Portal Level 5
Dzeth's footsteps slowed, his breath heavy and ragged. They now stood in front of only two portals a surprising change from the previous Levels which had four stages each.
Akanza ran his hand along the dark, swirling energy of the portal. "Maybe these two portals are harder…" his tone was serious, eyes focused and sharp.
Suddenly, Dzeth stumbled to his knees. His breathing grew heavier, chest rising and falling rapidly. The wounds from the battle with Hydro Paladin and Void Paladin still burned like fire.
"You alright?" Hwang crouched beside him, holding Dzeth by the shoulder.
"I… I'm fine…" Dzeth forced a smile. His face was pale, but his eyes still burned with unyielding resolve.
"You should rest," said Hwang, standing up. "Let us handle the curses inside this time. Don't worry."
"B-but… what if something happens?" Dzeth's voice trembled with concern.
"We'll take care of ourselves," Akanza replied confidently. "You've brought us this far. Let us do something for once."
Dzeth gave a weak nod, collapsing slowly against the portal stone. He leaned back, eyes slowly closing from exhaustion. Hwang, Syiro, and Akanza then stepped into Portal Stage 1 – Level 5.
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Stage 1 – Level 5
The three of them entered a bleak, dusty battlefield heavy with the stench of death and blood. In front of them, hundreds of armored Curses stood tall, glowing red eyes locked onto their prey.
"There's so many…" whispered Syiro, fire coiling around his fists.
Akanza wasted no time. Slamming his hands into the ground, he unleashed the Heatwave Cannon, blasting dozens of armored curses into the air and burning them alive.
"Go, Fenrir!" Hwang shouted.
His massive wolf entity appeared and charged straight into the horde, tearing through the cursed soldiers with brutal efficiency.
Syiro spun, unleashing waves of fire in every direction, burning everything in their path.
The battle lasted over an hour long, intense, and exhausting but they triumphed in the end. Cursed corpses littered the ground.
They exited the portal, sweat dripping from their brows. Outside, Dzeth sat asleep by the portal's side. His chest slowly rose and fell, peacefully.
Syiro smiled and sat beside him. "He must be really tired…"
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Stage 2 – Level 5
The trio stepped into the next portal and what awaited them was far worse.
Thousands of armored Curses stood in perfect formation. At the far end of the battlefield, a lone Paladin sat calmly upon a throne of iron, eyes closed.
Akanza drew his blade. "Let's make this fast…"
Their assault began but these Curses were different. They dodged, countered, and anticipated every move as if they could read their minds.
"What the hell?!" Hwang dodged a strike that nearly took his head. "Why do they know exactly where we'll attack?!"
Blood trickled down Syiro's arm. His gaze fixed on the distant figure. "That's… a Potential Paladin. A former member of the Potential Organization. Now he's under the Paladins…"
Both Hwang and Akanza froze in disbelief.
"No wonder… he's predicting our every move…" Akanza growled.
The relentless horde overwhelmed them, pushing them back. Their bodies ached, bloodied and bruised. One armored Curse dashed toward them with deadly speed, sword raised high
Boom!
The Curse exploded in flames.
Hwang turned in shock. "Dzeth!"
Dzeth stood firm by the portal. His eyes blazed with divine fire. "Sorry… I needed rest to restore my Divine Army…"
With a snap of his fingers, he summoned:
2 Divine Void Paladins, 4 Divine Crimson Paladins, 2 Divine Hydro Paladins, and 1 million of his Divine Soldiers.
The Potential Paladin's eyes flew open, stunned.
Dzeth charged with his army. His daggers danced Dimensional Dagger in one hand, Blood-Void Dagger in the other slicing through wave after wave.
In less than two minutes, every Curse had been destroyed.
Now standing face-to-face with the Potential Paladin, Dzeth's presence loomed like a divine judgment.
"Don't kill me!" the Paladin begged. "I'll obey your orders!"
Dzeth narrowed his eyes. "Aren't Paladins supposed to be strong?"
"I… I'm actually just a researcher from the PotentialOrganization… I don't fight. I only create potential…"
Dzeth sighed. "Fine. But you'll have to join my Divine Army. Once you're under my command, you won't die as long as you obey."
The Paladin nodded frantically. Dzeth placed his hand over the man's chest.
"Divine Extract."
Light enveloped the Paladin's body. He knelt immediately, voice steady. "Yes, My Lord…"
Dzeth smiled. "Good. Since you're now mine… maybe you can help us get through to the final gate… Portal Level 6."
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To be continued…