Chapter 45: The Black Arena
"Waker — move away!"
Ravi's shout cracked through the air. Waker didn't hesitate—he leapt from behind the crumbled arch and sprinted blindly into the fog, clutching his ribs. Ravi stepped forward, sword raised. He didn't dare to lock his gaze on the floating red castle that descended like a bleeding heart torn from the sky. It's attack weren't directed at him, but on the dark devourers inhabiting in the crimson fog.
The dark sigil's voice slithered around him like smoke. "Are you sure you want to fight in your current condition and level … you're not the same as Reydon, Ravi Sahara. Now your limits."
Ravi spun, shadows bursting beneath his feet in an instant, propelling him backwards into the haze. The castle's ramparts groaned, releasing a deep, metallic roar. Giant tendrils of crimson fog coiled out from beneath its base and swiped downward with terrifying speed, killing and absorbing a Dark devourer immediately.
Ravi's sigil screamed on his neck. Even running made his vision flicker. He ducked, vaulted a jagged pillar of stone, and felt one of the mist-tendrils slice the air where his head had been a heartbeat before.
He felt as if the time had stopped around him for a while at that time and he was able to survive.
In the fog ahead: Waker's silhouette, limping desperately. "Left! Move left!" Ravi shouted to him.
They veered together, dashing through piles of broken stone and shattered statues half-buried in dust. Ravi's sword blazed white for only seconds at a time — just enough to halt down the attacks of smaller Devourer-spawns scrambling between rocks.
But behind them … The crimson castle was still following. It drifted silently but impossibly fast — like a nightmare that didn't obey gravity or distance. Every sweep of its fog-dark tendrils devoured the terrain.
Then, it released shadows that started covering everything in it like a veil. Everything covered in pitch black darkness behind the Shadow's Veil.
The two of them reached a large circular slab of black stone jutting halfway out of the cavern floor.
"There—!" Ravi hissed. He carved through a curtain of rock, revealing a narrow staircase carved into the earth, spiralling down even deeper.
Without waiting, they dove into it … Descending into another Darkness again.
Down they plunged — deeper and deeper, their footing skidding along ancient eroded steps, barely lit by the sick red glow above that disappeared as well after a while. The sounds of the castle faded behind them. So did the roars of the Devourers.
Ravi's body trembled violently — the effort of suppressing the sigil rippling through him like venom again. Waker practically dragged him once or twice.
"I'll definitely going to hate underground areas and pits from this day … here we are, going underground again. When will this whole event be going to end!?" Waker panted.
"Down is better for now, I guess." Ravi snapped.
At last, the staircase widened. Their feet landed on an enormous, flat expanse of smooth black stone.
It took Ravi a few breaths to realise that this wasn't a cavern. This was a makeshift arena.
A perfect circular stadium, black stone walls reaching dozens of meters up toward a ceiling lost in void. Around the edges, crumbled spectator tiers carved into stone … as if people once watched horrors here.
Waker whispered, "Hey, we are in a coliseum."
His eyes fell in the centre of the arena's floor where there stood a single stone pillar.
Upon it lay one striking object:
A black mask shaped like a demon with long sweeping horns … its surface smooth as glass … faceless and flawless.
Ravi grimaced as he lowered his silver sword. "This is a trap."
Before Waker could understand his words, all exits sealed shut. The staircase behind them crumbled as though swallowed by the ground. A grinding sound echoed around the arena walls — followed by dozens of torches igniting in sequence with violet flame, lighting the perimeter.
They were no longer able to run or escape the arena.
A voice spoke — but not the hooded figure from before. This one was the voice of an adult male. Its tone carried amusement with something cold behind it.
"Congratulations, Descendant of the Ghost Monarch, and dear backup. You two chose the path of escape against that thing ... you took a rather wise decision than I anticipated."
"Very well … now show your stubborn desire to live."
Ravi spun, searching for the speaker — but no figure appeared. However, he felt the voice familiar.
Waker crouched, golden aura flickering around his arms. " … Is that castle-man speaking?"
"No," Ravi murmured. "Someone else."
A sudden thud echoed behind the pillar. Something massive … stood up. It had been hidden in the shadows until now — as black as the arena's walls. A towering humanoid shape stitched together with plates of obsidian bone and runes glowing white beneath its cracked skin. It had no eyes … only a mouth full of serrated stone teeth that clicked wetly.
It bent down … and picked up the demon mask.
As it lifted it toward its faceless head, the same speaker's voice echoed again across the arena's stone.
"Let us see how far you can run once the one of the lowest Mask Revenant begins the hunt. Let the show began."
The mask snapped into place on the creature's face. Its rune-chains burst into light— And the ground trembled as the Mask Revenant started marching toward Ravi and Waker with earth-shaking steps, each one faster than the last.
Ravi drew his sword. "Get ready to fight, Waker."
Waker swallowed as the creature howled and broke into a dead sprint.
" ... I thought we were escaping," he whispered but Ravi didn't answer.