The Earth After Rebirth

The ground opened up without warning and threatened to devour them whole.The noise it made caused both of them to cover their ears. Hubris simply let down his ears as he couldn't exactly to what his master did.

Kiro tap danced to the other side, and eventually climbed a small rock hill on the other side of the crack. The opened ground immediately gave the cave it's light back, a reddish brown light.

He immediately felt stupid, as he went to the side that would take him deeper into the cave instead of getting out of there. Hubris had already leapt to stand by his side. It was already too late to go back, the chasm had gotten too big.

"Sh*t"

Kiro felt like hell was rising, but Hubris was looking at the big crack cautiously. As a hellhound, he was familiar with hell and this was but a fraction of it, to get him scared. This made something inside of him shift, it all felt familiar.

"This, this is definitely the final boss of this mountain, or something?" He attempted to joke.

Like lava, black liquid started leaking out of the cracked ground like it was at its boiling point, it smelled worse than the eggs. Kiro found himself glad he didn't choose to enhance his nose, he felt bad for Hubris.

The liquid left the ground  with scorch marks, it threatened to burn everything in its wake. It was bubbling and popping as it did. Both were glad it was far enough from them, they weren't affected.

It started to give off a sulfuric scent, Kiro realised it was blood but it was black. He wondered whether hell was anything like this, because if it were, he wouldn't wish to set his foot anywhere near it.

The black liquid started taking shape, they didn't know what to do so they just stood there dumbly, waiting with bated breath. It took a humanoid shape, then curves started forming and a big chest, eventually the head but it wasn't quite right.

The head wasn't that of an attractive woman at all, there were no eyes or any human features. Just a weirdly shaped head with antlers protruding from it. Then on its back, two wing cases manifested.

The body was the most attractive thing Kiro had ever seen, it looked like it wore a black suit but that was just its skin. Skin made from black blood. That attractiveness faded the moment he looked at its face.

"Man, can't we at least get some beautiful monsters in this game?" Kiro remarked, dejected of being robbed fighting an attractive monster.

"You have weird tastes, master."

"Do you want me to make it a whole month?"

Hubris gave an apologetic look, he didn't want to be starved more than he was being. He didn't want to argue either, seeing as he was the one winning the bet.

The ominous feeling didn't leave the air, Kiro felt like he had exhausted his luck and that whatever was forming in front of him would destroy them. They beat the previous one with sheer luck, he didn't think they were better equipped for a stronger one.

"System, this would be a great time to give me my levels."

[Guardian, you should understand that killing a harbinger isn't child's play, if the previous one wasn't so cocky as to underestimate you and your mount, you wouldn't have made it—]

"Holy sh*t, so what? I won didn't I? Give me my damn rewards." He was getting grumpy by the second, he didn't like how the thing made him feel.

[As it happens, recalibration is done. You've received, 10 levels.]

"What? 10 levels?" Kiro couldn't hide his disgust, "you spent all that time, calculating 10 levels? That only puts me at 46, still levels lower than the Mosquito that was level 55."

[...]

You've levelled up!

You've levelled up!

....

Kiro was pacing back and forth. He accepted then and there that he was going to lose progress. He remembered in his previous life, the penalty for dying in Asgard was great. Depending on your defense, you could lose a whole 10 levels.

He wasn't exactly confident in his defenses against, what looked like, a monster that reigned in hell. He didn't like his chances, their chances at all.

"I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, that mosquito was just a joke compared to this thing in front of me right now. I'm royally screwed."

"My Lord, calm down, it's using fear inducement to make your mind out of sorts."

"It is? But I can't think straight, how am I even supposed to fight it." His mind was jumbled.

"Close off all your other senses and use vibrations."

"Oh, right, I do have that."

He tried entering the meditative state, although he could easily do it back then it was difficult now.  The queen's skill was clearly a top tier one.

The state required ones mind to be calm, it required for the mind to enter a state of nothingness. How could Kiro achieve a state of nothingness when his mind was riddled with irrational fear.

He tried anyway.

Ding!

[The Stag Beetle Queen has finished it's manifestation. It's in its perfect state.

Level 60

HP: 50 000]

"You think I'm going to let you?" It said with a shrill voice that suited it's head perfectly.

It was clearly listening in on their conversation, even though it was nothing but black blood it had its ways.

"It's very rude to eavesdrop lady." While his eyes were closed, Kiro stated through gritted teeth.

It spat something that zoomed faster than the speed of sound Kiro's way. It met with Hubris' hellfire ball and exploded in the air. He wasn't about to let his master be disturbed.

"An ancient beast working for a puny inferior being, this is a disgrace, why don't you come work with me, beast?"

Hubris simply growled, it dared to call his Lord inferior?

He stood still and waited for its next attack, the thing simply made a weird sound. It was laughing.