Within the Tier 5 Dungeon

  So this is pain.

  Euphoria fills Artorius as he feels pain from the bolts of quantum energy sent at him by the Quantum Reaper. Because it’s all he’s ever wanted.

  To feel pain.

  Thanks to that, he puts up the barest amount of fight he can to protect himself while still letting her attacks go through. All to extend how long he feels this pain.

  But as her attacks begin to build up more and more, he realizes that she’s far stronger than he thought she would be. Even with both of them being at the same level.

  She’s far stronger than him.

  And her attacks quickly begin to build up. Leaving him in a state that’s harder and harder to keep up with her.

  So while his euphoria continues to grow, he also feels a faint fear spreading through him at the same time.

  Whether his fear is of dying or of no longer being able to feel this pain after he dies, he isn’t certain.

  But he begins to fight back regardless. Using his hellfire to fight back against her at full strength.

  His eyes widen in shock though when the Quantum Reaper easily blocks most of his attacks without any struggle. Almost like swatting away a fly.

  He’s known for a while that she would be powerful. That’s why he’s assumed she might be able to cause him real pain.

  But he didn’t realize she was this overwhelmingly powerful.

  So he activates his most powerful skills. Creating a massive flood of hellfire that rushes all across the dungeon around them.

  Flooding it with shadowy black flames.

  Enough of it that even the Quantum Reaper fails to block it all.

  And the instant the hellfire makes contact with the Quantum Reaper, she lets out a pained cry despite not showing much actual damage on her person from it. Clearly implying that the pain is immense even for her.

  Immense enough that her attacks even falter.

  Then they falter even more as more hellfire gets through.

  Artorius feels surprised as he sees the hellfire barely doing any damage at all. And most of the damage the hellfire does is instantly healed.

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  Meaning the only thing he’s doing with his hellfire is causing her pain.

  Artorius tries to rush right up to her and slam his fist coated in hellfire into her stomach, only for his fist to be stopped without doing almost any damage. Almost like he was a level 1 who slammed their fist into a concrete wall.

  He blinks at his fist, then at the armor covering her stomach which didn’t even budge.

  If anything, his fist took more damage from it than her armor.

  This… is bad…

  Alexia

  This fucking hurts.

  The pain flooding every last nerve in my body is so intense that I’ve never felt anything worse before. Not in my entire life.

  It’s so bad that I can barely think straight. And I can’t see anything but white everywhere.

  I can’t sense anything either.

  Everything is pain.

  But after what feels like an eternity, the pain finally subsides. Leaving me gasping for breath in the dungeon without anyone in sight.

  The archfiend is gone.

  I pant, feeling sweat practically flooding down me despite finding not a single wound on my body.

  Wait, was he unable to even hurt me? He’s that weak?

  But… that pain…

  I feel a chill run down my spine just from remembering the pain.

  That was his hellfire affinity, if I remember correctly…

  I don’t want to ever feel that again.

  That thought runs through my mind over and over again, but at the same time, I know I can’t waste this chance to clear off that requirement. Not just out of a desire to avoid pain.

  Because progress is far more important than pain.

  So after taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and focus on the dungeon itself. Just searching for signs of the archfiend’s presence.

  And after searching for several minutes, I finally find where he went.

  Without hesitation, I rush straight in that direction.

  It looks like he’s going after the boss that fled. Clearly trying to complete the dungeon so that he can leave.

  Which means he’s realized he has no chance to win against me.

  I repeatedly teleport as fast as I can in his direction. All the way until I finally catch up to him.

  Only to find him not very far away from the boss.

  But he hasn’t reached the boss yet. And that’s what’s important.

  Once I reach him, I quickly begin sending bolts of quantum lightning his way. Striking in a cage all around him to block his movements. Following which I have one massive bolt of quantum lightning strike him through the cage.

  The man himself looks overjoyed at the pain from my attack, leaving me feeling rather uncomfortable, but it still deals immense amounts of damage. Making his skin glitch away bit by bit.

  I begin to send another attack his way, but he sends a massive wave of hellfire that makes it out of my cage. With a lot of it reaching me.

  And just like before, when it hits me, I feel so much pain that it makes me stop my attacks instantly.

  Giving him more time to flee and chase after the boss.

  But this time the pain doesn’t last as long. I think. And I rush after him.

  By now though, he’s already started fighting the boss again. So I immediately attack him again before a similar process to before repeats itself.

  He sends that hellfire at me, locking me in a temporary prison of pain again as he fights against the boss.

  And after the pain fades, the process continues to repeat. With Artorius’ energy gradually being drained away bit by bit.

  After all, he’s fighting both the boss and me at the same time.

  And he’s covered in wounds all over.

  He’s even missing a wing at this point as my quantum lightning destroyed one directly.

  But despite that, he still manages to defeat the boss while with barely any of his energy left remaining.

  Shit.

  He doesn’t hesitate to leave the dungeon without even looking back at me.

  My eyes narrow and I rush straight out the exit as well.

  Chasing after him still.

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