Both sides of the battlefield lit up, like two hemispheres suddenly filled with nothing but energy. Red and white colliding with purple and orange, split down the center of the world with a dividing line created by their central clash. Hurricane force winds buffeted the ground, while the stone near to the clash melted, bubbling slag running across the dungeon floor.

  Jonathan and Arkanon were lifted off their feet by the soaring winds, while Edgar was able to bleed the force away with his control over the air, remaining where he was. A dome of elemental energy sprang up around the three men, crafted from their respective masteries. The obdurate power of Negation surrounded a core of Fire and Air, all of them rotating in different directions to wick away the force.

  The seraphim remained floating regally above the volcano, and as it watched them, tendrils of lava reached up to the monster, sending pulses of power into its body. It seemed content to watch the ongoing clash of techniques, but Jonathan was sure that if it felt in danger, it would strike.

  There was a chime in the air, and a sudden shift in power as the balance changed, with Arkanon’s miniature supernova reaching its final stages of compression. It tried to explode, but was constrained by the Void around it. Struck by a sudden insight, Jonathan seized control over his elemental energy, and condensed it down, focusing on the skill matrix for his black hole technique. The supernova exploded one more time, and then bounced off the obdurate walls of his Void’s concept of Negation, forced down into a tiny dot. The Void shrunk with it, and with a tearing, howling scream, a true black hole was born. Unlike the ones that Jonathan summoned, this was an entirely wild beast, under no control save for its own. It streaked towards the seraphim, eating the monster’s attack whole, and growing larger as it did so.

  The monster’s eyes flashed in fear, and it poured all of its energy into a sword of light, extending from its right arm. It slashed down, bisecting the world around it. The black hole was split in half, but rather than fading, it simply became two, both still aimed at their target. Even worse for the monster, it was now within the gravitational field of the black holes.

  On the ground, Jonathan and the others were blasted backwards by the remnants of the seraphim’s skill, armor tearing and flesh rent before the force. Jonathan’s legs were severed, and he went skidding along the ground, bleeding profusely. His regeneration tried to fix the damage, but it was overtaxed. Instead, he lay there, gasping in pain. Arkanon was no better off, and Edgar was simply gone, his decapitated body lying on the ground.

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  Up in the sky, the black holes impacted the seraphim, tearing its flesh apart. Jonathan’s vision faded as the monster fell, vast holes blasted into its body.

  The seraphim was torn apart by the raging forces of gravity and the Void, its wings shredded like tissue paper as its body was sucked into the depths of the twin orbs of blackness. With a shockwave of light and sound, the corpse detonated, sending a wave of pressure across the air, pressing Jonathan into the ground. The next floor started unceremoniously, but by that point, Jonathan was already dead, his vision fully blacking out before he could see the monsters there.

  When he opened his eyes, he was back in the central room, face to face with the three doors. The door of Mediocrity was greyed out, and the message on the wall had changed. Three had been replaced by two in its references to fears and challenges, making the message of the dungeon quite abundant. In the center of the room, a swirling circle of light spun gently, presumably leading to the outside world. The other fighters were arrayed in a rough circle around it, polishing their armor, or generally passing the time. As soon as Jonathan appeared, everyone rose.

  “Finally!” Edgar said. “What took you so long? Arkanon returned almost a minute ago!”

  Jonathan shrugged. “I guess I’m pretty hard to kill. But that doesn’t matter. What about the dungeon?”

  “I’m not sure-“ Edgar was cut off as a System notification appeared before everyone present.

  1/3 Dungeon Challenges complete.

  You may leave the dungeon now, and gain your rewards for the challenge. Alternatively, you may challenge one of the other two trials for further rewards. The party does not need to maintain integrity. Anyone can leave, and anyone can stay. However, those electing to stay will not be able to leave until the next challenge is completed. Passing more challenges will result in bonus rewards.

  Stay?

  Y/N

  Jonathan felt like he hadn’t gained that much from the dungeon, despite his high hopes. Presumably, the good stuff was hidden behind the other two challenges. However, he wasn’t going to force anyone to come with him, especially to something called ‘Certain Death’ or ‘Unknown’. He cracked his knuckles, and headed towards the door marked as Unknown.

  “If anyone wants to come with me, they’re welcome to,” Jonathan said, “but I have no idea what’s waiting for us in there. This is a challenge I would only ever force upon myself.” Then he opened the door, and stepped inside.