The gate—a massive double door—parted slightly, revealing a fine crack at the center. The narrow slit was just wide enough for a slim human to pass through, and Sasha stood there, her face illuminated by an eerie light from within.
The roar that erupted from beyond the gate was not just sound but something fouling—a wall of force that slammed directly into her face. The concussive blast carried with it the stench of decay and something far worse. For a moment, she stood frozen, unmoving, her eyes wide with shock and horror. Then, like a puppet with severed strings, she collapsed to the ground with a soft thud.
Elias's barrier protected him from the brunt of the roar; Dice was quick enough to cut the roar in two with his blade, the force of it parting around him like water. The green-haired boy, caught off guard by the sudden assault, had no time to defend himself; he crumpled to the ground, consciousness fleeing instantly.
BANG!
The monster inside slammed against the gate with tremendous force, causing the doors to rattle and close because they could only swing inward. Then, as the beast inside retreated a few paces, the gates began to swing open ominously, creaking on ancient hinges.
Gravity Force extended through the air toward Sasha, and Elias pulled her limp body away from the opening doors. She was burning hot to the touch and completely limp, her breathing labored and ragged. Blood trickled from her eyes and ears, painting crimson trails down her pale face.
He dashed away from the door as she floated behind him, suspended by his power. Reaching flat ground, he gently lowered her. "What should I do!" Elias panicked, frustration mounting as he realized he had no hands to search through their supplies for medicine.
His gaze darted toward Dice, who had also dragged Speedy and Green toward the L-shaped turn in the corridor. They didn't have time to speak when a foul stench—more putrid than human decay—washed over them in suffocating waves.
A beast emerged from the darkness, reminiscent of a dinosaur of old, but grotesquely malformed. It walked on two powerful hind legs with a long, sinuous neck, but its back bore what appeared to be another smaller, rotting dinosaur fused to it in an unholy amalgamation. Flesh melded with flesh in ways that defied natural law, creating a nightmare of biology.
Just looking at the creature filled Elias with revulsion that churned in his stomach, alongside a strange, unbidden pity. He recognized that the beast too must loathe its own existence, trapped in that horrific form and clearly suffering intense, unending pain.
Sasha, Green, and Speedy began to choke as the air grew thick with the creature's miasma. The further the creature emerged from the gate, the more unbreathable the atmosphere became, filled with microscopic particles of rot and decay.
Their eyes met simultaneously across the chamber. "Not Calamity, but close!" They exclaimed in unison, and without further hesitation, they dashed toward the monstrosity.
Their faces contorted in agony from the foulness of the air; violent coughing seized their throats, but they pushed forward with grim determination.
Gravity Hard Push—Elias struck first. The beast staggered backward, a guttural sound escaping its misshapen jaws. A sword flashed, slashing at its leg, making the beast slump down with a screech that sent vibrations through the stone floor.
The cut sprayed blood out of the gate; it transformed into dirt-red steam upon contact with the air. Their eyes burned as if doused in acid, and their throats itched violently, making speech nearly impossible.
They jumped back, desperately searching for clean air but finding none. The beast rose to its full height and stepped fully out of the gate; the wound on its leg now exposed to the outside air, causing it to weep a substance that made their eyes water uncontrollably.
Gravity Force extended through numerous large rocks behind Elias, yanking them upward and pulling them toward him. Elias dodged without looking back, trusting in his power's precision.
The beast rammed its head against the first rock with enough force to shatter stone, resisting the gravitational push, but more rocks slammed into it from all sides. A dull sword slashed at its leg again, hammering it backward, and it fell heavily, its massive head crashing on the dividing line between the gate and the outside world.
Gravity Force Hard Push shoved the entire creature back inside the gate. A low, agonizing growl escaped its mouth—almost like pleading, a sound so full of suffering that it pierced their hearts despite their revulsion.
Dice stood beside Elias, the fight having taken a severe toll on him. He was barely conscious, hardly able to hold his sword upright; only cold determination kept him from collapsing entirely.
The beast's back bubbled in a revolting manner that defied description; pus-filled water flowed from ruptures in its skin. A large insect leg wiggled from within its flesh before going still, as if whatever creature dwelled inside had momentarily given up its struggle for freedom.
The monster's skin twisted independently, seeming alive and separate from the body it contained, trying to free itself from the beast that housed it. The creature exhaled a disgusting mist that churned with tiny, writhing worms. Accompanying this noxious breath was thick mucus containing long tapeworms carrying black, bristly hairs across their segmented bodies.
The beast began to suffocate as its airways clogged, unable to breathe through the mass of parasites and decay. It snapped its mouth open wide, revealing a tongue that had rotted away to little more than blackened tissue. Elias looked away, his stomach heaving violently as he fought to keep from vomiting.
Never had he witnessed something so fundamentally wrong, so contrary to the natural order. He wasn't physically exhausted, but dizziness overwhelmed him; the mere sight was enough to impact his mind, leaving scars that might never fully heal.
Their saving grace was a thin, transparent veil that seemed to prevent the worst of the smell from escaping the gate, though what reached them was still almost unbearable.
The beast moved again. Its wounds didn't heal, but like some grotesque zombie, injury didn't immobilize it despite the indescribable pain it clearly suffered. It galloped forward with surprising speed, its mismatched limbs working in unnatural coordination.
Gravity Force Push repeatedly slammed against it, slowing its movement but not stopping it entirely. The moment its snout pushed past the threshold, Elias's skin prickled as if touched by fire, and angry rashes spread across his exposed flesh. He choked immediately, eyes burning as if salt had been poured directly into them.
The stench was beyond description—not merely foul but fundamentally wrong, as if it carried corruption capable of tainting reality itself.
SLICE!
A sharp cutting sound came from Dice's direction. The head was cleanly severed and fell outside the door with a wet thud.
"Push the head inside!" The shout was strained, as if coming from a man being strangled, his final desperate words echoing through the chamber.
Elias was already severely disoriented; he couldn't even see through his burning, tearing eyes as he fumbled blindly to comply.