"What is this feeling... I can't... quite breathe..." Monkey King lay slumped on the raft like a withered flower, his Golden Cudgel returning to its original form beside him.
Michael stepped forward to check on Monkey King and said, "There is no physical injury, but he has suffered some kind of mental trauma, as if he has been cursed."
Azazel, who was steering the boat, looked at the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon blocking their path and analyzed, "Since it emerged from this swamp, it means it has absorbed the resentment of many deceased in this Lake of Sunken Feathers. Thus, its breath is like a curse."
"ROOOAAAR—!!" At that moment, the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon flapped its pitch-black wings, and a chilling black wind swept toward them.
Everyone hit by the black wind couldn't help but shudder as negative emotions like sadness, anger, and sorrow invaded their hearts.
Some began to weep, while others fell into a sudden, inexplicable rage.
But there was one exception: Saji from Sona Sitri's team. Because the Dragon King residing within him, the "Prison Dragon" Vritra, specialized in curse-like attacks, he remained unaffected by the black wind.
Saji looked at his confused companions, gritted his teeth at the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon, and then activated one of his Sacred Gears, "Dragon King Transformation."
Transforming into a massive black serpent-like dragon, Vritra's consciousness awakened. Looking at the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon continuously flapping its wings, he said:
"Is the opponent this time a fellow black dragon? It's quite strong. I'll have to give it my all."
"ROOOAAAR—!!" Vritra let out a roar and immediately charged at the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon.
He coiled tightly around the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon like a python, preventing it from stirring up more of that cursed black wind.
With the black wind stopped, everyone recovered and stood up. The first thing they saw was Vritra coiled around the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon.
"Shirou..." Sona's team looked at Vritra with faces full of worry.
Then, Vritra spoke with Saji's voice, "Go, quickly!! Only Vritra and I are immune to this guy's ability!! And we're the only ones who can move freely in this Lake of Sunken Feathers!!"
"Saji! Are you going to... as well!!" Issei Hyoudou ran to the front of the raft, shouting at Vritra with a contorted expression.
"Issei Hyoudou!! I'm leaving Sona-senpai and the others to you!!" Vritra spoke with Saji's voice.
With that, Vritra swung his tail, knocking the raft away.
"Shirou—!!" Sona Sitri's cry came from the flying raft, sounding incredibly sorrowful.
"ROOOAAAR—!!" Seeing its target fly away, the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon roared and spat blue-white ghost flames toward the raft in the air.
"Don't you dare!!" The voices of Vritra and Saji rang out together. They spat purple dragon flames that collided with the Galaxy-Eyes Dark Matter Dragon's ghost flames, causing a violent explosion in the air. The resulting shockwave acted as a boost, instantly sending everyone on the raft to the Fifth Hell.
Everyone stepped off the raft and onto the shore, except for Sona Sitri, who looked back toward the Lake of Sunken Feathers with tears in her eyes. Noticing her state, her friend Rias patted her shoulder and said:
"Let's go. Your sister is still waiting for us."
In Rias's eyes, Sona Sitri saw the same despair and helplessness she felt, but there was also a glimmer of strength.
"Yeah." Feeling the encouragement in Rias's gaze, Sona Sitri immediately stood up and followed the team into the Fifth Hell.
This place was a graveyard, but strangely, the dead who should have been resting in peace were lying in their graves, suffering under the roasting of pale ghost flames, continuously letting out wails.
As soon as they took their first step into this hell, a familiar voice came from the side: "Yo, if it isn't the Devil kid and Sister Asia."
Hearing the familiar voice, Issei Hyoudou and Asia turned their heads and saw an incredibly familiar person. They cried out in shock:
"Freed Sellzen (Father Freed)!!"
The owner of that voice was one of the enemies they had encountered, the Stray Exorcist Freed Sellzen. He was now lying in a grave, being scorched by ghost flames.
"Freed!! Why are you here?!" Hearing Issei Hyoudou and Asia's words, Lint Sellzen pushed through the crowd to stand before Freed.
Seeing his younger sister, Freed gave a slight smile, like that of a brother next door, and said:
"Oh, it's Lint. Since I was killed by that Devil kid, I woke up to find myself being roasted in this grave, and I can't even get out."
Michael, meanwhile, was deeply shaken. Looking around, he saw that those being punished in the graves were all notorious, sinful Stray Exorcists and Stray Priests from their lifetimes.
Issei Hyoudou also saw Siegfried of the Hero Faction here and hurriedly asked Benniah: "Benniah, what kind of hell is this?!"
Hearing her idol call her name, Benniah quickly pulled out the underworld map and said: "The Fifth Hell: The Burning Hell. Sinners who did not follow God's teachings are burned forever by hellfire in countless graves. As the number of Stray Exorcists and Stray Priests in this era increased, over time, this place became an exclusive hell for them."
Michael was stunned by Benniah's words. He hadn't expected that the number of deceased Stray Exorcists and Stray Priests was so large that a hell in the Underworld had become their exclusive afterlife destination.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Just then, heavy footsteps rang out. A Specter nearly three meters tall approached. The armor on his chest resembled the face of a carnivorous insect. The shoulder guards, wrist guards, and leg armor all featured sharp, curved fangs. His helmet looked like the head of a stag beetle, with the mouth covered by the helmet's visor, leaving only the eyes visible.
The Specter glared fiercely at everyone and said, "I didn't expect you to make it here. I am the guardian of the Fifth Hell, Stand of the Heavenly Ugly Star, the Deadly Beetle."
"A Specter!!" Seeing Stand's arrival, Issei Hyoudou entered his Balance Breaker in a rage, spread his dragon wings, and charged at him.
Because of the Specters and Guardian Dragons, he had lost many companions along the way. He had nowhere to vent his anger and now only wanted to give Stand a brutal beating.
"Big Wall!!" Stand extended his hands forward. Issei Hyoudou's fist stopped just half a meter from Stand's face, as if blocked by an invisible wall.
Then, a pair of insect-leg-like armor pieces appeared on Stand's shoulders, grabbing Issei Hyoudou by his shoulders.
With a murderous glint in his eyes, Stand looked at Issei Hyoudou and said, "Red Dragon Emperor, your story ends here."
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