The Transmigrated Author-Chapter 196: The Abyssal Dungeon (3)

[The Abyssal Dungeon - Second Gate?]

I stared at the three archways, a wave of uncertainty washing over me.

The revelation that my vision had been deceived threw everything into disarray.

It meant I was venturing into this maze blind, with no knowledge of what lay ahead.

The wings symbol, I reasoned, might be the safest option.

The bishop's hat likely signified a powerful healer, capable of summoning countless spells and healing in battle – a nightmare scenario for me.

The horns probably indicated a massive creature, even larger than the one I'd fought during the dungeon assignment for class.

haah...

With a sigh, I stepped towards the portal beneath the wings. frёewebηovel.cѳm

As I extended a hand to touch the surface.

SHOCKKKKKKK!

A sudden burst of black and red lightning jolted through my body, forcing me back.

"...!"

My eyes widened in horror as visions flashed before me: my own death, screams, monstrous faces of beings I'd never encountered.

"AH!"

I stumbled backward, falling to the ground in a cold sweat.

"What... did I just see?" I gasped, my hand trembling as I reached to cover my eyes.

Fear gripped me tightly, and I looked towards the symbol of the wings with dread.

The future? I thought, but it couldn't be. My abilities hadn't even activated.

What was that, then?

No... I can't go in there... I could feel my heart pounding in my chest.

I need time to think...

But the exit would close soon if I remained idle.

Damn it...

Forget it I'll follow what my heart desires.

In a moment of desperation, I ignored the ominous horns and turned to the archway marked with the bishop's hat.

I'll fight whoever's in this bishop's room because there's no way I'm facing those things.

***

As Rel stepped through the dark portal, he found himself in a massive chamber...

[You've entered the following room: The Sanctuary Of Sin.]

[A Great Opponent Lies Before You...]

Rel looked at the screen as he kept his footsteps steady across the room.

His hands shook as he watched the screen before him flash.

[A Quest Has Been Created!]

FWANG

[Special Quest: The one tainted by the unholy void.]

[Description: Defeat the ancient bishop.]

[Rewards: 25.00+ Stamina, 25.00+ Health, Mana Upgrade 1+, All Stats Refreshed, 25,000 BP, ???]

Looking at the screen Rel now felt the fear consuming him as he realised his surroundings...

Tattered banners hung from the high ceiling, their once-bright colours faded to a dull grey.

Cracked stained glass windows depicted twisted scenes, casting eerie patches of coloured light onto the cold stone floor.

In the centre of the chamber, blocking a massive gate, stood the statue of a Bishop.

It towered over Rel, a skeletal figure draped in rags, its bony hands clasped in prayer.

Its hollow eye sockets stared directly at him as if judging his every move.

A gnarled staff, its top carved into a grotesque skull, was plunged into the mound of skulls the bishop stood upon.

Surrounding the statue, a circle of skeletal figures knelt in supplication, their bony hands outstretched in a gruesome parody of worship.

WHOOOOOOSH!!!!

"...!"

As Rel took a step closer towards the bishop, a chilling gust of wind whipped past his cheek, despite the stillness of the chamber.

CRACK!

He glanced up at the statue, just as it began to creak and crack, the stone and rust around its body crumbling away.

"Who dares enter thou chamber?" an old, angry voice echoed through the room.

Rel instinctively retreated a few steps, his heart pounding in his chest.

The bishop's eyes flickered to life, glowing with a faint white light.

"Ah... Human... yes..." The voice crackled with amusement. "And yet... not."

CRACK!

The eyes blazed brighter, focusing on Rel as the bishop's laughter reverberated through the chamber.

"Hereafter, a being not of this world."

CRACK...CRACK...CRACK...

The bishop's movements became more fluid as the stone around it shattered, revealing a figure clad in tattered robes.

"Accursed in a fool's body... shares a marking resemblance."

The bishop gripped the staff, its obsidian-like colour shining in the torchlight.

"Rest... assured..."

WHOOOOOOOSH!

A massive gust of wind erupted, tearing through the room, shattering the remaining stained glass windows, and scattering debris in all directions.

Rel barely managed to dodge the onslaught, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Thou art a reflection... of one long lost."

BANG!

The bishop plunged his staff into the ground, bending one knee as he lowered his head.

"Despising a fragment of thy kind, I shall extinguish thy DESTINED SPIRIT."

He raised his gaze to Rel, eyes burning with unholy light.

"I am Maledictus Nihilus, Arch-Bishop of the Fallen Deity. The Accursed Void of Darkness... and thou art the next to fall."

With a final, chilling declaration, Maledictus held his staff vertically before him.

CRACKKKK...

His skeletal hands tightened around its center, and with a sickening crunch, he snapped the staff in two.

A dark energy flowed from the broken ends, coalescing into a blade of pure obsidian.

The long, wickedly sharp sword seemed to drink in the light, leaving only a void of darkness in its wake.

The cold air crackled around the two as Maledictus raised the newly formed weapon, his eyes burning with unholy hunger.

A heartbeat of silence stretched between them, thick with anticipation.

RAHHHH!!!!

Then, with a guttural roar, Maledictus Nihilus raised his obsidian sword high above his head.

The chamber's temperature plummeted, the air growing heavy and oppressive.

[Special Passive: Sixth Sense [Grade 6] Has Been Activated!]

Rel felt a tingling sensation on his skin as if the very air around him crackled with unseen energy.

The bishop's eyes, burning like molten silver, locked onto Rel's.

BANGGGG!!!

With a sudden downward sweep of his blade, he slammed it into the ground.

A spiderweb of black cracks raced across the stone floor, the lines pulsing with an ominous glow.

"Accursed Eruption!" the bishop screamed, his voice echoing like a thunderclap.

RUMBLE...RUMBLE...RUMBLE...

The ground beneath Rel's feet trembled violently.

He stumbled back, just as the stone floor erupted in a geyser of jagged obsidian shards.

The shards twisted and weaved in the air, forming a swirling vortex of razor-sharp darkness that lunged towards him.

"Shit!"

Rel dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the initial onslaught.

CRASH, CRASH, CRASH!!!

The shards slammed into the wall behind him, embedding themselves deep into the stone.

"Holy fuck... this guy is insane" he muttered rolling to his feet.

The shards shortly disappeared and the acrid smell of sulphur filled his nostrils.

With the battle beginning the air bursted with dark energy, making the hairs on his arms stand on end.

Maledictus Nihilus stood at the centre of the room, his body barely visible through the chaos.

He raised his sword once more, a wicked grin spreading across his obsidian face.

"Such feeble resistance," he hissed. "Your spirit shall be extinguished in darkness!"

Rel knew he had to act fast.

Drawing his weapon, he charged towards the bishop, the air around him shimmering with a black aura of darkness.

The clash of destinies had begun.

[Passive Ability: Hidden Strength [Grade 4] Has Been Activated!]

[The Following Skills Have Been Activated: [Enhancement Aura and Flow] - [Sensory Aura] - ]

CRACKLE...CRACKLE...CRACKLE...

Rel charged forward, his weapon drawn and glowing with a black aura.

The Accursed Eruption was a terrifying display of power, but it hadn't shaken his resolve.

He wouldn't fall so easily.

Maledictus Nihilus sneered, his eyes narrowing as he met Rel's charge.

"Thy resemblance, IS TO FAMILIAR!"

With a flick of his wrist, his obsidian sword transformed, the hilt extending to reveal an even longer blade.

huup!!

Rel lunged, aiming a strike at the bishop's chest.

But Maledictus was already in motion, stepping aside with a speed that betrayed his size.

SHING!, SHING!, SHING!

The bishop's counterattack came in a flash of obsidian—a series of three lightning-fast slashes that Rel barely managed to parry.

The force of the blows sent vibrations through Rel's arm, numbing his fingers.

He gritted his teeth, channelling his inner strength to meet the bishop's next assault.

"Fool!" Maledictus snarled, his voice dripping with disdain. "Thy resistance is futile."

He raised his sword once more, dark energy swirling around the blade. "Void's Embrace!"

The bishop spun like a dervish, his sword extended in a deadly arc.

CRASH!!!

Rel leapt backward, narrowly avoiding the attack, but the force of the dark energy sent him sprawling to the ground.

As he scrambled to his feet, Rel noticed the shadows around him deepening, as if the very darkness of the room was closing in.

He heard a whisper in his mind, a chilling voice promising despair and oblivion.

"Nightmare's Curse," Maledictus intoned, his eyes glowing with a malevolent light.

"...!"

Rel felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, his limbs growing heavy.

His vision blurred, and the shadows around him seemed to writhe and twist into monstrous shapes.

_

To Be Continued

_

________

Authors Notes:

- A new update for Rel's stats will be coming soon.