ALL NOVEL Chapter 113 – Floor 9: Part 34
Chapter 113 – Floor 9: Part 34
Yule lowered her head in what she hoped the Heroes would mistake for fear as the battle began. In truth, it was embarrassment over Mathew’s horrible acting.
She knew that the ‘Demon Lord’ would need to lose in order to satisfy the objectives of the gods, but she hadn’t thought Mathew would be so bad and pretending to lose.
Standing in front of his throne, power radiated off of him. A confluence of mana and Aether surrounded his body, forming an aura of oppression that nearly forced Yule to her knees. She could imagine how hard it was for the Heroes to withstand the full brunt of its force.
His ‘Fear’ Blessing turned him into a monster of gigantic proportions, one clothed in shadow and a thick smell of blood and death covered the hall.
From his first attack, Yule knew the Heroes would have no chance of defeating Mathew if he actually tried. Each step he took shook the ground; each time he would lash out at them with his fist, the air would crack like thunder.
The Heroes tried to retaliate, but their strongest magics would envelop Mathew harmlessly. Their blows from sword, knife and arrow wouldn’t penetrate ‘The Coward’s Brand,’ let alone his Aether enhanced flesh.
He was an unstoppable juggernaut facing peasants who could have been wielding lengths of straw for all the good they did.
After the initial assault, the Heroes fell back to the far end of the room to regroup. A frown had appeared on Mathew’s face, and he turned to Yule for advice.
“How am I doing?” Mathew asked, and Yule shook her head in exasperation.
“Overdoing it! You’re supposed to lose!” Yule hissed.
“I’m trying!” Mathew muttered. He thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers as he had an idea.
“I got it!” Mathew whispered, satisfied that his idea would work. He leapt from the dias that held his throne and landed in the center of the hall and fell to one knee.
“Oh no! The dark ritual I used to enhance my demonic strength is failing! Curse these heroes for holding out long enough for my power to fade!” Mathew shouted loudly enough that his voice echoed off the walls of the hall.
Yule put her hand over her eyes and let out a sigh. There was no way they were going to believe that, Mathew! A dark ritual? And its suddenly failing after a few minutes?! They would need to be idiots to fall for-.
“Yes! We have a chance! All together now!” Sarin yelled, pumping his fist in triumph as they surged toward the fallen Demon Lord.
Yule watched in confusion as an onslaught of mana flew and Mathew, obscuring him from sight. She could feel the ground shake as explosion detonated around him. Then, as the smoke and dust cleared, Mathew was revealed once more.
He had ripped his clothing to give the appearance of injury, and he roared loudly in pretend anger.
“AHHH, I have been defeated! Curse you, Heroes! As my last act in this world before death, I will destroy this mansion and everyone inside it. This place will be your tomb unless you somehow manage to flee in time!” Mathew yelled, and the Heroes panicked.
“We’ve done it! Run before this place collapses!” Sarin yelled.
Mathew reached up into the air toward the ceiling and made a pulling motion. The entire palace began to shake and rumble. Yule could feel a strange emanation of mana from Mathew’s hand and a response from the building.
‘He’s recalling the magic of the mansion.’ Yule thought. The entire building was a magical item that Mathew had purchased from the store and used his mana to expand into its current size. Now, he was reversing the process.
“Flee Heroes or perish from my final act!” Mathew encouraged them.
The Heroes hesitated, looking at Yule, who had returned to take notes. Seeing her ignore them, Sarin ran forward and picked her up to carry her away.
Yule began to fight against him; the unexpected act of rescuing her was ruining her notes, and she tried to escape his grip. Unable to stop Sarin from pulling her to safety, she looked to Mathew for help.
Mathew watched her being carried with a small smile and a shrug. He gave her a small wave of his hand that went unnoticed by anyone but her.
“Goodbye.” Mathew whispered. The shaking grew stronger, and he waited until everyone left to stand again and lower his hand. Walking out of the rear of the hall, Mathew found a back exit that led to one of the gardens.
As soon as his boots sunk into the green grass, he heard the long-awaited ‘Ding’ from his silver wristband. The burning words appeared shortly after.
Success! You have completed the 9th Floor!
With your defeat, the land has been prepared for the rise of new Heroes. The Chronicles will forever tell of the evil exploits of ‘Demon Lord Mathew.’
Bonus: The gods have judged your acting to be ‘Adequate.’ Bonus Aether has been awarded.
The familiar pillar of white light emerged behind him, revealing the interior of the elevator leading to the next floor.
Mathew raised his hand and commanded the Mansion to return to him. It collapsed into itself, shrinking to form a small toy that could rest comfortably in his palm. Screened by a cloud of dust from the sudden collapse of his home, the Heroes had no idea that the ‘Demon Lord’ didn’t perish in the compact mansion.
Satisfied, Mathew entered the elevator and left the 9th Floor behind.
On the far side of the crater where the Mansion once stood, Yule looked sadly at the remnants. The dust had cleared enough for her to spot the fading light of the portal Mathew had left through.
Stifling her feelings, she thanked the Heroes for ‘rescuing her’ and departed for the Cathedral of Knowledge.
Yule had a lot of work to do before her Chronicle was complete.
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Waiting in the cool interior of the modern-looking elevator to slowly take him to his destination, Mathew perused his status screen.
Name: Mathew Larson
Discipline: Villain (Level 10l)
Champion (Level 15)
Trickster (Level 5)
Coward (Level 5)
Charlatan (Level 5)
Level: 40
Aether Required for Next Level: N/A (Maximum Level of Discipline Achieved.)
Current Aether: 875,540
Attributes
Body: 6.7
Mind: 6.5
Spirit: 2.8
Blessings
Create and Control Flames + (Max Tier)
The Coward’s Brand + (Max Tier)
Catapult + (Max Tier)
Truthsayer (Unique Ability)
Mystic Bolt + (Max Tier)
Pass Without Trace (Max Tier)
Blur + (Max Tier)
Halt Movement + (Max Tier)
Villainous Smite – Wave of Destruction
Items of Importance
Wyvern Scale Jacket (Increased resistance to Piercing/Slashing/Fire)
Scarf of the Wanderer (Protection from hazardous atmospheres.)
Knife of Soaring (Item can be ‘Catapulted’ from the hand as if it were not carried.)
Mace of Subjugation (Bonus to Body, damage can be increased by using mana.)
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Mathew had reached the maximum level of his Discipline, meaning he would need to choose a new one before entering the next floor. Typically, a choice would be presented to him during the elevator ride, but this time, nothing happened.
“I wonder what the gods have in store for me next.”
It felt like they were playing with him at times. Doing things to irritate or hinder him, such as with their choice of Disciplines and Blessings, or forcing him to complete floors and objectives that were ill suited to his personality.
Closing the status screen, Mathew flicked his finger to summon his Inventory.
He had a large collection of magical items. He had accumulated quite a bit from the Lineages and his various adventures around the world. But, for some reason, the ‘Sell’ option of the Shop had been disabled since the Seventh Floor.
Mathew wasn’t sure what was going on with it, and it was a bit of a disappointment that hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Aether were sitting in his inventory without a proper use for it. But he was sure there was a reason for it.
The gods seemed to have a plan for everything, although he often disagreed with them. Especially Mischievous Depravity. The former Outer Deity had left him alone since the Lineages had pledged their devotion, and Mathew was thankful.
He wanted nothing to do with that particular god.
Just as he was settling in for a long wait, the elevator came to a stop and revealed the 10th Floor.