I leave Lydia behind as she battles the jet-black suit of armor that spawned in moments ago.

It dives for her directly, ignoring me as I air-step away in the direction of the dungeon's far side.

Oddly enough, over the next half an hour there isn't a single monster that comes onto my radar. Not a single one even spawns a portal below to try and fight me.

I just fly through the sky in silence, letting the eerie silence of the grey-colored world aid in my building anticipation for the boss that's to come.

I continuously try to re-open the link from earlier, but the Arch Demon's presence is nowhere to be found.

I'm itching to try out my new increased power. Even with these unique Knight creatures appearing a single attack slices through them like butter.

This final challenge better be worth it.

Slowly letting the grin of excitement grow on my face, the final glowing portal of the Knight's Boss room comes into view.

I let out a satisfied chuckle while gliding down to the floor and stepping through without a second thought.

"Once I defeat this room, I'll be one step away from taking on that demon."

The white transfer magic takes me in and fades all the same as I activate all my battle skills in preparation for a fight.

Once my vision returns, It feels and looks like I've been transported back to the start point of the original dungeon.

There's no difference at all.

A grey floor and grey sky surround me, plus the absence of any Boss makes me even more confused.

With a step forward I grip my blade and take a deep breath.

All I have to do is wait. It'll come.

Pushing my perception skill to its limit and absorbing the MP in the air, all I hear is my own heart beating in my ears while my eyes scan the room over and over again.

Despite its similarities to the endless dungeon I just left, this place seems to have a barrier-like cutoff around 700 meters away from me. I couldn't tell at first, the walls just looked like the sky from the 25th Floor.

I'm standing in a massive grey cube.

Staring outwards, I feel a gust of wind hit the back of my neck. Instantly, I jump high up in the air while expanding a flat rectangular shield of pink mana behind me.

Explosions of white light and sparks follow as my shielding is melted. A wavering black crescent of energy tears through it with ease...

Under close examination, the blade that cuts my shielding isn't slicing through in a conventional manner at all.

It's destroying the mana itself as it collides with my shield. The two masses of opposite matter collide, completely destroying each other in a magnificent blast.

My gaze shifts from this display as I lock onto the menace that sent this shot.

_______________________

[Lv. 540]

Active Items:

[Armor Set of The Final Demonic Guard] +125% Defense

[Long Sword of The Final Demonic Guard] +122% Strength

[Amulet of The Final Demonic Guard] +119% Mental Strength

Active Skills:

Dungeon Walker

Swordsmanship

Combat Magic [Advanced Demonic Energy Manipulation]

_______________________

This Knight is nearly a full head taller than the ones back in the dungeon, and it exudes much more of that glowing black energy. Easily 5 times as much.

Its final kill catches my eye as it lets off another shot directly my way.

"Demonic Energy...?"

A wave of undetectable black mass soars toward me, but I dungeon walk to the floor to dodge and point my sword forward erupting into dark flames of my own.

Not wanting to give it another chance to attack, I let out a destructive blow. It matches my attack with blinding speed and both of our attacks collide.

I dungeon walk up in the air above it to let out another attack while the exploration of sparks and swirling black energy fills the battlefield below.

Like a black hole, the reaction sucks in pure mana from my strike the two attacks that collide cancel each other out. It all fades into nothingness as the magical flaming debris dissipates.

Meanwhile, my second attack is on a crash course for the Knight's unguarded chest plate.

With incredible agility and reaction time faster than any beast I've faced in my life, the black helmet turns toward me and it lunges out of the way while forming a purple dungeon walker portal of its own.

Not having an upgraded skill like my ability may be its fatal flaw. The milliseconds of lag time between summoning a portal and jumping through are more than enough for me to land a shot on the Guard's left forearm.

Yellow and white sparks glint in the air as it slips through the portal and becomes completely invisible.

I grin, watching the left hand of the creature hit the solid grey floor with a clang while covered in popping magic reactions to the remaining energy surrounding it.

Seconds later it all dissolves and a cold black metal glove sits on the dungeon floor.

The room is silent once again....

Deathly silent.

I stay high up in the air, using wind magic to keep myself about 10 meters off the ground and slowly spinning to scan the room in all directions.

Over a full minute passes.

The monster doesn't show up. I grit my teeth and glide down to the floor muttering under my breath.

"I don't have time for this... "

Nothing again for the full 10 seconds I glide to the floor.

It's just silent.

"Come on out...."

The Guard only attacked me last time when it had a clear advantage and the element of surprise from behind. If that's what it needs to spawn back in again, then that's what I'll give it.

However, it won't be able to dodge my attack this time around. I'm sure of it.

I smirk.

The moment my feet tap the light-colored ground, I spin and release a shot from my charged sword.

I couldn't sense a thing, but nonetheless, my predictions are spot on.

The obsidian-colored Guard emerges from its swirling portal and releases an energy blade of its own, not waiting for a second.

As it's released from the Guardian's sword, the black energy is so close to the ground, that it begins to react with the mana in the dungeon floor.

A white and yellow light forms underneath it as a half-meter-deep hole trails the Knight's demonic attack. It's eroding mass from the Boss Room.

I Dungeon walk above it to shoot off another attack, then Dungeon Walk to its opposite side to let out a 3rd.

Over and over, before our first attacks even collide, I send 4 more flying at it from all directions.

It has no time to think, and nowhere to hide.

They all make contact at a single point.

With an explosive crackle, it looks and sounds like a house full of fireworks all ignited at once.

The violent popping sounds and expelled mana and flames are mind-boggling.

I smile ear to ear while air-stepping backward to watch the attacks hit the Knight straight on from every angle.

It attempts to portal out, but the lag time doesn't allow it to do so at this range.

Black armor flies, and the eruption of energy explodes over 15 meters in the air before quickly dying down and collapsing on itself disappearing into nothingness.

In less than 4 seconds, the entire reaction ceases to exist and not a single drop of mana or swirling black magic is left behind.

The lifeless armor falls to the floor.

[Level Up]

[Level Up]

"That's level 499. Just 1 more.."

I Dungeon Walk over to the now, most definitely lifeless Knight.

The colliding shots cracked the floor and made a small crater, but it's not nearly as deep as expected. Possibly half a meter to a meter at its deepest point.

My eyes lock onto the center of the armor as I slowly walk over and it dissolves before my eyes.

[Use Absorption]

Skill: Combat Magic [Advanced Demonic Energy Manipulation]

[YES][NO]

Blue text hovers above the remains of the Knight. With a grin, I choose yes without a moment of hesitation.

The Knights from the dungeon below were covered in this energy despite not having the actual skill to wield it.

"Something isn't quite adding up here."

My thoughts are interrupted as the loot finally drops.

With a light-sounding clink, a large mana crystal, along with a black rock over 3 times the size of the previous drops are all that remain.

The black stone has flat crystal-like edges. Unlike the rocks in the Knight's dungeon, this one gives off a faint black aura. My eyes fill with curiosity as I place the crystal and stone into my item storage very carefully.

My heart pounds faster and faster with excitement as I wait for the transfer magic to take me up to the final dark hallway. I'll have to talk to Ember about this new demonic power. I'm sure he has some valuable insight. It may be of great aid while facing the final Floor.