Capítulo 39: Purge of the Lion.
Arata stood before the door, his heart pounding in his chest. He squinted at the mysterious entrance, the heavy wood adorned with intricate carvings that seemed to shift in the dim light. "A door? What is this?" he murmured, his voice tinged with confusion. The sense of disorientation was palpable as he reached out and grasped the cold, iron handle.
As the door creaked open, Arata was met with a sight that sent a shiver down his spine: a sprawling dungeon stretched out before him, its paths converging into a labyrinthine network. The air was thick with the musty scent of damp stone and ancient dust, and a faint echo of dripping water filled the silence.
"Where did I end up coming…?" he thought, his mind racing to piece together how he had arrived in this strange place. His last coherent memory was of battling exhaustion during the Queen's trial. The weight of the memory pressed heavily on him as he stepped into the dungeon, the dim light casting long shadows on the walls.
"Queen?" Arata's voice wavered as he called out, desperation creeping into his tone. The echo of his shout bounced off the cold, stone walls but was met with an oppressive silence. He tried again, his voice more frantic, "URIEL!" His cry reverberated through the vast, empty expanse, but no familiar face appeared.
His pulse quickened, anxiety clawing at him. "CHEESE!" he yelled, his voice breaking as it was swallowed by the darkness. The cavernous space seemed to mock his pleas, the silence growing more oppressive with each unanswered call.
"BUTTER!" he shouted, the name echoing through the labyrinth. His desperation grew as the emptiness of the dungeon surrounded him, each call more frantic than the last.
"LANCE!" he roared, his voice raw with frustration and fear. The vast, labyrinthine maze offered no comfort, only the hollow sound of his own voice.
"ELIO!" His final cry was filled with a mix of hope and dread, but it too was met with silence. The darkness seemed to close in on him, the shadows elongating as if they were reaching out to pull him deeper into the abyss.
"Fucking hell…Where is everyone…?" Arata muttered bitterly, his hands clenching into fists as he paced the floor. The overwhelming sense of isolation and uncertainty weighed heavily on him, and he could feel the cold sweat forming on his brow. His breathing came in ragged gasps as he tried to steady himself, searching the endless paths for any sign of his companions. The labyrinth stretched out endlessly, each turn and corner offering only more darkness and the eerie silence of his own fears.
Arata stumbled through the darkened tunnel, his heart racing with each step. As he moved forward, he nearly tripped over a hidden edge, catching himself just in time. He glanced around, his breath coming in shallow gasps, and found himself in a small, dimly lit chamber. The scene that greeted him was one of shocking horror.
In the center of the room stood a figure that made Arata's blood run cold. Alex, now transformed into the imposing Ringmaster Lion, loomed menacingly over Butter. Alex's eyes were cold and unyielding, his form radiating a cruel, predatory aura. The lion's powerful claws were wrapped tightly around Butter's throat, lifting her off the ground with a brutal grip.
Butter's condition was dire. Her once-pristine attire was torn and stained with blood, the fabric clinging to her battered body. Her face was a grotesque mask of bruises and lacerations; the blood smeared across her features made her look almost unrecognizable. Her eyes, half-open and glazed, were filled with pain and desperation. Her lips were swollen and cracked, and the dark, swollen bruises around her eyes made it clear she had suffered a savage beating.
Arata's gaze locked onto the horrific scene, his heart sinking as he took in the full extent of Butter's injuries. Her skin was marred with deep gashes and contusions, the once vibrant energy she possessed now reduced to a feeble flicker. Blood trickled down her neck from where Alex's grip was constricting, a steady stream that pooled onto the floor beneath her.
Butter's breathing was labored, each gasp for air punctuated by soft, pained whimpers. Her body trembled in Alex's grasp, her limbs hanging limply as if all strength had been drained from her. The sight of her so utterly broken and battered was more than Arata could bear; it was a gut-wrenching blow to see someone he cared about so cruelly mistreated.
As Alex's powerful arms flung Butter towards Arata, she sailed through the air with a grace that belied the cruelty of her treatment. Arata barely had time to react, but instinctively, he moved to catch her. The impact of her frail body against his chest was jarring, and he stumbled slightly under her weight. His arms tightened around her protectively, the heat of her blood warming his skin as he pulled her close.
"I got you, bud," Arata murmured, his voice trembling with a mixture of relief and anguish. Butter's head lulled against his shoulder, her breathing shallow and irregular. Her eyes fluttered weakly before closing, and her body went limp in his arms. Her final, desperate plea for help was barely audible, but it cut through Arata like a knife. "Arata…Please…Save…Queen…"
The moment was charged with an unbearable weight of sorrow and anger. Arata's heart pounded as he looked up at Alex, who stood there with a cold, unfeeling gaze. The sight of Butter's unconscious form, so brutally beaten, fueled a fiery rage within him. His hands clenched into fists, knuckles white with the force of his grip.
"What was the reason for beating her senseless like that, Alex?!" Arata demanded, his voice cracking under the strain of his emotions. The rawness of his anger was evident, each word a stab of pain and fury.
Alex's response was chillingly calm, his tone laced with contempt. "You are a traitor as well, Ryuki Arata… You will die as a traitor." His words were cold and dismissive, his demeanor unyielding as he loomed over them. The vizer of his transformed Ringmaster Lion form only served to magnify the cruelty in his eyes, a dark mask of unfeeling malice.
Arata's jaw tightened, and he took a deep breath, struggling to keep his voice steady despite the storm of emotions raging within him. "I am really not in a good mood…You beat down one of my masters and not only you beat her down but showed no mercy…She may look threatening but she is the most scared out of all the Undergrounders and only wanted to protect them all even after all of that…"
Each word was imbued with the weight of his anger and the hurt of seeing Butter so senselessly attacked. His eyes locked onto Alex's, a fierce, unyielding resolve burning in their depths. The tension between them crackled like electricity, the space charged with a palpable sense of impending confrontation.
"Alex…You are going to pay dearly for what you just did." Arata's voice was low, filled with an intense fury that made it clear he would not rest until justice was served. The anger was not just a fleeting emotion but a deep, seething rage that would drive him to confront Alex with everything he had. The two stared each other down, the cavernous chamber echoing with the weight of their unspoken conflict.
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