Chapter 53: The Labyrinth Of Daedalus (2)
Beulus' POV:
I watched the massive screens that were connected to a pole extending from the sides of the now-roofed coliseum. On the screen were replays of the fight that I just watched. It was magnificent. It was a battle that had my heart pumping and put me at the edge of my seat, in more ways than one. Once I was done closely observing the replays and the screens switched to show the injured people getting brought out of the labyrinth below us to be healed, I turned to Telferr who was just as absorbed in the screen as I was, and said unconfidently, "So... are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
She put her hand to her head and replied to me, "Yeah... that's definitely Quis, right?"
After she confirmed my thoughts, the old teacher above us also made a comment, "It has to be him. Those wind Magic Arts are something we developed together... I would not mistake it for a Fruit. The thing that keeps itching at my brain is what those magic circle-looking inscriptions are on his body."
He was right. I already had it in my mind that Quis couldn't possibly be dead, as he wouldn't die without at least causing a commotion first, but this was completely out of my expectations. I had already decided in my mind that I probably would never see Quis again, but here was, in a different form yes, but still the same old capricious Quis. I was sure there was an intense story behind those magic circles, his change in skin tone, his change of hair color, and a lot of other things now that I took a closer look...
With all the differences between Quis and this person I now saw before, doubt began to cloud my mind, "Are we completely sure that's him? He could have a similar Fruit to Quis'. He could have discovered whatever you and Quis did on his own or with someone else. He could just have a similar fighting style."
The old man looked at me and asked menacingly, "What is it that you are trying to say?"
I sighed as my fickle thoughts left my mouth, "What I'm trying to say is, don't get your hopes up. Coincidences are great in this world. Until I see undeniable evidence that he is truly Quis, I'm not going to assume he is."
I'm not sure why I was so adamant about this thought, but I was. For some reason, the thought of Quis actually coming back and the thought of him being gone for good left me with mercurial feelings. Did I want him back? I think I did. Did I want him gone? I might also want that as well. It was such a conflicting emotion.
To me Quis was my biggest mistake, but at the same time my biggest eye-opener. He was the one who brought me out of the shell I had grown comfortable within, showing me that everyone has different reasons for what they do and different stories that made them who they are. While I still think the way Quis looks at life is depressing and not worth living for, I also can understand that I don't understand what he's been through. It's for that reason that he's also my biggest mistake. I can only ever think of how I showed him anger and negativity while he showed me an entirely new outlook on life. Guilt ate at me.
So I should just go and apologize, right? Well, wouldn't that be easy? Turns out I'm a massive hypocrite and can't even suck up my pride and admit that I was in the wrong. Or maybe I feel that if I admit I was wrong it would be the same as accepting his ideology as true.
I sighed as I buried my right hand into my face, destroying my complex circle of thoughts. I can't count how many times I've been over this since Quis has been gone, thinking that if I really did see him again I would say sorry and move on. I thought that my breakthrough with Iusus pushed me passed this... but now I see how far I was from where I wanted to be. Instead of growing into a better person, I've only grown into a coward.
Telferr considered my words and probably read the strife on my face as she chose her next words bluntly, "I don't understand why you are making such a big farce out of it. Yea, you've made it apparent that you've made a mistake with Quis, but so what? Everyone makes mistakes, it's just up to the person who makes them on how deeply it affects them. I guarantee you that Quis doesn't give a shit about what you said to him, instead, he moved on and continued walking his path. The only person that is hurting from this is you. So I recommend you shut up, watch the show, confirm that Igmor is actually Quis, and then go say sorry to him."
If only it were that easy.
Another rueful sigh exited my lips as I turned my attention back to the screen and the announcer continued to narrate the battle from before, "Now, THAT, is what I call a fight. I felt my heart pumping just from watching! And I'm sure you all did as well! I still can't get over that use of his environment... this will truly be a spectacle for the ages! But it isn't over yet, so get ready for one hell of a battle!"
Yeah, my heart is pumping. Pumping with anxiety.
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Quis' POV:
So, Onvima and Vernam are in the middle layer. And judging by the use of the word "hell"... they were either in or near the fire pit. I already assumed that they wouldn't be in the lower layer and made my way up to the middle layer a while before. And thankfully I was already near the firepit, so now all I have to do is find them.
Just as I confirmed their location was near my own, a loud scream echoed throughout the twists of stone walls, "Oh come on!! Out of all the traps you trigger, it just had to be this one! Why am I always the one that has to pull the weight of this entire team?!!"
"I know it was a mistake, but how was I supposed to know that the hidden door turned out to be a trap?! Hidden doors are never traps!"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe use your brain and comprehend that this entire labyrinth is filled to the brim with traps?!"
The sound of two people running, and the sound of a quadrupedal Wild Beast following behind them sounded throughout the maze as it got closer to me. Before I was able to think about making use of this situation, the steps turned a corner and were facing right at me. I was able to get a good look at who it was. Not surprisingly, it was Onvima and Vernam, along with the Wild beat following close behind them. It was a bull with a pure white silver coat... well I didn't expect this. This was a Coal Class Wild Beast, The Lesser Poseidon Bull. The bad thing about this Wild Beast was it was stronger than normal Coal Class Wild Beasts, having enough strength the take on two normal Coal Class Cultivators at once.
As much as this was a bad encounter, it was also a great one. I was right in front of two of my opponents who were being chased by an angry bull. It was an uncoordinated pincer attack, one I would make full use of.
The two of them were too preoccupied with arguing over who was in the right to even notice me in front of them, and while they were distracted, I made my move to take care of Onvima first. He may be technically the weakest out of the entire group, but he was more cautious than the rest of them, meaning he was more likely to screw me over. So I ran right at him and, before he reacted to my sudden entrance, landed a kick right in the stomach. He was sent flying backward right toward the bull causing the bull and Vernam to make a complete stop.
Onvima was about to hit the bull, but at the last second his feet glowed white and he leaped in midair to dodge the bull. While he was doing this, I wasn't just sitting and watching. As soon as I kicked him, I turned my attention to Vernam, the more offensive out of the two. I wanted to deal with her quickly before she had a chance to get completely battle-ready. So using the floor as my spring, I leaped at her and prepared to attack her with a powerful punch. She was quick to assess her surroundings and before I was able to hit her with my fist a flash of light struck my side much faster than I could possibly hope to defend.
Thankfully I was able to stop it from penetrating more than my flesh by activating the magic circles in that area quickly enough. The dagger of light made an electric buzz before dissipating, but now I was in a bad position. Vernam was focused solely on me, and if it weren't for the bull fighting Onvima, I would be completely toast. Vernam's attacks were no joke, she cultivated a Branch completely dedicated to swift and powerful attacks: the Lightning Branch.
I had to think, what was around me that I could use to get the upper hand? I have these stone walls, Onvima, the bull, there's the fire pit around here... wait. Stone walls? That was it!
I consumed a Crossbow Bolt Fruit before sending it into a nearby wall. The bolt stuck into the wall, seemingly doing nothing, until the circular pattern of where my bolt landed sunk into the wall. Suddenly from above the endlessly tall stone wall, a waterfall of water came rushing down from the abyss-like sky. It came down like a tsunami, flooding the narrow pathway and catching all four of us in its movement.
This was a trap I remembered from the blue-print given to me, a sudden river. Normally this trap would only serve to annoy, but now it was a strategic move used to subjugate Vernam. What would happen if she tried to use her lightning in a river of water like the one we were in right now? She would end up a fried fish. And I didn't have to worry about this because before the water hit the ground I used up some Genesis Liquid to keep a constant barrier on myself. A lightning-empowered electric shock would hurt like a bitch, but I would still be alive.
As the intense water washed us, I swam to where Vernam was. She immediately noticed my presence and was about to activate something lightning-related when she realized my plan. Her eyes grew wide as she panicked internally, unable to make a choice of what to do. This slight moment of hesitation was all I needed. I activated the magic circles in my legs and boosted myself through the water, headbutting her right in the forehead. I made sure to grab her before her unconscious body sank into the ever-flowing river. That was what relying too heavily on one type of attack did to you. Always have a plan two in case your first plan fails.
Now that she was finished, I only had the "Six Colored Man" to deal with. He would be much more tricky than Vernam since he cultivated a branch that didn't have an immediate weakness: The Light Branch. The Light Branch was less attack-heavy than the Lightning Branch, focusing mostly on healing and maneuverability instead. But that didn't mean it couldn't have some hard-hitting attacks. In the last Jungle Region 1st Half Coal Class Competition, he ranked 49th overall, but that was only because the way the competition worked wasn't compatible with his abilities. It's said that in a different ranking system, he wouldn't have made the top 30 at least. His Magic Art, "Light Show", was just that incredible.
It was an ability that could emanate every facet of what a Fruit Cultivator wanted in their arsenal: red for attack, blue for defense, green for healing, yellow for investigation, pink for maneuverability, and teal for storage. He was compatible with almost any situation, and that mixed with his knack for strategy made him a difficult opponent to expose weakness in. Of course, there was still one thing I could exploit, his cowardly personality. I'm sure he doesn't know that Vernam is out of the game right now, so if I were to mutilate her unconscious body just a little, I'm sure he would be sent into shock.
So while waiting for the end of this water trap, I made some "unique" decorations to her body, in the form of cuts that looked much worse than they were. Even though death does happen in arena fights sometimes, I couldn't just go all out and actually kill her, that would only end up with me being killed by Medism.
It wasn't soon before the waterfall met its final destination, the fire pit. As the raging torrent of water slammed against the pit of flames that looked to be dug straight from hell, a massive amount of steam was released, caking the open area in a layer of blinding gas. I was able to get out of the water before I fell into the fire pit and observed my surroundings through the fading steam with Vernam still in my grasp.
The fire pit zone was in the very center of the labyrinth's middle layer with only one entrance leading there: the narrow one we came from. The fire pit, which was literally a hole claimed by flames, was surrounded by a flat stone-floored circle with a radius of about 30 meters. And with the fire pit having a diameter of 5 meters, the fighting space given wasn't too much, but I could make it work. The pit of flames in the middle would probably prove useful in this battle.
Speaking of battle... I turned my head over to where Onvima and the bull were wrestling each other. This was a great opportunity to take care of Onvima, one that I couldn't afford to not take. He was too slippery on his own, so having an unreliable teammate wasn't a bad thing.
I ran over to them and tossed Vernam's bleeding body in the air. He was stunned for a moment, before noticing how the body was moving right at the bull. His body glowed pink and suddenly he grew extremely fast, catching Vernam before she was able to be punctured by the bull's horn and also dodging the bull's thrust himself. But right where he jumped to get out of the way, I was lying in wait.
I locked my fingers into each other, placing my hands in a praying gesture, before slamming down on his head with the power of 500 Genesis Orbs. Enough to make him pass out, but not enough to kill him. Just as my attack landed, his body shined blue, and while I was able to hit him hard, he still wasn't unconscious. Of course, the bull wasn't going to let such a thing slide.
The bull snorted before tridents made of angry water appeared around him, and chased after Onvima. His pink light was illuminating the stone field, dodging tridents left in right. He was doing really well, even making sure I couldn't enclose in on him without risking losing the match in one strike. But there was a limit to how long this could go on for. The bull could easily defeat Onvima right now, but it seemed extremely irritated for whatever reason, and since Wild Beasts and Plants began to grow more intelligent as they got higher in class, it wanted to taunt him. I took advantage of this, and once I found a good opportunity, sent an undodgable bolt into his shoulder. He activated his defense, but it wasn't enough to stop my bolt completely, resulting in the bolt being lodged into his shoulder and pinning him to the circular stone wall.
I ran after the bolt and while he was undefended, kicked him dead on his plexus, causing him to finally pass out. The bull was obviously dissatisfied with my actions and snorted at me angrily. But for reasons unknown to me, it only walked past me and focused on ruining the man in front of it.
'Damn it. If he is actually that bloodthirsty then I'll have to take my chances and attack the thing. Medisma would kill me if I let one of her disciples be killed-!'
Right as I was in the middle of my thought, goosebumps popped into existence all over my body and I could feel the hairs on the nape of my neck stand up. Everything in my body was telling me to run away right now. I suddenly dropped everything and ran as fast as I could toward the only exit from the fire pit, but it was too late.
Raining from the sky above, strange red-wrapped cylinder-like pieces of... something, hit the ground. I could immediately identify what was being used in front of me. It was a multitude of explosives.
BOOOOOM!!!!!!
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
MrChill
MrChill Ok, so, the next chapter will be the last of this labyrinth saga, and I also think it'll be really cool. BTW, my dumbass totally forgot to actually, post, the chapter yesterday, so there still will be one today. Also, I think starting now, I'm gonna make some serious changes to how my POV changes work, so look forward to that.
PS: Powerstones are cool... so are reviews... so if you use those that would also be cool...
Thank you.
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