UNIFIED W

Chapter 22: The Maze Of Truth, part 1

The roar of the crowd outside the maze echoed in Zeru's ears as the gate slammed shut behind him.

Zeru stepped into complete darkness. A faint light crept in only after the massive gate sealed shut, revealing a square-shaped room with fifty-meter-high walls, bright white on all sides.

Inside the white room, he started walking and quickly felt like he was stuck in a loop, never getting any closer to where he needed to be.

'Something's not right... I need to get out of here. Fast.'

A door quietly opened behind Zeru while he scanned his surroundings, lost in thought.

Zeru's eyes locked onto the door as he drew his weapon, bracing himself. Seconds passed before something hairy stepped through.

A green, hairy beast lunged at Zeru, its wild eyes gleaming with hunger.

Thick muscles flexed under the beast's tangled fur as it howled. It suddenly pulled a metal spike mace, veins bulging along its arms as it raised the weapon.

Some minions entered the room as the beast screamed, ready to attack Zeru. They were smaller, but all looked the same, fierce and ready to tear anything apart.

'One... two... four... eight in total. No problem.'

Zeru swung his chain knife and charged at them.

Zeru struck, but his attack barely scratched the beast. The chain knife lodged in its tough hide and wouldn't budge.

"What? No way... How is this even possible?"

Zeru took a step back, keeping his distance, just as one beast rushed forward and flung its mace at him.

He rolled aside just in time as the mace came too fast to block, but some of the beasts broke off and charged, closing in fast.

Before he could react, two beasts slammed into his side, their kicks crashing into his ribs with brutal force.

His breath came in short gasps, eyes snapping wide. Sweat and blood coated his face as every blow drove deep, shaking his body and clouding his thoughts.

'What the hell's happening? Why won't my powers work?!'

Zeru grabbed his chain knife and wrapped the chain around his arm, securing the weapon. His eyes locked on the beast kicking him. He pulled the knife part and sliced deep.

He seized the chance to put some distance between them. Gritting his teeth, Zeru tried to hold on, his body trembling from the effort.

Zeru breathed heavily as he closed his eyes, focusing on channeling all his crystal power into the chain knife.

'Shit... Why this room? Of all the places I get the one that blocks my powers?'

Zeru kept his distance as they regrouped for another attack.

'If I don't figure out a plan now, everything ends before it even starts.'

Suddenly, the ground beneath Zeru's feet shifted as the maze began spinning faster and faster.

Zeru tried to get up, struggling to avoid rolling like a ball as the beasts closed in.

The maze came to a halt, and a man who seemed older than Zeru landed in front of him.

Zeru met the man's gaze.

"Who are you?"

The man was ambushed by three beasts before he could answer Zeru's question.

In a matter of seconds, the man chopped the beasts in half after unwrapping the bandages from his wide, double-edged sword.

Zeru was shocked and didn't know how to react.

The man suddenly shouted at Zeru in a deep, raspy voice.

Retreat... these beasts hunt in packs."

"Packs?... It's only..."

As Zeru was about to finish his sentence, he spotted a hundred bright red eyes staring at the man from across the room. Then they all poured in.

"Why are they all focused on you?"

"Don't you see what I'm wearing?"

When Zeru glanced at the man, he noticed he was wearing clothing made from the fur of the beasts they were fighting.

"These beasts live deep inside the uncharted side of Perigo Island."

"They aren't powerful individually, but as a group, they can cause significant damage."

Zeru cracked his neck and tried to play off his injury.

"You tell me."

The beasts poured in one by one, and by the time the doors closed behind them, there were a hundred inside.

Zeru and the man stood shoulder to shoulder, eyes sharp, waiting for the attack.

"Your powers won't work in here."

A mocking smirk tugged at the corner of the man's mouth as he looked at Zeru.

"I'll tear through these creatures, powers or not. Stand aside and watch."

Zeru could sense the bloodlust burning in the man's eyes.

'It's best if I keep my distance while I'm in this room.'

The commentators' voices suddenly echoed inside the room.

"Your goal, participants Zeru and Tox, is to eliminate the beasts in front of you."

"Feel free to use whatever tactics you like. Killing is permitted here."

Tox gave a disturbing smirk.

"All right, time to begin."

Tox charged straight at the beast rushing him. He drove his sword through the three closest, then spun the wide double-edged blade, slicing off heads as the bodies hit the ground.

One by one, the heads he sliced dropped at his feet. He grabbed a fallen beast, slamming it in front of him like a shield as he pushed forward, chopping down anything in his path.

When he reached the center, he threw the meat shield aside and jabbed his sword into the leader's chest like a spear.

Then he fought up close, taking down several beasts with fierce, precise strikes.

The leader tried to pull the sword from his chest, but it was lodged too deep. Tox seized his sword, shifted into dual wielding, and effortlessly sliced the leader's head off.

Tox delivered a powerful spin kick to one beast before crashing down on another, using his full weight to knock it out.

Then, with swift movements, he hurled two daggers, striking down multiple foes at once.

The remaining creatures tried to regroup, but Tox kept attacking relentlessly, slicing through the survivors and drenched in their blood.

The entire room turned a vivid red. The beast's body shifted to a deep purple before disintegrating completely.

"What did you do to them?"

Tox gave Zeru an angry look as he wrapped the bandages back around his weapon.

"My weapon is coated with the deadliest poison in the world. That's why they didn't stand a chance."

Zeru wasn't sure how to react or what to do next, especially after seeing what Tox had just done, as they now stood face to face.

'What am I supposed to do now? Are we seriously going to fight? If that happens, I'll be at a serious disadvantage in this room.'

The door on the opposite side suddenly opened, and the commentator's voice echoed through the room once more.

"Congratulations, Tox and Zeru. You may now proceed to the next room."

Before following Tox into the next room, Zeru took one last look around.