*Twenty-two hours later.*

Within the deepest part of the Basement Floor, directly in front of Charymos’s throne, a "gate" appeared and the Kraken Spawn leisurely stepped into his chambers.

[What a surreal thing...]

Looking behind him, he saw the gate unravel and become undone, the bright purple reflected in his eyes gradually dimming.

[... To me, it was but a mere moment. To think it spanned for an entire day.]

His brows slightly furrowed and he scanned every corner of his chambers, the sea creatures visible from his glass walls scattering at his presence.

[...]

[That’s strange, where are my Mermen?]

[Could it be...?]

He balled up a fist.

[...Has that Lamprey’s subordinates already taken my possessions?]

Charymos grit his teeth at the mere thought of it, but based on his calculations, he should have been able to reach the Basement Floor at the latest, a few minutes after Veladreth’s subordinates.

"Tch..."

He clicked his tongue and...

"Oi, pest."

He called out, but the raging seas banging against his reinforced glass chambers was the only response he got.

"Pest. Do not make me call for you again."

His blood boiled over, especially since he still did not get a reply, usually, the "Roach" would have already been bowing in trembling before Charymos.

[What on earth is going on?!]

Ta! Ta!

Crash!

Charymos, fearing the worst, ran as fast he could, crashing through the steel doors of his chambers.

[You all had better be alive!]

He darted through the narrow passageways of the Basement Floor, which were somewhat maze-like, so much so that anyone would get lost for days for simply attempting to navigate them.

But this was the Floor that he ruled, there was not a speck of dust that he did not know the whereabouts of, and yet...

[Damn it! Where are they?!]

...The whereabouts of his subordinates eluded him, it was as though there was not a single soul inhabiting the Basement Floor.

"..."

He reached a certain location and the space widened, it was one of the places that were reserved for the Homunculi.

"Kaelen! Veylith!"

"..." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"Sylas! Draven!"

"..."

"Thyra! Ivar!"

"..."

He waited patiently, but the only response he got was the echoes of his own voice reverberating deep into the multitude of passageways.

"Damn it!!!"

He roared, a highly viscous slime dripping from his every pore like the waters of a fountain.

He then set his bloodshot eyes to a specific passageway, one that he could only hope he would find his subjects.

[Pest. You best do well to guard my Specimens and my Mermen!]

He seethed and coiled his posture, before springing forward at such immense speed that the air almost became ionized. He left the ground he had just been standing on cracked and fractured as though struck by a meteor, a faint, searing glow trailed in his wake as the air warped and screamed, then, a heartbeat later, a deep, rolling rumble followed, the belated echo of the sound barrier shattering.

[!!]

In almost an instant, he reached his destination which was the open space that Skadi and the envoy of the Eighth had invaded. The thick plasma that had been coating his entirety, dimmed like the embers of a dying flame.

"Kaelen."

He lowered his gaze to the sole figure that had stopped him in his tracks.

"What are you doing here? No. First, tell me what happened here?"

Charymos glanced around, the once perfect white walls of said open space were smeared by blood and riddled with cracks and fissures.

"Where are my Mermen? Who has done this to your kin?"

Charymos noticed the multiple Homunculi scattered all around the cold floor, some dead, and some merely unconscious.

"Your Mermen are... Mostly dead."

Kaelen, his clothes and the tip of his spear marred by blood, cracked his neck as he casually replied.

"And as for my kin..."

Kaelen looked at the Homunculi, his expression somewhat pained.

"I did this to them... Charymos."

[!!]

"What?!"

CRACKLE!!

Charymos erupted with a rage that exploded his Mana, causing Kaelen’s knees to tremble.

But...

"Sigh... Whatever. You fucking defect, you won’t be my problem for much longer."

"Fuck. It’s actually better that you are this way, fuck on off to the Sixth Floor and give Skadi a headache for all I care."

Charymos, far too prideful to allow a mere Homunculus he made with his own two hands to get a rise out of him for a third time, decided to calm himself.

"..."

[Wait...]

Glancing around, he noticed that he did not see a very important Homunculus amongst those sprawled on the ground.

"Kaelen. What have you done with Veylith?"

Charymos frowned at Kaelen.

"Oh, her? She was abducted by some really strong Vampire."

Charymos twitched and prepared to make chase.

"But don’t worry. She should be back any second now, or rather... They should be back."

Kaelen suppressed a smirk.

[What is this rotten shitstain talking about?]

Charymos subdued an intense desire to wring Kaelen’s neck, and instead raised his arm to knock him unconscious with a decisive blow to the —

[!!]

A wave of Mana came from the dark passageway and filled the entire space, causing a slight shiver to run down Charymos’s spine.

[Veladreth... How dare you break the rules of this Tower and send a subordinate as strong as a ruler of a Floor?! The Dark Fae will have your head! Are you stupid?!]

Naturally, the Governors of the higher Floors, particularly the Eighth Floor onward, have subordinates that are as strong or stronger than Governers, specifically Honyopi, Charymos and even Selkess.

And so, such subordinates are banned from the lower Floors so that the integrity of the Governors may be protected.

And yet, here one was, on Charymos’s Floor. It had to have been one of them, no? Who else would emit such a power signature that even Charymos did not recognize?

[Veladreth. You would go so far to simply attain Veylith? You fool. Even you are not irreplaceable, our Ruler can send another from the Tenth Floor to replace you! You are nothing! Nothing I say!]

Charymos quietly seethed and prepared himself for what he knew was going to be grueling battle.

[I will win! And everything will be mine for the taking!!]

He summoned one of his Tridents and it exuded so much power that the air around it faltered.

"What the hell are you waiting for?! Come out here and I will show you why our Ruler gave me a Floor of my own!!"

Charymos roared and expelled a power of his own, and the two energies repelled one another equally, leaving Kaelen feeling as though he would be crushed under the pressure.

The Kraken Spawn saw a lone figure casually walk out of the darkness, one that left him extremely confused.

[Veylith?]

Indeed, it was her, the clothing on her left shoulder torn and drenched in blood.

[What the hell is going on?!]

Charymos couldn’t quite understand. Surely Veylith wasn’t the source of those dense magicules, then why? Why was she able to so leisurely walk out even though she was the object of Veladreth’s desire?

"You!! Are you mocking me?!!"

This was the only logical conclusion that Charymos could come to as he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Thud...

An object trailed behind Veylith, then rolled past Kaelen, finally stopping at Charymos’s feet.

[W-what?]

Charymos became even more bewildered as he beheld the decapitated head of a person that was clearly a Vampire from the Eighth.

Step... Step...

"Mock you? How could I possibly do such a thing, Lord Charymos?"

A deep, almost buzzing voice, demanded Charymos’s attention.

"You are... The Pest?"

Charymos’s trembling eyes reflected a tall figure undoing his cufflinks and folding his shirt on his bulky wrists, his jet-black insectoid exoskeleton shining as though polished to perfection.

"My... Could you refrain from referring to me in that atrocious manner? I have always despised it.

"I’ll have you know..."

The Roach slid his hands into his pockets.

"...My name is Megaloblatta."

[!!]