An orange glow burst forth from the blazing gate hidden within the sandstorm.
Above the enormous mechanical doors, fierce flames churned like living creatures.
Sparks continuously erupted between the interlocking gears, while the fire stretched forward as if craning its neck, trying to leave its brand upon Viktor's arm.
Vega—perched on his shoulder—felt the scorching heat and narrowed its eyes slightly.
Staring at the orange-red flames erupting before them, flickering light reflected in its gaze.
Its hoarse vocal cords dragged through the air as it slowly spoke, "This is the true Underworld."
The Underworld, just as its name implied, was the final destination of all living things after death.
The Gate of Hell before them was the entrance leading to that Underworld.
Once its doors opened, it meant that a temporary passage between the Underworld and the mortal world had been established.
But that path was filled with danger.
The flames of evil spirits, merciless steel, and the terrifying three-headed hound.
Any one of them posed an enormous trial for those attempting to enter Hell.
The hollow clanking of chains echoed around them. The howls of souls consumed by flames shook the surrounding air.
And the deep growls of the three-headed hound were enough to chill anyone to the bone.
Waves stirred within Vega's heart as a long-forgotten sensation quietly awakened deep inside it.
'The Gate of Hell had not opened for a very long time.'
'How had Viktor managed to find its entrance?'
'Ah... right. That made sense.'
After all, this was Viktor. The fact that he found this place didn't surprise it in the slightest.
Now, Vega ruffled its feathers lightly, its expression turning serious.
What it truly wanted to know was just what kind of person Viktor's father had been, to hide a gate leading into Hell inside his own tomb.
"Viktor, are you really going in there?"
Its tone had become far steadier than usual, and its raspy voice strangely carried a sense of reassurance.
Viktor stood where he was, allowing the scorching heatwaves erupting from the Gate of Hell to whip his coat around.
His eyes remained fixed on the gate, the crimson flames illuminating his dark pupils.
There were two ways to enter Hell.
The first was to locate the Gate of Hell.
The gate could randomly appear in many places throughout the world, usually in areas overflowing with death and wandering spirits.
As long as a player was above level fifty and convinced Hell itself that they had entered a state of death, the gate would open and allow them to step through.
Of course, players would not truly die.
So the only way to explore Hell was to deceive it using necromancer magic imbued with the aura of death, or by using special items to simulate a death state.
The second method was one universally available to all players.
Find the Abyss and descend to the 101st floor... [Tartarus].
Viktor stared deep into the Gate of Hell. Beyond the doors, the flaming Cerberus was issuing a low warning growl in the face of a powerful enemy.
"Have you ever considered adding one more animal to your followers?"
Vega blinked in confusion, not immediately understanding what Viktor meant.
"What... animal?"
In the next second, Viktor stepped forward with Vega.
At once, ghostly green soul fire climbed across Viktor's body.
Green light flowed over him as flames burst violently from his limbs.
Wrapped in those blazing green ghost flames, his figure resembled a brilliant star shining in broad daylight.
In that state, he stepped into the Gate of Hell.
The moment his figure vanished completely, the dust swirling around the gate gradually settled.
Like the steel jaws of some mechanical beast, the giant doors slammed together repeatedly while thunderous pounding echoed from within the metal core, hidden flames bursting out endlessly.
Within the hollow openings high above the gate, dim lights flickered. Accompanied by those fluttering glimmers came low, twisted laughter.
The endless inferno surging outward was entirely swallowed by the enormous maw, forming a rapidly spiraling vortex of flame in the sky.
That vast, scorching radiance coiled overhead, as though the giant mouth intended to tear apart and devour the entire world along with it.
Soon, the massive gate resembling a giant beast began to crumble. Steel collapsed, and the flames slowly faded.
The surrounding world returned to silence once more, and the drifting dust finally settled.
The palaces nearby remained completely intact, as if nothing had happened at all.
———
Meanwhile, the standoff between Helnarson and the crimson armor had yet to end.
Helnarson's hands circled through the air, tracing flowing arcs. The energy around him resembled two rivers coursing along his arms, forming a circular outline.
As the crimson spear came hurtling toward him in a blur, Helnarson forcibly redirected each incoming strike aside.
His agile body twisted fluidly as power flowed through his movements.
It was as though limitless strength erupted with every breath he took.
The surrounding waves of dust were whipped high into the air, and even the solid ground beneath them cracked apart under the pressure.
Dugaron's crimson figure darted rapidly across the battlefield.
Each thrust of his spear carried piercing winds meant to impale Helnarson's body, yet every attack was casually blocked.
Just as Dugaron prepared to strike again, Helnarson suddenly seized the spearhead.
At the same time, he turned his palm horizontally and slammed it toward the opponent's chest.
Bang!
The tremendous force behind that strike shook the armor violently.
The impact pierced through the steel itself, smashing a fan-shaped fracture across the crimson ground in the distance.
The spear plunged into the earth as Dugaron bent low, dragging a trail through the dust while preparing to charge once more.
He leapt high into the air, spinning rapidly several times before landing with one hand against the ground.
A long scar was carved into the earth before he finally stabilized himself.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
Two crimson star-like lights burst from his eyes. One eye burned with intense flames, savage and ferocious.
Helnarson remained unmoved, standing calmly in place.
The aura around him resembled an unmoving giant elephant, steady and composed.
The bearing of a true martial grandmaster.
After the intense battle just now, Viktor's life aura could no longer be sensed anywhere within the tomb.
So Helnarson looked toward the crimson armor preparing to attack once more and spoke calmly.
"Then, for the safety of the family head..."
"I need to end this immediately."
Naturally, Dugaron could not understand Helnarson's words, but he could clearly feel that the bear-man before him had become slightly more serious.
Within that overwhelming bear-like aura, Dugaron sensed solemn pressure and immense shock.
Helnarson bowed slightly toward Dugaron and cupped his fists together.
"My apologies."
The moment those words fell, Helnarson placed one palm against the ground.
He stepped forward with one foot, toe pressing into the earth, while his other leg bent slightly as he dropped to one knee, steady as a bell.
[Martial Stance: Bear]
Feeling the vast and razor-sharp power emanating from Helnarson, the deep crimson glow in Dugaron's eyes widened slightly.
The instincts forged through countless brutal battles screamed at him that this was a power worthy of fear.
So he no longer held anything back.
The armor on his body spread outward violently like a grotesque grin stretching open.
The overwhelming power even cracked the helmet itself, revealing a deep and berserk smile beneath.
Infinite force exploded from his legs, shattering the earth as he transformed into a crimson comet.
Clutching his spear, he tore through the dust-filled space and thrust directly toward Helnarson.
Facing that attack ripping through the air, veins bulged along the arm Helnarson had embedded into the ground, his muscles tightening.
He gathered all the strength in his body into that arm, and a terrifying force erupted from within his palm.
Like an earthquake, the ground shook violently. The horrifying tremors shattered the crystal-like earth apart.
In an instant, an enormous crystal pillar burst upward into the sky to intercept Dugaron.
Dugaron's sharp instincts instantly sensed the danger.
Twisting his body urgently, he planted one foot atop the massive crystal pillar and narrowly avoided the collision.
But the moment his feet touched the ground again, he realized the earth beneath him was still trembling violently.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The quaking caused the ground to rupture once more as endless crystal pillars erupted upward.
They pierced through the thick clouds of dust, surging toward Dugaron's body from beneath his feet.
He leapt high into the air, avoiding the maze of jagged spikes.
But in that instant, he suddenly noticed...
The massive bear-man had straightened his body.
Facing the sky, Helnarson suddenly unleashed a thunderous bear's roar.
ROAR!!!
That roar seemed to awaken the fury sleeping beneath the earth. Countless sharp crystal pillars instantly burst from the ground, winding toward Dugaron like serpents.
He could only twist and maneuver desperately through the air, using the crystal pillars as footholds to continuously evade.
But in the next second, while Dugaron focused entirely on dodging...
he saw the enormous bear-man seize one of the towering crystal walls before him.
Then snap it cleanly in half.
Afterward, Helnarson grabbed the massive slab and exerted slight force through his legs.
BOOM!
Like a meteor, his figure shot into the sky.
High above, Helnarson used the momentum to spin two and a half times before violently hurling the wall outward.
As though throwing a comet down upon the earth.
Dugaron barely dodged the flying wall at the very last moment.
He landed on the ground, but the tremors spreading through the dust made it difficult to steady himself.
Though he narrowly avoided the crashing wall, the shaking earth froze him in place.
And the moment Dugaron regained his vision, a gigantic shadow blocked his sight.
A massive silhouette suddenly covered his view.
'Is that Helnarson's body?'
No.
It was Helnarson's fist.
Dugaron had no time to react before the bear-man's fist was already right in front of his face.
BOOM!
Just a hair's breadth closer, and that fist carrying endless power would have blasted straight through his skull.
Yet even the shockwave generated by the punch alone tore apart the land before him, leaving countless chaotic fractures across the ground.
Farther away, entire palaces were obliterated by the pressure generated from Helnarson's punch.
Ancient ruins collapsed as endless boulders crashed onto the crimson crystal plains, smashing a massive crater deep into the ground.
All that remained was a gigantic fist-shaped imprint, as though the strike had pierced through space itself.
Under that punch, the flames within Dugaron's eyes flickered violently, as if the shockwave itself had nearly extinguished them.
Suddenly, the massive fist larger than his own head withdrew, and his vision cleared once more.
Meanwhile, Helnarson had already withdrawn his fighting spirit.
His aura turned restrained and gentle, like a completely harmless bear-man.
Dugaron looked up and saw only Helnarson cupping his fists respectfully toward him.
The flames in Dugaron's eyes finally faded away. His pair of crimson eyes seemed to regain awareness as they looked once at Helnarson.
He twirled the crimson spear, drawing a flourish through the air before planting it behind him.
Then he bowed deeply toward Helnarson, filled with respect and acknowledgment of defeat.
He had lost.
With that understanding, the spirit of the general slowly dispersed, crumbling away into dust.
Helnarson gazed at the scattered armor pieces, his eyes carrying a low, regretful sigh.
"My thanks for the match."