"Ok... let's go," Ayush muttered, the last fragile dregs of his hope quietly draining away as he stared at the broad, imposing back of his terrifying new master. With heavy, reluctant footsteps, he began trailing slowly behind Len down the dimly lit, ancient stone corridor.
Len carefully matched his pace, walking with a deliberate, unhurried slowness that suggested he was accommodating Ayush's battered state. Even through the suffocating haze of his lingering exhaustion, Ayush's sharp survival instincts kicked into gear. He quietly analyzed his surroundings, the texture of the stone walls, and his own physical condition. He couldn't help but notice that Len was still moving slightly gingerly—clearly feeling the residual strain of their brutal, destructive clash. That meant Len was currently operating in a heavily suppressed, weakened form.
Yet, that realization brought almost zero comfort. Ayush was painfully aware that even in this nerfed, weakened state, the Demon General could effortlessly flick him out of existence like an annoying gnat. Though his external wounds and third-degree thermal burns had magically vanished thanks to the sanctuary's healing properties, his internal stamina and mana reservoirs were still completely hollowed out, feeling like a dry sponge.
Wincing slightly as a sudden, dull ache shot through his ribs, Ayush carefully descended a long, winding flight of ancient, moss-covered stone steps that spiraled deeper into the earth.
Hoping to break the oppressive silence and buy a few seconds of rest, Ayush reached out, gripping the cold handrail. "Bro... where are we even going? Can you like, at least give me a proper tour or show me around this underground city?"
Len didn't stop walking, but he glanced back slightly over his broad shoulder, a faint, dry smirk.
"Hmm... well, you're not entirely wrong to ask for a tour. But just keep your legs moving and follow my lead without complaining."
Moments later, they reached the bottom of the grand staircase, stepping out into the sprawling, vibrant expanse of the underground domain. Glowing cobblestone pathways stretched out in every direction, lined with bioluminescent flora that cast a soft, ethereal light over the bustling streets.
Before stepping further into the crowded plaza, Len abruptly stopped in his tracks, turning to face Ayush with a sudden, dead-serious expression.
"Listen closely, kid," Len whispered sharply, his red eyes narrowing. "If anyone comes up to us and asks you anything, keep your mouth completely shut. Absolute zero talking. If it's an absolute emergency and you must communicate with me, look straight into my eyes. I'll give you clear signals: if I move my eyes side-to-side, it means no. If I nod up and down, it means yes. And if I just stare at you coldly without moving an inch, it means shut up, stay calm, and don't breathe. Got it? I guess that's more than enough to keep you from accidentally getting us both executed."
Len turned back around, resuming his steady march.
Standing completely frozen in the middle of the glowing pathway, Ayush clenched his fists inside his pockets as his internal monologue fired off at maximum, chaotic speed:
"Wow. Just... wow. I am officially trapped in a subterranean monster dimension with demon's who can effortlessly delete me whenever they gets bored, and I have zero clue what happened to Aryan, Vikas, or the rest of the squad. Did they actually escape that island safely...? Well, considering Rei's ridiculous aura-farming hype and Miku's magic, I guess they probably made it out. As for Len... he literally said he wanted a real fight and saw 'potential' in me, so I guess he doesn't have an immediate reason to execute me right now. Still, who actually knows what goes through a bloodthirsty monster's brain? There's only one logical way to handle this: I have to find a way to escape this underground madhouse somehow, no matter how impossible the odds look."
TAP.
Len suddenly reached back, tapping Ayush firmly on the shoulder to violently snap him out of his spiraling train of thought.
Ayush blinked rapidly behind his sleek, obsidian-dark mask, snapping his posture straight and staring straight ahead. Stepping out from a nearby glowing alleyway, a pair of hulking, multi-limbed demons suddenly approached them. They immediately recognized Len, their fierce, sharp-featured faces breaking into expressions of deep, unwavering respect and casual familiarity. They began chattering away, asking how he was doing and noting how long it had been since anyone in the sanctuary had last seen him out and about.
True to his strict instructions, Ayush locked his posture into place, standing completely rigid with a silent, intensely mysterious aura. He didn't utter a single syllable, nor did he twitch a single muscle, projecting the ultimate "stoic, unbothered bodyguard" vibe to perfection.
The two wandering demons gave Ayush a curious, fleeting glance, assuming he was simply one of Len's strange new recruits or personal initiates, before bidding their general a respectful farewell and walking off into the crowd.
Len let out a quiet, relieved breath and motioned for Ayush to keep moving. They resumed walking through the vibrant, bioluminescent streets, weaving past glowing market stalls and peaceful monster families, until they turned a sharp, stone-carved corner—and Ayush suddenly froze dead in his tracks.
Len stopped a few paces ahead, turning around with a raised eyebrow, clearly confused by the sudden halt. "What's wrong with you now? Why'd you stop walking?"
Ayush stared ahead, his eyes wide behind the dark glass of his mask. A deep, unsettling sense of surreal familiarity washed over his entire body, overriding his fear for a brief second.
His mind flashed backward across dimensions, recalling vivid fragments of his past life on Earth. He remembered high-resolution photos, travel vlogs, and anime documentaries of Japan—specifically, the iconic, sacred shrine gates. nestled deep within mystical mountain forests, framed by traditional stone architecture and quiet, spiritual pathways.
"It's... actually kind of pretty," Ayush murmured, his voice softening as he lowered his guard for a split second, taking in the picturesque scenery.
Len gave a soft, almost approving nod, crossing his arms. "Yeah. But don't get too comfortable staring at the scenery—we still have a long way to go before we reach the training grounds."
Ayush swallowed hard, nervously adjusting the straps of his mask, and started walking again. But a heavy wave of bittersweet melancholy hit his chest as he let out a long, heavy, defeated sigh in the quiet corners of his mind:
"Man... my lifelong dream of actually visiting Japan in my first life never came true. But hey, I guess getting dragged into a parallel monster underworld to look at an underground shrine replica is... better than nothing? At least I get to see something aesthetic before I inevitably get worked to absolute death by a demon general."
With a quiet, dramatic shake of his head, he picked up his pace, matching Len's stride as they pressed deeper into the sanctuary, ready to face whatever brutal, unholy training regime awaited him next.