Dimly lit corridors with heights easily surpassing 10 meters and a width which is double the height. It gave off a dwarfing sensation to the people who traversed the eerie and repetitive path.
As Grey tread along the corridors, he couldn't help but think how much work it had taken to create such humongous tunnels. It was clear that it was designed in such a way that even large beasts would have no problem running freely.
Along the way, Grey and Kurt have killed countless more members of Iblis. Whether it be beasts or people, none stood a chance when the two brandished their weapons. Swing after swing, lives were lost.
While guilt has tried to creep inside Grey's heart, his hatred for them was much stronger. Even if he were to have a chance to choose another path, he would once again walk a bloody one and dirty his hands just as he did before.
Thud Thud Rumble
A heavy sound permeated the ground and echoed throughout the walls as if large elephants conducting a stampede. It was vivid enough that Grey and Kurt had to halt their steps and be put on guard.
Guraaaakkkkkkk
Following the rumbling, a loud screech echoed throughout the stagnant air. They were like trumpets which announced the advent of destruction and ruin. A cry of intimidation which ate away the courage of those who heard them.
The owner of the screech was not one nor two, but three large and gruesome beasts which Grey had to words to describe as. If there was one word fitting for them, then it would be "abomination". It will only take a single glance for a normal person to shake in fear from their presence.
A face and body composed of multiple creatures stitched together. Limbs which clearly came from different owners. Some were that of a wolf's, some were from a bovine, and there were even scaled ones. Lastly, it had the wing of a bird and a bat. Truly a disturbing sight to behold.
Not only in appearance, their sizes were also intimidating. By rough estimate, they were easily 3 meters in height and had a wingspan close to 10 meters. It could easily swallow a full-grown man in a single bite.
⟨⟨Appraisal⟩⟩ ［Grey］
-----------------------------------
[Demonic Beast]
[Species] Daemon
[Status] Healthy, Stable
[Sex] ???
[Age] ???
[Mana Capacity] 3,223 [Mana Quality] C
[Combat Power] 1,058 [Threat Level] B
[Attribute] Null
[Intelligence] ???
[Description]
A man-made creature made from combining the body parts of different beasts into one. It took countless beasts and countless lives during the process of its creation. Its sole purpose is to serve its master and bring ruin to the obstacles in its way.
-----------------------------------
Demonic Beasts. If monsters are creatures which are born from mana, then demonic beasts are born from beasts who have been corrupted from mana. After becoming one, the beasts lose their sanity and attack anything discriminately. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say that they can be considered as "monsters".
Similarly, people also turn into demons if they are corrupted by mana, but with the amount of intelligence people have, demons are a very rare case which only happens in grave accidents. But demons would be a story for another day.
Like pieces of a puzzle fitting with one another, Grey finally understood what Iblis was trying to accomplish. They were trying to make an army of beasts that would obey all of their biddings.
Grey didn't know if they were doing it solely for research or for world domination or something similar, but Grey could already tell that whatever their true goals were, it wouldn't be any good for anyone.
"What manner of creatures are these..." ［Kurt］
"Lord Kurt, be careful. All of them are B-rank." ［Grey］
"... Understood." ［Kurt］
Hearing Grey's words, Kurt quickly regained his composure and readied his fighting stance. He placed his spear on an offensive, ready to strike at any moment.
Kieeeekkkkk
The beasts' red eyes glowed furiously as the creatures target Grey and Kurt. They struck the ground with their gigantic hind limbs as they charged forward, leaving large depressions on the ground.
"Lord Kurt, I'll leave the one in front to you. I'll be taking care of the two behind it." ［Grey］
With Kurt's nodding as a response, Grey dashed past the vanguard beast with a single leap, closing the distance between him and the two beasts in the rear.
Seeing the beasts up close, Grey was once again reminded how disgusting and repulsive the beasts looked. It was to the point that he would have thrown up had he not adapted how Merusia worked.
Grruaaakkkkk
Claws, hooves, tails, wings... The two creatures attacked Grey in a multitude of unpredictable patterns. Some came from the front while the others aimed at the side. The creatures continued to attack relentlessly.
The walls and grounds shook with each attack the two creatures delivered towards Grey and missed. Craters formed everywhere where the attack had landed and the flatted ground soon became highly uneven.
'Tsk! The mountain's going to collapse at this rate!' ［Grey］
Like a swirling vortex, mana gathered from Grey's body towards his fist. He pulled back one of his arms and at breakneck speed...
⟨⟨Phantom Caliber!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
... his fight fist struck one of the creature's head, sending vibrations throughout its body. Soon after, the said creature collapsed to the ground limply with life vanishing from its eyes. It was already dead.
⟨⟨Phantom Caliber!⟩⟩［Grey］
The remaining creature wasn't safe either. As soon as Grey's right fist connected to the first one, Grey twisted his body and struck his left fist to the remaining one in just a fraction of a second.
Two loud thuds reverberated throughout the ground as the two beasts fell in succession. Their outside appearance didn't receive much damage, but the same couldn't be said to their insides. They were mercilessly crushed to a pulp.
Since Grey used "Phantom Caliber", no damage was done to the surroundings. All the impact was absorbed by the creature's bodies. It was the perfect attack in such a confined space which might collapse with a single mistake.
⟨⟨Piercing Torrent!⟩⟩ ［Kurt］
A voice echoed from Grey's behind as he finished off his enemies. It was Kurt's and he was currently dealing with his assigned enemy.
Kurt's lance struck a barrage of blows towards the creature's body like a relentless storm, leaving behind holes from head to tail. Blood gushed out from those holes as the creature struggled to stand up.
⟨⟨Howling Cleaver!⟩⟩ ［Kurt］
Kurt's final strike came from above like unstoppable lightning. The moment it struck the creature's head, it continued down to the ground, perfectly cutting the creature's body in two.
The two parts of the creature's body then fell to opposite directions, creating a slightly less heavy thud sound as its blood showered the ground.
Although Kurt was sweating quite a bit from the battle, he sustained no injuries. The creature wasn't able to land even a scratch from how nimble and agile Kurt moved. He was a bad match towards the creature with such a large body.
"Here's some water, Lord Kurt." ［Grey］
"Ah... Thank you." ［Kurt］
As he wiped away his sweat, Kurt took Grey's offer and drank the water Grey gave him. In a single time, he was able to drink more than half of the water container.
'Hm?' ［Grey］
A few seconds after the creature was defeated, a seemingly black but thin mist emanated from its body as if it was leaving the creature. It was a similar scene to how monsters turn into mana after being defeated. The only difference was the creature still left its corpse behind rather than disappearing.
'These are...' ［Grey］
But since it was a half-beast, half-monster, it also left behind a special crystal which resembled that of mana crystals which were dropped by monsters. It dropped a beast crystal which will be a story for another day.
...
Following the fight at the entrance, Vanessa and Yuna continued to navigate the labyrinth-like base. They have met other people along the way, but were able to dispose of them without much hassle.
It has been more than half an hour since the two were together and currently...
"Yuna, do you like sweets?" ［Vanessa］
"U-Un... " ［Yuna］
"Then how about tea?" ［Vanessa］
"Un..." ［Yuna］
"Then how about..." ［Vanessa］
... Vanessa is asking Yuna questions one after another. Some were personal, some were random, while some were just outright weird. She was like an unstoppable force Yuna had no way of defeating.
With Yuna now addressing Vanessa as "Big Sis", Vanessa, out of the blue, decided that it would be best for them to know more about each other. Although it was supposed to be about each other, Vanessa has been the only one asking so far.
Although Yuna is happy that she had acquired a new friend, she still wanted to get out of the current situation as soon as she can. She was afraid the topic would take a strange turn at any moment.
"Oh, right... Yuna, I've been meaning to ask this since the discussion, but... what's your relationship with Grey?" ［Vanessa］
Just as she feared, a strange and difficult question has come out of Vanessa's mouth. It was an embarrassing question to Yuna which only the likes of Helen had been asking her about.
It wasn't just Yuna, Vanessa had now, just recently, started addressing Grey in a very casual and familiar tone. Grey wasn't even present yet she was acting like her and Grey was already close. Her being friendly was an understatement.
"W-We're just partners..." ［Yuna］
Yuna answered with a slightly red face in a slightly crestfallen tone. It was an expression which anyone with a decent brain could easily tell the meaning of.
"I see, I see... Then, don't worry! Big Sis here will support you!" ［Vanessa］
"Y-Yes...?" ［Yuna］
Yuna tilted her head in confusion as she didn't know what Vanessa's enthusiastic reply meant. She has yet to notice that Vanessa had already read her like an open book.
The two talked more as they traversed the large labyrinth. They talked about their goals, their likes, and even their pasts, in which, Vanessa cried like a heartbroken woman after hearing Yuna's past and how she met Grey.
After that, Vanessa declared with a triumphant pose that she will do her best to protect Yuna, comforting her as she embraced her like how a mother would to their crying child,
Warm... That's how Yuna felt at that moment, but such a moment didn't last long.
Krrrrrkkkkkk Uguaakkkkkk
As soon as Vanessa and Yuna took a left turn, a loud screech accompanied by the presence of three nightmarish beasts broke their happy moment and turned it into a serious one.
"Waaa... What horrid creatures. Yuna, please create a wall and trap one of them. That way we can each fight one without getting bothered." ［Vanessa］
"Un!" ［Yuna］
As per Vanessa instruction, Yuna quickly casted a spell and created a wall of stone and soil, trapping the creature in the right and leaving one creature for each of them to fight.
"Good job, Yuna! Now then, let's put these creatures down!" ［Vanessa］
Vanessa declared as she shortened the distance between her and the creature in the front. Following her, Yuna also dashed towards the one on the left as she erased her presence.
Target in lock, Yuna held her daggers in reverse grip as she jumped high up in the air. The creature was still confused where Yuna disappeared to and soon decided to just attack Vanessa, but before it could...
⟨⟨Swift Guillotine!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
A large arc of mana came down from above, dealing a large wound towards the creature's neck and cutting a portion of its wings in the process.
Anything below B-rank would have instantly been killed by Yuna's attack, but seeing how it could still stand after receiving such a powerful blow, it only showed how tough the creature was, or rather, how tough the neck if the creature was as it had scales running along it which was different from its other body parts.
⟨⟨Dice!⟩⟩ ［Yuna］
The creature didn't even have time to react. The moment Yuna landed on the ground, a stream of blades rained down upon its body, drawing blood and cutting down everything it struck.
It may be hundreds, or maybe reaching more than a thousand, but one thing was sure, the attacks Yuna had unleashed upon the creature was a merciless one.
The moment the torrent of dagger strikes stopped, the creature was nowhere to be seen. All that was left of it was a mountain of flesh and organs with blood flowing all over the ground. It was a bloody mess.
⟨⟨Nova Flare!⟩⟩［Vanessa］
The moment Yuna turned around, what she witnessed was a strong burst of flames roasting an already crippled creature.
The creature Vanessa had fought was quite resistant to her blade attacks compared to the one Yuna fought. She had no choice but to use flame magic and incinerate it into ashes.
Guraaakkkー
⟨⟨Icicle Shotgun!⟩⟩［Yuna］
Just as Vanessa finished her opponent, the creature Yuna trapped, broke out and screeched loudly. Unfortunately for it, before it could finish its screeching, Yuna had already casted a spell, hurling large chunks of ice towards it and piercing its neck.
The shock from the sudden attack was too much that the creature fell limp to the ground. It tried to get back up but it was already too late.
The creature hasn't even put down one leg, but before it, Vanessa has already appeared, ready to strike at any time. The creature tried to bite her, but she dodged gracefully and landed on top of its head, then...
⟨⟨Hell Flare!⟩⟩ ［Vanessa］
... she plunged her sword on the creature's skull, and scorched the creature from the inside. After receiving an attack like that, the creature stopped moving and its life was forfeited.
"Phew... Now, where were we... Oh right, Yuna～!" ［Vanessa］
As if nothing happened, after all the creatures had been dealt with, Vanessa rushed towards Yuna with an energetic smile. She then continued the topic they were talking about before they were interrupted by the beasts.
Vanessa's carefreeness was on another level. It was to the point that Yuna started questioning whether she really was a noble lady or was actually a high-ranking military officer.
...
"What were you thinking losing your patience like that!? What if we were in the guild, would you be beating them up like this too? You should think more before..." ［Aria］
After Kris' unruly rampage in his lion form, Aria gave Kris a long scolding session full of "love". It has been about 20 minutes since Aria started her lecture, and there was still no end to be seen.
At that moment, Kris was just kneeling to the ground silently as Aria continued her lecture. Rather than an engaged couple, they looked like a mother and child, with the former scolding the latter for being too naughty.
Thud Thud Thud
The only thing that stopped Aria was the rumbling of the ground which got louder and louder as time passed. It was clear that something was approaching them at quite a high speed.
"We'll continue this later, let's deal with this first, and don't look so down, I'm only reprimanding you for the sake of our future.... I wouldn't want to have an overly possessive husband, after all..." ［Aria］
A beet red face. That's what Aira's face looked like as she mumbled the last part of her sentence in a low voice. It was such a rare expression that Kris' energy came back quickly after seeing it.
Suddenly, Kris didn't mind getting scolded. If he could see Aria's lovely expression one more time, he would voluntarily do it again.
"Hooh... Then, leave this to me. I'll show you a cool side of me." ［Kris］
Kris declared with a smile which extended from ear to ear. He was clearly motivated from the words Aria had just mumbled a few seconds ago.
"I knew it. You really look cooler when you're calm." ［Aria］
Coupled with what Aria had just said, a smile uncontrollably bloomed on Kris's face. Aria was also not so different, she was also smiling as she gazed at the figure of her beloved.
⟨⟨Pitfall!⟩⟩ ［Kris］
Even before the enemies showed up, the ground had formed a massive depression spanning dozens of meters, with a bottom more than 10 meters deeper than what it used to be.
The moment the creatures appeared from the labyrinth, they weren't able to slow down and fell face-flat towards the huge hole which clearly wasn't there a few moments ago.
⟨⟨Tectonic Cemetery!⟩⟩ ［Kris］
The creatures tried to fly up, but before they could even flap their wings, huge spikes protruded from the ground, piercing their bodies. Not even their wings were spared from the spikes, making them unable to fly.
Kris hasn't even moved from his spot yet the creatures were already reduced into such a pitiful state. Kris was completely different to the rampaging idiot which had just been scolded by Aria.
Kruaaakkkk
All the creatures could do was screech in pain and hatred towards Kris. They couldn't even move their limbs freely since all of them were impaled. The victor was already decided.
Kris took a deep breath in and gathered mana up above the air. Soon after, a small stone formed from the dense cloud of mana. The small stone grew larger and larger until it became a boulder large enough to cover up the pitfall.
⟨⟨Meteor Crash!⟩⟩ ［Kris］
With nowhere to run, the creatures have no other choice but to accept their inevitable death, being crushed by a gigantic boulder. They were powerless in front of Kris who didn't even break a sweat,
Three moves. That's only what it took for Kris to defeat, not one, but three terrifying beasts in less than a minute. He was truly worthy of being called a genius.
But of course, that "genius" was only showing off towards Aria. After all, what kind of man wouldn't want their beloved to see a cool side of them.
...
"Boss, we await your order."
A man stood silently as he admired the large machineries before him. It gave off a domineering presence which dwarfed those within vicinity. A machine which looked like something out of a sci-fi movie.
Inside the machine was a gigantic beast, sleeping peacefully even though it was submerged in some type of strange liquid. A closer look and one could see tubes connecting the beast and machine together.
It was one of those experiments where a mad scientist was trying to create an absurd creation for the sake of evolution and science. And truly, the man who stood before the machine could be called one of those mad scientists.
"Proceed with the process!" ［Boss］
"Yes, boss! Start the machine!... Increase the input!... Amplify the mana!... Inject the serum!... Increase the heat!"
Huuruwaaaakkkkk Guaaakkkkk
"20%... 34%... 59%... 72%... 96%... 97%... 98%... 99%...!"
The number steadily rose as time passed. Soon enough, it reached 100%. The process was completed.
Silence fell towards the room as there were no signs of life present in the beast inside the machine. The procedure was done perfectly, there shouldn't have been any mistakes, yet there was no movement.
The people inside the room panicked as there was no reaction from the beast. Their hearts pounded nervously as hoped faded away with the passing of time.
And just when all hope was lost, the beast's large eyes glowed red as the machine started to shake aggressively. The beast was woken up from its slumber. It was the birth of a terrifying creature.
The nervousness in the hearts of the people were quickly replaced with joy as the beast started to move. One man in particular was the happiest, with his smile reaching from ear to ear.
"It's alive... The project succeeded... Haha... Hahaha... Hahahaha!! At last, my greatest creation is born!!" ［Boss］
CHAPTER 29 END