Chapter 7 - It Is I, Mio!

Minotaur POV

It was the night of the Third Great Disaster and I felt great. Finally, some mortals to feast on after a few thousand years trapped inside the blasted Labyrinth. Oh, I hated that place and the Athena's spawn who created it.

But, that was all in the past. I am now here and I smell dozens of delicious humans.

'Time for slaughter!' I roared and huffed. But before I could move, a shadow flew next to the clearing I stood on. Tsk, it was a fucking Banshee, those shitty women who just wouldn't move on.

"Oi, this is my turf! Get lost while I'm still nice!" I roared in anger, pleased that I still had the intimidation effect after all these years.

The Banshee looked at me with confusion written all over her face.

I mean, come on man, was that too difficult to understand? Should've known, lesser beings... ain't got manners and shit.

I decided to ignore her and ran towards the smell of humans. All of them were together, frozen, and looked up to the sky. I slowed my movements and heard some of them say 'UFO' and 'Aliens'. Don't know what that means, humans are weird but they still look as weak as back then and I decided to charge in.

"Ah! What is that?"

"Shit, run!"

Oi. Do they not know who I am? I stopped and huffed in the face nearest human, scaring the shit out of him. I smelled fear and it pleased me.

"Hey, let's pray to him! He must be a God who has descended to help us!" One of them said and many followed.

'...' What the actual fuck. Are humans now mentally challenged? I decided not to care and prepared to punch one of them into a bloody mess, but then I heard a loud screeching. Of course, the fucking Banshee was still here.

She flew above the clearing and killed all of the humans with her soundwave attack. I also wanted some fun, but meh. I just started to tear away parts of their flesh. Not gonna lie, that was the best shit I had in a while.

***

A human girl ran into us and screamed. Damn, why do females always scream on their first instinct–annoying as fuck. A boy came along soon after, actually walking in front of the girl, trying to protect her. Man, he's got some guts, I respect that. But the girl then left the boy there, running away.

'???' It was the second time I was confused about humans of today. They've truly become weird, now not even caring about morals. Even, I, the Great Minotaur Mio, got some.

The hateful Banshee chased after her, leaving me alone with the boy. I did not care. Fuck that.

My focus was on the boy. His gaze reminded me of some heroes I've encountered inside the labyrinth–of course, nearly all of them died at my hands. I smirked inwardly and charged at him.

***

Impossible. I was bested and tricked. It has been over a month since the boy had tricked me into falling over that cliff to my death. I'm going to smash him into a bloody mess when I return. Well, thanks to the third cataclysm, I'll be revived constantly until the Great Disaster is cleared or Earth is finished, whatever the outcome... fine by me as long as I have fun and get to kill.

Thinking about killing, I should go up the mountains and see if that boy is still there. I can smell him but there is a weird aura of a strong monster... probably the residual scent left by me. Haha, as expected of me–STRONG.

Maybe I'll get lucky and kill him. Yes, let's do that.

***

Narrator's POV

High in the Kunlun Mountains, where the air was thin and the silence was only broken by the whispering wind, James was training his body with 40-ton heavy rocks on his back, doing push-ups.

Ever since he completed his method of automatic cultivation, Wukong centered his exercise around physical training. His body needs to be at least on par with the stronger monsters he will be facing. To be above everyone else, physical domination was his best bet and the most optimal choice for his current situation. Every enemy in his vicinity is at least in some form or shape a mythical creature. Some may appear weak, but most shouldn't be underestimated.

As James concentrated on his practice, the earth beneath him trembled with an ominous vibration. He felt a strong presence slowly making its way to his camp. A deep, guttural snarl echoed through the mountain, sending chills down his spine.

The Minotaur, a monstrous creature of myth and legend, had somehow found its way back to him.

[Lol, this Bullshit got revived already? Damn, the third disaster sure is something else, eh?]

Towering over ten feet tall, its muscular body was covered in matted fur, and a pair of menacing horns adorned its bull-like head. Its fiery, bloodshot eyes locked onto James, and with a bellow, it charged toward the young semi-immortal.

'Huh, it looks ... bigger?' James pondered for a moment and with a surge of Qi, he summoned his energy, channeling it through his body. A golden aura enveloped him, enhancing his strength and agility. He took out his Stymphalian Dagger, ready to face the unexpected foe.

The Minotaur reached the clearing, its massive hooves pounding the rocky terrain. It swung a colossal fist at James, who deftly dodged the attack. With a swift counterstrike, James delivered a precise blow to the creature's leg, causing it to stumble back with a roar of pain.

It recovered quickly, its horned head lowered, and it charged again. James parried the creature's horns with his dagger, the clash of metal against bone echoing through the mountains. He pushed back, forcing the Minotaur to stumble backward once more.

Both forces traded a few blows with each other, but with a resounding impact, the Stymphalian Dagger succumbed to the brutal exchange, shattering into pieces. In the end, it was just a makeshift dagger made from metallic feathers. There was no hardening or forging involved, so the dagger was quite brittle. It was already a miracle for it to have lasted this long.

As the Minotaur lunged forward once more, its bull-like head lowered, James leaped out of its path. The dodging felt much easier than before, James could read every move of his opponent easily–it was like watching a slow-motion movie.

James lunged forward, his bare hands gripping one of the Minotaur's imposing horns. The Minotaur bellowed in pain and fury as James wrestled with it. One of the horns began to splinter and crack under the incredible force James was exerting. The Minotaur's resistance was futile, and with a final, herculean effort, the horn snapped free. James was thrown off the beast, but he held the broken horn in his hand.

With the Minotaur's horn in his grasp, James stood poised, his eyes locked onto the creature's bloodshot gaze. He could see the desperation and anger in those eyes, but he also sensed the fading strength.

With a deep breath, James channeled his remaining Qi into his arms, feeling the energy surge through him like a torrent.

In one swift motion, James lunged forward, driving the massive horn toward the Minotaur's chest. The creature, its instincts dulled by pain and fatigue, couldn't react in time to defend itself. The horn pierced through the Minotaur's fur and skin, a sickening crunch marking its entry into the creature's heart.

The Minotaur's roar of agony turned into a gurgled cry as the horn penetrated deeper, blood spilling forth. The Minotaur's massive body convulsed in its death throes, the ground trembling beneath it but James forced the horn through the Minotaur's heart, and twisted it a few times, ensuring that the beast would never rise again.

"Damn, that was some good fucking exercise! Now, I also got a new weapon!" James wiped away the few droplets of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead during the battle.

[Hey, I once heard that a Minotaur's meat tasted divine. I think it was because of the muscle/fat distribution or something.]

"Well, I suppose we could try it. I also once watched videos about snow-aging beef. Maybe it could work here? We got winter and this would be something I could look forward to." James thought deeply and replayed the contents of the video he watched inside his head.

[I approve, heh.]

Finally finished planning things out inside his head, James walked towards the Minotaur. The beast was not dead yet, as vitality was one of his strong points–well, in this case, it was bad and delayed death, causing more pain than ever to the bull.

James looked at it with a weird obsession and smiled creepily.

"Well, Mr. Bull, shall we get started with field dressing?"

***

Minotaur's POV

Shit. How did that boy–no, Demi-God–get so strong in such a short time?

I call hax. This is bullshit–wait, not my shit. Argh, fuck that hurts, kid even broke off my horn to stab me.

But I will return stronger, just wait for my revenge–Oi, kid why are you looking at me like that! Stop! STOP IT!

I roared with all my might as I felt my horn stabbing me once again. Then, all I saw was darkness. 

Fuck. Maybe I shouldn't have come here after my revival.