Sora carried Stark carefully, her pace steady but urgent, as she made her way back to the safe zone, she didn’t know what happened, but it didn’t matter for now!
The weight of his unconscious body wasn’t a challenge for her strength, but she was worried: the usual Stark wouldn’t pass out from this, no matter how small his HP pool was!
He had survived TWO deaths to save her from Warden after all!
She pushed open the large double doors to the safe zone, greeted by the luxurious room.
But surprisingly, there was someone inside!
Lana stood just inside, having just arrived from climbing the tower herself.
Her eyes widened the moment she saw Stark slumped over Sora’s shoulder.
“What happened?” Lana asked, her voice filled with worry.
She rushed forward, she was always the more emotional one.
“We fought a thing that shouldn’t be here… or at least, a monster showed up right after we defeated the Colosseum boss,” Sora explained, her voice firm, “He attacked Stark. Badly. I had to get him out before… well, you can see.”
Lana gasped, her hands hovering over Stark’s face.
Without wasting another second, she grabbed a few potions from the table with the sofas around and sat on one of them as she placed his head gently on her lap, supporting him as she carefully poured the potions into his mouth.
“Come on, Stark,” Lana muttered softly, running her fingers through his disheveled hair as she applied the healing potions, “Wake up. Please wake up.”
[Stark’s HP is fully maxed out!]
“Sigh…” she sighed in relief, because if his HP were maxed out it meant that he didn’t die, just asleep.
The atmosphere quickly recovered afterward, as both girls knew that he wasn’t in danger.
Sora knelt down beside them, watching Stark’s peaceful face, “I wonder what he’s dreaming about,” she murmured, her gaze intently fixed on him.
For someone who was constantly fighting, constantly on edge, his expression now was serene, almost peaceful, “So… peaceful, compared to his normal face.”
She extended a finger and gently touched his cheek repeatedly.
Lana giggled, “Heh~ he’s probably thinking about us. Or maybe he’s just happy he completed the Colosseum!”
Both of them agreed with their theories, believing them to be true.
They couldn’t have been more wrong.
…
Inside Stark’s Mind…
Stark opened his eyes, expecting to see the usual dream world: the dimly lit void, the doppelgängers of himself playing or doing whatever to pass the time.
But… the space around him was completely black, darker than usual, almost suffocating.
And for the first time, there were no doppelgängers.
No sign of the Domination or Alchemist, who usually toyed with the environment.
He called out, his voice echoing in the void.
“Domination? Alchemist?”
But no answer.
It was unsettling.
Worse, when Stark tried to move, he found himself bound by iron chains, thick and cold, wrapped tightly around his arms, legs, and torso.
“What the fuck?” he sweat a bit, his eyes widening.
He struggled against them, but they didn’t budge.
There were ten chains in total, and they stretched out into the darkness, disappearing beyond his line of sight.
But there was more: five additional chains, unlike the ones binding him, lay flat on the ground, pointing in different directions into the void too.
Stark watched them intently, his mind racing to figure out what was happening.
An hour after that, an entire hour where Stark was just… sitting idle, waiting for something to happen, anything.
But right as he was about to give up, maybe bite his tongue to forcefully wake up… slowly, he began to notice shapes emerging from the darkness, where the chains led.
Ten figures stepped forward, each one holding one of the chains that restrained him, some with their hands, others legs, and some with their mouths.
His blood ran cold as he recognized the first few shapes.
“The apostles…!” Stark’s eyes widened in shock.
He only recognized them because the [Crimson Moon Trio], [Olikar, The Colosseum Warrior], and [The Great Serpent]’s figures weren’t covered in darkness, meaning that the other apostles were those he didn’t and couldn’t see.
But for the first time, he could actually make out what they looked like: one of them looked like a giant wolf, another was normal-sized with pointy ears, yet another had giants wings, as big as a dragon.
They were all here, and he could see their white eyes looking at him.
The five chains that weren’t around Stark on the other hand went toward apostles who were currently on the ground, dead: Malakar, Judicator, Sierra, Lother and Reaper.
Why were they here? Why were the apostles holding him in place?
It didn’t take him much more to figure it out.
Because then, the ground beneath him shook and the chains rattled as a massive figure emerged from the darkness.
Its towering form, covered in an impenetrable black mist, loomed over Stark.
Crimson eyes glowed through the void, piercing him with their gaze.
“GODLESS DEMON,” he immediately shouted, he could recognize him from anywhere.
“Oh, wow, you’re a fan?” Godless mocked him.
Without thinking, Stark tried to rush forward, his crimson aura flaring, his rage surging.
Because if this was his mind, he should still be able to control it, to attack and to hurt that monster!
But the moment he moved… the chains pulled tight, stopping him in his tracks.
Thud!
The apostles tightened their grip on the chains, holding him back, preventing him from reaching the demon.
“You’re weak,” one of the apostles sneered, their voice echoing in his mind, “You don’t even understand the power we wield, do you?”
Another apostle, one with massive wings, leaned forward, a cruel smile playing on their lips, “Pathetic. You think you can challenge Godless? You’re not even close to ready.”
Godless took a step forward, his immense presence pressing down on Stark, suffocating him.
“You can’t fight me, Chosen,” he said, his voice filled with contempt, “You’re nothing more than a puppet, dancing on the strings I control. And your friends? Your world? All of it will crumble before me.”
Stark clenched his teeth, his fury building with every word.
He strained against the chains, but they held him fast.
The apostles continued to mock him, their laughter ringing in his ears, amplifying his frustration.
Godless reached out a massive hand, its shadowy fingers stretching toward Stark.
“You can’t escape this. You can’t stop what’s coming,” the demon growled, his hand drawing closer and closer.
“I’M GOING TO FUCKING DESTROY YOU-” Stark’s aura was about to break everything in this void.
But just as Godless’s hand was about to reach him, a familiar voice echoed through the void.
“Malfunction.”
The world around Stark flickered. The apostles, the chains, Godless—everything began to dissolve into nothingness.
“Wake up.”
The voice belonged to Domination.
He appeared beside Stark, nodding once before snapping his fingers.
Instantly, the entire scene vanished, erasing the apostles and Godless from Stark’s mind like a bad dream.
“Malfunction,” the doppelganger repeated calmly, “My bad.”
Before Stark could respond, his vision blurred, and he felt himself slipping back into unconsciousness.
“W-What the-?” He tried to speak, but his mind went blank as he fell, the last image he saw being his doppelganger smiling.
*****************
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