The gate groaned like a dying beast as it opened. The Eightieth Floor was a maze of suspended bridges over an abyss that had no bottom. From below, a black mist rose, hiding horrors you only guessed from the shadows moving far beneath.

  Lukas raised the shield and breathed in. — Don’t slip up. There’s nowhere to fall back here.

  — Relax, Lukinhas, — Valquíria said, thumping his shoulder. — But if you do fall, at least you’ll be a pretty corpse — all elegant with your new little shield.

  Luiz started laughing. — Hahaha! Elegant? He looks like a dwarf holding a barn door. Maximus, that pompous gladius… Come on, brother, you look like a toy legionary!

  — Shut up, Luiz. — Lukas turned his face, annoyed. — I didn’t ask for your opinion.

  — You should have asked, — Valquíria teased, spinning her warhammer on her shoulder. — Because with that “trash” style of yours — she made quotes with her fingers — you’ll be mashed before the ninetieth.

  Behind them, Alenna cracked her neck, sword resting on her shoulder. — Focus. This isn’t a place for jokes. This bridge smells like a trap.

  Búdica narrowed her eyes and moved up with the Copas, shields high, forming the front line. The Valkyries followed, silent and predatory.

  Lukas felt a vein throb in his brow. — If you two don’t shut up, I’ll shove you both off this abyss!

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  — Ooh, scary! — Luiz mocked, pretending to tremble. — The “Blood Demon” turned into a nervous little legionary!

  Adriele held in a laugh as she stepped forward, the Springblade catching the pale light of the floor.

  Then a bridge cracked. From the fissures crawled four-armed creatures with elongated skulls, howling. Their eyes were the white of dead milk.

  — Defensive formation! — Lukas shouted.

  The monsters attacked. The impact was brutal. A Valkyrie was grabbed and thrown into the void before anyone could react. A Copa had his arm torn off, collapsing to his knees as blood darkened the planks.

  Lukas blocked a strike with the shield. The scutum vibrated through his forearm. For a flash, an image stabbed into his mind — Morgana. Not the dangerous thing from the 70th Floor, but hollow, tired, hungry for something that wasn’t war. He saw her stripped of armor and masks, silently begging for freedom… not just from the tower but from being a Desastre. She wanted to be touched without being used, possessed without being a toy… loved.

  The vision vanished as quickly as it came, leaving Lukas stunned for a heartbeat.

  Before the creature could pull back, he lunged and cut the throat with the Maximus in a clean arc. Bone flashed. The thing crumpled.

  Another monster charged. Lukas slammed it against the wall with his shield. When a third tried to grab him, he drove the Maximus into its temple. Black blood splattered his face.

  Luiz whistled. — Look at that… not as pathetic as I thought.

  Valquíria raised an eyebrow. — Must be the shield. Makes it look like he has talent.

  — I have talent! — Lukas shouted, dodging another slash. — I just didn’t get the chance to show it before!

  — Sure, — laughed Luiz. — “The Blood Demon, the Gladiator Vegetable.” Great title.

  — I WILL KILL YOU, LUIZ! — Lukas snarled.

  — If you survive, you can try! — he laughed.

  Adriele spun the Springblade, releasing a green wave that sliced three monsters at once. Their pieces tumbled into the abyss.

  Alenna swung her sword and cleaved two enemies in half, but it didn’t stop another creature from knocking a Copa off the bridge. His scream stretched into endless seconds as he fell.

  — Brother… — Adriele said, laughing softly to ease the tension. — They only pick on you because they love you.

  — I’d prefer they didn’t love me so much, — Lukas grumbled, decapitating another foe.

  When the last creature fell, the floor shuddered. The bridges began to collapse one by one until only a single path remained. The gate to the Eighty-fifth Floor slammed open with a dull thud.

  — Move. — Lukas said, wiping the Maximus clean. — Almost there.

  Luiz wrapped an arm around his neck and whispered, mockingly: — But before we go... you ought to think about getting married soon. You know... to make sure you leave descendants, since you’ll probably die in a gloriously ugly way.

  — I HATE YOU! — Lukas roared.

  They walked on, laughing, while the

  abyss behind swallowed the bodies of those who would not return.

  End of chapter 12