They continued down into the poisonous temple in hopes of getting closer to the monster. Upon reaching the next floor, they noticed a number of venomous snakes crawling about the ground.
"Oh, that's just great…" David groaned.
"It's...just like a poison jar." Lan said.
"A poison jar?" Hope asked.
"In ancient times, they would put a number of venomous insects and snakes inside of a jar where they would fight one another. The winner would usually be the last one standing, the strongest of the lot." Lan said.
"It was often used in Black Magic rituals." Shanoa said.
"Meaning...everything we face on our way to the monster...will be poisonous creatures." Cobalt said.
"That seemed pretty obvious from the start." Lei sweatdropped.
"Doesn't make it any less daunting." David said. "Sorry, it's just that…"
"We know, that incident was very traumatizing, not to mention you were poisoned then as well. But nonetheless, you seem bold to come down here despite your trauma." Alphamon said.
"Well, Petra and Ross have homes in this continent too. I couldn't bear to see them in any more pain than they already had when Yamigedo attacked." David said.
"Dave, we know the kind of guy you are, but you really didn't have to stick your neck down here for our sake." Ross said. "Besides...if this really is a poison jar…" he said, taking his axe and chopping the heads off a few snakes. "We just need to make sure we come out the strongest."
"Damn… He didn't even hesitate." Agursu said.
"Of course I didn't. Our homes are on the line after all. We cannot afford to hesitate." Ross said.
"He's right, we need to cut through these serpents quickly and efficiently if we want to reach the bottom." Dhar said, drawing earthen furies from the ground as they floated behind him.
Nu launched her blades at the serpents, cutting them down on multiple fronts.
It wasn't long before all the serpents were dealt with as they descended downward into a large nest filled with a number of insects, spiders and scorpions.
"Anybody got a bug zapper?" Kagura asked.
"I beg your pardon?" Aoesia asked.
"Uh… she meant that for the hostile insects, not you." Hope said.
"Depends on what you mean by 'hostile'." Aoesia said.
"They aren't hostile...just venomous." Twilight said.
"Hope, Kagura, I expect that the two of you watch what you say from now on." Sectonia said.
"Right, sorry…" Hope said.
"My bad." Kagura said.
"Well, we don't necessarily have to fight all the creatures we come across. Maybe there's some way around these critters." Gemini said.
"We could light a fire. That could scare them away for a little bit." Nesma said.
"But Kokoro can't breathe fire without being poisoned herself because of the gas mask she has on. If she took it off, she'll no doubt be poisoned." Magnamon said.
"I wasn't necessarily talking about fire breath. Someone with fire magic could light a torch." Nesma said.
"Say no more!" Flamberge said, drawing her sword and setting it on fire. "I'll even do you guys one better and raise you guys my sword."
Flamberge gave her sword a swing as it cleared away a number of the insects and arachnids as they moved slowly through the floor before heading down the stairs.
"Shouldn't be too much farther till we reach the monster." Hera said. "I'm sure those were the last of the poisonous creatures."
As they continued down further, they noticed a number of the walls seemed like they were melting.
"Whoa...is this...a hallucination?" Hope asked.
"Unfortunately not." Chopper said. "The poisons are so strong down here, its wearing away stone. It's not even considered poison anymore. More like a very corrosive acid."
"This is like Acid Man on a whole new level." Axl said.
"Better not get this stuff anywhere on us, unless we want to melt like the stone." Ethox said.
"RRRAAAAHHHHH!" a cry echoed down the halls as they stopped to block out the sound.
"Uh...is that…" Petra asked.
"Yeah...that cry belongs to the oracle." Hera said.
"Such anguish and sadness…" Thorani said.
"That was not neither unfortunately." Hera said. "I have heard that cry before from my times in the arena. Without a doubt...that is pure rage."
"This land...deserves death…" a woman's voice spoke. "I called for help but no help came. All they did was lock me away. Didn't even bother to take my side against that woman."
"That woman… Could she be talking about Achlys?" David asked.
"More than likely." Hera said. "You were put down here for your safety as well as the others."
"Lies! All you cared about was your precious continent! But I have heard the voice. It has told me about how it recreated the doors. My rage that has built up for thousands of years...I shall spread it all across this continent and make them all pay!" the voice cried out.
"We understand your plight. I mean, it is Achlys, after all. But there's no reason to take it out on everyone on the surface." Petra said. "Don't you understand? You were rendered unstable. They only did what was considered the best course of action."
"She's right… All that rage you're building up is just hurting you even more." Ross said.
"I have a right to be angry. They could have appealed to the gods. They could have defended my telling. They could have gotten help from the other universes. But no. They just locked me away like a true monster. Well...if they want a monster...then I'll give them one. A monster of death." she cried.
"We cannot speak for our ancestors…" Ross said.
"We know nothing of our world's tales…" Petra said.
"However, we can still come to defend today." Hera said.
"I may not have been born here, but this was the place I was raised. I won't let you destroy it." Theo said.
"Have it your way...you will die in a writhing agony!" the voice cried as they all steeled themselves and continued on.