"So, whose group are you in?" Azekiel asked, slightly curious. He wasn't working with the other Kings, but he had contact with the beings from above.
He knew that maybe if all of them worked together, Raphael could've found a way to clear this floor sooner than expected while preventing the other Kings from making so many mistakes along the way, but he just let them do as they pleased.
"I've already answered you enough. You haven't answered one thing." Raphael stopped answering, shifting the topic back to Azekiel. "Tell me why? You say I shouldn't take the risk of fighting you. But why shouldn't I contact the ones above and inform them about you? I'm sure they would love to take that risk. So why shouldn't I?"
"Because if I die, my familiars will disappear forever. And since one of them is connected to you somehow, with their death, you'll be weakened as well. And I have a feeling that regaining this same strength after that won't be easy for you. It's pretty hard after all," Azekiel gave a reason when he was sure that even Raphael would understand.
"With my death, it's not just me who will be losing, but you as well. And I don't think I need to tell you what will happen to you after you are left behind as a weak king."
"You're suggesting I let you leave?" Raphael asked, realizing that Azekiel was saying that it was good for him to not get involved in this battle.
"Oh, I don't need you to let me leave. I'm sure I can find a way out of this city even if it doesn't let me leave. What I'm saying is that you would be much better off working with me. My safety of your safety," Azekiel clarified. "Don't worry though. I'm not in any hurry for an answer. I'll give you the time to think about it. I'll come to meet you tomorrow. I'm sure that long should be enough for you to decide."
After speaking what he had to, Azekiel jumped, looking as if he was flying in the air. He landed on the distant building and kept walking away.
Raphael, for some reason, didn't try to stop Azekiel, just watching him leave. Even he hadn't come here with the intention of fighting. If he had, he would've attacked right away, and it was clear that Azekiel wasn't looking for a battle either. It was clear that he did not expect to see so many kings in the City when you arrived here, eventually getting caught in the scheme of other Kings.
Even after all that, he only tried to leave. That could only mean two things, according to him. Either he wasn't ready for a battle when he entered the city and didn't expect it. Or he really didn't want to fight, despite having strength.
Even after Azekiel saw Raphael behind him, there was no fighting intent in him.
"Tomorrow, huh," Raphael muttered as he also turned around. He didn't know if Azekiel was going to keep his promise of meeting them tomorrow or not, but he expected that at least.
Raphael also jumped down from the building and walked back, noticing all the bodies that were littered around.
So many lives had been lost yet he didn't feel anything except that it was a pity.
Before long, Raphael disappeared into the maze of buildings.
****
Azekiel also left the city, but not through the route of the portal which everyone was expecting him to take to escape from this floor.
Instead, he took the other exit of the city, which led to the depths of the floor, including the plains where the Guardian of the Floor used to stay.
He hesitated in coming here because it was quite troublesome to deal with so many kings at once, but one thing that motivated him to come here was the beasts of this floor which he believed were going to help him level up.
Unfortunately, seeing the Kings kill humans made him aware of the reality. It was clear that there were no beasts available on this floor, as all of them had been killed already.
That meant only the Guardian of the Floor was left here, who could give him some experience.
Despite being sure that all the beasts were dead, he still traveled deeper, but only to try his luck to see if he could find any hidden horde but also because he wanted to see how strong the guardian was now.
Throughout the stone planes, he didn't find even a single beast. There was some dry blood spread at places along with the signs of battle as if some beasts were killed here. Throughout the long time they had been here, the Kings had killed all the beasts.
"Those idiots. Most Kings only stay here for a decade or so before realizing the secret of this place. The current batch seems like the stupidest ones. They killed every single one of the beasts and still don't know. I am surprised even Raphael is a part of this batch. I suppose the others' stupidity also infected him, slowing him down as well."
"Even though he realizes he has been approaching this problem the wrong way before the others, he is still not there yet."
"If he was here, I think he would've realized the truth in a few tries, but this Raphael... Even though they both feel like the same person, they seem different as well. The Raphael I know is more calm, composed, and slightly smarter. The Raphael on this floor has been stronger yet hesitating and a bit slow."
"It's like they are both the same person yet completely different, having differences in their personalities... Wait... Could it be that...?"
Azekiel was amazed at the stupidity of the Kings here, not realizing that the thought was going to lead him to something more. Trying to see the difference between the people here and Raphael, he ended up noticing something that he didn't before.
"So that's why there is a spirit and a real person?"
