Arpious of the Planes

(Zehar POV)

Master has taken her seat on her desired throne, but those damned heroes are still sitting up there arrogantly. The only reason they're hesitant to make a move is due to my all-powerful Master, who has already decided to stay back and let me finish the job.

"HEY, HEROES! FIGHT ME ALL AT ONCE!" I shout, fed up with waiting.

If it weren't for the slippery surface, I would've already charged up there. Plus, just as the Master said, my poison is in a weakened state. That also includes [Embodiment of Poison], so dodging physical attacks will be much harder than before.

The heroes didn't respond to my call, but all I saw was the next Light Hero lifts his index finger.

I could hear a rumble from below me, and the vibrations made my knees wobble.

I looked around, confused at what was happening, until a giant pillar of ice shot me into the air. I flailed my limbs a bit before activating [Sea of Poison]. And just as the skill says, a literal sea of poison started to rise from the golden ice below me.

I managed to slow down my fall with [Wind Magic], creating just the right amount of time for enough poison to gather, breaking my fall instantly. But as soon as I landed, I was met by hundreds of golden ice spears that protruded from the walls and ceiling.

"Urk-"

I just barely managed to dodge a spear that came from the ceiling, only scratching my arm. The other spears that barreled towards me weren't as fast, but the number of spears still made it a challenge.

Just like how Akito taught me while in the arena, I shifted my eyes all around, gathering as much information as possible before jumping up.

It was pretty obvious that using my wings was useless due to how fast the spears are, so I immediately closed them up and focused on quick movements with my legs.

I managed to dodge a golden ice spear before planting my hand on it, pushing myself up once again, dodging another few spears. A drop of sweat ran down my neck as I saw another hundred spears come from the ceiling, trying to block my only escape from the spears from the side.

"Hup,"

I let out a slight grunt as a spear from the ceiling scratched my ear, but this meant I could dodge a few spears that came from the side.

This proceeded a few more times until I saw the number of spears increase once again. There was only one exit, and it was obviously a trap… but I still took it as it was my only hope.

I planted my foot on one of the already existing spears and rocketed towards the "opening." I slipped slightly when jumping from the spear, so my momentum slowed down, and I barely just left the "opening."

BOOM

A massive pillar of ice half the size of the heavenly room came crashing down, just barely scraping my forehead. If it weren't for the slip up from earlier, the pillar of ice would've instantly killed me.

I clicked my tongue before gathering more information with just a quick adjustment of my eyes. I saw that the next Light Hero was sweating profusely from the amount of ice he was forced to control. His arms and body were shaking from the amount of tension being built up within them.

After gathering the rest of the information, I saw that only a few spears were barreling towards me. It seems the next Light Hero still has a limit as he has just unlocked his throne world.

If it wasn't for Masters heads up, I would've died long ago.

"So many openings," I mutter.

It seems the next Light Hero wanted to kill me with that giant pillar of ice, but he clearly missed it, affecting him mentally and physically. It was just like Master, and she had to use her own body to manipulate and control the ice in a precise way.

So this skill is not all that powerful… The throne world is basically an extension of their own body, but that body isn't their real body… well, not much at least.

Melting the ice did absolutely nothing, but the physical exhaustion from moving his "extended body" in such a precise way was piling up on the next Light Hero.

A smile appeared on my face.

[Poison Secretion]

[Deadly Poison Mist]

Dark purple mist bursts out from the side of my mouth. It coated the air around me and sent a shiver down the hero's spine.

My clothes were already in tatters due to me stupidly using [Poison Secretion], but as it's already in tatters, there's no point in holding back now.

Dark purple poison leaked from my skin, and I hardened it like a piece of armor. I then made a few blades on my forearm, which served as a weapon if I saw an opening… but I've never actually tried this before.

Close combat seemed to be the only way I can kill this kid… so that's exactly what I'm going to do.

I dodged the few spears that appeared from under, behind, and above before dashing up the golden stairs. The ice was so clear that I could actually see the palace's foundation, but I had no time to sightsee.

Spears and spikes erupted from around me, and I just barely dodged them. They ripped out a few scratches and a few chunks of my arm, but I needed to keep pressing forward.

My eyes were cold but also filled with determination as I closed in on the next Light Hero. [Smiling Malice] reacted well, as it seeped into the heroes in front of me.

Slight hesitation could be seen, but I couldn't take advantage of their moment of weakness as I was too far from them.

SHING

I just barely dodged a metal dagger coated with the spiraling wind.

It tore off my right ear as a drop of sweat ran down the back of my neck.

"I almost died," I muttered.

If I didn't hone my senses in the arena, that last skill would've killed me instantly.

Looking up, I saw that I still had about 120 steps left, but the next Wind Hero and next Fire Hero were already taking action. Of course, they wouldn't just sit idly as their party member-created hundreds of openings for them.

WHOOSH

A blade of pure condensed fire just passed over my head. I didn't need to think as I was already dodging a lance made from golden ice.

The next Light Hero shot the next Fire Hero a glare before continuing his assault of ice-related attacks. On the other hand, the next Fire Hero panicked slightly before creating wisps of fire that he sent flying through the air.

He had no aim, but the random pattern of flames caught me off guard. Parts of my clothes were burnt to ashes, only just charring the surface of my skin. It was an excruciating experience, but I had to keep pressing forward if I wanted a chance at winning.

WHOOSH

Thousands of fire wisps could be seen flying towards me, and right beside them were blades of wind as thick and long as my arm. I gritted my teeth in agitation before activating [Wind Magic] and [Fire Magic].

I tried to take control over both of the elements, but there was no hope as the wall of wind and fire collided with me.

I coughed up a few pumps of blood before sliding down the slippery steps. Using the blades on my forearms, I was able to stop myself at about the 25th step, but from the total amount of steps left, I basically just restarted.

"Fuck!"

I shout before a few spears of golden ice protrude from the ground. I tried to take advantage of them by jumping up and pressing my foot on the side of the spear, but as it was extremely slippery, so I just fell down my face.

"Urk-"

A golden pillar of ice had collided with my stomach, sending me flying back to the lowest step. I couldn't even throw a fit of anger as I was met by even more spears that agitated me even further.

I knew that if I were overwhelmed with the anger, I would lose, so I tried to suppress it, but from the cold eyes that the heroes gave me, it came bursting out.

"YOU FUCKS! COME DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME!" I shout, slamming my fist against another pillar of golden ice.

,m The ice was way too hard, as I felt my knuckles fracture, causing me to step back in pain.

"Damn it," I mutter through gritted teeth.

This would serve as a loss for me, but I was forced to retreat into Master's throne world.

As I just barely escaped a lance of golden ice, I slid back, eventually sliding onto grayish-black ice. I held my head in shame and sat down, slamming my fist against the floor in anger.

[Name: Zehar]

[Race: Deathly Plague Siren]

[Status: Servant]

[Level: 26/100]

[HP: 238/500  MP: 391/700  SP: 349/500]

…

Dammit. I have enough juice left, but their height advantage is just too overpowered.

Due to my agitation, I bit my lip, causing it to draw blood.