"The Wood of the World Tree can survive any acid. But still... Using a coffin..."
Raphael found it somewhat complicated. They were taking the coffin of a god. If they took the coffin, they needed to bring the body out and leave it on the ground behind, which was disrespectful, especially for people he knew. Then again, he also knew how important this mission was for Azekiel's life.
"Is there any other option?" Azekiel asked, already knowing the answer to the question. "We have no choice here."
Azekiel didn't even wait for Raphael's answer as he moved closer to the coffin. He opened the coffin and picked up the dead body of the god. He carefully placed the body on the ground nearby.
"We will give him the coffin back when we're returning."
Azekiel picked up the coffin, which was so light that it even surprised him.
He carried the coffin back to the room filled with the Black water.
Raphael gazed back at the god lying on the ground. He didn't speak anything except to apologize inside his heart before following after Azekiel.
"It's for the greater good." Lia patted the shoulders of Raphael, who appeared a bit out of the zone today.
Today he found out that so many people he knew had died. It was as if his entire world was wiped out. Ever since he saw the first body, he had been a bit down, not appearing like his old self.
Azekiel placed the wooden Coffin in the water, holding it by the edge to make sure it didn't float away.
He observed the Coffin carefully to make sure it wasn't decaying in the acid. After a few minutes of letting it float, he pulled out the coffin of the water, checking the damage.
"Yeah. Not even the slightest damage. As expected of the coffin that looks new despite being so old."
He broke off the top of the coffin, making an oar from it to make sure they didn't get stuck in the middle of the water.
After preparing everything, he placed the coffin back in the water.
"Get inside." He gestured for Raphael and Lia to get inside first.
One after another, the two stepped inside the coffin. As the two of them had no weight, being Spirits, the coffin didn't even go down the slightest bit after they got inside. It was only after Azekiel entered that the Coffin sank a bit, but only by a few inches.
Azekiel pushed the wall behind him a little, sending the coffin floating ahead toward the other door.
Using the oars, he continued the movement of the coffin, reaching the other end of the Coffin within a few minutes.
This time, he didn't say anything. He didn't want to raise a red flag again, only to be disappointed later. He kept his expectations low as he stepped onto the platform right before the door, which was only wide enough for one person to stand.
Azekiel pushed the majestic golden door.
"The Stone!" Only a few inches of a gap was created between the two doors when Azekiel noticed a beautiful green stone floating on the other end of the hall! Finally, he saw the Stone of Time!
However, he could also hear some noise coming from inside the hall. It was as if a battle was taking place. As the doors opened more, he finally saw who was fighting.
Five Corpses... There were five Corpses in the hall that appeared to be fighting a young girl. The corpses had a deathly pale face. Some didn't even have a head. Despite all that, the Corpses appeared to have a great amount of strength. Just their sheer power was enough to make the ground tremble.
"Who is that girl?" Lia jumped inside the hall from the boat after the door was completely open.
"The Skid Marks of the Tombstone... And the Blood Droplets from before... They must be because of this girl. She is here for the same thing that we are here for." Raphael summarized. "Luckily, there was another layer of safety mechanism. If not, she would've received that stone already."
"Who is that girl?" Azekiel frowned as he also took a step inside the hall. It was his first time seeing that girl in the Tower. He was sure she wasn't a King or a Lord. "Is she Avila?"
Since he was sure that the girl wasn't a participant in the tower, he thought that she was from this Floor itself. He hadn't seen Avila without an Armor which made him initially think that this girl was probably Avila since the girl was really powerful.
She didn't appear to be winning the battle with the Five Corpses, but she also wasn't on the verge of dying. She did appear to be having a hard time though.
"No, that's not the fighting style of Avila. Moreover, why would Avila fight without her immortal Armor? And if it were truly Avila, these Corpses would've had no change." Azekiel shook his head, believing that his first assumption was wrong. There were many factors at play here.
"Ah, Azekiel? Are you here to watch her fight?" Lia tapped Azekiel's forehead, bringing him to his senses. He had been so immersed in the battle that he forgot what he was here for.
"She is distracting the Corpses. It's the perfect time to take the stone. Let her do the hard work while we eat the fruits of her labor," she added.
"I think we're too late for that," Raphael chimed in, noticing one of the five undead Corpses looking in their direction. "Summon me. Let me take care of them."
"No." Azekiel refused to summon Raphael, despite having enough Soul Energy for now.
"There's no need for now. I better save the Summon for a real emergency when I need backup."
Azekiel called forth his Gauntlets and transformed them to the Hammer of Gluttony right away before dashing to the green stone, holding the hammer firmly in his hand.
The Corpse that was looking at him also moved, noticing him go straight for the green gem. It was as if protecting the gem was his only goal.
Out of five, only four were left fighting the girl. Surprisingly, the corpse was even faster than him. Before Azekiel could even get to the gem, the corpse appeared before him.
The pale corpse stood between the stone and Azekiel like a wall. However, despite seeing the Corpse, Azekiel didn't stop. Instead, he held the hammer even more firmly.
He raised the hammer and continued advancing ahead, only increasing his speed further.
****
Back in another room, a body was lying on the floor. Azekiel had taken it out of the coffin, placing it on the ground. However, the eyes of the body abruptly opened.
