"————"
There seemed to be a sound ringing out.
"————"
Something seemed to be happening.
The cave-like passageway quaked incessantly, and the thunderous roar that assailed the atmosphere kept emerging, signifying the unrest in this place.
But all of this had already been left far behind by Reiger, automatically discarded by him, entirely ignored, cast out of mind.
Enveloped in a cloak of wind, Reiger focused wholly on his enemy before him, with nothing else present in his eyes.
Whether it was his accelerated heartbeat, his boiling blood, or even the surges of shock and pain that swept through his body, they were all disregarded by this man, whose sole intent was to bring down the enemy before him.
Under such circumstances, two figures of vastly different sizes—one large, one small—engaged in a battle to the death.
"Roar!"
With its customary fury, the monstrous beast swung its thick arms repeatedly, aiming at the ground, the walls, and even the ceiling all around, destroying everything in its path and causing a ceaseless clamor of booming and trembling.
Under the monster's rampage, the terrain of the area had essentially been altered, becoming full of pits and craters with debris flying everywhere, a scene of utter chaos.
The dust scattered, the roars were like thunder, and the behemoth unleashed its destructive power without restraint, a sight that struck fear into anyone who beheld it.
However, only the onlookers knew that such an outburst was completely futile.
Because it had not hit the opponent even once.
Wrapped in the wind, Reiger charged with his comparatively slight body, unafraid of the creature's astonishing strength.
As the beast's hands swung down with incredible force, each blow accompanied by a whooshing sound, he would sense them in advance and smoothly dodge out of the way.
His evasion had no pattern, sometimes sidestepping, sometimes ducking, sometimes leaping into the air, and at times rolling awkwardly on the ground. But his movements were free of any excess or pause, fluidly executed, causing the beast with its powerful thick arms to hit nothing but empty space, the ground, the walls, and the ceiling, its attempts at destruction amounting to nothing.
While fluidly dodging, Reiger never forgot to close in on his opponent. His speed never decreased, and in an instant, he was up close to the creature.
The next second, silver light flickered.
"Puchi!" "Puchi!" "Puchi!"...
Several streaks of sword light flashed across the body of the creature, cutting through its hide, slicing its flesh, and causing blood to seep out.
Reiger unleashed his maximum speed and skill, slashing several times as he closed in, inflicting damage.
"Roar!"
The beast could only howl in pain as it swung its arm, aiming to crush the slight figure pressing in on it, but once again, it hit the ground and kicked up countless clouds of dust without hitting its opponent.
Reiger seemed to have anticipated the monster's counterattack, or rather, he had seen through its attack patterns. Before the creature could swing its massive arm, he withdrew, becoming a gust of wind that whirled around the monster's body.
"Puchi!" "Puchi!" "Puchi!"...
In a flash, several more streaks of silver light soared, and the sharp sword's edge, mingling with the surging wind, cut into the monster's body once again.
The wounds were not large, in fact, they were very small.
But Reiger was indeed amassing damage, building up the fruits of the battle, marking the enemy's vast form with scars.
Clearly, Reiger intended to fight in this manner, continuously battling on until he brought down his foe.
"Roar!"
The monster raged furiously, its massive body swaying, its arms flailing wildly, generating countless chaotic Qi Forces. The momentum was astonishing, but it still failed to land a single blow on Reiger.
Reiger circled around the monster, moving at high speed, while his sword danced with slashes, forming a flurry of silver glints that flickered around the beast.
That fearless figure, appearing reckless but actually bold and decisive in battle, eventually created an overwhelming presence and force that unavoidably influenced and intimidated the onlookers, making them forget what they were even thinking of doing.
Ais was no exception.
The puppet girl, who had abruptly entered the battlefield, now stood, like Rephia, stunned, watching Reiger's fight, his challenge, looking into the fervor and fighting spirit in his eyes, and for a moment, she completely forgot to take any action.
"Over there!"
Other adventurers rushed over, spotted the battle between Reiger and the monster, and were about to join in, but they were stopped by Ais.
"Don't go!"
The Sword Princess, who usually showed few expressions and even less emotion, broke her silence with a shout that startled the adventurers ready to intervene, causing them to stop in their tracks.
"Sword Princess?"
"You're here too?"
"Why, why won't you let us join in?"
The newcomers seemed to be higher-ranked, experienced adventurers. It was unclear whether they had come up from the lower floors, having sensed the commotion on their way back, or if they had rushed over upon receiving notification of the unusual situation.
They were confused, wondering, seemingly not understanding why Ais was stopping them.
To this, Ais had only one thing to say.
"He's issuing a challenge." Ais looked straight ahead, at that figure, and said, "We can't disturb him."
Hearing this, the adventurers exchanged puzzled looks, not comprehending.
Yet, they too were quickly captivated by the battle unfolding before them.
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"...
The giant beast's unrivaled strength continued its rampage, trampling the entire underground passageway, leaving the sound of explosions and roars lingering for a long time.
Reiger, relying on the Wind Spirit Swift Walk that enveloped him, repelled all debris, blew away all dust, and even ignored the impacts and blast winds. He just kept stepping around the beast, narrowly dodging every incoming attack.
He had swung his sword more times than he could count.
The wounds he had inflicted had accumulated beyond measure.
Aches were creeping up his body, seemingly crying out to Reiger, urging him to stop, to give up.
Yet, Reiger ignored all these external factors, focused wholeheartedly on his adversary.
"Roar!"
Finally, the monster's roar contained less anger and more fear.
The injuries covering its body were now too numerous to count, and the creature that had initially disregarded these trivial wounds finally sensed something was amiss.
The blood seeping out was excessive.
Too many wounds accumulating had begun to affect the monster's movement, its speed, instilling fear in this once furiously enraged beast.
The monster, now fully aware of the danger, stopped flailing its massive arms and charged recklessly instead, ramming toward Reiger.
"Boom!"
Just as Reiger was about to close in for another attack, the monster's sudden charge hit him head-on, and his whole person was pinned by the monster's huge body, dragged along the way.
"Bang!"
A stone column, along with Reiger who had been pinned by the monster, was shattered, exploding into a cloud of dust and debris.
"Roar!"
Seizing an opportunity to counterattack, the monster relentlessly pressed its advantage, continuing to ram Reiger into rocks and walls, crushing them and dealing immense damage to Reiger who was trapped in front, almost causing him to cough up blood.
"Mr. Reiger!"
Rephia's cry, filled with a mournful tone, echoed through the space.
Ais's pupils shrank, her body tensed, and her hand instinctively gripped the sword at her waist, ready to draw it and rush forward.
At that moment———
"[Release the arrow of light, bow of the holy tree, I am the hand of the bow]."
A familiar incantation suddenly filled the air, stopping Ais in her tracks.
"That, that is.....!?"
Rephia, too, cried out again, her voice filled with bewilderment.
"[Halt its advance, oh shooter of the fairies]."
"[Pierce through, Guaranteed Hit Arrow]."
The incantation continued to ring out, gathering a brilliance in front of the monster.
"[Arc-shaped Beam]."
With a deep, cold command, the light transformed into arrows and exploded in front of the monster.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous roar, the magic light arrow burst forth, blasting away the monster that was unstoppable in its charge.
Reiger, his frame shrouded in wind, reappeared before the crowd, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his hand shimmering with the glow of magic, signifying to others that he was the caster of the spell.
"Mr. Reiger learned my magic.....?"
Rephia realizing this, was dumbstruck.
And that was indeed the case.
Because Rephia had used the spell in front of Reiger, he had witnessed and remembered the incantation.
He also learned the exact effects of the spell from Rephia.
With knowledge of the original character, clear memory, and certain effects, all conditions were met, and Reiger directly learned Rephia's magic and used it at that moment.
Seeing the monster blasted away, Reiger suppressed the blood rising to his throat and stretched forth his hand again.
"..."
"[Arc-shaped Beam]——!"
"..."
"[Arc-shaped Beam]——!!"
"..."
"[Arc-shaped Beam]——!!!"
Chanting the short verse at breakneck speed, Reiger launched the [Arc-shaped Beam] three times in quick succession.
Magic Power's arrows of light shot out one after another, slicing through the air, evaporating dust, and striking the monster that hadn't yet reacted, nor even risen to its feet.
"Rumble!"
A massive explosion.
The barrage of three light arrows created bursts of flame across the monster's body, scorching its massive frame.
"Roar!"
The monster let out a painful roar, retreating under the bombardment, its body finally stained with blood.
At that moment, the wounds Reiger had previously inflicted played a significant role.
The magic's effect, normally dampened by the monster's tough hide, was much more severe due to Reiger's earlier slashes, which had extensively damaged its fur and hide, significantly reducing its resistance.
And so, the magic-created flames burned the monster's gigantic body, causing it to howl in pain and continue to retreat.
In its state, the monster failed to notice that Reiger had once again initiated a charge.
"[Awaken, Tempest]."
The wind howled.
"[Sweep across, Tempest]."
This was the maximum output, the ultimate release of [Wind Spirit Swift Walk].
The wind wrapping around Reiger surged instantly, transforming from a gentle breeze into a roaring hurricane.
Clutching the thin sword in both hands, Reiger converted all his spiritual power into Magic Power, into the force of the magic wind, bestowing it all upon his sword.
"Spurt——!"
When the chilly silver flash raced through the hurricane, like moonlight streaking past, the loudest ripping sound yet occurred.
The giant spike, transformed from the hurricane-enshrouded blade, tore through the monster's body, piercing its enormous frame with success.
"————!"
The monster's roar abruptly ended.
"Thud!"
The wind-encased sword also shattered suddenly, breaking apart.
Reiger passed straight through the body of the monster, crashing to the ground.
Behind him, the monster's body, now with a huge bloody hole, slowly collapsed, lifeless.