Champion Of Lust: Gods Conquer's Harem Paradise!

The air thickened around Pyris, Alera, and Lyra as the rank-17 creatures emerged from the shadows, their powerful auras swirling like a storm, suffusing the already dark chamber with a palpable dread.

Each creature was a twisted monstrosity, towering and fierce, with an almost ethereal aura that made them look like they had been summoned from the depths of a nightmare. Their eyes glinted like burning coals, their breath rattling like death itself.

Alera tightened her grip on her staff, shadow energy pulsating around her, her face set with a steely determination, while Lyra's eyes darted between the creatures, her hand ready on her blade.

Pyris stood at the front, his pink-haired disguise flickering slightly as he drew on his power, eyes narrowing at the encroaching creatures.

In the flickering, eerie glow of the labyrinth, his face took on a haunting sharpness, shadows sharpening the edges of his expression. He had adapted from last fight!

Zara, standing a safe distance back, tilted her head, an amused smirk playing on her lips. "Let's see what you've got, Petne Chaos," she murmured, watching with keen interest.

The first creature lunged at Pyris, talons outstretched. Pyris reacted instantly, calling forth a sphere of crackling electricity around his hands. Lightning flared in the dim light as he shot it forward, but the creature dodged with a speed that left even Lyra's jaw slack.

"Careful!" she hissed, readying her blade as the beast swerved toward her.

Before she could blink, Pyris was beside her, a gust of wind lifting her just out of the creature's path. "Stay back," he said, his tone dangerously calm. "These creatures are more cunning than they appear."

With a nod, Lyra retreated a few paces, but her eyes didn't leave the battlefield. She watched as Pyris drew on more elements, his movements swift, precise. Fire erupted from his hands, engulfing another creature that roared in defiance, yet somehow broke free, the flames barely scratching its dense hide.

Alera raised her hand calling on her own shadow minions, directing them toward the creature Pyris had stunned with his lightning. They latched onto it, dragging it to the ground, but the creature howled, dispersing the shadows with a pulse of dark energy. Alera staggered back, breathing heavily.

"These things are absorbing shadow magic!" she gasped, her face growing pale.

Pyris grimaced. "Then we won't rely on shadows."

He unleashed a wave of fire and wind, combining the elements to create a blazing cyclone, which he directed at two of the creatures, pressing forward as his power made the very air sizzle.

The creatures bucked and twisted, their armor-like hides starting to blacken, yet they seemed to thrive on the challenge, hissing in a rage that shook the floor beneath them.

Lyra managed to deflect a claw swipe, only to stagger as a second creature surged forward. She parried desperately, but the creature's force sent her sprawling against the wall, her breath knocked from her lungs.

"Pyris!" she choked out, struggling to rise.

Alera, too, had exhausted her shadow army, her face pale with exhaustion.

She gathered the remnants of her energy, summoning her last reserves to form a dark barrier around Lyra, but it shimmered weakly, barely holding under the creature's relentless assault.

"Stand back," Pyris ordered, his voice sharper now, tinged with urgency. Zara, seeing the shift in the battlefield, stepped forward slightly, and with a subtle wave of her hand, pulled Alera and Lyra into a protective barrier around herself. "You two are done for now," she said, her tone half-amused, half-impressed.

This left Pyris alone to face the swarm of rank-17 creatures, who now surged at him, clearly invigorated by the battle. This was time for him to fight them alone, it was time to test his limit, time to grow.

With a slow, deadly smirk, Pyris called upon his full power.

His aura flared to life around him, the air growing heavy with elemental energy that made Zara's eyes narrow in intrigue. Pyris' control over the elements was unparalleled, and as he called forth each one in turn, the labyrinth chamber became a storm of fire, water, air, and earth, all swirling in perfect harmony around him.

Time slowed as Pyris extended his hand, calling on the element of space, creating an ethereal barrier that made him seem to shift, his form splitting and reappearing in different locations, disorienting the creatures as they attempted to track him.

His hands moved in a fluid motion, summoning a wall of water that solidified into ice, trapping one creature in its freezing grasp, even as he spun around, directing a beam of pure light at another.

The second creature, blinded and dazed, stumbled back, but Pyris gave it no quarter. He was a blur of movement, his superspeed ability allowing him to close the distance in an instant, his fist crackling with pure lightning as he struck it squarely, sending it sprawling.

Alera and Lyra watched in awe from the protective barrier, their injuries momentarily forgotten.

"How many elements can he control?" Lyra whispered, eyes wide.

"More than enough, now don't get too curious." Alera said, after all, Lyra was still a stranger.

Each creature radiated a power that felt even stronger than their previous enemies, and they seemed to have intelligence, moving with a cunning coordination that made Pyris narrow his eyes.

"We've got more company than expected," Pyris muttered, a fierce glint in his eyes as he scanned the creatures. He turned to Alera and Lyra, both of whom were visibly weary yet determined. Zara, leaning casually against a distant stone pillar, watched them with an amused smile but did not intervene.

"Still confident?" Zara called out, amusement glinting in her gaze as she watched the creatures advance.

"Oh, you'll know soon enough," Pyris replied, his voice carrying a dark thrill as his aura flared to life.

Alera shot Pyris a sidelong look, nodding with a grim smile. "Let's give them a show."

She smiled, she had rested enough.

Without a moment's hesitation, Pyris raised his hand, and a blaze of fire erupted, spreading in a roaring inferno that surged toward the creatures.

The ground beneath their feet trembled as his power surged outward, illuminating the labyrinth's dim corridors with an otherworldly light.

Alera summoned her necromantic powers, conjuring her shadow army, while Lyra moved swiftly, unleashing rapid barrages of spells, hoping to slow the advancing creatures.

But the creatures met their attacks with a terrifying intensity.

One of the monstrous forms—a towering, wolf-like beast with claws as sharp as daggers—lunged forward, dodging the flames with an unnatural agility. It slipped past Lyra's defenses, swiping at her side, leaving a deep gash that made her stagger.

Lyra gritted her teeth against the pain, as she observed. "They're faster than before!"

"Stay focused!" Pyris called out, his voice steady. With a swift motion, he channeled his blood magic, forming another protective barrier around Lyra and Alera before driving the creature back momentarily.

Pyris's eyes flickered with a renewed intensity as he shifted into high gear, summoning multiple elements simultaneously. Streams of lightning crackled around his arms, arcs of electricity flashing outward to catch the creatures off-guard.

But as each bolt landed, the creatures seemed to absorb the shock, their monstrous forms growing even darker, as if feeding on the power.

"Alright, you want a real challenge?" Pyris muttered, a dangerous smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He shifted his focus, his mastery over Void and Shadow elements casting the entire field in an eerie, swirling darkness.

The creatures faltered for a split second, their crimson eyes blinking in confusion as Pyris manipulated the shadows, twisting them into sharp, solid weapons. He directed the dark spears with precision, each one aimed to pierce through the creatures' defenses. Some spears struck true, hitting one creature's chest and sending it back with a guttural snarl.

But Alera couldn't take it anymore, she couldn't let her man fight alone yet as she came out of protection... One lunged at her slashing across her arm and tearing her robe. Blood seeped from the wound, her energy waning visibly. Yet she fought on, her hands weaving dark tendrils that wrapped around the nearest creature, trying to sap its strength.

"I've got you!" Pyris was there, a powerful wind surging around him as he unleashed a gust strong enough to push the creatures back, giving Alera a moment to catch her breath.

The creatures, now infuriated, closed in tighter, their eyes blazing with a violent intensity. They pressed forward, overwhelming Alera with sheer numbers.

Their relentless assault was more than Pyris anticipated. He watched as she stumbled, narrowly avoiding a creature's massive claw, and Alera's shadow creatures faltered, the strain of holding them in the face of this assault showing in her paling complexion.

Zara stepped forward, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. With a wave of her hand, a faint barrier formed around Alera pulling her to where Lyra was, shielding them from the onslaught.

"I think it's time you had the spotlight again, Petne," she said, her gaze meeting Pyris's.

Alera, breathing heavily, staggered back, giving Pyris a nod of appreciation. "I'll regroup… but finish it."

With Alera and Lyra out of immediate danger, Pyris turned his full attention to the creatures, his gaze darkening as he prepared to face them alone.

The creatures, as if sensing the shift in his focus, let out guttural roars, their forms seeming to grow even more menacing under the labyrinth's shadowed light.

*****

This might have come late since it's a privilege chapter right now but thank you @Wbug for the gift.