As Raphael prepared to cast the teleportation spell, Gaya, seizing the moment of distraction, transformed into her formidable naga form. Her appearance as a massive, purple-scaled king cobra, towering ten feet tall, momentarily stunned both Raphael and Marli.
Without hesitation, Gaya swung a massive chunk of the rooftop debris at them. Raphael, reacting swiftly, snapped his fingers, conjuring a flurry of golden swords that shattered the boulder into dust. But this brief distraction was all Gaya needed. Updated from novelbIn.(c)om
In that critical moment, Michael capitalized on the opportunity. He delivered a forceful kick to Marli's chest, propelling himself backward. Simultaneously, Gaya's tail swiftly coiled around him, launching him into the shimmering portal. She then followed suit, diving into the portal after him, ensuring their escape.
"What just happened?" Marli asked, her tone amused but concealing her surprise at the sudden turn of events.
Raphael, on the other hand, was visibly frustrated. His usual composed demeanor had vanished, replaced by a sense of urgency and annoyance. Under pressure from Zorian to capture the God of Darkness, Raphael could not afford any delays or failures.
"They escaped. That's what happened. Your theatrics have jeopardized my mission, Goddess Marli," Raphael growled, his voice laced with irritation and disappointment.
Despite being tasked with apprehending the God of Darkness, Raphael harbored a grudging respect for Michael. However, his feelings towards Marli were far from respectful. He viewed her betrayal as a grievous sin, far worse than any other transgression.
"They can't run forever, Raphael. They'll head to the dungeon's center for Vedora's remains. That's where we'll trap them," Marli strategized, her chuckle hinting at her confidence.
"And keep an eye on that Naga. There's something unusual about her power," she added, recalling the force behind Gaya's attack.
***********************
In the dark, a labyrinthine maze where Michael and Gaya found themselves, an eerie silence enveloped them. The only sounds were their own breaths and the distant, indiscernible echoes of the maze. With concern etched on her face, Gaya hurried to Michael's side, her eyes widening at the sight of his injury.
"Michael!" she exclaimed, her voice shaking as she saw the golden swords embedded in his body. As Michael grimly pulled a sword from his chest, blood spurted from the wound, staining his clothes and dripping onto the ground.
"I'm going to tear those bastards apart!" Gaya growled fiercely, her anger palpable. She quickly shifted back to her human form, her hands moving deftly to assist Michael in removing the remaining swords.
"He's not playing around anymore," Michael grunted through clenched teeth, his expression a mix of pain and determination.
"System, decode the Grimoire of Gods and find a way to kill Marli," he commanded. The Grimoire of Gods, a book penned by an angel of Seshat, contained information on how to eliminate nearly all gods. Its only drawback was the hefty cost of badass points required by the system to decode the necessary information each time.
As Michael issued the command, the system promptly requested a payment of three million badass points for the decoding process.
[The system will finish decoding in two days...]
The system's notification appeared, setting a clear timeline for their next steps.
As Michael and Gaya cautiously traversed the desolate path, the ground beneath them suddenly trembled, followed by a distant, thunderous mooing sound that echoed through the maze.
"What was that?" Gaya asked, her hand instinctively reaching for the short sword at her waist, her senses heightened by the unexpected noise.
Before they could speculate further, Silvaris's ethereal figure emerged from the ground. "tsk, tsk, tsk" He clicked his tongue sarcastically.
"You are not supposed to be here alone," he said, his voice dripping with faux concern.
Silvaris then let out a laugh, adding, "Oh, I forgot how we had party crashers."
His amusement was evident as he continued, "I didn't expect a goddess and the lapdog of the pantheon to come crashing my party. This is becoming more entertaining than I anticipated."
Silvaris's tone turned mocking as he expressed his 'pity' for their situation. "Good luck navigating this maze and defeating the surprise I have in store for you," he said, his laughter echoing ominously as his figure faded away, leaving Michael and Gaya alone once again in the eerie silence of the maze.
Gaya's frustration was palpable as she watched Silvaris vanish. "Did I tell you how much I hate that son of a bitch?" she growled, her annoyance evident.
However, Michael paid no heed to her comment or Silvaris's taunting departure. His mind was preoccupied with the vision he had seen in the orb taken from Silvaris's treasure chest. The image of the dark flames, frozen within a house crafted from nature, lingered in his thoughts. The connection to Marli seemed plausible, given the similarity between the house's natural composition and Marli's affinity with the forest.
With the quest to kill Marli now added to his list, Michael found himself juggling four major quests. The first involved unlocking Vedora's powers, a task shrouded in mystery and potential danger. The second quest, and arguably the most challenging, was to help Gaya embrace her destiny as the Goddess of Monsters, aiding her in navigating the complex relationship between beast tamers and the creatures of the realm. The third quest, to upgrade the dark flames, promised to enhance his own powers significantly. And finally, there was the God Killer II quest – the mission to eliminate Marli.
Michael's resolve hardened as he considered their next move. "Let's reach the dungeon's center and throw a wrench in Marli's plans. She's probably setting a trap for us, but this time, I'll be the one with the surprises," he said, a determined chuckle in his voice.
Despite Raphael's earlier advantage, Michael was confident that in their next encounter, it would be he who held the upper hand. The element of surprise, which Raphael had used effectively before, would now be Michael's to wield.
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