With a dramatic sweep of his hand to his right, the air around them shifted. The golden walls of the right-hand side Lab began to dissolve into shimmering particles, peeling away layer by layer in real time- breaking the very laws of physics itself as they floated. Maruki’s tentacles stretched outward, carving strange, glowing lines through the fabric of the Palace.
“I told you,” Maruki said, his tone resolute. “I am trying to understand—your pain, your loss, your memory. If words and actions won’t work, then I’ll use something else.”
Maruki clenched his hand, the smoke and the debris so thick one could only make the faint dark outline of the tentacles. Or perhaps even, the deathly golden stare that landed on Kou from above as if he had truly made the gods angry. The labyrinth tore right through the fabric of one of the floors and was now dragged into the battle space.
This wasn't good. The labyrinth wasn't complete and he had safety measures installed there-
Maruki’s golden eyes blazed, and he raised both arms. “Azathoth, manifest the labyrinth!”
Amidst the chaos, a single thought pierced through the storm: What am I doing?
Maruki hesitated, the golden light dimming slightly as Azathoth’s voice roared in protest. "Do not falter! He will kill you if you stop!"
The ceiling of the ornate room made by Maruki had vanished, revealing a cosmic void on it, filled with swirling golden and crimson light.
The great shadowy form of Azathoth appeared overhead, its formless mass pulsing with eldritch energy. Pieces of the palace broke apart, now rushing towards Kou and surrounding him like a cage. A low, guttural roar filled the void as its tentacles reached down, grabbing the fragmented room and reshaping it in an instant. The space transformed into an impossible labyrinth—a maze of memories, shimmering like a fractured mirror, with pathways that seemed to lead in every direction and none at once.
“You won’t listen, Corvus-san,” Maruki said, his voice echoing across the surreal space. “So, I will show you instead. You will face your memories, your loss, and the truth—here, in the depths of my labyrinth.”
The particles and the pieces coagulated- pulsing together as they built themselves up one by one! The force from within would keep Kou punctuated like a statue- moving him to the entrance of the maze as Maruki now hovered over- letting the maze fall to the floor in a resounding BOOM!
3/3
“I told you,” Maruki said, his tone resolute. “I am trying to understand—your pain, your loss, your memory. If words and actions won’t work, then I’ll use something else.”
Maruki clenched his hand, the smoke and the debris so thick one could only make the faint dark outline of the tentacles. Or perhaps even, the deathly golden stare that landed on Kou from above as if he had truly made the gods angry. The labyrinth tore right through the fabric of one of the floors and was now dragged into the battle space.
This wasn't good. The labyrinth wasn't complete and he had safety measures installed there-Maruki’s golden eyes blazed, and he raised both arms. “Azathoth, manifest the labyrinth!”
Amidst the chaos, a single thought pierced through the storm: What am I doing?
Maruki hesitated, the golden light dimming slightly as Azathoth’s voice roared in protest. "Do not falter! He will kill you if you stop!"
The ceiling of the ornate room made by Maruki had vanished, revealing a cosmic void on it, filled with swirling golden and crimson light.
The great shadowy form of Azathoth appeared overhead, its formless mass pulsing with eldritch energy. Pieces of the palace broke apart, now rushing towards Kou and surrounding him like a cage. A low, guttural roar filled the void as its tentacles reached down, grabbing the fragmented room and reshaping it in an instant. The space transformed into an impossible labyrinth—a maze of memories, shimmering like a fractured mirror, with pathways that seemed to lead in every direction and none at once.
“You won’t listen, Corvus-san,” Maruki said, his voice echoing across the surreal space. “So, I will show you instead. You will face your memories, your loss, and the truth—here, in the depths of my labyrinth.”
The particles and the pieces coagulated- pulsing together as they built themselves up one by one! The force from within would keep Kou punctuated like a statue- moving him to the entrance of the maze as Maruki now hovered over- letting the maze fall to the floor in a resounding BOOM!