'Oh, that was a close one.' Ross thought. 'At least I'm freed, but who cursed me? Why do I have to face someone who makes me seem like an ant with these wounds?'
"Io sees you released, puny human, but in Io's presence, you will not survive."
Once again, the giant swung the mace down to the ground, which was slow, so Ross could avoid it and run to cover behind a tree.
The giant was getting annoyed, "Io hates hide and seek. Come out, puny human, so that I can smash you with my beloved son, Io Jr."
Behind the tree, Ross thinks, 'I have no time with this injury, and I need rest to recover.' He was breathing heavily.
He felt breathing coming down to his head, so he looked up and saw Io's face looking down on him.
"Io sees you, puny human."
Getting ready to swing the mace at the tree, he takes a few steps back. (30 feet apart)
"Io Smash!" Swinging the mace to the tree, breaking it in half. However, Ross barely avoided the attack and ran into a different hiding spot.
Gaint is getting very mad, "You are making Io mad with the cat and mouse games!"
Ross made him so angry that every volcano from his back started waking up, erupting magma into the ground, and the black smoke coming out of the volcanos blocked the sky.
James was hiding in another tree, but that malted it, and Ross ran before the lava could touch his leg.
'That was close. My right leg almost dissolved.'
He looked back quickly, seeing the lava still chasing him, 'Can I outrun it?'
Ross looked up, seeing the black smoke hovering above him. The giant materialized from the smoke. He dropped down with his mace pointed straight at the investigator.
"Huh?!" James couldn't react at the time. Io fell like a missile and said, "Io Smash!"
Knocking James Ross down to the ground, crashing his body into the dirt. He became unconscious.
The Volcanic Galilean dropped down and was about to break Ross's skull. Then he remembered, "Io was about to smash you, but Io remembered Io's master would be angry if Io killed you, tiny human. You are fortunate to have survived meeting Io."
He was tiny on the giant's hand.
***
A few hours later, James gained consciousness, surrounded by flames. The heat was too strong to bear. Everything in his home was falling apart from the fire. He couldn't move from a wooden board that had dropped onto his legs.
"Get off!" He said desperately, "I need to save my family!"
Ross's desperation in trying to save his son and wife squeezed his legs hard enough to free himself from the board. After that, he limped toward the stairs—not caring how much it hurt, going toward the bedroom!
"Honey." He yelled gently, "Survive longer. I am going save you two." He slowly reached the top of the stairs to his bedroom.
He heard screams outside of the room, and he rushed into the room. Opening the door, he sees his wife and son tied into a chair, blindfolded, and mouth-covered while fire spreads around them.
Ross rushed to save his family.
However, a man with half black and half white hair, with a silver tint underneath, and a top hat on his head stopped his tracks by slashing James Ross's wife and son's throats. Burst of anger consumed him, and without thinking, he charged toward the man.
Before Ross could connect his fists, the man teleported behind and whispered toward his ear, "It's all your fault, Chosen One!"
***
He opened his eyes, fleeing the goldy aura around his surroundings, and threw up to the ground. He looked around and saw that he was tied in chains that suppressed his Flow, a little weaker than Anti-Flow Cuffs. Ross's feet were floating four feet from the ground because he was tied onto a tall wooden cross.
"Welcome to my throne room, Guardian Candidate!" A man sitting on a throne made of skulls said.
In front of James were several important people who looked into his eyes.
The man who was sitting on the skull throne was the emperor, Night. Next to him was his wife, the empress, Moon. And the last person, a man, was leaning against the wall; next to the leader was Jupiter.
The emperor, Night, is a very tall human male, precisely 8 feet, neither a giant nor a dwarf. He had no crown on his head. His scarf is made from polar bear skin, and his pants made from lion skin were the things he needed to show he was the emperor.
His wife, the Empress Moon, is a foot shorter than him, 7 feet tall. Her beautiful, sparkling, long black hair was wrapped into a bun (the clip was made of brown bear skin). She covered her face with a shiny, golden mask adorned with a cluster of gems. Nobody saw her face except her husband, the emperor.
Zeus Von Olympus (Jupiter), the man who was leaning against the wall, the leader of the Galilean Giants, who they listened to most of the time. His bald head reminds people he's the admiral of the Nightcore Empire's Marines, including his lavish golden rings that call his fingers home.
His heart beats loudly, making everyone who can't handle it puke and pass out.
"Jupiter, quiet down your Core. It makes these weaklings vomit all over my clean rugs." The empress said, "Ugh, I have to call our cleaning service again."
"Jupiter is testing our hostage... To know why did "HE" choose him as one of the Candidates." Night said, "You better stop complaining!"
"Hmpth!" She left the throne room.
***
Meanwhile, outside of the throne room, soldiers were marching in unison. One of these soldiers was a young woman, and quietly, without notice, she left the marching.
She went toward the prison entrance, but a sergeant saw her and blocked her way.
"Private..." The man yelled, "You are not supposed to be here." Going closer, "Go back before I repeat myself."
"I'm s-s-sorry, Sergent. I am lost."
The sergeant looked at her eyes deeply, "Oh, don't worry." She pretends to go back, but her hand is grabbed, preventing her from moving.
He swung his ax toward her, and she couldn't move, "Impostor, don't I can't tell you lying," Hitting his weapon to the ground.
"Where did you go?" However, she escaped from him.
Behind him, she tapped his shoulder, "I'm here," Mocking him by making him turn around and not being there.
"I'm sorry!" The man fell to the ground.
His heart teleported onto the young woman's hand, then she put it on top of his body.
"According to His Majesty, I must find Leo Vortex without causing major chaos."
She removed the ring from her ring finger and changed her back to male, the Shadow of the King, Jett Amdede.
He looked at the sergeant's body, "You must be in a higher position than this female soldier," Jett said.
"You will be useful."
After putting the Disguise Ring back onto his finger, a green grid pops up from the ring above the body. Going down, scanning the body of the sergeant, to transform Jett. After completing the scan, it transformed Jett into him.
His mustache grew larger than ever, changing into a deep blue. His hair got fluffier and a little bit longer. He got an inch shorter, from 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 6 inches.
After transforming into this man, Jett teleported the sergeant into a hidden place in the castle and then entered the prison.
Passing a few cells, the prisoner started yelling and cursing at him.
"Guys, that mother fucker came back." He stayed silent.
"Hey—?!" Gripping the bars, "Are you deaf?!" Ignoring the person yelling.
'These individuals are the gladiators of Rankers Tournament.' He thought, 'What did Nightcore Empire try to achieve?'
The man in the cell got angry, "Hey! Asshole" He yelled, "Stop ignoring us!"
A different man approached the bars, "You are not better than us by ignoring us!" The man tried to kick the cell bars to break them, but nothing happened.
"You are lucky these bars are not breaking!"
Jett looked at the prisoners, "Sigh, I have an urgent matter to attend to, then waste my time speaking with you fools!"
Threats and yelling faded away with each step he took forward.
'Where are you, Leo?'
He searched many cells for the N-ranker, but he was not there. In each cell he passed, he looked for Leo, and the gladiators were all cursing him, which he ignored.
'What are they planning?'
As he walked, he noticed that the cells decreased and eventually disappeared completely, so he tried to cross the bridge to go to the other side to look for Leo. As was about to, a soldier, who was not higher ranking, emerged from a room that was a few feet away from the bridge.
Jett Amaded stopped and went closer to ask.
"I have a question, Private." The soldier suddenly stopped, eyes widening, "Do you know where the man named Leo Vortex may be located?"
The private froze for a second, then answered, "I never heard that name." He continued, "Sorry to disappoint Sergent." The soldier instantly went his way.
'That soldier is suspicious.' Jett took out a surveillance bug from their pockets and teleported it into the soldier's uniform.
'Now, where are you, Leo?'
***
Jett found Leo Vortex after searching for twenty minutes. However, he saw three guards dragging him out of the cell. Leo was beaten up, with bruises everywhere.
Amdede saw all this happening behind a wall but couldn't do anything; his Flow was not fully recharged, and he could only use a small amount of the energy. Teleporting everyone took a lot out of him! His disguise was about to wear off, so he couldn't fool the guards.
Making matters worse, his watch started beeping loudly, forgetting to turn it silent, which drew the guard closer. It showed the person he put bugged on was approaching him.
To be continued.