Chapter 47: Chapter 50 – Demonic Trial

Heaven Floor Three.

“Are you sure about this Theseus?” Alvaro shifted uncomfortably.

“Yeah, I don’t think we can take on this Heavenly Trial…” Ju Long shook his head in dismay.

“Bellerophon is the Deity of Beasts. Although he is an A Rank Deity, this is one of the easiest Heavenly Trials in Heaven, due to his negligence. As long as we don’t wake him up from his sleep, he won’t even attempt to stop us.” Theseus explained.

“That actually doesn’t sound too bad.” Hama nodded.

“How in the Heavens can we stop an A Rank God from waking up? Shouldn’t he be able to hear us the moment we enter the trial?” Berringer sneered. Lydia watched Theseus’s face; she had the same concern.

“We have to use the equipment I ordered, specifically for this trial.” Theseus nodded, and Astrid brought the equipment from her storage ring. Astrid and Theseus both kept the bulk of the storage rings safe. Theseus was a porter of sorts, but in the event of his untimely demise, Alvaro and Astrid kept portions of the party’s equipment safe. Because Astrid had asked about the strange equipment before the expedition, she was not worried about the Beast God.

Pulling out a set of high legged boots for each party member, Berringer raised an eyebrow.

“What kind of boots are these?” He tried putting them on, but it didn’t quite fit him.

“Oh, I think you have mine.” Astrid swapped boots with Berringer.

“They are all enhanced with Tier Two Runes and made of beast fur. They are true Sage Realm Artifacts, designed for stealth.” Theseus told the party. Berringer’s eyes lit up.

“Stealth… Boots?” He beamed.

“Yes, and since we got them sponsored by the Guild, you can keep them!” Theseus smiled back at Berringer.

“Eh, you’re starting to grow on me, kid.” Berringer winked as they all finished putting on their boots.

“Alright, is everyone ready to go?” Alvaro stood up as everyone prepared to enter Bellerophon’s cave.

“I’m ready!” Ju Long responded first, eager to see what an A Ranked Deity would look like. This was the peak of the world, and if they acted right, they could see it without being in any danger.

“Ju Long, you’re quite excited, aren’t you?” Berringer laughed heartily, and Theseus led the way into the cave.

***

The Desolate.

“Ju Long, are you ready to go?” Theseus looked at Ju Long with concern. Everyone was starting to feel a little on edge, but Ju Long looked the most frazzled by the time they got to the bottom of the Desolate. Theseus wondered if it was a good idea to bring him along.

It was hard to see, as if there was a shrouded black mist, but the Desolate was full of life. Shade Beasts and Spirit Beasts wandered nearby, aimlessly. All of them were at least at the mid-Sage Realm. Even low Royalty Realm beasts were wandering around. Strange flora snaked around the ocean floor, like a parasite of weeds and trees. It was unclear if they would pose any danger to them. The Desolate was truly as unhospitable as rumored.

“I’m ready.” Ju Long nodded as the party entered deeper into the forsaken wasteland.

Theseus nodded.

***

Bellerophon’s Cave.

“Remember,” whispered Theseus.

“Bellerophon doesn’t like to be bothered and is one of the laziest proctors of the Heavenly Trials. We each have to go single file through his labyrinth-like cave, and we have to avoid the beasts in here or dispose of them stealthily.

Berringer and I will take the front. I will navigate through the cave while he assassinates the beasts. Once we reach his main cavern, we will all go through his bedroom one at a time, or else he will wake up.”

Everyone nodded.

Berringer was in a good mood. After being utilized for scouting over combat for most of the expedition, it felt good that he was in the spotlight for this trial!

Each member of the party agreed and let the unlikely duo take the lead.

***

The Desolate.

“That’s another Shade down!” Captain Centos laughed as he struck down another high-Sage Realm Shade Beast. Since most of the beasts had little intelligence, they knew little to no skills and were thus easier to take down.

“Good job, Captain.” Theseus smiled as the party boisterously fought through the Desolate.

“Are you sure it’s okay to be making this much noise?” Ju Long shook uncomfortably.

“I don’t sense anything powerful in this area; don’t worry.” Theseus put his hand on Ju Long’s shoulder to reassure him.

“Yeah, come on, lighten up!” Vodyanoi thought it felt good to let loose in this dangerous place. It was exhilarating! The Captain patted Ju Long on the shoulder as well and rushed forward with delight.

“They seem to be enjoying themselves…” Ju Long muttered as the other Captains walked ahead and talked to each other casually.

“They feel safe because I’m here.” Theseus responded.

“When the Horror shows itself, I’ll have to reel them in.” Theseus reassured Ju Long again.

***

Bellerophon’s Lair.

“We’ve arrived.” Theseus whispered, signaling for everyone to stop.

“This time, Berringer will go first, and I will take the rear.” Theseus muttered. Berringer smiled again. This kid was really letting him take the spotlight!

One after another, the party members snuck through the Beast God’s bedroom like cave. A gigantic door lay on the two sides of the cave for the giant beast. In the cave, a huge bed lay right in the middle of the room with the Centaur God lay in the bed on his side. In sheer mass, the bed along with the God himself took up over half of the room.

The easy thing about this trial was that if there was any preparation at all, it would be easy. By stealthily taking down the random beasts in the cave system, Bellerophon wouldn’t notice anyone was there, and then in his bedroom, he snored so loudly that weak Artifacts were enough to go through unheard.

“You’re next,” whispered Theseus to Alvaro, who followed behind Berringer, who had already made it to the other door, slipping through unnoticed. Alvaro tiptoed through the bedroom at a snail’s pace.

Theseus facepalmed.

“I forgot to tell him that that wasn’t necessary.” Theseus sighed inwardly. Lydia held back a giggle, seeing her lover act like an idiot. Astrid also facepalmed. Hama almost laughed.

Eventually, Alvaro made his way through and was approaching the door.

“Okay, you’re next.” Theseus let Hama go in next. As one person approached the exit door, the next person would enter.

Hama and Lydia both made it through next with no problems.

It was now Ju Long’s turn.

“Go on.” Theseus pat Ju Long on the back, and the tank tried to get a good look at Bellerophon. Maybe it was because he was sleeping, but there was nothing special looking about it, despite its gigantic size.

Ju Long sighed, unimpressed.

***

The Desolate.

“There it is!” Theseus felt a presence stronger than any he had apart from the Moirai and Fayette.

Motioning for everyone to get down, Theseus saw the Horror in the distance.

A towering chimera, larger than Bellerophon, floated aimlessly in the Desolate at a high altitude in the air. In sheer size, it spanned the whole horizon.

Ju Long gasped but put his hand over his mouth, as if to keep quiet.

The Horror was a mixture of different beasts mixed together through Shade magic. It was likely a Chimera and a Shade. Immense tentacles floated through the water limply. There was at least a dozen of them. Despite looking peaceful, the red eyes and face of the Horror was twisted and gluttonous.

Truly a mindless monstrosity, the Horror’s presence was all encompassing, as if the monster demanded the souls of those near it. The bloodthirsty aura it gave off was disturbing. Shades hovering around the beast flocked to attack it, but the Horror didn’t care. Every so often, one of its tentacles spasmed, causing the Shades to instantly die as a blast of red aura flew off of it. Opening its mouth, the Horror sucked in the water and the Shades into itself, eating them.

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“That must be how it gets stronger…” Theseus wondered as the disgusting beast floated away from them.

The Captains had never seen a Deity before, whereas Theseus had. They were all shaking in fear. Ju Long was shaking uncontrollably. For a rumored D Rank Deity, the sheer pressure it exerted was several times stronger than Bellerophon, the only God he had ever seen.

“I was wrong about Deities.” Ju Long trembled in fear.

***

Bellerophon’s Lair.

“Theseus, wait. I should go last. What if a monster appears on this side?” Astrid stopped Theseus from entering the Beast God’s bedroom.

“I should be fine, but if it makes you feel better, I’ll go next.” Theseus entered before Astrid as Ju Long was leaving the room. Walking into the room, Theseus inspected the God, but before he could, a loud boom was heard.

Accidentally, Ju Long had closed the exit door too loudly.

The obnoxious snoring stopped.

“Too loud.” A grumbled voice sounded from the bed.

Bellerophon’s eyes opened. Two brown eyes looked down, and there was Theseus.

“Humph, just a Mortal.” Sighed Bellerophon. Not even a leak of aura was emitted from Bellerophon, who closed his eyes again, ignoring Theseus.

After five minutes, Theseus took a step. This was the longest five minutes of his life.

Bellerophon opened up his eyes again.

“You’re too loud, Mortal.” Bellerophon muttered, turning over.

Theseus waited again. Now that he was up, the God could hear every footstep. Theseus panicked. With his heartbeat pounding wildly, he quickly thought of a way out. Tiptoeing, Theseus tried to be even quieter. As Theseus made his way closer to the other door, Bellerophon opened his eyes again. Since he turned over, he saw Theseus again when he opened his eyes.

“Still here, Mortal? Just leave or fight me.” Bellerophon rumbled a bit louder, annoyed.

“I- I’m sorry sir. I just want to leave here with my party. Please forgive me.” Theseus stammered out.

“You’re nothing. Just a Mortal, not even a person. Why should I care?” Bellerophon shut his eyes angrily and groggy.

Theseus turned and signaled Astrid to come in. She tiptoed closer to him, witnessing the whole conversation from afar. With wide eyes, the duo got close to the exit.

“So annoying. You even brought a friend. Just get out; you’re just ants to me. Try being less noisy next time.” Grumbled Bellerophon as the pair left the Heavenly Trial.

***

The Depths of the Desolate.

Theseus put his finger up to his mouth, telling the party to be quiet. This time, he would be quiet enough to go unnoticed by the Deity.

Analyzing the beast while the party quivered in fear, Theseus understood the threat of the Horror firsthand.

“I’m nowhere close to its match.” Theseus thought. He was boxed in by the Horror and the Moirai. Since this thing was mindless, it would engage them if it felt the aura of someone as strong as him. Even if it was a Captain, this monstrosity would unlikely not let them through the heart of the Desolate. In this area, it was not uncommon for Royalty Realm Shades to wander about mindlessly. Thankfully, they were far enough away where they could see the beast, but it cared more about the other Royalty Realm Shades closer to it than them. Truly, if he took a party here to subjugate it, he had to break through to the next aura realm, at least. As a F Rank Deity, he would stand a chance.

Theseus turned around to leave.

Slowly, his party members followed behind him.

***

Heaven Floor Three.

“Are you okay Theseus, Astrid?” Alvaro panicked upon sensing the Beast God awaken, but he could do nothing but let the scene play out. He didn’t dare open up the door to see what happened.

“We’re fine.” Astrid was scared out of her mind, but she pretended to stay calm and cold, as she normally was. When she was around her family though, she was much bubblier. Eventually, she acted more out of character around Alvaro, and then eventually, Theseus and Hama after Ju Long’s death.

“He was still half-asleep, I think…” Theseus panted for breath. If he completely awoke, he would squash them like bugs. As if his heart would lurch out of his chest at any moment, he was glad Ju Long’s accident didn’t cost him his life.

“I’m sorry guys…” Ju Long pleaded with Theseus and Astrid, but Alvaro assured him everything was fine since they had all lived.

“Don’t worry, we’ll all be okay!” Theseus tried to stay positive.

Berringer clicked his tongue. The sudden awaking of Bellerophon stole away his spotlight…

“Come on, let’s get out of this cave,” muttered Berringer angrily.

“He’s right, it’s too dangerous.” Theseus nodded, and he went to the front of the party with Berringer.

 

Behind the door, Bellerophon opened his eyes again, hearing their whole conversation.

“Annoying mortals.”

***

The Desolate.

“I’m glad we’re away from that, thing.” Gemini shuddered.

“Me too.” Naiad nodded. Vodyanoi was oddly quiet.

Centos and Ju Long were both clearly shaken up from experiencing the aura of a Deity for the first time.

“I guess we can’t expand into the Desolate…” Theseus sighed.

“What do you think, Vod?” Theseus looked at the rarely quiet Shade.

“One day, I want to be that powerful.” Vodyanoi looked at Theseus passionately.

Theseus laughed.

“Maybe you can be if you work hard enough.” Theseus smiled but thought Vodyanoi was deranged on the inside. Taking The Horror of The Desolate as your goal was a bit… strange.

Theseus turned to Ju Long and Centos.

“Don’t worry, by the time the Horror has to migrate into the Oceanic Realm for food, I’ll be prepared.”

“Of course sir.” Centos bowed his head. After witnessing Theseus defeat Suzerain Lords Virgo and Darkin, he felt that if anyone had the potential to grow strong enough to defeat that abomination, it was surely Theseus.

“Ha, now that I have a goal, you won’t beat me, Elder!” Vodyanoi stared at Theseus with gleaming eyes.

“I look forward to it Captain.” Theseus smiled.

Ju Long said nothing.

Everyone was in better spirits upon hearing Theseus and Vodyanoi’s confidence. Gemini was still taking notes as they left the Desolate.

As the party left the borderlands, Ju Long finally spoke.

“Theseus, we have to conquer the Moirai Dungeon, don’t we?”

Theseus turned to Ju Long and smiled.

“Yes, it will be our Demonic Trial.”

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