Kyle ignored Bia's cries and focused on the man in front of him. His grip on his sword tightened when the latter raised an amused brow at him.
Emion took a step forward but Kyle stepped back due to his sudden movement. An invisible dark pressure surged in the hall, almost crushing the ground underneath.
"Why are you stepping back? Do you not want to know more about the dark race?"
A regretful sigh escaped Emion's lips when the boy did not even flinch under his pressure. He would have already torn this human into hundreds of pieces but he stopped because first he was injured and second he was intrigued by Kyle's presence. It was like the human did not exist at all.
Even now, the boy was clearly standing in front of him but he was unable to sense anything from him. Moreover, that tiny bird sitting on the latter head was a phoenix. Something he had not seen in his whole life.
"How interesting?"
Emion mumbled under his breath. He wanted to speak more but Kyle's next move surprised him. The boy suddenly sheathed his sword and looked at him with a smirk, that betrayed all the coldness present in his eyes.
"Emion is it? Well, I know you want to attack me but..."
Kyle's eyes trailed off toward his abdomen. More specifically he gazed at the dry blood spots present on the man's robe.
"You are injured. Aren't you? And believe me, even if I am weaker than you I would not go down without taking someone with me."
He grabbed the stunned, astonished, and shocked phoenix from his hoodie and caressed her feathers slowly.
"Tsk tsk, I am not even alone. So, I hope you think twice before attacking."
Emion eyebrow twitched at the arrogant remarks. He snorted. The boy was audacious enough to threaten him in front of his face. If not for for the fact that he was severely injured after fighting countless similar-rank lizards he would have already killed this human with a single slap.
At first, when the boy stepped into the hall due to his unusual presence Emion hid himself to observe him for a while. However, he was shocked just after a minute. The boy was so much stronger! So why the hell did he only fight weaker enemies in the hall? Then he thought.
'Oho, he is wearing a special artifact to cheat in the treasure lands.'
Emion wanted that artifact. That's why he decided to wait until the human revealed the artifact. But now he knew his plan was not going to work at all. He grinned and unfurled his wings to fly.
"Arrogant are not we?"
After throwing a disdainful glance at the human, he flapped his wings to form a burst of wind and directed it toward Kyle to assess his strength.
Kyle felt a powerful push on his body. It was powerful enough to send him flying if he was just a little weaker. Still, he stubbornly planted his feet on the ground to stand straight. He even raised his brow at the man to show he was not affected at all.
Emion clicked his tongue and as if waiting for their little talk to end, a little tremble shook everything around them before a bright light flashed to occupy every corner of the hall. Kyle winced due to the sudden light. He subconsciously moved his arm to cover his eyes but the light vanished like it was never there in the first place.
He blinked and his eyes traveled around. The hall that was battered after he and Bia fought with the lizards was now back to its clean and pristine condition. He snapped his eyes up to look at the man but the man did not even glance at him.
Instead, Emion eyes were fixed on the three ordinary-looking doors that emerged out of thin air at the end of the hall. He leaped toward one of the doors with a wide grin plastered on his face.
"Finally I can go to the next stage."
He was so fast that Kyle almost thought he teleported. However, Kyle knew the man did not teleport.
'Just how much stronger one needs to become to move so fast?'
Emion stopped after he pushed the door open roughly, he tilted his head and looked back at Kyle with an evil smile.
"How amazing right? Even after both of us destroyed this place it went back to its original condition the moment all the participants were done."
Kyle did not understand why the man was speaking to him so suddenly but he kept his wary eyes on him.
Emion mumbled something under his breath so fleeting that Kyle was not able to grasp it. After flashing another wide smile at Kyle he stepped in the door.
"Human, try to stay alive because I want to be the one to end you. Remember... we will meet again, hahaha."
After Emion vanished, Bia blinked at Kyle with bated breath. Was he the same person she knew?
-'When did you become so good at pretending?'
However, instead of replying Kyle suddenly clenched his chest and dropped to his knees.
"Ugh, that bastard!"
Bia's body tensed. She distanced herself from him and looked at him from head to toe.
-'Are you injured? What happened?'
"Of course not.."
Kyle stopped mid-sentence and coughed loudly. Droplets of blood seeped out from his mouth, painting his jaw red.
"That man... he deliberately targeted my heart when he delivered the wind attack but it's fine. I am not severely injured."
He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and retrieved a healing potion from his mind space. After drinking the potion, Kyle gazed at the three doors with a sigh.
"Let's leave, this place is giving me chills."
Bia gazed at him with worry but she knew they could not stay in this hall any longer. Or else just like the previous hall they have to face even stronger opponents. She agreed with a nod and flew toward the doors.
-'So which one?'
"Hmm, Emion entered the first door let's enter the last one to avoid any type of contact with him."
Kyle stopped in front of the door for a second and glanced back at the hall. Right now it was empty. Devoid of any monster. A sudden thought flashed in his mind. Didn't the mechanical voice say they have to find the correct answer to the path in front of them? Or did it say they have to find the correct exit?
-'What happened?'
"I just noticed something strange. This hall, it's very similar to the previous one. It's like we entered the same place. We fought with monsters in the first one and did the same in the second one. The only difference was that the opponents were different."
"Why do I feel like we won't find the exit even if we entered this door? Bia do you remember what the mechanical voice said after we stepped onto the platform."
Bia thought for a second.
-'Well, not clearly but I think the voice said to find the correct answer to the path ahead.'
Kyle hummed. He pushed the door and walked in with a contemplating expression.
"I have a guess but I need to confirm it."
