Saruto hovered above the eternal abyss of Narak, following the flow of black lava below, his eyes fixed on the dark river that cut through the earth. Suddenly, Paimon voice echoed in his mind: "Saruto… descend to the ground and follow the path from there."
Saruto frowned slightly. "Why? What's happening?"
"From above, you won't see Agnarus," Paimon replied sternly. "The black lava ash will obscure your view… and it will also choke you."
Without hesitation, Saruto lowered himself quickly until his feet touched the cracked ground. Once settled, he raised his hand and formed a veil of dark energy that wrapped around his face and nose, protecting him from the lava ash.
Then he began to walk, cautiously following the lava flow. Everything was eerily still. Suddenly, there was a sound. A scraping, as if stones were being dragged over one another. Saruto stopped abruptly and turned around quickly, but there was nothing there. His eyes narrowed. "Paimon… I hear the sound of stones moving."
"Be careful… the ground might split open beneath you. This area is known for frequent earthquakes," Paimon replied quickly.
Saruto shook his head slowly. "No… it's not an earthquake."
At that moment, the ground began to shake unnaturally. Then he saw it. Stones began to rise, gather, and merge together, as if summoned to life. Saruto eyes widened. "What is this?!"
"Saruto, watch out! It's the Lava Golem!" Paimon shouted in his mind.
In the Demon Realm, the commentator's voice rose excitedly. "Look at this! Saruto is facing one of the most dangerous creatures of the Eternal Narak Abyss… the Black Lava Golem! Are you as excited as I am?!"
The stands roared, a mixture of cheers and warnings.
The scene returned to the battlefield. "Run! Don't fight them!" Paimon snapped.
The golems began advancing toward Saruto, massive bodies of black rock glowing from within, spewing dark sparks. "Don't go near them!" Paimon said. "The rocks that make them up were once inside black lava… they've acquired its properties!"
Then he added sharply, "Just touching them will burn you to death!"
The golems charged at Saruto with heavy blows, but he nimbly dodged them, moving between attacks. "Run, Saruto! They're slow!" Paimon yelled.
Without hesitation, Saruto turned and began to run.
In the stands, the commentator's voice boomed, "It seems the contestant Saruto is running from his opponents!"
A jeer rose from some of the audience.
"Looks like your plan worked, Paimon…" Saruto smiled as he ran.
But suddenly, the golems behind him began to disintegrate. Their bodies cracked and split into smaller pieces, quickly reforming into tiny, faster golems. The chase began. Saruto expression changed: "What's going on?!"
"I don't know…it seems they've evolved through time!" replied Paimon in shock.
The creatures closed in even faster. Saruto stopped abruptly. He turned slowly. "No more running."
In the demon realm, the commentator exclaimed, "It seems Saruto has decided to fight! Does he have a plan…or is he just being reckless?!"
"What are you doing?!" asked Paimon anxiously.
"I'm going to crush them," Saruto replied confidently.
"Are you ignoring my warnings?!" said Paimon.
"Don't worry…I have a plan," Saruto smiled.
Dark energy began to gather around his hands like a shield. In an instant, he shot out. He appeared before the first golem and delivered a crushing punch that shattered it completely. But immediately, black flames clung to his hand. "Saruto! What have you done?!" Paimon cried.
But Saruto remained calm. He moved his hand slowly, as if brushing off something invisible. The black flames fell from his hand to the ground.
In the stands, the commentator's voice boomed, "What?! Saruto managed to shield himself from the black flames! What a clever plan!"
"How did you do that?!" Paimon exclaimed, astonished.
"You said the fire consumes the body… so I coated my hand with a layer of dark energy… so it would stick to it instead of me," Saruto replied, preparing for another attack.
He glanced at the remaining golems and smiled coldly. "Who's next?"
Within minutes, the golems were crushed one by one under his precise and powerful blows. Silence fell again. Saruto resumed walking, following the lava river once more. He came to a vast pit.
Several rivers of black lava flowed toward it, cascading to an unseen depth. Saruto stood on the edge. "Saruto…" Paimon said in a low voice.
"I know… we've arrived," he replied calmly.
In the Demon Realm, the announcer declared, "Finally! Saruto has reached the midpoint of the Eternal Abyss of Narak! Here… he will face the Guardian of the Flame: Ignarus!"
Saruto looked down at the blazing darkness. "Well… how do I get down?"
"Jump," Paimon replied with a single word.
Saruto raised an eyebrow. "What about the lava flowing down?"
"Don't worry about it," Paimon replied with mysterious calm.
There was a moment of silence, then Saruto took a step forward and fell. Into the unknown.