That pissed me off, but I didn’t let it make me lose my cool; I just needed to take this in strides. It was just trying to get under my skin, and tricks weren’t going to work on this monster.

I opened my hands and started to circle and lowered my center of gravity, spreading my stance. I needed to watch out for the creature’s mouth, but taking it down was going to be the best option.

I would have to prepare to defend the counter-blow that would surely come. Still, taking Carnage down and breaking to bones would slow it down some.

Carnage was watching me as I circled, but after I opened my hands, the smile had left. I guess that it could assume I was about to try, meaning I was on the right path.

I slowly closed the circle, and the creature raised its hands as I got closer, but right as I got within reach, Carnage started to back up. I wanted to taunt it, but I remembered Libra’s word and just kept focused on the red-robed monster.

“Strike us, fool!”

“You are nothing!”

“We will consume you!”

“We are inevitable!”

I was really starting to get annoyed with that voice constantly saying the same droning hive talk, but I had to remain calm. It was clear now that this thing was just trying to get me to react and make a brash move that it could counter.

I still couldn’t figure out if it was playing with me or not, but I was starting to think that it wasn’t very good at offense. The attacks that it had done were not that fast either, but it was more than likely holding back with its smug attitude.

We were still in the corridor of Hexagon portals, and I considered jumping into one of them, but that wouldn’t do me any good. Then I considered what I knew as I kept pace with Carnage.

He was keeping his distance, but that meant he didn’t want me to get in close, but just how fast was he really? My earlier thoughts about running came back to me, and I decided to give it a shot.

I turned and ran as fast as I could to the next ring.

“What?!”

“Where is he going?!”

“Wait!”

“We are inevitable!”

I glanced back as I booted it down the black and white corridor, and sure enough, Carnage was not able to keep up. I turned back and focused on going forward, heading towards the next ring.

[What are your plans? As annoying as his line is, he is not wrong. No matter where we go inside here, you are going to be found. You also can’t take on any more Astral Energy at your current level; trying would destroy you.] Libra explained.

“I don’t really have a plan at the moment, but I need to find something to fight this thing with, and there is nothing here. What is the next ring again?” I asked out loud as I approached the next ring.

I needed to have more information before making any kind of plans, and I also needed to find something for a weapon. I once again kicked myself for not remembering my bag in Tiga’s cave.

The weapons would have been handy with a foe like this, but that was in the past now. There was no point in crying over spilled milk, and my sprint was eating up the miles; all the bugs seemed to have retreated now that the master was out.

The Astral Orichalcum glowed the same teal with golden pulsing veins that were very active and started to strobe as I got closer. They must be irritated because of Carnage, but I wasn’t sure if it could do anything to me.

[Just jump over them and ignore him, Scar hates you, and he would love for you to land on his right now. The next area is a dessert, but you will need to watch out for the giant bugs there. They are under the control of Scar, and he will be more than willing to help Carnage!] Libra warned me as I came up to the ring.

This time I made sure that I had a clear head, and I jumped into the air, soaring over the erratically pulsing Astral Orichalcum Ring of Scorpio. I passed through the mirror wall and was hit with hot arid heat, and I landed in blazing yellow sand.

I could feel the sun on my skin far more intensely than I had in the last two sections, but this one was much more like the first one. That was how it seemed at first with what seemed like endless rolling hills of sand.

Then the sand started to move, and I groaned as a massive scorpion emerged from the sand. Before it could say anything, I ran.

It looked like it had a lot to say as a human body with golden skin like the rest of his scorpion form. Scar’s body stood ten feet off the ground, but his tail that looked like a golden wrecking ball with a dick, made him at least thirty feet tall.

“Get back here, you useless Bastard! I have been waiting for you to return now that I have a new master! Now I can kill you for stealing my dear Virgo from me!” Scars roared in a voice that was much louder and deeper than his human frame would suggest.

[Virgo never was his, and she never liked him! The idiot ignores Capricorn and chooses to focus on you like a child instead. Still, he is one of the Legendary Twelve Constellations, so don’t take him lightly!] Libra warned me, but that was obvious.

There was no way I wasn’t going to take a giant golden scorpion like this seriously. By serious, I meant seriously running away from it. There was no way I was fucking with that monster with my bare hands, but then the ground around me started to move.

[We are all going to die!] Harold complained as massive worms and centipedes started to rise from the sand.