Bastard Homunculus: Reborn in the Corpse Pit

"I wonder how far they've gone? It's been a while since we came across that dead Roc, we should reach the sixtieth level before much longer now. They've probably gone past that point and claimed another Relic Armament," Guessed Aster optimistically, as he and Tacitus made their way through the fifty-ninth level of the Quartz Ruins.

"Who knows? If they have gone past the sixtieth level, they'll probably reach the bottom of the ruins well before we catch up to them," Replied Tacitus, as he stretched his arms up.

The pair had been making steady progress, and not too long ago, they had passed through the fifty-fifth floor, where they came across the corpse of the Roc that Lexia and Colt had fought.

There were bone spikes and streaks of blood that didn't belong to the Monster scattered around that area, so it didn't take a genius to surmise that Lexia and Colt had passed through there.

That, and also the fact that Celia had carved their names in front of the entrances of each tunnel the two of them had gone through.

"Hm? I think I see a tunnel up ahead...yeah, looks like we've reached the entrance to the sixtieth level," Noticed Aster, picking up the pace slightly.

"Still six more levels to go through though...damn it, I really hate this place," Grumbled Tacitus in response, as the approached the tunnel.

They stepped into the entrance and made their way down, before reaching the bottom and stepping out...

"Oh, it's just you two. We thought it was a Monster...good thing we didn't teleport right away," Suddenly came Lexia's voice, startling the pair before they glanced around, relaxing as they spotted Colt and Lexia on either side of the bottom of the tunnel.

"Th-that caught me off-guard...I wasn't expecting to run into you two here, I figured you must have made it a fair distance past this point by now," Replied Aster in surprise.

"Well, we would have, but we came across a Fire Dragon at the end of this level and retreated, we're not exactly suited to taking on a large, powerful Monster like that," Huffed Lexia, before adding as she glanced at her arms with a grimace, "Don't suppose you've got any Healing Spells on you? Pretty sure the bones in my arms are fractured."

"Sorry, no. Since we had Raven with us, I didn't bother making any Healing Spell Cards, I had my hands full with making the Teleport Spells anyway," Responded Tacitus with a shake of his head.

"Ugh, just great..."

"Are you injured too, Colt? You look a bit worn out," Remarked Aster, as Colt wiped some sweat off his brow.

"Oh, I'm fine. I mean, yeah, most of my ribs are pretty seriously fractured, it stings nice and sharp every time I move," He replied with a thumbs up.

"...okay, we need to find Raven and Celia, you two need healing. The only problem is, we don't know whether they're above us or below us. If they're below us, they'll probably stop and wait if and when they reach the lowest level. In which case, we should probably head down too," Surmised Aster, after mulling it over.

"Yeah, alright. By the way, any idea which level we're on?" Inquired Lexia curiously, before the four of them teleported forward by a kilometer using their Teleport Spells and began walking.

"Mhm, pretty sure we're on the sixtieth level. Tacitus and I managed to obtain two of the Relic Armaments, and based on what we saw on the fifty-fifth level, you two got one as well, right?" Responded Aster, as they made their way forward.

"Yeah, we found a whip that can extend in length," Chimed in Colt.

"We found a dagger that generates and injects poison, and a large, heavy sword that can expand to double its size. The latter is a weapon suited for a Pulverizer, so Tacitus will use that one, and the former is suited for Assassins, so...we're going to need to figure out which of the two of you will get it," Aster informed them.

"Let's save that for after we're out of this place...right now, I just want to get this over with and go home," Grumbled Lexia wearily.

"Couldn't agree more," Spoke up Tacitus with a nod, as they headed through the sixtieth level.

The four of them continued walking for a while, before teleporting again. Even though they'd each been using their second Teleport Spell Cards more sparingly, plus the fact that they'd skipped several levels thanks to the trap on the thirtieth level, the Spell Cards were getting close to their limit, a few more uses remaining before they'd each need to switch to their third and final Teleport Spells.

After walking for a while, they encountered a pack of High Level Monsters and used their Teleport Spells again, avoiding a fight with the Monsters as they reappeared in a clear area.

"Hm...this spot looks familiar. Yeah, I think we're close to the end of this level now, I'm pretty sure Colt and I passed by this area before we encountered the Fire Dragon," Remarked Lexia, after glancing around the area.

"Alright, let's keep our guards up. We're dealing with a Critical Level Threat, after all, we can't be too careful," Instructed Aster, before they continued heading forward...

Meanwhile, five levels further below...

"Huh? Wait, we don't want to fight you, we-...," Began Raven.

"Well, too bad, I don't intend on giving you much of a choice, it's been too long since I last got to kill someone, and killing a Homunculus should help alleviate my boredom. But before we get to that, I have a few questions...I've been down here for so long, I'm starved for new information and knowledge. Indulge me and buy yourselves a bit more time to live...what do you say? I believe that in both our best interests right now...or, if you'd prefer, we can just jump straight to me killing you," Smirked the Undead King.

Raven and Celia glanced at each other and exchanged a nod, before Raven turned to the Undead King as a bead of sweat ran down the side of his face...

"Alright, fine...I can tell that you're powerful, we don't stand much of a chance. Mind if we eat while we answer your questions? This could be our last meal, after all."

"Hah, you sure are calm, at least relative to the circumstances! Sure, go ahead, do whatever you want!" Laughed the Undead King in amusement, before Raven brought out a bun from his Storage Ring.

Celia looked puzzled for a moment, before her eyes widened slightly in realization and she followed Raven's lead.

"Okay, good, the Storage Rings are still working, so our last Teleport Spells should be functional. Should we bring them out now and try to get away? No, he's too fast, there's a good chance that he'll be able to stop us before we can use the Spells. We need to wait for a clear opening...which means, for now, we need to play along and buy some time. His guard seems down, but his attention is keenly focused on us...he'll notice if we make any suspicious moves," Raven thought to himself with a grimace, doing his best to stay calm, before addressing the Undead King, "Alright, go ahead...what do you want to know?"

"To start with, what year is it? I want to know exactly how long I've been down here," Came the response.

"It's the year 1917 currently, the new year was a little over a month and a half ago," Answered Raven, as he took a bite of the bun.

"What? 1917? I was trapped down here in the year 909. Assuming it's the same calendar, that means...I've been stuck in this place for over a goddamn millennium!?" Exclaimed the Undead King in disbelief and anger as a massive burst of Miasma erupted from his body, before it subsided as he composed himself and added, "I see...it's been that long, huh? The outside world is probably unrecognizable to what I knew if that much time has passed."

"Not good, I'm getting the feeling that just made him lose interest in asking us questions," Raven thought to himself warily.

Celia had come to the same realization, putting her guard up as she wolfed down the rest of her bun, tensing up slightly as the Undead King glanced at her, instinctively forming an Explosion Spell in her right hand.

"Hm? Well, now...you're like me, you possess a form of Arcane Magic too," He remarked with a look of intrigue, as he took a closer look at the Spell, inspecting it in fascination.

"Huh? Oh, uh...is that what it was called a thousand years ago? These days, it's called Irregular Magic," She replied, as she realized that they'd piqued his interest again.

"What? How strange...Arcane Magic is highly revered and valued, calling it Irregular seems like an odd choice of word," He frowned with a confused look on his face.

"Revered? Yeah, no...only pure-blooded Commoners can awaken Irregular Magic, the Nobles and Royals see us as threats, so Irregular Mages like me are usually executed immediately," She informed him.

"The hell? Commoners? Nobles? In my era, there were just the Royals and the people...it's true that there were a handful special bloodlines outside of the Royal family who genetically had high Magic potential, while the rest of the population had lower Magic potential, but Arcane Magic only awakens in those bloodlines with low Magic potential. Why the hell would they-...oh. Right, now that I think about it, that was probably my fault. After all...my Undead Magic very nearly destroyed the nation," Chuckled the Undead King wryly.

"First I'm hearing of it, guess they decided to exclude that from the history books," Spoke up Raven, anxious to keep him talking for as long as possible, while he desperately wracked his brain to try and think of a way out of this.

"Well, that's annoying...alright, I have a couple more questions. Tell me, are there four or five nations here on Continent X? Wait, is it still called Continent X?"

"Uh, yeah, it is...and there are four nations, not five; Persona, Sylph, Anima and Vilia," Answered Celia, tensing up as she could sense that it wouldn't be much longer before they'd have to fight, a restless expression on the Undead King's face as he began pacing around.

"Okay, so the names of the nations are still the same...final question, what of the region between the four nations? Obviously, the nation that used to be there was never rebuilt since you said there are only four nations, what's that area called now?"

"That would be the Death Zone...I don't know much about it, but from what I've heard, it's a toxic wasteland that's impossible to traverse without dying. I didn't even know that it used to be a nation, I don't think anyone knows that," Replied Celia.

"The Death Zone, huh? I quite like that, it's a fitting name. But it seems like the history of that region has been buried...in which case, allow me to enlighten you. That place was my base of operations after, long story short, I became an enemy of Persona. And the reason it's impossible to travel through would be my Undead forces.

There used to be a nation there, you see, with a mix of races from the other four nations, it served as a bridge between those nations. That is, until I destroyed it and took it over, turning the citizens into Undead beings, along with Monsters and animals. Undead creatures produce Miasma, just like I do, and since I created so many Undead, that area is probably flooded with concentrated Miasma at this point," He laughed in amusement.

"I see, that's really-...," Began Raven, in an effort to continue trying to keep him talking.

"That's enough chit-chat, I have no more questions. If anything else comes to mind that I want to discuss, we can just talk about it while fighting...I can't contain my anticipation anymore, I'm starting to get restless. Time to fight," Smirked the Undead King, Raven stiffening up as he sensed immense, stifling malice and bloodlust directed towards him and Celia.

Reacting almost entirely on instinct, Raven fully tranformed and shot towards the Undead King at full speed, opening his jaws and unleashing a massive wave of purple flames.

The Undead King swiftly leapt up several meters into the air, comfortably evading the flames before Raven turned his gaze up as his eyes began glowing and fired out his beams with as much speed and penetrative power as he could generate, as Celia simultaneously unleashed a barrage of explosive projectiles at the Undead King.

The beams pierced through the middle of the Undead King's head, before Celia's projectiles riddled his body and erupted fiercely, his right arm and several chunks of his body flying out and scattering across the ground, before the pair's eyes widened in disbelief as the Undead King regenerated his lost body parts almost instantly.

"As expected of Arcane Magic, that certainly packed a punch," Remarked the Undead King, as he plummeted and landed on the ground with a thud, before adding as he glanced at Raven, "It looks like a Plasma Dragon Core was used to turn you into a Homunculus. Plasma Dragons were considered to be the most dangerous Monster in existence in my era, so they were hunted and driven to the brink of extinction. Do they still exist?"

"Never heard of one before," Replied Raven with a grimace, before unleashing a deafening, high-pitched sonic screech towards the Undead King.

"I see, guess that means they really did go extinct," Mused the Undead King, as he raced across to evade the flames, before suddenly changing direction and charging straight at Raven with an immense burst of speed.

A sharp gasp of pain rang out as the Undead King slammed his fist onto Raven's stomach before he could react, sending him hurtling back through the air and crashing along the ground before coming to a skidding halt, coughing out blood as his vision blurred, before several explosions echoed out in rapid succession as Celia unleashed a barrage of explosions at the Undead King.

But she couldn't hit him, he was far too fast, his movements a little more than a blur to both of them. And the more he moved around, the more Miasma flowed out of his body, gradually starting to fill the space.

Raven strained to get back on his feet, wiping away a trickle of blood from the left corner of his mouth, healing himself before he unleashed a fierce wave of purple flames a few meters in front of Celia as the Undead King began to charge towards her, stopping him in his tracks and extinguishing some of the Miasma.

Raven then shot towards the Undead King with all the speed he could generate, extending out his claws as he coated his body in lightning, slashing the claws on his right towards the Undead King's neck as he closed in.

As his claws closed in on the side of the Undead King's neck, the swing of his arm came to an abrupt halt as the Undead King swiftly grabbed his wrist before the claws could reach him, his hand getting charred from the lightning coating Raven.

"In case you haven't noticed, I can't be killed. I'm not alive, after all, you could wipe out every last trace of me and I'll still regenerate in an instant!" He exclaimed gleefully, before he tightened his grip around Raven's wrist and swung him off his feet, flinging him away with immense force.

Raven went hurtling through the air while spinning around rapidly and uncontrollably, his back crashing onto the top of the large doorway with a jarring impact, his bones rattled as he fell off and plummeted, hitting the ground with a thud.

As he let out a pained groan, his eyes widened in alarm before he quickly rolled out of the way as he spotted the Undead King leaping towards him with immense speed, driving his feet down towards Raven, a loud crash ringing out as his feet slammed onto the ground as Raven just barely managed to get out of the way in time.

"Shit! I've never fought anyone this fast before, and his brute strength is even greater than mine!" Raven thought to himself in alarm, before spreading out his wings and flying up as a large explosive sphere came shooting towards the Undead King.

A deafening explosion rang out as the sphere slammed onto the doors as the Undead King leapt off to his right to evade it, the shockwave from the explosion sending him stumbling across slightly before he turned his gaze up as a massive wave of purple flames came blazing down towards him.

He swiftly raced across, narrowly evading the flames before glancing up as Raven came swooping down towards him with his right arm drawn back, closing in rapidly.

The Undead King paused for a moment, before turning his body to face the direction Raven was coming from. Raven drove his claws towards the Undead King's head as he closed in, aiming to skewer his face.

Suddenly, the Undead King tilted his head up as he stood up on his toes, Raven's claws slamming onto the collar around his neck and coming to a halt, without inflicting so much as a single scratch on the collar.

"Right, guess that was too much to hope for...you're still pretty weak for a Homunculus, I should've figured you wouldn't be strong enough," Sighed the Undead King wistfully, before a powerful force suddenly slammed onto the side of Raven's face, as the Undead King rapidly spun around and slammed a powerful kick against the left side of Raven's head, sending him flying across to his right.

Raven crashed onto the side of the underground space, severely dazed as blood poured down the side of his head. He groaned in pain as he struggled to get back onto his feet, his head spinning, before he shakily lifted his gaze as more explosions rang out.

Celia had began firing off a ceaseless wave of explosive projectiles at the Undead King, clouds of dust rising up across the area as her projectiles peppered the ground, as she failed to hit the Undead King with her attacks.

Raven quickly began healing himself, before his eyes widened as the Undead King began to charge towards Celia, Raven's chest tightening as he mustered up his strength to get back onto his feet while healing his injuries as fast as he could, but in his dazed state, he struggled to focus, his healing unsteady and slower than usual...

As the Undead King evaded Celia's explosions and closed in on her, he drove his left fist towards the middle of her torso, his eyes widening slightly in surprise as she managed to react and struck his forearm with the back of her right fist, deflecting his punch before swiftly driving her left elbow up towards his throat, striking it sharply before she let out a strained gasp as the Undead King swiftly reached out and grabbed her neck with his right hand before she could react.

"I see, you accurately assessed and anticipated the timing of my speed, and you managed to react accordingly, not bad. But that's all that's worth complimenting, you're too slow to actually take advantage of it, especially with my Miasma steadily debilitating you...and, as I'm sure you've realized, in addition to sapping your stamina, Miasma makes Spellcasting a lot more difficult, it destabilizes Magical output," He smirked, before raising his left arm up as she attempted to strike the side of his neck with her right fist, blocking her attack before she let out an agonized, stifled cry of pain as he slammed his knee onto her stomach.

Her vision blurred severely as she wheezed in pain, blood pouring out of her mouth before she gritted her teeth and drove her right index finger towards the Undead King's left eye, before screaming in pain as he grabbed her finger and broke it with a sharp twist, a sickening crunch echoing out as he snapped the bone like a twig.

"I doubt you can entertain me any further, so...time to die," He chuckled, as he began to tighten his grip around her neck, a choked gasp escaping her lips.

Suddenly, the Undead King froze as he sensed a ominous presence behind him, quickly starting to turn his gaze around, right as his head was sliced clean off his shoulders.

"Huh? What just...?" The Undead King thought to himself in bewilderment.

"Y-you bastard...get away...from her...," Came a deep menacing growl, right as the Undead King's head was set ablaze with purple flames, getting charred black and turning to ash within a matter of seconds, right before a new head grew out of his neck in the blink of an eye.

"Ah, I see now, you're-...," He began, before Raven cut him off by slicing off his right arm, freeing Celia of his grasp, before he slammed his foot onto the Undead King's torso and sent him flying back with immense speed, skidding across the ground and coming to a screeching halt as puffs of dust rose up.

Raven then unleashed a tremendous, scorching blaze of purple flames towards the Undead King as he began to get back up onto his feet, the flames engulfing him before he could get out of the way, while burning up the Miasma that had started to fill the area.

"R-Rav-...I mean, Dark Raven," Uttered Celia with a shaky smile, before coughing out blood as she tried to get back up, the Undead King's severed arm turning to smoke and disappearing.

Raven placed his hand on her shoulder and healed her, the pain disappearing almost instantly as he repaired the injured parts of her body, replenished her stamina and dispelled the effects of the Miasma.

"Hahaha...HAHAHAHA! I see now! It hasn't been very long since you were turned into a Homunculus, has it!? You haven't mastered your powers at all, you're only able to control a small fraction of it...still, you managed to take me by surprise, this might prove to be more fun that I thought it'd be! Now, come! Show me what you've got!" Exclaimed the Undead King gleefully, as he emerged from the flames, his body ablaze as a wide, unsettling grin spread out across his face...