Bro, I'm not an Undead!

An immaculate carving proudly stood before the five pairs of eyes of the group.

It was the image of an extremely muscular man with his arms outstretched and his hands forming fists that exuded a powerful presence even from the image.

Wild hair that was spread out to the very top of the boundary of the gate as if blown by an untamed wind could be seen, at the front of his head, a solemn face with eyes that were closed shut, a button nose and ideal lips; everything was greatly detailed, giving off the impression of a seasoned and calm warrior.

Yet, behind this gorgeous image, a contrasting one could be seen, floating above it as if to portray that this was the true self behind the facade depicted at the forefront.

A malicious grin that spreads from ear to ear upon a face similar to the one of the man at the forefront was apparent. Open eyes that look like they belonged to a devil gazed down at something that was within the individual's hands.

It was a large ball that was divided into two halves.

Benzard was the first to come back to reality as he turned to his group.

"Listen up. This is it. We don't have time to waste," he said, causing the others to snap in his direction. "We don't know what we're going to find so let me tell you this. If one of us manages to find the legacy before the others, they are to wait for at least three hours if there's no immediate danger. If no one else shows up, me included, then take the legacy and make it your own."

Everyone was surprised by this.

Denille couldn't believe what she was hearing. This guy was willing to let go of the legacy just like that?

"Even though I'm the one who seems more interested in this than any of you, it defeats the purpose of us coming here if we fail to get it in the end. So if you find it, go for it. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

Benzard pulled out the two Keys and motioned for Skullius to come and take the one that was bound to him.

The Keys were only useful when the individuals bound to them used them, after all.

Slowly, Skullius walked up to Benzard who gave him the Key and put his hand on his shoulder to supply him with mana.

They walked up the giant fox which gazed at them, its sight pinned on Skullius.

The beast then released a low growl that made everyone uncomfortable.

'Curious.'

The fox stood from its languid position, but did not remove itself from the way.

Benzard pushed Skullius to go for the gate from under the creature.

Skullius murmured hatefully.

Passing from under the fox's belly certainly made him and Benzard all the more cautious as the shadow that engulfed them even in this dark world had a certain, creepy depth to it.

The two reached the gate and Benzard gave Skullius a nod before placing his Key onto the gate.

Skullius did the same with his Key.

The the moment the second Key touched the stone gate, it caused the great structure to shake vehemently!

Both Keys glowed with a white light as they exerted their power on the gate, forcefully prompting it to grunt and begin to open, albeit very slowly.

The two figures carved onto the stone were split in half as the two parts of the gate diverged, a bright, circular portal being revealed behind them!

This portal's light caused the four humans and Skullius to squint their eyes. Nevermind the jarring radiance, the beauty of it was overbearing!

"You may pass," the fox said as it then turned to the other three who rushed over to Benzard and Skullius.

The bright portal made everyone hesitate. They had all expected a gaping black hole which would have be glad to just swallow them whole instead of this welcoming-ish glow.

What could it look like inside the actual labyrinth? Could it be that their perception was biased and Fulgardt had different tastes?

There was only one way to find out.

Denille looked at Skullius and voiced out a thought she had been wanting to expel for a long time.

"Isn't this shitface useless now? We can kill him, right?"

Skullius turned to this woman with a hard expression.

'I completely forgot that there might not be any use for me since they've already opened the gate! Gah! I was hoping they'd only kill me when they had gotten the legacy or whatever, just in case. Can they take that chance?!' Skullius thought with an audible gulp.

This woman really wanted him dead.

"That's true. Having to continuously supply him with mana when in such a dangerous place would be a hustle," Reon posed his own view.

Benzard turned his gaze to Skullius.

The bastard was was considering it!

Skullius wouldn't allow it!

His mind raced as he used all the processing faculties he could muster from his mind to fabricate a fairly convincing argument while keeping a somewhat calm temperament that no one believed in the slightest.

"It's not that I'm afraid of... meeting my end or anything. I've actually died before you see, but killing me now won't benefit you," he said with a slight tremble of his lip.

Denille walked right up to Skullius, a dagger in her hand.

"Oh yeah? Why is that?"

"Because you might still need the Keys to open wherever this legacy is being protected. It's obviously guarded, right?"

Denille stopped and everyone else mulled it over. It wasn't that they hadn't thought of it. They had all obviously considered that, but what made them hesitate to carry on with Skullius was that it was known that each legacy location had a different structure from the other. It was usually not the same as legacies could be found just about anywhere.

What if there were more gates beyond this one that needed the Keys?

Wouldn't killing Skullius destroy the Key as Eobald had said? They had all believed his remark about the Key when they saw that it was functional and in possession of Skullius after Eobald's death after all.

"But what if it doesn't need the Keys?" asked Denille with a frown.

"But what if it does?" Skullius posed his own question.

"What you're saying is just a possibility to make us more anxious about killing you! Stop trying to look intelligent while you're the one who's desperate to keep your sorry life!" an unveiled disdainful look appeared on Denille's face as she glared at Skullius.

"Even so, it's this possibility that could make you all walk out with everything or nothing? Maybe you'll need the Keys to get out after you have the legacy or after you've failed. What will you do then? Rot while trapped in there?"

'Oh crap! That's actually a good point!' Skullius thought sneakily.

...!

Benzard wore a grim expression. The last point that Skullius had made actually made sense. This wasn't merely any legacy. It was the legacy of a man who was known to be unpredictable and valued strength without much in the way of honor.

He could literally put up anything as a challenge. This assumption wasn't too far fetched.

The others felt the same. Denille couldn't deny that Skullius was right. There were too many variables.

The giant fox watched on in amusement.

"He's right. We still need him alive," Benzard said. "If we, by any chance split up, whoever gets stuck with him needs to keep him alive at all costs. Got it?"

Everyone nodded. Denille did so bitterly.

"Don't hesitate to use your full strength when you're in a tough spot. Let's go."

Benzard was the first to walk up to the light and take a deep breath.

'I have every reason to be obsessed with gaining more strength. Those who feel differently are those that have never needed it,' he thought before walking into the portal.

Everyone else quickly followed, a ripple running through the portal as each one went in.

As Skullius passed through the light that disrupted his mana core for a moment, he felt a hard surface under his foot.

His senses which had been temporarily dulled, focused sharply as they took in what was around.

A dark and narrow corridor that stretched into the unseen distance was all he could vaguely see. Skullius could barely make out sturdy walls on both his sides and when he took another step forward, he bumped into something!

He drew back in surprise as he realised he had bumped into someone.

A blue light was released from this someone's finger, their image revealed swiftly.

Skullius almost passed out when he saw who it was.

The same could be said for this person as they released an agitated 'Urgh'.

"I can't believe I have to be stuck with you, shitface," Denille said as she looked around. They were the only two in this narrow corridor that barely fit them both when they stood side by side.

Skullius was about to retort when...

KRRRRSHHHHH!

A scrapping sound was heard along with the sight of sparks that sprayed as a certain object brushed against the walls.

The little light provided by the sparks gave glimpses of a horrifying image that made Denille and Skullius tremble.

Unfortunately, the appearance of this creature was only a secondary concern.

The shiver-inspiring image of a creature that held a large sword which scraped against the walls was terrifying but...

The core that it held within it was...