(Chapter 2) Desperation

“Ugh…..my head…….my head hurts…”

Groggily I slowly came to, after Death chucked me into the portal I don’t remember what happened but….where am I? I look around me and notice that I am on some sort of gigantic hill way up in the sky, there are clouds all around me and also the top of the hill where I am, it is oddly flat as if some god cut off the rounded part of the hill and made a platform.

There are also interesting markings faded out on the floor and nearby there are many pools of collected rain water where the ground has collapsed into itself slightly. It’s so hard to see far away as the clouds are dense and there are mists all around me.

I get soaked in a matter of minutes from all the moisture in the air, thankfully for some reason the air is warm or I would be freezing, as I casually look down at my clothes I feel shock!

Wait what... what’s with these commoners’ clothes? And what’s this!! My hands are so small! Even my body is that of a five year old or a six year old…. What does this mean??

I suddenly remember what Death told me, oldest yet weakest, he must have reverted me back to a day before my Death Arts initiation where father fed me a soul and then used the secret necromancers ritual to attune my soul to the Death Arts. Wait! If that’s true then all that training that I did….. Countless hours of work……….Its….…….. It’s all been reset! I am just a stupid weakling again…………! Ugh!! What the hell DEATH Why?!?!?!

I sit down all of a sudden shocked by what this means. I am weak again, there’s nothing I despise more than weakness……

After about 30 minutes or so I slowly get out of my numbed state and look around I've began to feel thirsty…. Right I have no God-blood in my veins and I can’t even feel my mana pool yet, I am going to die from thirst and starvation if I don’t do something. I get up on my feet feeling small and weak and shakenly walk towards a pool of water. I kneel down and cup my hands and begin drinking.

The water feels very refreshing and tastes surprising clear and fresh! The water around here must be completely clean of all impurities.

I was confident that I would be able to complete whatever sort of trial before with my magic and strength……. But now that everything’s been reset I start feeling a sort of panic……..

Well no use worrying about it. Right. Death said I have to do a trial or something, I start to look around more closely, the total width of the hill top that I am on right now is surprisingly small, around 40 meters total, and in the distance on the other end from where I am I see a rope bridge leading into the mist…

That rope bridge….. Its swaying a lot … it seems as if I leave this hill area the wind picks up…..

The rope bridge also isn't very well made, the rope is frayed already at the parts visible to me and the wooden planks look infested with rot………

I grit my teeth. I had to continue on-wards and the sooner the better, I am not hungry right now but I do feel kinda empty….. At this rate hunger will affect me if I postpone this trial or whatever it is and I just want to get it over with.

I stomp towards the rope bridge with new-found determination and stop right in front of it before carefully putting one foot down to check how stable it was.

-Creeeeeaaaaak...

This bridge isn't stable at all….. Well, I already guessed that though, there’s nothing I can do besides continuing on.

I then completely move my body onto the bridge, I am actually thankful that I have the light body of a 5 year old now, it’s probably the only reason the wooden plank didn't crumble underneath my weight.

Slowly I began to inch forward before all of a sudden a HUGE gust of wind crashes into me! The wooden plank crumbles underneath me and I feel my body being tossed into the mist!

In panic I manage to tangle my arm around the ropes of the bridge but I was now hanging onto the bridge with just one hand and my body was weighing me down.

I couldn't…. I couldn't drag myself up! God-damn weak body! I am just a 5 year old!!.... Ugh, I felt my grip slowly loosing as my hand started getting tired… and now!! All of a sudden the part of the rope I was holding onto began giving away under my weight!

Is this how I was going to die? From Falling off a god-damn bridge!

Hell no! I am the Third prince of the devil! I refuse! With determination I swung my other hand onto the rope and tried to pull myself up with all my might!

I could feel the rope unraveling even faster now but it was all or nothing! I kept pulling myself higher and then I let go with my other hand and surged upwards aiming to grab the next wooden plank!

Success, somehow I managed to secure a firm grip on the plank right as the rope snapped under my weight, then I moved both my hands onto the plank. Now came the hardest part of pulling myself to safety.

But right as I was preparing my strength the worst thing happened. Another Gust of wind came rippling towards the bridge and again it swayed violently!

“ARGGGGH!”

I screamed loudly as I felt my arm shudder from the abuse of being tossed around but I refused to let go! Letting go meant death!

After what seemed like an eternity but was probably just a few seconds the wind died down, but… I was so tired….. I felt like…. I didn't have the strength to pull myself up……

No! NO! NO! I am not going to die like this, how pitiful would it be if Kuro saw me now, he would be laughing his head off at my weak pitiful state.

I bit my tongue and with everything I could muster I started pulling myself up……

Somehow I managed to get my elbow over the plank and then I swung my leg over to another plank and managed to drag myself onto the bridge.

Safe… I then got onto my feet and looked at my hands, they were both bloody and chaffed from when I had to hang onto the rough planks with all my might…

With an exhausted body, bloody hands and sore arms I slowly edged forwards.

Every time the gusts of wind would blow through I would quickly grab the rope rails and hang on with all my might. And when the wind settled down for its brief moments I would carefully edge forwards taking care that my weight was evenly distributed between two planks so the chances of them collapsing would be lower.

------1 Hour later-----

The mist suddenly cleared and I saw the end of the bridge just a few more meters from me, but I dare not rush it, I had already learned my lesson, carelessness would only get me killed, so I continued proceeding with caution until finally….

I stepped of the rope bridge! And then I collapsed onto the ground and started breathing heavily. I could also suddenly feel hunger building inside of me, crossing the rope bridge had taken so much out of me.

After a few minutes I got up and took note of my surroundings.

It seems as if currently rather than being on the top of another hill I was on the side of it on some sort of ledge, and right next to me where stairs that spiraled upwards probably leading straight to the top of the hill, now this is just a guess but the top of this hill is probably leveled out too…. Also, I say hill but they were also a lot more vertical than horizontal, there was a slant yes but it was very slight… I then think about Carcalo, the central mountain in hell that was more of a giant pillar, these hills are very similar to it.

And also, considering that Death mentioned something about a trial, my trial is probably waiting for me at the top of these stairs.

I then looked more carefully at the clothes I was wearing, they were simple commoner clothes some sort of white tunic and rough pants made from some sort of animal hide, and I am guessing these are the standard clothes of the world I am being sent too. Even though I was the prince of the hell of this world, I truly didn't know what actually happened in the land of the mortals and thus I was curious to see what kind of sights the mortal world had to offer.

With such thoughts I began to brighten up and tore two small strips from my tunic and wrapped them around my hands, the bleeding had stopped already but it would help the healing process if I covered my wounds.

I then looked at the stairs, and with a casual attitude began slowly continuing on-wards.

After a few minutes I noticed something that surprised me. Growing out of the rocky side of the hill, was a branch, smiling at my luck, I broke of the branch that was as big as my leg, the length was comparable to a sword for a 5 year old, the weight was light and the place that it was broken off at was sharp.

Now that I had a weapon I didn't feel as weak as I did before, I was an expert martial artist who trained in the way of the sword, having a weapon like this although, wasn't a huge power boost, would at least give me a chance against something like a rabid dog or a small wolf.

After another 20 minutes I finally reached the end of the stairs, there I noticed that the surroundings were rather quite different than from the first hill.

First off the area was bigger, from side to side was around a 200 meters, also towards the center were some sort of stone ruins with carved markings on the floor, on the fallen pillars and on the half collapsed walls, additionally there were also a few trees on this hill and even more puddles of water everywhere.

-Crack!-

I jumped in fright and took cover further down the stairs, I had just heard a noise on the other side of the ruins… that meant…… that I am not alone.

This must mean that I have to defeat whatever’s here to finish this trial, I smirked slightly, I am the third prince of the devil whatever foe I am to fight will die here today.

I slowly creeped out from the cover of the stairs and walked into the ruins slowly yet carefully.

“HAHAHA Welcome to the heavens dungeon . Oh? You’re just some scrawny kid? HAHAHA what sort of god must have you pissed off to get thrown here, well today you’re going to be my lunch, feel honored that the first guardian Great Demon eye will devour your flesh!”

From around the side of the Ruins came a Giant one eyed cyclops he was close to 3 meters high and had bulging muscles everywhere and a huge rusted double sided axe in his hands.

Instantly all thoughts of fighting this monster left my mind and I started to panic, there’s no way I can kill this thing the only thing to do is….Flee!!

Gripping my stick firmly I quickly started running as fast as I could but then…

From behind me I heard a loud noise, when I turned around I could see the Monsters weapon heading straight at me!

A Gigantic double sided Axe that must have weighted at least a thousand pounds landed right in front of me as I had just ducked narrowly escaping with my life!

“HAHA Kid, there’s no Point trying to run away, these ruins that your in are magical, once two beings are detected inside them, if one leaves the ruins your body will be obliterated into nothingness, so come here and die obediently, I haven’t had any good flesh to eat in ages!”

Surely enough, all the marks around me in the ruins were faintly glowing…… I cursed my luck, it seems as if this stupid trial was rigged from the start! Those stupid Outer gods are just playing with my life for their own amusement!

-Crunch!-

Suddenly I was thrown to the side as the Monster casually whacked me with his hand. Ugh now he was just playing with me…. I could feel…… my consciousness going away…. NO! No! I started to panic I had never felt so afraid in my life before I … I … I DON’T want to die…

Wait... that’s not right I remember… I've been in this sort if situation before. That’s right after my Death Arts ritual before being taught any magic I defied my father and refused any training because I was just a lazy idiot back then… I didn't want to train because from my older brother’s experiences I knew it was painful and exhausting … and then what happened? Yeah I remember my father threw me into a gladiators ring with nothing but a sword with three ogres that were far stronger than me.

Back then I was so weak and it was just me against them, I had no strength and no one helped me and I would keep getting beaten to the brink of death before resting for the day and then I would get thrown back into the ring…… I remember that I promised myself in that ring that I would never be weak again….. That’s right it’s the same now, it’s me all alone and so what if I am against all odds? Even me dying to Kuro was because I grew too conceited… I killed myself, it was my own weakness that killed me. I am strong, I know I am strong even now I can win!

It took me 5 months to kill those ogres but eventually I had managed to do it long ago without any magic or sword skill…. So what if I can truly die if I make a mistake now? I am using my strengths wrong, I am smarter than this one eyed idiot it’s time to stop playing around!

I quickly got up and started dodging and weaving in between all the pillars and broken walls, this one eyed Monster was too big to follow me properly and his stupid chatty mouth told me that these ruins are magical… which means that he probably can’t break through them.

He was just toying with me so far, he could have killed me back I was still panicking but now I’ll make him pay for his mistakes.

Think, think what can I do? How can I win, as I was dodging and weaving through the ruins the Monster was getting more and more furious!

“Stop making me angry brat! Hold still!”

Angry? Oh! That’s it maybe I can make him angry enough that he’ll make mistakes, I think I have enough power to kill him If I can just somehow get up to his eye…

Bam! His axe came crashing down just a few inches away from me, I had just narrowly avoided dying.

“Hey you retarded excuse of a monster, you missed me again! Don’t tell me you don’t know how to aim correctly! You’re a Joke fatty!”

“ARGGGH!”

The cyclops was being reckless now and charging at his fastest speed into the walls of the ruins before quickly picking up his speed and charging again, this is not good! I am going to be caught in a matter of seconds at this rate, I quickly look around and notice a pillar that has fallen like a ramp, I guess it’s now or never! I am going to risk it!

I ran to the start of the ramp and stopped and just as I predicted the Monster was charging straight at me, I ran some calculations in my head….. Now!

I quickly ran up the ramp and right before the cyclops was about to crash into me… I turned around and jumped up to his head with both my hands around my stick aiming for his eye!

“AHHH!”

We both screamed loudly, me frond the impact of his body colliding with mine and him from having his eye skewered through!

But instead of me flying off into the distance, I had managed to wrap my legs around the cyclops head right when he collided so I was still attached to him!

I knew that I wouldn't be able to kill him just by taking his eyesight out, I had to personally drive the stick into his brain! Now was the hard part!

The cyclops started screaming loudly as I twisted and turned my stick deeper into his head, then! He wrapped his huge hand around my small body and began squeezing!

“AHHHH!”

Blood started coming out of my mouth and I screamed now it was sink or swim if I back down I would get crushed, by his hand! With all the strength I could muster I drove the stick deeper into his head!

After 10 seconds finally the Monsters grip loosened and as it did I fell down lifelessly, a few of my ribs were broken and I was bleeding from cuts and injures….

10 more seconds later, the cyclops body suddenly started spasming!

“Ha… to think…. That I the first…….guardian of the Heavens Dungeon would…….get killed …..By a brat like…..you…..ha….. Well kid….. I am only the first…….my 99…..senior guardians…..will avenge me……because the only way ….to escape this dungeon…….is to kill the last…. Guardian…..ha…..”

Suddenly I was filled with dread… wait… 99 guardians? First floor? Heavens dungeon? If what this this monster is saying is true then…

I quickly got up and dragged my broken body over to the other side of the ruins and then for the first time I saw it…

“Fuck…. Another rope bridge…..”

Then I passed out.

---Yuzu here, just wanted to say thank you for reading my work! trying to stick to a chapter a day or more schedule, but my tuesdays-thursdays are really busy so i don't have much time to write then but.... the other days i can write more!

please feel free to leave a comment, review, point out any mistakes and share your thoughts! <3