Neo jumped down from the second floor.

He didn't need to use Ocean's Embrace for such heights.

A Shadow Centipede was crushed under his feet.

Before it healed, other Shadow Summons pounced on him.

Arcs of lightening bolts descended and swatted the monsters away.

Neo entered the group of monsters.

Felix and Arthur came down after him.

"What's the plan this time!?" Arthur shouted over the noises of monsters.

"Look for the Shadow Summoner!"

Neo swung his sword to crush the Shadow Mantis.

Behind him, Arthur and Felix split up for the search.

Neo did not use Ocean's Embrace or Necrotic Touch.

He had to conserver Divine Energy and he would face a worse situation when he entered Underworld.

This was his chance to train.

He grabbed the head of a Shadow Monster and smashed it into the ground.

While he fought, Arthur shouted.

"I can't find the Summoner! What should we do!?"

Neo swung his sword in a wide arc to create a room for himself.

The monsters backed away.

'There are too many of them. I can't use my Death Affinity to locate the Shadow Summoner.'

His affinity warned him of dangers and allowed him to detect the bloodlust.

However, it was useless in current situation.

"Can you do something about the monsters!?" Neo questioned.

There was no answer.

Neo, being swarmed by Shadow Monsters from all sides, could not see Arthur or Felix's condition.

He doubted those two could find each other either.

"I can!" Arthur shouted after a while. "But it's dangerous! Felix and you will be hit too!"

"I can handle it! What about Felix!?"

"Don't worry about me! Do it!"

Felix's answer brought a frown on Neo's face.

But he didn't delve on it.

"Okay! Cover me for a minute!"

Arthur created a hand symbol and swiftly chanted a Spell.

Sparks of lightning leaked from his body.

While he was defenseless, they monsters tried to attack him, only to be stopped by Neo who rushed to buy time for Arthur.

The air prickled

Neo's hair on the nape stood.

He knew Arthur was using a powerful attack.

The Shadow Monsters understood the same.

They went feral and pounced on them without caring about their own safety.

Neo used Ocean's Embrace.

He put his body on the line to protect Arthur.

Soon, Arthur spoke,

"I'm done. Get away from me."

His body was coated in golden lightning.

It was bright enough to force Neo to wince.

"Thunderburst," Arthur muttered.

The lightning covering his body went berserk.

Giant bolts of lightning flew out without rhyme and rhythm.

The thundering orchestra continued for a few seconds.

When it stopped, only the charred ground and a burnt smell were left.

Arthur fell to his knee.

His clothes were soaked in sweat and he was panting badly.

"I can't… Huff… Huff… fight for a few… Huff… minutes…"

The Shadow Monsters were obliterated.

Nonetheless, Neo could see shadows squirming on the ground.

They were recovering.

He had to be quick.

Neo focused on his senses.

He scanned the surroundings.

Bloodlust…!

His gazed went to the tree at the end of area out of Arthur's last attack range.

The shadow of the tree suddenly moved.

It looked like a normal shadow.

But.

Neo could see the thick bloodlust radiating from it with his eyes closed.

A smile appeared on his face.

Suddenly, the shadow started to run. It knew it was caught.

"I-it's him…. Go…" Arthur urged Neo.

Neo picked a stone from the ground, checked its weight, and threw it.

The Shadow tried to dodge only to tumble after a misstep.

Before it could stand back, Neo was next to it.

He grabbed the Shadow's neck.

"Let's look at our friend's face."

He used a weakened Necrotic Touch.

Not strong enough to kill him but make him feel the worst pain of his life.

The Shadow let go of the Spell with the scream.

Its real appearance was revealed to be a boy with sunken cheek, black hair, and black eyes.

The boy grinned.

"H-hahaha. You've lost!"

…!

Neo realized something was wrong and looked back.

Arthur was walking towards him but…

Felix was missing.

"That's right! We've taken your friend hostage!" The boy laughed. "Don't try to fight me if you value your friend's life!"

Neo frowned.

'It wasn't Felix who said he could block Arthur's attack. I should've understood it sooner.'

Arthur's face hardened when he found out what was happening.

"Go search the area. His friends or maybe Felix might be nearby. I'll try to get information out of him."

Arthur nodded at Neo's words.

His muscles were sore and he could hardly stand straight.

But there was no time to complain.

Death happened every year during the tournament.

If they were late, they might never see Felix again.

Arthur left.

The boy laughed when he saw the despair-filled expression on Arthur's face.

He looked Neo in the eye.

"It's no use! We've already delivered your friend to—"

"The Zeus Clan?"

Neo spoke calmly.

The boy, Nathan, frowned at his composure.

"You think I'm joking? Your friend will die if you don't listen to me!"

"Yeah? I don't care."

Felix was weak, but not useless.

The one thing he was best at was survival.

Even cockroaches could learn from him.

"He got kidnapped and it's his responsibility to get away," Neo said.

It was a good thing he sent Arthur away on a useless errand.

He wouldn't have liked Neo's words.

"Y-you are lying."

"Want a proof?"

Neo increased the intensity of Necrotic Touch.

The boy grunted and bit his lips in order to suppress the screams threatening to overflow.

"I don't care if you or that guy dies."

Nathan tried to use his Shadow Summons only to find himself unable to concentrate due to the pain.

"W-what do you want!? Why are you doing this to me!?"

He started to scream as if Neo had done something wrong to him.

It confused Neo.

Wasn't he the one who came to kill them?

Why was he blaming him when he received the same treatment?

Nevertheless, the question was a waste of time.

There was another reason why Neo wanted to talk to Nathan alone.