seem completely impossible.

If demons existed, then perhaps Angels existed as well.

With that thought, Nero continued deeper into the Gate.

As he walked through the corridor, the paintings gradually became more elaborate until he encountered several murals similar to those his Awakener friends had discovered earlier.

One depicted an enormous Angel standing above a planet, while another showed a feather descending toward the world.

A third painting depicted a golden dome surrounding an entire planet, with a human-like figure standing beneath it and holding a strange glowing light between its hands.

Nero examined the images for a while, trying to understand what they represented. However, the longer he looked, the more uncomfortable he became.

"I have a bad feeling about all this."

Despite his uneasiness, Nero continued walking until the narrow corridor finally opened into a much larger chamber.

And there, he found the others.

Serina, Richard, Lyris, Lucas, Jasmine, and Damian were all present.

The moment Nero entered, everyone turned toward him, their expressions changing when they noticed the blood covering his clothes.

"Nero?!"

Lyris, Serina, Jasmine, and Lucas called out almost simultaneously, while Damian relaxed slightly after recognizing him.

"What? It’s just the porter boy."

Lucas immediately approached Nero, looking concerned.

"Dude, what happened to you? Why are you covered in blood?!"

Nero met his gaze before answering.

"The porters are dead."

His voice was surprisingly steady despite everything he had just experienced.

"There’s a demonoid above us."

"...What?"

The atmosphere in the chamber immediately became tense.

Everyone could tell that Nero had witnessed something terrible, yet despite the blood covering his body, he stood before them without panicking.

Lyris was especially troubled by his composure, but before anyone could question him further, Richard suddenly stiffened.

He had been standing near the enormous upside-down statue when something grabbed him from behind.

"Huh?"

Richard barely had time to react before an invisible force violently dragged him backward into the darkness.

"RICHARD!"

Lyris screamed as Richard disappeared.

Damian and the others immediately prepared themselves for battle, while Jasmine turned toward Nero.

"Get behind us, Nero! There are enemies ahead, so stay close!"

With that warning, everyone rushed deeper into the chamber, and Nero followed closely behind them.

However, when they finally found Richard, his condition had completely changed.

A dark aura surrounded his body, his eyes were unfocused, and black veins had begun spreading across his skin.

"Richard!"

Lyris became increasingly anxious upon seeing his condition, while Damian examined the corruption before speaking.

"That’s demonic corruption. There’s definitely a demonoid here."

Before anyone could react, Serina suddenly noticed something moving near Damian.

"Damian! On your side!"

Unfortunately, her warning came too late.

A dark figure appeared beside Damian, and before he could turn around, a fist slammed directly into his stomach.

BOOM!

Damian was sent flying backward, crashing into the chamber wall before collapsing unconscious.

Seeing this, Lyris immediately rushed toward Richard, but the demonoid intercepted her before she could reach him.

With a single strike, it sent her crashing onto the floor.

Serina couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

"No way... Even Damian and Richard?"

Richard possessed a Power Index of 1.9 and was the strongest among them, yet he had been sabotaged before he could even react.

Realizing how serious the situation had become, Serina gritted her teeth.

"Both of you! Attack together!"

A massive fire tornado erupted around her body as Lucas and Jasmine exchanged glances before drawing their swords.

"Ready, stupid brother?"

"Obviously, dumb sister."

Jasmine tightened her grip on her sword.

"There’s nobody around for us to hurt right now. We should unleash our powers."

Their Thunder abilities were still difficult to control. Although they could release lightning from their bodies, neither had mastered directing it properly, making their attacks dangerous to anyone nearby.

But with most of their companions already defeated, they had no reason to hold back.

If they didn’t give everything they had, they would die here.

The twins immediately charged together, yellow lightning erupting around their bodies as they attacked the demonoid from different directions.

Unfortunately, their attacks achieved nothing.

The creature moved through their combined assault as though the lightning barely bothered it. Before either twin could react, it struck them both and sent them crashing to the ground.

Dark corruption immediately began spreading across their bodies.

"...!"

Serina clenched her teeth as she realized that she was the only one left.

With everyone else defeated, she immediately turned toward Nero.

"Nero, get behind me."

Her voice softened as she looked at him.

"I’m sorry."

She lowered her head slightly before continuing.

"I’m sorry for bringing you here."

Serina had always trusted her decisions, and she rarely regretted anything. However, seeing Nero trapped inside this nightmare made her genuinely regret inviting him into the Gate.

She hadn’t expected them to encounter such a terrifying creature.

More importantly, the demonoid seemed to possess some kind of ability that negated elemental attacks.

Otherwise, why hadn’t their attacks affected it?

As Serina tried to think of a solution, she suddenly noticed something.

Nero wasn’t standing behind her.

Instead, he was still near the enormous upside-down statue, completely exposed.

"Nero?!"