The sound of heavy footsteps grew louder as they approached, rising like a death march and leaving an unsettling feeling in the heart.

  Flora had gone deathly pale; she pressed her right hand over her heart, clenching her fist with all her might.

  Number 25 and Number 4 felt the breath of doom on their souls with every step. Frozen stiff, they stared into the dark corridor as if death were about to rip their very souls from their bodies.

  Number 1, however, slowly stepped in front of the team. He waited with his head tilted slightly to the left, challenging this silent death.

  As the footsteps reached the team, Number 99 emerged from the darkness, clad in pitch-black light armor with a matching cape trailing along the ground.

  He was a swarthy man with dark hair—swept back and modest in length—and a heavy stubble. His expression was dull, completely void of emotion.

  Yet, in stark contrast to his dead demeanor, his eyes were a warm shade of hazel.

  A white symbol on his right pauldron stood in stark contrast to his pitch-black attire, instantly catching Number 25’s attention.

  The symbol resembled the letter 'S,' drawn with sharp, rigid strokes. Two parallel lines flanked it—one at the top left, the other at the bottom right.

  Although he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary man, the aura radiating from him was proof enough that he was every bit as terrifying as the Princess had claimed.

  Realizing he had noticed her scrutiny, Number 25 averted her gaze from Number 99's piercing stare.

  "Princess Flora... I see you have gathered a team for your ambitions. But it seems someone is missing. Am I mistaken?" Number 99 said. The utter calmness in his voice only served to heighten the tension in the air.

  "How dare you say..."

  Flora’s voice, cracking like a broken record, was silenced when Number 1 raised his right hand.

  "Calm down, Princess. We will proceed exactly as we discussed. You three continue as planned; I'll handle things here," Number 1 said.

  "So, you get to be the hero of the group, is that it?"

  The faint smile on Number 99's face accentuated the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

  "Hahah! So, there is a wit hidden beneath that rugged exterior," Number 1 said, and continued.

  "Based on the Princess's stories, I assume you are a smart man. Four against one... You realize what those odds mean, don't you? You can't handle us all at once. So, let the three of them go. If you manage to defeat me one-on-one, you can easily go after the Princess."

  Listening to Number 1’s words, Number 99 calmly raised his right hand to his chin. He scratched his jaw with his black leather glove, maintaining his icy composure as he replied.

  “In that case, I accept your offer.”

  ***

  After Number 25, 4, and Flora retreated deeper into the temple and vanished from sight, an eerie silence settled between Number 99 and Number 1.

  That silence shattered the moment Number 1’s silver spear materialized in his grip.

  "I want to test the power of this 'Monster 99' myself."

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  "In that case, the first move is mine."

  Responding to Number 1, Number 99 raised his right hand, a dark mist materializing around it.

  Resting his spear against the ground and shifting his weight, Number 1 watched these flickering shadows. Suddenly, Number 99 thrust his hand toward him, and those shadows erupted into a dense cloud of fog.

  Unable to withstand the dense fog rushing toward him, Number 1 was hurled backward and crashed down onto his left knee.

  "Argh!"

  Clinging to his silver spear with both hands as if they were fused to the metal, Number 1 struggled to hold his ground against the black gale, which was growing more violent by the second.

  "Damn it!"

  Roaring against the suffocating mist, Number 1 unfurled his translucent wings, blazing like the sun. The radiant light surged outward, shattering the dark cloud and reclaiming the space.

  Using his spear as a crutch to haul himself upright, Number 1’s face was flushed crimson, the veins in his neck bulging as if ready to burst.

  Furiously, Number 1 unfurled his translucent wings. Gripping his spear with both hands, he aimed it at Number 99 and lunged, the force of his charge kicking up a storm of dust.

  Number 99 caught the incoming silver spear effortlessly with his left hand. Bringing his right palm toward Number 1's abdomen, he unleashed a burst of dark mist that blasted his opponent backward.

  Hurled away at high speed like a sheet of paper, Number 1 slammed into the temple wall and crumpled to the floor.

  Struggling to push himself up from the stone floor, Number 1 spat blood onto the ground. He extended his right hand, calling his silver spear back to his grip.

  Watching Number 1 struggle to stand, Number 99 turned his gaze to examine the temple around them.

  Silently, he aimed his right hand at the entrance, gathering dark mist in his palm before unleashing it.

  The dark magic struck with a massive explosion, blasting a gaping hole through the temple gates.

  With the barrier gone, the dim glow of moonlight began to flood the interior.

  "This place puts someone like you at a disadvantage. Am I wrong, Number 1?" Number 99 said.

  Number 1 wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his right thumb. His eyes widening in fury, he retorted.

  "HAH! Are you moving the fight to open ground because you pity me?!"

  Maintaining his composure, Number 99 opened his right hand and gestured toward the entrance.

  "Have it your way!"

  Gripping his spear as if he intended to crush it, Number 1 flew out in a fury.

  Following Number 1, Number 99 calmly stepped out of the temple.

  Number 1 was waiting for him, his transparent wings fully unfurled. Bathed in moonlight, his armor gleamed, and he held his spear at the ready.

  "You in black! You will pay the price for acting so high and mighty!" Number 1 roared, thrusting his spear toward the heavens with his right hand.

  As the weapon began to heat up and glow, he cocked his arm back fully and hurled it at Number 99 with the force of a lightning bolt.

  Exploding forward, the spear collided with Number 99's dark mist and ricocheted harmlessly away.

  "Fuck!"

  Foaming at the mouth with rage, Number 1 recalled the spear to his right hand. He lunged at Number 99 recklessly, swinging the weapon with nothing but raw, brute force.

  Realizing his attacks couldn't pierce the mist, Number 1 leaped back to create distance.

  "I don't know what kind of trick you're pulling, but I'm going to end you right now!" he roared in fury.

  Number 99, maintaining his utter impassiveness, simply continued to watch his opponent.

  Number 1 superheated his spear once more. But this time, rather than hurling the glowing weapon, he gripped it with both hands and leveled it directly at Number 99, channeling every ounce of his strength.

  Spreading his wings fully and bringing the sun itself to the night, Number 1 launched himself at Number 99 with all his speed.

  As he closed the distance with his leveled spear, Number 99 raised his right hand. Just as the weapon was about to strike him, he brought his hand down in a sharp, cutting motion.

  With the descent of his hand, a black sword inscribed with purple runes materialized. It cleaved the silver spear clean in two, unleashing a massive shockwave of power.

  As the severed halves of the spear vanished into nothingness, Number 1 was hurled backward and crashed to the ground.

  Scrambling to his feet, he extended his right hand to recall his weapon. But then, his entire body began to tremble. His eyes bulged wide, and cold sweat streamed down his forehead.

  The spear did not answer.

  "No, no... Fuck!"

  Spreading his wings in panic, Number 1 turned his gaze to the sky and took flight with all his might.

  Holding the black sword in his right hand, Number 99 transformed the mist in his left hand into a shadow chain and hurled it at Number 1.

  The shadow chain coiled around his legs like a snake, leaving Number 1 suspended in mid-air. With a sharp tug from Number 99, he was slammed violently back down to the earth.

  Stunned by the violence of the impact, Number 1 blacked out for a moment. As he came to, he began to thrash like a trapped animal, desperate to free his legs from the binding chains.

  Number 99 approached slowly. With every step he took, he calmly coiled the slackening chain around his left arm.

  Breathless and struggling to escape his bonds, Number 1 shifted his focus to the monster approaching him.

  As the dim moonlight struck his face, revealing his features more clearly, a dark mist clouded Number 99's warm hazel eyes. He continued to approach the battered, enraged beast before him, maintaining the dull calm in his voice.

  "Tell me, hero... What exactly is the Princess's goal?"

  Part 2 is coming very soon