The Earth After Rebirth

As much as what they saw was another world entirely, something was wrong with it. Kiro wasn't surprised seeing a world within Asgard, he's experienced something similar before.

His two compatriots however had their jaws on their knees. They could tell that, this was different from a typical dungeon.

It was vast and open land, nobody would call it beautiful. It was bombarded by millions of trenches on its body, telling a long tale of the things it had gone through. With all its scars, it still carried itself with dignity.

Mountains higher than those of Prometheus. But the world was devoid of life, so naturally, no trees, no plants to appeal to those who admired beauty.

The sky's were grey, cloudless but grey in colour. No sun to illuminate the chaos on the ground that aged it by at least a million years, but light was still there. The source of it was unknown.

The three boys entered at the same time, the world welcoming them with open arms. Happy to have other victims willingly walking into its bowels.

"What the hell is this?" Aeron found himself asking, he didn't know whether to cry or continue to stare in awe.

The atmosphere changed with their presence acknowledged.

The bloodlust was unbearable. It didn't want to talk, it didn't want to reason, it wanted blood—whose was still the question no one was around to answer.

"You guys, this is not gonna be easy." Kiro commented nervously.

The entrance door behind them disappeared—if they were having second thoughs about taking on the tower, it was too late now.

None of them trusted that the ground could withstand their weight. The cracks were too deep and too large. Kiro had unwanted flashbacks to when he fell through one them. Back when he still had his favourite companion.

"What now?" Viktor asked, his head turned towards the entrance that no longer existed.

"Now? We walk around, defeat the tower or something of that degree."

The second they touched the many cracks with their feet, the entire world complained. It started to shake, but not violently enough that they couldn't walk. It was a low rumbling shake.

"The anger you felt, doesn't seem like it's directed at us." Viktor said matter-of-factly.

No sooner had those words left his mouth than they lost their balance, Kiro held on to his staff for dear life. The trenches on the ground pushed out boulders, that didn't waste any time attacking them.

"Ryu, multiply." Kiro shouted, throwing the staff between Viktor and the enormous rock that was about to crash his face.

One turned into tens of him, while the original weapon flew back to its master's hand. The copies went on to protect the two. Especially Aeron.

While he was an awakened—a guardian. The system didn't like him very much, both his class and subclass were noncombatant.

'Dammit. I see the importance of Ishaan's protective dome now.' He thought to himself.

He wasn't sure if he could fight while protecting Aeron. He appreciated that Ryu took initiative. The boulders were nothing to scoff at, but he was also a very powerful weapon—even if they were just copies.

Turned out, the skill was very similar to Kiro's, the copies didn't lose the original power. It was beautiful watching them crash a boulder, one after another.

Viktor had gotten over the initial shock, he tipped his head to Kiro for saving him. He was holding his weapon with both of his hands.

"Hey gangly fella, gimme some of that boost." He yelled after Aeron.

Aeron was quite fast on his feet, he'd clearly used his skill points on just agility and intelligence. You could tell he wasn't strong, but he was pretty damn good dodger.

"I'm trying—not exactly easy on the move like this."

Kiro on the other hand wasn't paying attention to them, he'd occasionally throw Ryu forwards while he used his fists to break the boulders.

This was the most fun he'd ever had in any dungeon. That seemed to rub the world the wrong way, because underneath the footings, a bright red shining liquid peeked the surface from the pits of the tower.

He thought the lava would attempt to attack them the way it rose to the surface with occasdional explosions but instead, it snaked through the cracks, like it would mend them.

But its mission wasn't the trenches, no, its mission were the broken down boulders that Kiro and Ryu had ground down to dust, more or less.

The ground was almost red in colour thanks to its interference. So the ground was scorching, that's why Aeron and Viktor couldn't stick around the same spot for long.

"You know, you're definitely cheating. How are you barefoot but can withstand the heat coming from the beneath the soil?" Viktor voiced his jealously.

Kiro didn't pay him any attention, his was stolen completely by what was forming in front of him. The lava seemed to weirdly have a face and a mouth.

Voices came out of it, voices of young and old. What they were saying couldn't be discerned but it was clear that they were very unhappy—unhappy about the world, unhappy about their intrusion.

"Sh*t, why did I leave my spectres again? This seems like ghostly business, vengeful spirits. This is their territory." He complained.

Blinking from where he stood and appearing in front of the vengeful spirits that were now moulded into a fat statue statue of a man with three heads.

The stone man had eyes all over his arms and torso. He was fat, but he stood a foot taller than Kiro. Which made him uncomfortable, he was used to look down or straight, talking to people.

Ding!

[Welcome to the tower of death. Nothing lives and nothing is alive here. A place born out of hatred from vengeful spirits, you can either purge them or set them free. Time is of the essence, if you fail to do one of the two, you become one of them.]

Kiro cringed at the thought of becoming a spirit, especially with Ishaan as a necromancer. His face soured realising that he could be Ishaan's puppet.

"Let's purge!" He shouted, already on the move.