Scarlet red door laced with black and gold engravings and topaz flames burning ever so calmly by the door frames. In a fiery landscape riddled with veins upon veins and pools upon pools of lava, they were doors one would call the entrance to hell.
Top it off with the charred grounds, the erupting geysers from time to time, and the suffocating eerie atmosphere about the place. Just the mere sight of the humongous doors is more than enough to make one feel humbled.
"Ahh... How intimidating..." ［Grey］
Even Grey who would now qualify for the top ten strongest in the world couldn't help but feel intimidated just by standing in front of it. His hands were trembling on their own, his whole body instinctively warning him to abandon thought of continuing and run away immediately.
A couple weeks had passed since Grey reached Calamity-Class, and it was now the estimated last day of the Labyrinth. Taking such a possibility into account, he headed alone to the deepest depths and towards the boss room, Polaris sent back to where Yuna and the others were.
It has been several minutes since he arrived at the end of the Labyrinth and he was still frozen, his eyes locked on the doors before him, hesitation sprouting in his heart along with his instinctive impulses.
He hasn't even entered the room yet but his life has already started flashing before his eyes. His past life, his current life, all the adventures he did, and Yuna. It was as if he was actually dying. A wry smile was plastered on his face.
"Yeah... Let's stop thinking of such thoughts already..." ［Grey］
Well, even if he wanted to run, he would still need to do such things in the near future. There was no use escaping. It was better to have himself get familiar with such intense pressure.
『Grey, are you free right now?』 ［Yuna］
Just as Grey was steeling his resolve, a familiar beautiful voice came ringing inside his head. It was none other than his beloved Yuna who he dearly misses.
『Yeah, I'm free. Why?』 ［Grey］
『Umm... You see... I heard from Polaris that you'll be fighting the boss today... Is that true?』 ［Yuna］
It was only telepathy, but Grey could clearly feel the shakiness in Yuna's words. She tried to hide but having known her for three years already, Grey could easily tell what she was feeling. Her worry was clear as day.
Grey purposely hasn't told her his plans since he knew she would worry. It completely slipped his mind that Yuna was also Polaris' Master. Even if he asked him not to tell her, the latter would have no choice but answer honestly. He was a little stumped.
『Well, yeah... But don't worry, I promise I'll retreat immediately as soon as it gets dangerous. You can count on my word.』 ［Grey］
『I see... That's good to hear...』 ［Yuna］
Or so she said, but there were still traces of anxiety evident in her thoughts. Not only that, there was also disappointment and helplessness from her inability to help Grey. A thought which kept revolving inside her mind.
Well, it's not like Grey couldn't understand her feelings as he too would feel such emotions if Yuna were to decide to do something dangerous. Now, he is even more determined to get back safe and hug her tightly afterwards.
『Right, by the way, how is everyone doing?』 ［Grey］
『Oh, we're doing fine. Julius and Amelia's are doing much better than before. And Vega is still causing mischief every time she gets the chance to.』 ［Yuna］
『And let me guess, Kentaurus is encouraging her again, isn't he?』 ［Grey］
『Fufufu! That's right. They're currently being scolded by Polaris and Sirius right now. It seems like it won't be finished anytime soon.』 ［Yuna］
For several minutes to come, Grey and Yuna chatted ever so peacefully, laughing and giggling from time to time. It was as if they were just having a normal phone call, save for the fact that they were literacy in a hellish environment,
It was so peaceful that Grey had completely forgotten about the intimidation he felt, feeling much braver and determined than before. Talking to Yuna really was a remedy like no other.
『Oh, it seems like I need to help out again...』 ［Yuna］
『Hahaha, let's continue our talk next time then.』 ［Grey］
『Un! Good luck!』 ［Yuna］
The (telepathic) call has ended and now, it was time for Grey to face reality once again. His heart now was steeled, ready to plunge himself to the depths of hell and brawl with the monster behind the doorsー Or so he thought.
『Right, Grey, I forgot to tell you something.』 ［Yuna］
But it hasn't even been a minute since the call ended yet Yuna decided to call him once again. An action which only made Grey curious as to what she had forgotten,
『Hm? What is it?』 ［Grey］
Grey asked but there was no answer from the other side. Yuna was taking her sweet time, leaving Grey's head be filled with question marks, the sounds of lava bubbling and flames crackling in the background.
『I miss you... Come back safely to me, okay?』 ［Yuna］
The burning flames and flowing lava was loud, but Grey could clearly hear Yuna's voice echoing inside his mind. A strange sense of happiness and calm surging in his heart as those words kept on ringing again and again.
Grey couldn't see Yuna's face as they are right now, but he knows full well that her expressions on the other side are. A bright red face, feverish cheeks, and lonely blue eyes. Just imagining it, Grey's lips could help but arch into a sweet little smile.
『Yes, ma'am. Your wish is my command.』 ［Grey］
『Th-Then! I'll be going now! Bye!』 ［Yuna］
Panic and embarrassment evident in her words, Yuna quickly ended the call and headed back to what she was doing, face clearly now as red as a ripe tomato. Grey could only chuckle with how adorable his girlfriend is.
The call done and over, Grey shifted his eyes back to the giant doors once again, his heart fueled by determination highest it ever has been, like a raging storm ready to lay waste upon the world.
Grey clenched his fist tightly, equipping the divine gauntlets. The winds then started to surge wildly yet calmly at the same time the moment Grey activated Authority, his body fueled with domineering strength. He hasn't just been slacking the past month, after all.
-----------------------------------
[Salferine]
[Name] Grey Silverdrake
[Race] Human
[Sex] Male
[Age] 18
[Status] Healthy
[Mana Capacity] 6,825 [Mana Quality] S
[Combat Power] 17,579 [Threat Level] Calamity
[Attribute] Wind [Magic Proficiency] Superior (90%)
[Class] Brawler [Weapon Proficiency] Superior (90%)
[Physical Enhancement] 91%
[Ability] 『Divine Eyes (Divine)』
『Divine Mind (Divine)』
『Subspace (Divine)』
『Wind Magic - Bellowing Heavens』
『Brawling Arts - Spectral Echoes』
-----------------------------------
He was no longer the same person he was a month ago. With his current strength, the Skeleton Tyrant from before is no longer a threat. A man who can stand proudly at the highest peaks of the world.
His resolve steeled with the toughest of determination, Grey placed his hand towards the doors, letting his mana flow towards it. A loud thunk, clank, and creak echoing soon after as the doors opened on their own.
A land of death and fire. Such was the scene revealed behind the massive doors. All sides and corners of the room were filled with scorching lava, glowing red and amber, even hotter than the surface of the sun.
And in the middle of the room was a single being, sitting quietly, eyes closed, and not moving even a single inch. It was like a giant, lifeless boulder standing out ever so conspicuously in the spacious room which could only be described as "Hell".
-----------------------------------
[Monster]
[Species] Vulcan Destroyer
[Status] Healthy
[Type] Elemental
[Ability] ...
[Mana Capacity] 142.551 [Mana Quality] S
[Combat Power] 49,633 [Threat Level] Disaster
[Attribute] Fire
-----------------------------------
Well, if the room was "Hell", then that being could be called the "Demon Lord" which could lay ruin upon any country, no matter how big or small, without much effort. A walking disaster as one might call it.
With authority at "triple" and his equipment, Grey could confidently fight toe to toe against opponents 5 times stronger than himself, but what was before him was much, much stronger, more than 20 times to be exact. The battle hasn't even started, but he could already tell it is going to be difficult.
Clop Clunk Creak
The moment Grey stepped foot inside the room, the doors started to close on their own, a loud creak resounding as the ground rumbled. Soon enough, Grey was left in a closed space alone with the monster in the middle.
The doors closed completely, another rumble quaked throughout the whole room. In the next moment, the being which looked lifeless just a moment ago now started to move ever so slowly, standing taller and taller with the passing of time.
Geysers erupting violently, fountains of lava bursting out from the ground, lava dripping from the ceiling, and flames devouring the ground from time to time. Such fiery only ended the moment the Vulcan Destroyer's eye glowed red.
"That would have made a good cutscene..." ［Grey］
The calm didn't last long. As soon as the boss awakened, the room was in turmoil once again, each and every step the Vulcan Destroyer took sent tremors throughout the whole room, rains of fire showering the whole room.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM
Following the tremors, boulders of molten rocks peppered the ground like a shower of burning meteors, explosions resounding in the air endlessly. Each boulder was hurled violently at breakneck speeds, able to destroy villages in a flash.
"Haap!" ［Grey］
The chaos only grew and continued as Grey danced around the room, evading each boulder coming his way, and crushing those which cannot be evaded with his fists and the wind, littering the ground with rocks and flames.
"Whoops!" ［Grey］
Grey couldn't just pay attention to the barrage alone either. As with each chance it gets, its hands and feet rushed towards the ground, aiming to crush him in a single go, tremors spreading each and every single time.
The Vulcan Destroyer's arms crashed towards the ground, leaving its mark. But in that moment, Grey quickly used its arm as a foothold, arriving towards its face swiftly, all the while deflecting the rain of molten rocks.
⟨⟨Pinpoint Tempest: Deathpierce!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Grey's fist perfectly connected towards the Vulcan Destroyer's face, shock spreading all throughout its body. There was a boom, not just echoing once but twice over, another attack connecting soon after.
It was not because Grey attacked again, but rather, because of the enlightenment he reached with brawling, "Spectral Echoes". An ability which lands another strike on the enemy after Grey's attack successfully connects as if the attack "echoed".
Two booms resounded clearly but the enemy was only moved a couple inches. Not even a second later, the enemy launched its counter. A swift hand darting towards Grey's direction, but there was no panic on Grey's face, only a little smile.
Soon, a resonant sound echoed in the air as the Vulcan Destroyer closed its hands, producing a force which could crush any object. But the moment it opened it, Grey was nowhere to be seen as if he vanished into thin air.
⟨⟨Southern Wind: Notus!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
It turned its head the moment it heard Grey's voice, but it was already too late. What greeted its eyes were none other than a spear of wind, striking its face gracefully, leaving cracks behind as lava spurted out of it like blood.
"Sorry, were you looking for me?" ［Grey］
A voice echoed from a couple hundred meters away and Grey was there. It was as if he just disappeared and then reappeared at another location, teleportation one might say. Well, that's because it's trueー sort of.
With Grey reaching Calamity-Class, he also unlocked the fourth effects of his Divine abilities. For "Divine Eyes" he unlocked "Eyes of Destiny" which could see the past and future. And for "Subspace", he unlocked "Gate" which allows him to open portals towards places he knows of.
It may only be a couple seconds into the future, but "Eyes of Destiny" was enough to see the enemies' counter-attack. And in that couple seconds, after landing a hit, Grey immediately opened a Gate to jump towards a spot in his line of sight in an instant.
FWOOSSSHHHHH
⟨⟨Northern Wind: Boreas!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
There was no time to rest. As soon as the Vulcan Destroyer ascertained where Grey was, a breath of golden flames quickly came rushing towards the latter's direction. In exchange, Grey also released a torrent of his own.
The Vulcan Destroyer tried to strike down the spears which came flying towards it with its fiery breath, but no sounds of impact could be heardー or rather, the impacts only resounded much later than anticipated.
Grey had once again opened gates, but this time, not for himself. Before the breath of fire could clash with the spears, he immediately had them pass through gates which connected to the ones he just created behind the enemy. A number of explosions then rang as the enemy's back was peppered with spears of wind.
As for the breath of fire, it was dispersed by another set of gates, not leaving a single scratch on Grey. It was then that Grey once again realized how cheat-like Divine abilities were. A wry smile was on his face.
RUMMBLLLLEEEE
In rage, the Vulcan Destroyer stomped one of its feet towards the ground. The very next moment, spikes of molten rock emerged throughout the whole room, from the ground, to the walls, and even the ceiling.
But such a change in terrain wasn't a problem for Grey who possessed a much smaller and much nimble body. He easily created temporary platforms of his own using earth magic and placed them atop the topaz-colored spikes
⟨⟨Northern Wind: Boreas!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Another torrent of wind spears came darting towards the Vulcan Destroyer at breakneck speeds, but just a couple seconds after, another set of portals opened in front of them.
Caution in its eyes, the Vulcan Destroyer stomped one of its feet once again, a wall of fire and lava emerging behind it, acting like a shield. It has already learnt its lesson and won't fall for such tricks again.
Unfortunately, it was still too naive. Not a single gate opened from behind it, rather, they opened from both sides. The Vulcan Destroyer was once again peppered with a torrent of wind spears. Grey had already seen what it would do.
And whilst it was still preoccupied by the barrage of wind spears, a single spear of violent wind formed by Grey's hands, one purely made for destruction, getting more and more violent the more winds it sucked in.
⟨⟨Southern Wind: Notus!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
The spear was released towards the enemy at speeds surpassing that of sound's many times ofer, but the enemy's reaction was no joke. As soon as it saw Grey cast another spell, it instinctively felt danger and coated itself with a tough armor of flames and molten rock.
BOOOOOMMMMMM
A loud impact ruptured the sound barrier in a single moment, clouds of dust and ash swirling across the spacious room as lava gushed forth aggressively. Soon, bursts of scorching winds and wild shockwaves rampaged throughout the room, the aftermath of destruction.
"Tsk! Tough bastard!" ［Grey］
Unfortunately for Grey, no matter how much power he poured throughout the spear, it was still not enough to close the gap between them. The only thing his attack did was leave a couple large cracks, not damaging the Vulcan Destroyer's body.
In fact, it has always been like that throughout the whole battle. While Grey leaves large numbers of cracks with his attacks, in the end, they are still cracks and not fatal damages. Not to mention that the enemy slowly regenerates over time, the rate he is chipping down its health was very slow if anything.
"Haa!" ［Grey］
The winds roared furiously along with Grey's cry and the air particles started to dance wildly, creating more and more powerful implosions and shockwaves with the passing of time. Chaos descended upon the room as matter kept disintegrating.
But even with the use of "Bellowing Heavens", all Grey could do was slowly chip away its armor. The attack which could easily destroy the dungeon walls was all but futile resistance towards the monster before him. All it did was waste Grey's mana.
RUMMBBBLLLEEEEEE
As soon as the attacks stopped, the Vulcan Destroyer didn't waste any more time and started moving once again. It sent another tremor towards the ground, fountains of lava forming as eruptions took place all over the place.
Not only did the eruptions restrict Grey's movement, it also filled the floor with flowing lava , rising higher and higher with each passing second, devouring the room like a starving sea of flames.
"Tsk! Cunning son of a b*tch..." ［Grey］
The more lava rose, the less places Grey could use as a foothold. And while it's true that he could just simpleu make his own platform to stand on, it would mean he'll waste mana. To top it all off, the lava will keep rising so it would only be a temporary measure. Even time has turned on him.
⟨⟨Eastern Wind: Eurus!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
The winds roared once more, everything in front was swept away. Be it the rising lava, the raging flames, or the Vulcan Destroyer, they were all pushed back by the raging winds. At the same time, the lava was also cooled down, providing a path for Grey.
⟨⟨Northern Wind: Boreas!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Hundreds upon hundreds of spears came rushing towards the enemy's body as Grey ran along the path he made. This time, he didn't use any gates and simply rained down a violent barrage towards it.
A series of explosions rang out at regular intervals as the spears hit solid objects. Some were struck down, some missed, and some hit the joints. The relentless torrent continued all the while Grey cooled down the rising lava to make a path for him.
But just as the enemy's vision was clouded with the mad cascade of spears, Grey suddenly disappeared from where he previously was. The moment the enemy realized where he was, it was already far too late.
⟨⟨Pinpoint Tempest: Deathpierce!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Quick as lightning, Grey's heavy fist struck the enemy's head once again, slugging it hard with his drill-like attack. It didn't do much damage, but it was enough to make it falter and lose its balance for a moment.
⟨⟨Phantom Caliber: Omega!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Not wasting the opportunity, Grey propelled himself towards the enemy's chest area with the use of wind magic, landing yet another heavy strike. Another boom soon resounded as "Spectral Echoes" took effect,
But not a single crack could be seen. Well, it's only to be expected... After all, the nature of the attack was to destroy everything from the inside. Grey's target was the Vulcan Destroyer's core hidden deep inside its body.
The enemy didn't just stay still. As soon as it regained balance, it quickly tried to catch Grey once again. Unfortunately for it, Grey was far too fast, quickly escaping with the use of gates.
⟨⟨Northern Wind: Boreas!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
As soon as he landed, Grey once again released another volley of attacks towards the enemy, not giving it any time to rest nor regenerate, landing another punch the moment it got distracted by the spells.
It has become a battle of attrition. Whether the Vulcan Destroyer gets destroyed or Grey runs out of mana, such was the deciding outcome on their seemingly endless battle over the lava-filled landscape.
Spears... Fists... Spears... Fists... Spears... Fists..
Such a cycle continued for several minutes to come as Grey slowly whittled down the enemy's health, keeping in mind that a single mistake could put him in danger. The battle continued as such until, all of the sudden, the enemy stopped moving.
⟨⟨Southern Wind: Notus!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
Grey didn't waste the chance and shot a single, destructive strike towards the enemy, a loud boom echoing afterwards as debris and clouds of dust and ash covered the view. But rather than large cracks, what was revealed soon after was a much more shocking sight.
Thud Thud Thud Thud
A series of heavy sounds soon echoed as soon as clouds of dust and ash started to clear out. Not only did the Vulcan Destroyer remove its heavy armor, it also shed a lot of mass, leaving behind a much smaller and lighter form.
The enemy has yet to move, but with Grey's "Eyes of Destiny", he saw a future he must avoid at all cost. All cells in his body screamed from danger, his heart beating wildly as the opponent looked at him in the eyes.
⟨⟨Barrier!⟩⟩ ［Grey］
There was no time to think. As soon as Grey erected a barrier, the enemy quickly moved from where it previously was. Though it still possessed a large body compared, it was incomparably much faster than before, appearing before his eyes in just a mere fraction of a second.
The Vulcan Destroyer pulled back its arms then released a heavy punch in a small time frame, striking Grey at inhumane speeds. There was no need for discussion. The moments its fist struck Grey, e barrier broke, the sound of shattering glass echoing clearly in the air.
Fortunately, though the barrier didn't last long, it was enough to buy him some time to escape his predicament. He quickly opened a gate and translocated himself towards the opposite of the room, chills running down his spine.
"Haha... How troublesome..." ［Grey］
A wry laugh reverberating in the air, Grey once again looked the enemy in the eyes. It was already hard enough as it was dealing with it when it was still moving slowly. Now that it has become faster, he could no longer tread as lightly as before.
Speed, power, stamina, and mana. No matter where he looked at it, Grey was clearly behind in all aspects, and by a large margin at that. The risks are now much higher than before, doom surrounding him at all corners.
Only a dry smile was afloat Grey's face as he greeted the emissary of death and flames before him. The end is drawing near.
CHAPTER 194 END