Throne room of the Lizard King / 

That should be the Lizard King, the boss of the labyrinth place. But now has been taken by one stray individual. 

"Goddamnit!"

That one stray individual has also taken down almost the Land of Honor Hunters. 

Few Gold Hunter parties together, lead by one Platinum, are not match with the stray individual.

"Just who the hell are you!?"

Tyler, the strongest individual on the party, kneeling with his sword stuck in the ground.

All his subordinates can't help him anymore. They all only want to care for themselves. 

All of them against the stray individual. Win by the stray individual. But for some reason, the stray individual didn't put an end to them.

The stray individual are just laze in the throne chair. 

Unfortunately, they cannot escape the room. Because all the way out is being blocked by lizardmen creature. 

Previously, they entered the room without the labyrinth boss who should have been waiting for them. But who would have thought traps and a monster stronger than the Lizard King was waiting for them.

The stray individual, a man around 20s, wearing black clothes and cloak that hides his face. One thing that stood out from him, is the right hand which had the shape of a devil's hand. 

He alone fights all of them without using his right hand. But they wore out, taken down, almost got killed, and kneel before him.

It really pissed Tyler off. "If you are going to kill us, then do it!"

All of them are now suffering from the wounds and pain they received in the previous battle. 

"Suffer,, more."

He is playing with them. 

"Quick death.. is a blessing. But real suffer, is, what will make people realized how important life is."

"Other bullshit, eh?"

The stray individual was always like that whenever Tyler tried to talk with him. He always says philosophical words relating to suffer and life.

"Let's say, you are a Black Hunter, and the motives behind your doing now are related to your big plan. And what big plan it is that needs you to torture us stupidly like this? To make us join you? After we have been tormented enough, are you going to let one of us run away so he can spread the news outside?"

"It wasn't, part of, a.. big plan. This is just a test, for them."

The stray individual pointed his words to the lizardmen group. 

Now that Tyler thing about that, the lizardmen herd wasn't doing any moves since they arrived to the place. Although at that state, they can easily massacre all of them. 

"So, are they human or just mindless pawn?"

The stray individual seems interested in Tyler. 

"Why, you always asking question... even though, you cannot do anything?"

Tyler smirked. "Heh, weren't you a human too? And you just did; asking a question just like I did. It's natural for a human being to curious about anything they don't know."

The stray individual feel relieved after received that simple answer. 

"I... see."

The stray individual lift his left index finger, and pointed to a certain point to hist left. Then, he started spraying flames in horizontal line, about 5 meters from Tyler's place. 

The horizontal line of black flames became a wall of black flames.

With that black flame wall, Tyler was sandwiched between all sides. Although before they already can't get anywhere, but now the situation has become worse. 

All the hunters became more afraid of that threat. Because they all knew what will happen to them next. 

"I have, had enough. I also, able to... control all of them."

Suddenly, the lizardmen herd is moving. They walked forward. Seemed to order the hunters to move with them.

The hunters begin to more panicked. 

"No! I don't want to die in that flame!"

"Please, just kill us quick already!"

"That must be going to be really painful! I don't want that!"

They don't want it. But the swarm of lizardmen walking towards them made their fear order them to move forward.

The scenario has come to worse. 

"You think I never thought a situation like this would happen to us?"

Gladly, Tyler had already thought of an easy way out of the situation.

"Where I need to kill myself and my subordinates to prevent torture like that."

Tyler lifts his sword. [Thundering +3]. A sword born from really hard forging and expensive material from Bluish Mountain. Its [Ulterior Phantasm – Ultimate] could create an area full of lightning that deals AOE damage that will injure everyone around the area, including friends.

Tyler is going to do that when all his subordinates are close to him. 

There was no time to feel remorse for the action he was about to take. In fact, if he didn't do that, they would be in even more pain.

"What Arts did he have that makes him can create this black flames?"

Suddenly, there was one of his subordinates that curious with the stray individual's Arts.

"You feel pretty calm despite being in this kind of situation?"

When Tyler himself couldn't stop shaking with fear and regret, his men had fearless hearts of steel.

'Wait, did I have this kind of men?'

He is the strongest individual in his party. Dustin is also in, but now he's looking after the apprentices from the church.

Tyler looks at he called strong man, then found out that that person is not one of his subordinates.

A man, a person who has a great reddish black atmosphere around him. 

Despite wearing black clothing, he definitely is not in the Black Hunter group. Plus, that person is holding [Flemish], which only owned by Dustin in their party.

'Did he save Dustin and take his sword?'

Tyler could see the person's face. A face that radiates greatness. Now is curious with the stray individual, Black Hunter leader's Arts.

"H-hey, where are you going?!"

The person somehow walking towards the black flame wall. 

Flames will definitely burn everything that touch it. 

However, the person casually walks pass the black flame wall in ease. It was as if there is an invisible barrier protecting the person from the black flame wall.

~~~~~~~~~~

Cast [Dragon Skin – Solid Box], Ars goes through the black flame wall in ease. 

After that, he found a throne chair that the Black Hunter leader is sitting on. He definitely is not just a usual leader, most likely a Demon King Commander. 

How did he know?

Because [Eyes of the Dragon – Mana Vision] could not measure the mana capacity of the Black Hunter leader. 

[Mana Vision] can measure how strong an individual is from the aura of mana capacity that someone releases. 

Aura of mana capacity is like seeing a rainbow fire, Abyssal Mana, that covered one individual. But as for Black Hunters, they leak out black flames just like the black flame wall. 

And Ars couldn't see the aura of mana capacity of the individual who sits on the throne within that range of sight. 

The Black Hunter leader quite surprised on Ars' capability.

"Who, are you? How, you can ... get through my flames?"

Ars folded his arms, with a smug face, he answered: "You should take my heart away from me if you want to hit me with your attack." 

"That, is a strange... parable. Can you still alive... even when your heart, got taken away, from you?"

Ars got annoyed.

'What's with him?'

The individual way of speaking really irritates Ars. That made Ars's breath stop every time the individual spoke in a halting manner.

Also, his way of thinking is like a kid that curious about everything that he just saw. 

"Well, yeah. Even in that situation, you won't be able to kill me."

"Is... that so?"

The individual suddenly gets up from his sit. 

"Then, we shall not, clashing our sword... in this place."

Ars looked at the area in the room. "Yeah, that's right. We should get out from here first if we want to try to kill each other."

"No."

Surprisingly, this one Demon King Commander is not thirst for blood like the one Ars fought few months ago. 

"And why is that?"

"Because, you are.. not my enemy. Also... you are, not the one who should, I fight."

"So it needs to be a person that relates with your past? Someone who has hurt you?"

"Yes."

So that is a revenge. 

"What a cliché."

If that is how it is, then that is good. Because Ars also didn't find any benefit on why he should fighting with this one Demon King Commander. 

"One question."

Ars was a little surprised when the Demon King Commander politely asked permission for a question.

���Sure?"

Ars is not really sure, but well, whatever.

"Those people? Did you come to save them?"

He suddenly speaks normally. 

"Well." Ars has shown himself to his disciple. So there is no reason to leave them. "Yeah, I came here to save them."

"I... see."

He suddenly speaks haltingly again.

"Then, we should... end it, here."

Behind the black flames wall, the lizardmen herd suddenly stopped. 

The hunters inside were confused, but glad at the same time. 

The black flames wall also disappear, showing two great individuals facing each other.

"We will, take our... leave."

"Yeah-yeah, don't cause any trouble again after this."

Suddenly, black smokes emit under the Demon King Commander's feet. The same happens also with the lizardmen herd. That black smoke slowly covers them, like going to take them away. 

But before the Demon King Commander leaves, he gives Ars message.

"I���m happy. A strong, person like you... have a heart, that radiates justice. Not like the person I hate the most."

After that, the Demon King Commander is gone, taken away as the black smokes disappear.