This armor was the armor worn by the former family head.
Back then, after building his tomb, Tisnato left the armor here to guard the grave for its future safety.
Although Helnarson did not know where the power driving this armor came from.
He knew this was something he had to respect and protect.
But he also knew that since this was the former family head's armor, he could not destroy it.
If Viktor wanted to find him, then bring him here.
These were the words the former family head had specifically told Helnarson before leaving.
This time, Helnarson bowed deeply once again.
If the previous bow had been respect for a warrior in battle.
Then this bow was a greeting from him, as the butler of the Clavenna family, to Tisnato.
Afterward, Helnarson bent down, gathered the scattered armor pieces into his arms, and walked deeper into the tomb.
Until he stopped again.
In front of Helnarson was a crimson treasure chest half-buried in the dirt.
Around it were collapsed rocks and wreckage. The air was full of dust and tiny stone fragments.
The wave of dust lingering in the air looked as though it wanted to swallow him whole.
The power of that punch just now had nearly destroyed this entire palace.
The underground tomb had not collapsed only because Helnarson controlled his strength well.
Even with such terrifying power, he could still control it with extreme precision.
This was a martial master.
Even so, this underground tomb could not remain standing much longer.
Helnarson looked at the crimson treasure chest and fell into thought.
With everything else destroyed, only this chest remained intact.
And it seemed that Family Head Viktor had been sucked into this chest.
So he held the scattered armor in one arm while grabbing the cross-shaped ornament on the chest with the other hand.
The chest was embedded into the ground. Helnarson could clearly feel how heavy the crimson chest was.
With only a slight pull, it felt as though the ground itself would be ripped up with it.
In the end, he suddenly exerted force, tearing up the ground completely and lifting out the chest embedded within it.
Helnarson carried the chest in one hand and the armor in the other as he steadily walked outside.
As Helnarson left, the entire tomb began to shake.
Countless stones and rubble gradually collapsed, filling the entire tomb.
The whole tomb turned into ruins, as though falling into the void piece by piece into a deep pit.
Listening to the constant rumbling beside his ears, Helnarson calmly walked toward the exit of the tomb.
Broken rocks and rubble continuously poured down behind him like rain.
Until he stepped out through the stone gate, and the world behind him completely collapsed.
Only orange flames like hellfire burned inside the tomb, lighting up the land buried beneath dust and rubble.
Then they slowly faded away.
———
Dense sparks flew everywhere through the air while mechanical vibrations echoed endlessly.
The glowing particles swept up from the cracks in the steel spread red light, and the smoke covering the ground looked almost dreamlike under that glow.
Under the firelight, Viktor stood before the gates of hell, his entire body wrapped in green ghostly flames.
Around him were the sounds of steel and gears turning, raising deafening roars.
Beyond the gates of hell lay the true underworld.
And now, Viktor had already stepped into this mysterious world.
Vega narrowed its eyes, its black wings glowing brightly under the firelight as they twitched.
"Viktor, tell me honestly, are you sure this is somewhere we should be right now?"
"No."
The clean answer immediately made the crow start squawking noisily.
"Then why the hell did you bring me here?"
"What, are you trying to have some perfect lovers' suicide with me?"
Viktor kept both hands in his pockets while his ghostly green coat shattered into steel-like fragments that gently swayed in the air.
Orange flames constantly tangled together with the green ghostfire, as though fighting over control of the coat.
Unfortunately, no matter what, the flames of the underworld could not climb onto the fragmented coat.
A smile appeared on Viktor's face. The flowing flames around his waist flickered on and off like a beating heart.
"Don't you think this is exciting?"
Vega was left speechless by that single sentence.
Still, it really had done plenty of exciting things with Viktor before.
Ever since it first met Viktor, this crazy mage had dared to challenge calamities alone.
Daring to challenge them was one thing, but the result was even more shocking.
That terrifying existence, which probably even tens of thousands of people together could not defeat, had actually been beaten by him alone!
From that moment on, Vega vaguely felt that something was wrong with Viktor.
But afterward, Vega gradually got used to Viktor's insane fighting style.
He loved challenging himself in all kinds of extremely dangerous places, constantly dancing on the edge of death.
And every single time, he won at the very last moment.
That's right, perfectly.
In those battles, if those powerful enemies touched Viktor even once, he would die on the spot instantly.
Yet Viktor always managed to win in ways it could not understand.
As though... he were challenging a game.
'But...'
'But partner, the place we're in right now is not somewhere the living can casually enter.'
'So...'
"Finish what you came here to do, then let's leave."
This was the first time Vega had spoken to Viktor in such a serious tone.
This place was still only the edge of hell.
Although it looked full of danger, with flames and steel, madness like evil ghosts, and heavy hoarse metallic echoes...
Viktor's strength could still handle it here.
But if they went deeper into the underworld, that would be the true horror.
Hell was filled with strange rules. Every corner carried endless malice.
If a living person entered the underworld, the slightest mistake could make them lose themselves forever, trapped inside the underworld consumed by flames and steel.
Even though Vega trusted Viktor deeply and believed his heart was extremely firm, even if he entered the underworld itself, Vega still absolutely believed in Viktor.
Believed he could cross this terrifying underworld and survive.
But some things could not be gambled on.
Once someone truly became lost in the underworld...
The current Vega could not protect him.
This was not a joke.
The underworld was a domain capable of standing against the gods themselves.
And so, just as it finished speaking, Viktor's voice sounded as well, "Alright."
For the first time, Viktor listened to Vega's opinion.
Hearing Viktor agree, Vega slowly let out a sigh of relief.
Suddenly, the surrounding flames seemed to sense some kind of summons.
Like awakened beasts, they twisted wildly, performing a mad dance of fire.
Before the gates of hell, a long serpent-like tongue of flame burst out.
Like a circling dragon, it tightly surrounded Viktor.
Flames, jumping flames.
The world around them seemed swallowed by blazing orange light. The flames leaped wildly, trying to devour everything like desire itself.
From the inner walls of the fire, countless winding pythons stretched out.
They slithered across the hazy ground toward Viktor.
At the same time, the sound of heavy metal rang out faintly.
The body of flames itself seemed to be playing some strange and insane melody.
Each flaming head of the three-headed hound carried surging sparks, while the footsteps of its mechanical limbs sounded heavy.
Its tail, sharp as a blade, danced through the air, while the steel fangs beneath its three heads twisted and collided in the firelight.
Thin fire snakes endlessly spun inside their mouths, creating a horrifying scene.
"So it looks like you're ready."
Vega's voice slowly sounded as blue light lit up in the depths of its single eye.
A connection rose from deep within and fused together with Viktor.
Feeling Vega establish a soul link with him, Viktor slowly opened his eyes.
Blue soul fire ignited within them.
[Connection Successful]
[MP,99999999/99999999]
The next second, the health bar and name of the hellhound appeared within Viktor's sight.
The health bar stretched endlessly into the distance.
Perhaps because the surging flames blocked his vision, Viktor could not see it clearly.
But the name and level of the hound stood out especially brightly within the raging flames,
[Gatekeeper of Hell: Cerberus]
[Lv65]
At the bottom of his vision, a faint line of small text slowly appeared.
[Defeat it, and you will gain the qualification to enter the underworld alive]
[You will be watched by the underworld]
[You will draw the attention of the gods]
[You will completely understand what absolute fear is]
[And your flesh will eventually be consumed by the gods]
Viktor looked at the tiny words and slowly raised the corners of his mouth.
"Unfortunately, I've already seen lines like this enough to make me sick."
"You can't threaten me."
As his voice fell, purple magic circles instantly formed in the air like a giant gate slowly opening.
Runes rapidly carved themselves into existence, merging together into a huge and complicated magic formation.
The patterns along the formation flowed on both sides, appearing and disappearing like flickering stars in the night sky, mysterious and unreadable.
Around Viktor, every dark star seemed wrapped in ghostly green flames.
Like falling meteors carrying signs of disaster, they slowly yet inevitably descended toward the ground.
Dark power silently appeared along with a slight ripple, rapidly spreading above everyone's heads.
Facing this terrifying power, the massive three-headed hellhound seemed to feel an unprecedented threat.
Its body lowered involuntarily, nearly touching the ground.
The machinery and flames on its limbs scraped together, producing harsh screeching sounds.
At this moment, even space itself seemed twisted by this power.
Dark patterns carrying ghostly green light intertwined with the surrounding air.
Viktor raised one hand and coldly reached toward the sky.
"A promise made to family is something I, as the older brother, have to keep."
"So."
Then he gently pressed his hand downward.
Heavy magic power crashed down from the sky like a waterfall. The surging force swept across the surroundings, suppressing both flames and steel.
Cerberus seemed pinned down by an invisible giant hand, smashed into the burning earth and unable to move at all.
Its three heads viciously bit at the air, spewing long serpents of flame as they roared unwillingly.
Viktor looked down from above at the once-mighty gatekeeper of hell.
His icy gaze showed not a trace of emotion.
"Kneel."