- bravo humn you missed your only chance to win. Now I'm going to crush you like the insect you all are! shouted Assu
- But the big monster's almost scary. Ralph replied
After his statement, Assu stood up and looked around before letting out another monstrous scream and unleashing his mana into the room. Immediately, four large headless statues of himself appeared in the room, forming a rectangle around him. Each of the statues held a head of blue flame in their hands, and each of the heads had a strange look on their faces. It was as if they were torn between anger, fear, pride and serenity. As soon as the statues appeared, all Assu's wounds closed and his body overflowed with mana and super-power. And the adventurers understood this.
- This is it! This is it! The hump zone.
Ralph said with an unconcerned smile.
- Be careful! Even if the artefact reduces its strength to ten percent, a hump is seriously boosted in terms of power in its zone. If we underestimate it, it'll end badly. Pronounced the old mage
- You're too pessimistic, mate, it's our first bump since we became rank A, we should make the most of it, especially as this one is the weakest in Amon's dungeon. Zone or no zone, we'll do it. Ralph replied.
All this happened in front of Hella, who remained neutral and continued to observe what was happening.
After releasing his zone, Assu made a huge leap of one step towards Ralph, bringing down his giant hammer on him. Raph managed to withstand the attack with his sword, although the earth shattered beneath his feet due to the power of the attack.
A short duel ensued between Ralph and Assu, during which they exchanged more than twenty successive blows with all their might. Assu launched a series of club attacks with phenomenal strength and speed, while Ralph blocked them all with his sword, putting all his energy into them as he had no choice but to absorb them given the speed of his opponent's attacks. The duel between the two monstrous beings was such that the powerful shockwave, accompanied by a gust of wind, repelled any attempt at outside intervention.
Despite this situation, Linale managed to move behind Assu using her instantaneous movement to try and attack him from behind. She fired a series of ten arrows of light, all of which were deflected either downwards or upwards. Linale was surprised but the old mage seemed to have understood something, so he cast a lightning spell on Assu and, as with Linale, his attack was also deflected upwards. It was then that he informed the others of the nature of the area of Assu's hump that he had just understood.
- That's it! The statuses that symbolise his zone have the ability to deflect any ranged attacks against this monster. In other words, you can only hit him in close combat, but...
Looking at the ferocity of the duel between Ralph and Assu, the old mage said
- But it seems a bit difficult to me.
- What do you mean old man? asked Ander
- You've understood perfectly. We're not capable of beating him in hand-to-hand combat. That said, no magic is flawless, even the most elaborate ones like 'the hump zone'. In that case : THE ONE! This magic spell forces your opponent to target just one person. Come on, monster!
As the old mage said this, tapping his staff against the ground, a light appeared on the end of his staff and attracted the attention of Assu who, after having delivered a violent blow to Ralph, sending the latter sliding away, changed target directly by charging violently at the mage. The latter, seeing him coming, didn't move an inch as Célestine shouted at him not to stand still. The old mage put his staff to his mouth and said
- Cage of night and sun. Guardian of peace and tranquillity. Appear and lock up evil in your dark and gloomy veil: Prisoner of destiny.
When the magician finished his incantation, a flat black shadow appeared in the sky above Assu's head. The old man waved his hand and ordered the circle to fall on Assu. Assu then sent a black beam in the shape of a cylinder at the monster, who, having seen the attack, jumped back to try and avoid it, but contrary to what he was expecting, Celestine had anticipated his gesture and was already within range with a great leap to trample his head and send him back into the circle.
André the priest took advantage of the situation to say a blessing
- O Great Goddess of Light, enlighten the impure with your great goodness. Reward the souls who submit to your heavenly will and punish the evil that plagues this world: Light!
As an effect of this incantation, a small ball of light appeared just in front of Assu, who was getting to his feet, before growing into a large beam of light that completely enveloped the body of the monster, who screamed in pain and rage.
- This spell alone would never have succeeded in defeating your zone, but merged with the miracle light, it took on a whole new dimension. The damage to a monster like you must be unbearable.
Indeed, Assu looked like he'd taken a beating since the start of this fight. He looked pale, as if he'd just felt his very soul leave his body. The old mage added to this by saying
- There's nothing better against a monster like that than a good spell filled with the blessed light of a miracle. Come on, I'll add another layer. Thunder rumbles!
The old man unleashed an electric shock of almost a million kW on Assu. Then he said
- The prisoner of destiny is an isolation magic that locks the target in a circle where none of his magical attributes will work and he won't be able to get out on his own. In other words, your zone is no longer of any use to you. You can go to your heart's content. He's made like a rat.
It was with great difficulty that Assu got to his feet after suffering the full force of the old mage's spell. But no sooner was he on his feet than the troop of adventurers were already holding him in a circle. Ralph, despite his injury, stood to his right and prepared to launch a series of attacks.
- The saving wave!!!!
As for Célestine, she used her speed to move all around Assu, inflicting damage with sharp, precise attacks.
- 10 blows in one! And again! And again! And again!
Meanwhile, Linale moved to Assu's back to bombard him with powerful arrows of light without stopping. She was totally unleashed and the old mage, together with Ander, launched a series of magical lightning attacks directly at the monster.
Assu found himself locked in the middle of a deluge of violent attacks from his enraged opponents, determined to finish him off. He was completely unable to do anything and was taking all the attacks head-on.
"Saving wave!!!"
"15 blows in one
"Arrow of Light: Multi shot
"Powerful lightning: strike down!"
"Blessed light!"
"20 shots in one"
"Haaaaaaaa saving wave! On and on haaaaaaaa"
"Triple lightning: strike my enemy"
"27 shots in one
"Blessed light! Blessed light! And once more."
"Thirty shots in one"
"Arrow of light: multi shot!"
"Get it in your face you monster. Saving wave!!!!!!"
Ralph shouted as he delivered the finishing blow right to the centre of Assu's head, causing his blood to spurt out. The severely wounded Assu fell to his knees on the ground, pissing blood everywhere and with a large part of his body burnt. His wounds not closing, he ended up falling to the ground in front of his opponents, who were also all out of breath.
- It's all over! We've got him!
Ralph affirmed, catching his breath like the others who were also out of breath.
- Haaaa haa ha I can't believe it. We've... finally got... our first bump.
Célestine pronounced proudly.
- Yes, with this we're sure to pass to the next class, aren't we? Who knows, we might even become real heroes hahaha.
Ralph replied, leaning on his sword planted on the ground.
Everyone was out of breath, and while Linale watched Assu's body attentively, Ander approached the old mage.
- Hey old man, shouldn't we get this over with quickly and go home?
- Yes, you're right. We've only got an hour's immunity after we've beaten the hump. If we wait too long, the rest of the horde over there will come down on us. But... I need to catch my breath. I can't take it any more. I'm almost exhausted hahaha thank goodness we've already finished our main mission.
- But we have a specific mission. We mustn't keep the holy knights waiting, especially not the priestess. Forget your greed and let's get back. Says André
- I understand your concern, it's true that after this mission you'll be able to fulfil your dream and join the holy knights, but don't worry, we've already got everything the saint asked for. Unlike you, we can't live the good life of the Holy Knights, come on, this could be our only chance to make a fortune and change our lives. So be patient, it's almost over. Says the old man
Meanwhile, Célestine, who was close to Assu's body on the ground, took the opportunity to kick him, saying
- Good riddance, you big puke. Hahaha".
- That's enough Célestine, get away from that body. Let's rest for five minutes before continuing.
Linale said to Célestine, who turned round and said
- I was only checking to see if he was really dead. In any case, he gave us a hard time that one.
Suddenly, all the wounds on Assu's body disappeared as if by regeneration. The ogre stood up behind Celestine, who was advancing towards Ralph a few metres away. He then picked up his hammer and raised it to the sky, behind Celestine who hadn't seen anything yet.
- Célestine, get out of the way! shouted Linale
Ralph saw Assu and rushed towards Célestine, shouting
- Don't just stand there.
He threw himself forward to try and counter the monster's attack with his sword. When Célestine finally turned to look behind her, it was already too late. Assu struck her full force with all the power of his enormous Massu. Célestine tried to protect herself with both arms but under the impact of the attack, you could hear the bones in both her arms shatter before the hammer struck her full force on the sides and head at the same time.
Assu's attack sent Célestine tumbling to the other side of the room, smashing into the wall which shattered on impact. Ander quickly ran towards Celestine to give her some medical attention, but when he saw her, the left half of her body in pieces, blood coming out of her head and mouth, her beautiful warrior armour soaked in her own blood and the left half of her face almost crushed and in agony, Ander fell to his knees. The look on his face betrayed unparalleled fear as the others, worried, shouted at him from their seats
- So, Ander, how is she? asked Linale
- Ander, what the hell are you doing? Look after her quickly. shouted Ralph
- Ander? shouted the old man
- We underestimated him because he was just a first-tier hump whose humps change quite often, but the truth is that this monster is too powerful for a simple A-rank team. Declared Ander
At the insistence of his comrades, Ander cast a healing spell on Celestine. Ralph was furious and drank a potion from his pocket. Immediately his body overflowed with mana as he grew stronger.
- The doping potion! They should only be used in desperate situations, because even if they boost your abilities, they can have severe counter-blows.
Pronounced the old man, looking at Ralph, before taking one out in his turn to say
- We've got no choice, Linale. We all gave earlier. This is our last chance.
They all pulled a doping potion from their pockets before drinking it to increase their mana exponentially.
- This time, even your regeneration capacity plus your zone won't save you.
Pronounced Linale in his head before adding
- We're sure to win... but then why do I feel like I've forgotten something?
- Advanced regeneration has serious consequences for mana and cells. He's in no better shape than we are, so don't go too easy on him. We still have the advantage of the monster barrier with us.
shouted the old mage, while Ralph and Linale had already launched their attack. All together, they began to corner Assu again, who was still at a disadvantage and unable to block Linale's arrows or reach Ralph, who avoided each of his blows, which had become too slow, before wounding him with direct sword attacks. The old mage stayed back with support spells this time, increasing the power and performance of his allies.
Attacks came from all sides, Linale combining his instantaneous movement with the arrow of light to launch attacks that were both fast and unpredictable. His arrows would pierce deep into the monster's flesh before disappearing in a small burst of light. As for Ralph, he blocked Assu's attacks before slashing his hand with a large cut. He then followed up with an upward thrust to the stomach, before spinning around the monster at speed to inflict damage to its back.
Assu turned to strike him again, but he blocked the hammer before pushing it back into the air, then jumped up and sliced Assu from head to toe, inflicting a huge gash before jumping back as the monster bled to death.
But as soon as he was wounded, Assu began to regenerate again, making all the wounds on his body disappear. He squeezed his wrist again before charging at Ralph.
- Don't worry, he seems to be holding on but in reality, he's already at the end of his tether. Keep pushing him. I'm going to give you an extra boost with my magic spells.
- You haven't...
- Need to tell us again.
Linale and Ralph replied. Assu then raised his hammer to bring it down on Ralph before taking four arrows in the arm which slowed down his attack and allowed Ralph to avoid it to inflict another large gash on his stomach. He then followed up with a kick that sent the monster tumbling across the room. But without giving him time to get up, he charged at him before jumping up and taking advantage of Assu's kneeling position to come down on him and rip off one of his ears.
Assu screamed before straightening up, taking two steps backwards and then trying to crush Ralph with his Massu, but Ralph dodged the blow by jumping backwards before rushing at him at the same time as a score of Linale's light arrows, all of which came crashing down on the monster.
This pattern was repeated several times, and each time Assu regenerated and attacked again, despite the fact that none of his attacks managed to hit his opponent. But if it was true that Assu was approaching his limits, then so were Ralph and Linale. Both sides were out of breath. It was more a battle of endurance that was being played out in this confrontation, where one side clearly had the advantage.
After several blows from swords and arrows stabbed into his body, Assu's regeneration stopped and his great Massu slipped from his hands and fell under his feet. He fell to his knees in front of Ralph and Linale, who were also exhausted. The outcome of the fight was no longer in doubt. At least, that's what they all thought when they saw him.
- Pathetic!
pronounced Hella, having witnessed the entire course of the fight. She added
- So this is what a fight between adventurers and a super monster looks like! It's just pathetic. I was expecting better, but at this rate we'll be here all day, so... activation of the unique skill: sealing!
Hella uttered without anyone hearing or noticing her do anything.
Meanwhile, Assu's regeneration had reached its limit and he was now at the mercy of his opponents. Ralph advanced slowly towards him before raising his sword and saying
- This is for Célestine!
He was about to bring his sword down on Assu and cut off his head when suddenly the anti-monster barrier dissipated around them. The shock was enormous for the members of the group, who were all distracted for a moment by the act. But this was his only chance and he knew it.
- It looks like providence has turned its back on you humns!
The anti-monster barrier was the cause of Assu's strength decreasing by up to 10%. And now that the barrier was no longer active, the monster could finally let loose. The old mage understood this and shouted
- The barrier has dissipated, get out of the kid's way quickly.
Ralph leapt backwards to get away from Assu, but was quickly caught by the speed of the latter, who leapt after him with his club in his hand and raised it to the sky, ready to strike.
- Earthquake!
Assu uttered before swinging his club at Ralph. The attack was so powerful that the ground shattered under it and shook as if it were about to collapse. Ralph had taken the full force of the attack but had managed to block it with his sword, using all his strength. The earth shattered, the air and the walls trembled under the impact of the attack before the worried and shocked eyes of the adventurer's other companions.
But despite all this, Ralph managed to block Assu's attack and even push him back.
- Did he survive?
- Even wounded, it's still the hump attack...hmm he's stronger than I thought too...eh...
It's true that Ralph had taken Assu's blow while he had recovered his strength restored by the barrier, but both his legs were broken, and blood was pouring from his nose and ears. Ralph could no longer take even one step. He fell to his knees spitting blood. He dropped his sword as he saw how badly both his arms had swollen from the shock. He also began vomiting blood onto the floor.
Assu took a few steps back as if to savour his victory over Ralph. His body regenerating again, he had nothing more to fear while his opponents were in all their states.
- You've got to be kidding me... Linale, we should withdraw... Linale?
uttered the old man when he was surprised to see her use her instantaneous movement to appear right next to hella, who was standing in front of the door instead of looking after her companions. What's more, Linale was pointing her arrow at hella's head and saying
- It was you! Yes, from the start I wondered what was wrong, but in fact you've been the problem all along. When I came here I checked to see if any other adventurers were involved but nothing. No one was supposed to be there at that time, in that dungeon, so now you're going to tell me who you are before I put my arrow through your head? Pronounced Linale
Hella turned her head and stared into Linale's eyes, her pupils now red and green, before giving a small smile and saying
- What a pity! It wasn't in the plan but you're all going to have to die for me.
She then added, raising her voice a little more
- It's time, lust.
At Hella's signal, a pink light appeared in the room in the shape of a ball above everyone. A silhouette began to appear in this small light before being visible to everyone. This silhouette was none other than Lust, who was waiting for hella's signal to enter the stage in her normal form. She appeared above everyone's heads, laughing. When the old mage saw her, he said with a surprised expression
- A curse! A succubus?! No, she's not going to use that...
Lust then spoke to the whole room
- Real-life succubus fantasy!!!!
Immediately, a light similar to an angry pink Aurora Borealis burst forth, illuminating the whole room as the succubus laughed in amusement and the adventurers looked on in shock. Must then added
- At last, we can all have fun together.