The team takes in the unsettling scene before them. Two lines of statues flank a narrow path leading directly to Anubis’ throne at the far end of the chamber. Each statue depicts a dog sitting on all fours, its face blank and expressionless, staring straight ahead as though eternally vigilant.

  Beside every statue stands a cage. Inside, human souls cling to the remnants of their existence, their forms broken and disjointed – some missing limbs, others hollowed out with gaping voids where torsos or faces should be. Their empty eyes catch sight of Wyn’s team, pleading silently but already exhausted.

  Scurrying between the cages, puppies with mummified bodies weave and dart with unnatural speed. In stark contrast to their small forms and deceptively cute puppy faces, they torment the trapped souls – snarling, scratching at bars, and nipping mercilessly. Yet now, most of the creatures have turned their attention to Wyn’s team. Their barks echo harshly through the chamber, tails stiff and low, their wariness keeping them at a cautious distance.

  Beyond the statues, the chamber stretches into a vast, empty void. The space feels deliberately barren, devoid of meaning or function. The team feels minuscule beneath the watchful statues and the oppressive gaze of Anubis, whose throne looms at the end of the path like a dark and menacing crown, waiting silently for their approach.

  The team, despite the ominous atmosphere, chooses to mock the dog god.

  “A-new-bitch? A-noob-piss? Anu…,” Mira starts.

  “Are you a doberman? Oh, maybe a pharaoh hound?” Wyn adds, feigning curiosity.

  “Pharaoh hound? Seriously, dude. Can’t be real, eh,” James says.

  “ENOUGH WITH YOUR DISRESPECT!” Anubis barks, his deep, guttural voice booming through the chamber, shaking the air itself. “DO YOU NOT FEAR ME, A GOD?”

  Wyn shrugs nonchalantly. “If you were a bulldog or a rottweiler, then maybe. But even then, all dogs are cute – well, to me at least.”

  “‘All dogs are cute’? I once read news where a dog bit off a child’s face!” Yu chimes in, unhelpfully.

  “SHUT IT!”

  “Excuse me, Mister Doggo, but can you not shout?” Lisa asks, her tone surprisingly polite, as though scolding a loud neighbor.

  “‘DOGGO’? HOW DARE YOU!” Anubis snarls, his patience fraying.

  Fed up, Anubis releases a thunderous roar that reverberates through the chamber. The statues lining the path groan to life, their heads creaking as they turn in eerie unison to face the team. Their expressions remain blank and unmoving.

  “Alright, alright!” Wyn raises his hands. “We promise to stop with the mockery if you kindly explain to us what the fuck is happening here?”

  Never has Anubis been belittled like this in his existence, but he reluctantly complies, unable to bear another mockery. He explains that the pyramid has been changed since the last invasion from Hell. Now, the army must prove its worth by completing obstacles in each room, which are reachable by touching the cows. As for why cows are the key, Anubis only suggests the team go see for itself once it reaches Ra – if it can get past him, that is.

  All rooms designed by Anubis will lead the souls to him should they fall into the pit, which acts as a warp. Defeating him will cause all his rooms to open. The same holds true for the other gods. The army must either complete all the rooms or defeat all the gods for the ceiling to open, granting access to Ra.

  “We know you’re already strong enough by this point for cheap traps to do much damage to you and your army,” Anubis explains.

  “Then why bother with these trap rooms in the first place?” Yu wonders.

  “To wear you down! Falling into the pit so easily proves you’re weak enough – and it also makes it easier to avoid facing the entire army at once.”

  “Right…Landon…Right, Landon?” Wyn asks, to which James stares at the ground, feeling guilty.

  “Thanks for the info. We’ll use this to advance to Ra, Mister Dog…I mean, Mister Anubis!” Lisa says with a quick bow. “And thanks for not shouting anymore,” she adds in a whisper.

  “You won’t get past me. I’ve already fed two of your comrades to my puppies. Whole souls are far more satisfying – especially when they’re from Hell!”

  Another roar erupts, reverberating through the chamber. This time, the statues begin to move, stiffly shifting to stand on all fours. Their heads twist unnaturally, locking their gaze onto the team, tracking their every movement. The mummified puppies snarl as they begin to change, their small forms stretching grotesquely. They rise onto their hind legs, their bodies growing massive and towering – easily surpassing James’ already impressive height – while somehow keeping their deceptively cute faces.

  Finally, Anubis steps forward from his throne. The god is an intimidating figure, his towering human form rippling with muscles, each sinew and vein visible beneath his obsidian flesh, which seems to absorb the light around him. A faint shimmer of golden adornments traces his neck and wrists, glinting under the dim glow. His chest is bare, except for a black, leather-like armor that hugs his torso. A long, tattered, black cloth billows behind him. Wrapped around his hand is the ankh-shaped staff, a twisted, glowing golden weapon. The staff’s energy pulses, emanating from its head.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  His head is that of a real dog, sharp eyes gleaming with malice, a deep, unsettling hunger radiating from his expression. His mouth is slightly ajar, saliva dripping from his elongated teeth.

  “Hm? What’s this light on me?” Wyn asks, looking down at the pulsing golden light that suddenly appears on his chest.

  “I think it’s from the staff, no?” Mira points out, her eyes narrowing.

  “Oh shit…,” Wyn mutters.

  The dog minions – both the statues and the oversized puppies – fix their gaze on the golden light. Their bodies tense, ready to spring at any moment. As Anubis raises the ankh-shaped staff high into the air, the puppies charge forward, snarling and snapping, while the statues’ heads swivel, their movements stiff but deliberate. The rumble of the impending assault fills the chamber, the floor beneath them seeming to vibrate with the weight of their power.

  Instead of reacting immediately, Wyn remains calm, standing his ground as his team spreads out to the sides of the chamber, making their way toward Anubis. His focus sharpens, and as the dogs close in, Wyn quickly dashes backward. His back presses against the cold stone of the far wall. Just as he anticipated, the dogs fail to reach him. With a deafening crash, the oversized puppies and statues collide with each other, their immense size making them stagger and tumble, piling on top of one another in a chaotic heap.

  Meanwhile, James shoots icicles at Anubis, who flips in the air to evade the attacks. Yu follows with a stream of water, crackling with Lisa’s electricity, that erupts beneath the dog god just as he lands. The electrified water engulfs him, sending jolts of energy through his body. Before James can freeze the stream, the gleaming light now appears on Yu’s stomach. The dogs immediately turn their attention to him.

  Wyn quickly creates vertical cyclones, swirling in different directions, behind his friends to serve as a barricade. The cyclones tear through some of the dogs, turning them into sand-like dust. Most of the dogs, however, avoid the cyclones, maneuvering around them to keep charging. While the four are busy erecting barricades, Anubis breaks free. In an instant, he dashes forward, his staff hitting Yu in the stomach and following up with a punch to Lisa’s face, sending both of them flying backward.

  Before they crash into the dog horde, James summons an ice wall, creating a barrier that keeps both Yu and Lisa safe for the moment.

  “Take care of Anubis! I’ll deal with the minions!” Wyn commands.

  A wall of rocks immediately surrounds his friends, encasing them and Anubis inside. Without wasting any time, Wyn begins cutting through the dogs, who remain focused on Yu despite not having any vision of what’s inside the wall. The dogs try to break through, crashing and punching into the stone in a relentless frenzy.

  While James faces off with Anubis, Mira attempts to wrap her whip around the god's legs. However, Anubis proves more acrobatic than she anticipated, evading the strike with ease. Yu, now back on his feet with Lisa, tries again to engulf Anubis in water. This time, after dodging a thrust from James' rapier, Anubis leaps and clings to the ceiling. Almost immediately, James summons an ice pillar from above, dislodging him and forcing him to fall back down. The big doggo, however, lands gracefully on his feet. At the same time, he slams his staff to the ground.

  The light on Yu fades as the staff stops glowing, causing the dogs outside the wall to shift their attention to Wyn, the only one they can see. Meanwhile, sand dunes rise from the ground, tearing through Wyn’s wall. The sand continues to swell, trapping the four of them as it cascades down the dunes. Anubis leaps onto the dunes, using them to propel himself out of the trap.

  “The sand is also poisonous,” Anubis taunts. “Enjoy suffering in it!”

  The dunes now stretch up to the ceiling, effectively blocking Wyn from entering inside. With Anubis closing in on him, Wyn has no time to think, only to propel himself away from the god and his dog minions in an attempt to buy some time. But as he flies near the dunes, he realizes his cyclone dash is helping to suck away some of the sand, though not fast enough.

  When he attempts another run, a wall of sand rises in front of him, causing him to crash through it and tumble to the floor. Just as the dogs close in, fiery lasers erupt erratically from the dunes, firing blindly in all directions. The dogs are momentarily distracted, and Wyn jets into the dunes from above, narrowly avoiding the lasers.

  “Why are you back here?” James asks, coughing as he turns to face the hovering Wyn.

  “Lisa, keep firing! I’ll do it too!” Wyn commands.

  The two get to work – Wyn from above and Lisa from the ground – slowly shrinking the dunes.

  “I’ve got a plan, Oppa! I need the dogs to chase you!” Mira suggests.

  Wyn and Yu summon a powerful watery cyclone around the team, clearing away the remaining poisonous sand. As it dissipates, Wyn dashes toward Anubis, who quickly latches onto the ceiling to evade the contact. Wyn doesn’t relent, staying close behind the god while his team turns their attention to the dog minions.

  Anticipating Anubis' next move, Wyn summons rock pillars from the ceiling, ready to bring them down when the dog god tries to latch on again. But Anubis catches Wyn off guard, trapping him within a sand pillar. In retaliation, Wyn surrounds the god with his own cyclone.

  Wyn dashes out of the sand, his chakram blades thrust forward. As the cyclone dissipates, Anubis braces his staff for the impact. They clash, the force of their weapons meeting, but the god only stumbles slightly, his foot claws digging into the floor to steady himself. With a powerful swing, Anubis knocks Wyn down, sending him crashing to the ground.

  Just as Wyn struggles to rise, the light appears on his head, and the dogs immediately shift their attention to him.

  “You’d serve better as dog food,” Anubis growls. “I’ll feast on your friends right in front of you.”

  Noticing the dogs' movement, Yu and Lisa quickly engulf the dog god in an electrifying water stream. James reacts faster this time, freezing Anubis from the waist down. The god struggles, trying to resist. With every movement he makes, the ice chips away, and eventually, he breaks free.

  Turning to face the four, Anubis attempts to raise his weapon, only to realize it’s already gone. A light suddenly flashes on his head, and the dogs turn their attention back to him.

  Wyn dashes toward Anubis, striking his chakram blades deep into both of the god’s arm joints just before Anubis can resummon his weapon. Anubis attempts to close his arms around Wyn, but the pressure causes sharp pain in his arms as he resists. Without hesitation, Wyn summons a cyclone, lifting both of them into the air.

  Just before reaching the ceiling, Wyn detaches the blades from his gloves and flips, landing on the ceiling upside down. With all his might, he forces his arms downward, releasing powerful cyclones that send Anubis plummeting to the ground and into the horde of dogs.

  “Stop! I’m your kin! Stop!” Anubis yelps as the dogs tear into them.

  A large water stream engulfs Anubis and part of the horde, with James following up by freezing it solid. Mira unwraps her whip from Anubis' staff and hands it to Yu, while allowing Wyn to lift her and Lisa directly above the frozen dog pile. Together, they unleash a fully charged fiery laser beam, with a cyclone swirling around it, led by the whip, obliterating everything beneath. The beam continues until only sand remains, slowly turning into essence. And just like that, Anubis is defeated, along with the rest of his dog minions, who crumble into sand afterward.